Brewery Review: The New Guys--Second Self Beer Company

Time for a Brewery Review...

Jason wishing he was leading tour

In the not too distant past (a few Saturday's ago), I got a call from friend of the Ale Hoppers, Jason Murphy wanting to go check out a brewery. He needed to get out of the house, his wife was not feeling well.

It didn't take much to convince me, I didn't have much on my plate and Chelle was bogged down with a work project she needed to finish.

So Jason and I did a little homework and decided we'd take the 20 minute drive and visit Atlanta's newest brewery, Second Self.

LOCATION:

1311 Logan Circle in Atlanta. For those who live in the ATL, on the Westside, about a mile from Red Brick and not far from Nuevo Laredo Cantina.

WEBSITE:

SecondSelfBeer.com

BEERS:

--They are brewing 5 Beers right now and they are all pretty darn good. A little different than the standard, the beers all share a clean, flavor filled taste. For $12, you get 6 samples and a tour of the small, but nice facility.

Thai Wheat

THAI WHEAT: One of the Cleanest beers I've ever had. Very strong Lemongrass and Ginger flavors. Light and refreshing, I could drink this during the summer and never go to anything else. Really good and highly recommend this beer.

RED HOP RYE: Hoppy, with some carmel and malt notes. Again, a very clean beer, just a bit hoppier than what I prefer. For me, the bitter end makes it hard to drink more than one.

LIPA: One of the lightest IPA's I've ever had. Pretty good beer and I'm not an IPA fan. Once again, nice clean taste with a very slight bitter finish. Not as hoppy as the Red Hop IMO. Good entry level IPA for those looking to venture into the Craft Beer world.

Mole Porter

SAISON: Yum. Not a year round brew, but it should be. Notes of grapefruit and orange peel stood out to me. Slight peppery finish. Sensing a trend, this also is a very clean beer and a good accompaniment to just about any kind of food.




MOLE PORTER: Limited release beer. Can't say enough good things about this. I'm a big Porter/Stout fan, and this absolutely nails it. Chocolate is prominent and the peppery/mole flavor is there just enough to let you know it's there. Too many of these type beers go for too much heat, Second Self got the mix perfect here.

BREWERY: 

Brewery

---A smallish warehouse on the Westside of Atlanta. The size may be deceptive as they only have a couple of tanks. The tasting area takes up most of the space right now. According to Chris, one of the co-owners, they chose the site knowing they would need to expand. And if the quality of the beer is an indicator, that won't take long.

Bar and Taps

ATMOSPHERE:

---Again, typical warehouse. Once you park and walk in, there's a small bar with 4 taps along with a pressure cleaner for your glass if you are sampling. There's a lot of room for people to visit.

OUR THOUGHTS:

---Really enjoyed the visit. When we were there, it was the second tasting session they'd ever had. The gang still has some kinks to work out, it's very laid back.

The name itself came from what Chris described as their "Second" jobs. Neither he, nor Jason, the "beer architect" were full-time brewers until they opened Second Self. Both began brewing as a hobby--or second job.

They both got into the business because they wanted to produce something a little different. While Chris has brewing experience from Sweetwater and from getting his brewing certification, Jason's background is more as a chef.

Which is why the beers blend so well with foods. Ideally, food pairings are the best way to drink them.

If you are a serious Craft Beer geek looking for something to do on a Friday or Saturday we highly recommend paying these guys a visit.