High on Hops: Three Taverns Brewery

By Lee Heidel October 17, 2015

Decatur, Georgia’s Three Taverns is a Belgian-inspired brewery deep in the heart of the South. In 2 short years, it has managed to blend old world recipes and modern culinary sensibilities into a line of outstanding, well-crafted brews that satisfy craft beer drinkers of every stripe. Whether your ideal pour is a rich and robust Russian Imperial Stout or a spicy session ale, Three Taverns has a delicious beer waiting for you.

Three Taverns made its name largely on its “New Monastics” series, thoughtful reinventions of traditional Belgian styles. The 3 core beers that paved the way for this innovative brand are Single Intent, White Hops and A Night in Brussels.

Related Post: High on Hops’ Intro to Beer Aging

Single Intent is Three Taverns’s take on the Patersbier, a traditional Trappist ale meant for the consumption of brewing monks and not for the general public. Possessing a modest 5 percent alcohol by volume, the beer pours with a lively, full head which settles atop a golden body. French Strisselspalt hops imbue the beer with an herbal and spicy precedent to the dry finish.

The White IPA is a relatively new beer style wherein the revered big India Pale Ale hop profile is balanced with wheat malts. White Hops is Three Taverns’ take on the movement and it may be the best White IPA on the market. The mad rush from Citra hops, grapefruit peel, potent Belgian yeast and intriguing spice combinations make the beer as invigorating to smell as it is to drink.

A Night in Brussels may be the most “American” beer of the lot but it stays on brand by using Belgian malts and yeast strains to directly take on the overhopped IPA trend. Oscillating between sweet and bitter, it is complex while still being crushable, interesting while being infinitely imbibable.

Next steps into drinking through the Three Taverns oeuvre would take you to the dark-fruit depths of Quasimodo, a Belgian Quad, Le Peche Mode, a saison brimming with peach juice and the sugary, immersing Theophan the Recluse, a Belgian-inspired stout that blends hops, water and malts into a cacophony for the taste buds.

Three Taverns beers are currently available on draft and in bottles throughout the state of Georgia.

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Lee Heidel is the managing editor of Brew/Drink/Run, a website and podcast that promotes brewing your own beer, consuming the…

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