Name: Moon River Brewing Company
Location: Savannah, GA
Type: Brewpub
Available in DC Market?: No
What you need to know: This brewery is led by Brewmaster John Pinkerton, who was recently elected to head the fledgling Georgia Craft Brewers Guild. His brewery occupies one of the oldest buildings in Savannah, which is said to be genuinely haunted. Here’s to hoping no ectoplasm gets into the variety of beers that Pinkerton brews, including what looks like a very interesting funked Trappist-style Belgian Pale Ale. A time honored tradition at this brewpub is the weekly 6 O’Clock Toast on Friday evening, which is something I really wish one of DC’s craft beer bars would pick up and start as a new tradition. Looks like this Savannah brewpub packs a lot of character into its space and beers. They should make a fine addition to this year’s SAVOR!
Beer #1: Rosemary Swamp Fox IPA
Notes: This beer took home a 2010 GABF Gold Medal in category 5 (Herb and Spice or Chocolate Beers; 91 entries). Look for the herbaceous pine aroma and flavor of the rosemary to blend nicely with the Centennial and Chinook hops. This is a combination that should work quite nicely, and if you’re a hophead, you’re going to want to try this one for sure.
BeerAdvocate Grade: B+ (3 reviews)
Ratebeer Grade: N/A (not enough reviews)
Beer #2: Slow-vannah Southern Session Ale
Notes: This is apparently a newer beer for Moon River, because it’s not on their site. From reading BeerAdvocate and Ratebeer reviews, this is a balanced American pale ale that packs a lot of flavor in at just 4%. Don’t neglect the session beers at SAVOR; if you visit the high-gravity beers too often, you may be setting yourself up for an ugly end of the night. By all accounts, this seems to be a pretty tasty beer that doesn’t pack a boozy punch.
BeerAdvocate Grade: B+ (8 reviews)
Ratebeer Grade: 74 overall; 65 style
Summary: Are you big on toasts? Stop by the Moon River booth and say hi to their staff. Entertain them with your best toast (don’t forget to end with “Shut up and drink your beer!”) and you might score some great swag. This is a brewery whose beers you won’t see up in this area, so stop by and give them a try. I’m particularly intrigued by the idea of an IPA with rosemary in it and will be swinging by with a toast of my own.
This profile is a part of the DCBEER.COM SAVOR Brewery Profile series. For more information, follow this link to see profiles of all 2011 SAVOR participants.
Beer Review Disclaimer: The beer reviews found on Beer Advocate and Rate Beer do not represent the opinions of this site. We provide these in the hope that they will serve as a resource showing what some craft beer fans have thought of the beers. These reviews can be a helpful guideline, but are not the be-all end-all about a beer’s strengths or weaknesses.
