BOTW 2

BOTW, Part II

For our second installment of the Beer of the Week segment, I turn to one of my recent go-to favorites. But before we get there, a little about me. I used to be a creature of habit: I’d wear the same style shirts, eat the same meals while out and I’d always choose from a very limited selection of beers. However, over the last 5 years or so, I have flipped that switch and gone full speed in the other direction. While I still have no fashion sense, it is rare that I order the same beer twice in one sitting. That switch occurred when I start collecting beer ‘credits’ from loyalty programs in places like Taco Mac, World of Beer and the Flying Saucer. But that’s a post for another day.

I say all of that to shed light on how I found my new go-to favorite beer. It was in perusing the extensive beer list at Taco Mac-Crabapple that I found this and gave it a whirl. And what a treat that was for me! This is not an expensive, super-fancy beer to be saved for a special occasion. And it certainly is not a “pound a half-case before kickoff” beer either. It is a very nice, smooth beer that has great balance and is perfect to enjoy over dinner with friends, at a backyard BBQ or any other social occasion. And it’s a nice conversation-starter, too. Not everyone has heard of it … yet.

Enough preamble, this week’s BOTW is Left Hand Sawtooth. Left Hand is a brewery in Longmont, Colorado and creates fantastic choices like the 400-Pound Monkey, Good Juju and St. Vrain Tripel. But their signature beer is the Sawtooth. This is an ESB (Extra Special Bitter), but don’t let the word ‘bitter’ fool you. This is a perfectly balanced beer that has a slight hint of citrus aroma and flavor. The first time I had this was on Thursday May 28, 2009 at the Taco Mac in Crabapple (Roswell), GA. Yes, moments like this are that memorable. Right now, the best way to get Sawtooth is in the 12-pack mixer, which includes 4 each of Sawtooth, Black Jack Porter, Milk Stout and the 400-Pound Monkey. Do yourself a flavor and grab one today!