Brewery: Twain’s Brew Pub 
Location: Decatur, GA
Brew: Criminal Sin IPA
Merchant: Twain’s Brew Pub Bar
Service: Draft (belly up to the bar)
Style: IPA
Color: Amber to Orange (13 SRM)
IBU: 60 (unofficial)
ABV: 6.7%
Temp: Chilled
Smell: Huge citrus nose with some sweet notes and subtle pine
Taste: You can tell by the photos that at first glance this a gorgeous brew. The color and slight haze are inviting and a thin head always seems accessible. The first sip was incredibly rewarding with an enormous initial citrus flavor that matched the nose perfectly. If you like the IPA style this is why–a good one hits hard right away.
As you get into Criminal Sin there is a dryness that lingers. It’s not quite chalky, which is often considered over-hopped. I love that in an IPA. Taken towards an extreme and stopping at the doorstep. Later in the glass the hops are grassy and the big flavor continues as the malt backbone provides a really great balance. The head, however, died halfway through and never really laced glass—a minor detail.
I loved this brew. While consuming I learned Twain’s won first prize in the Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting. I can only imagine how good this was from a cask.
As a side note and disclaimer, this is the first review of a brew pub beer. I want to do this every so often. I’m a little concerned about availability since these pubs are typically brewing with seasonality in mind. They may never brew a particular batch again or if they do they often tweak it. Their goal is to provide fresh and interesting beer. I have ventured out before to try something I’ve read/heard about and it’s been gone. My hope is that this review is indicative of what you can expect from the pub in both quality and consistency. In these situations I simply order something I’ve never had before.
Pair with: A good friend.
3 caps
Wayne Pelletier
September 1991. I drew from a tall, golden, hazy glass of a fresh and local hefeweizen in Bamberg Germany. Since then I've tasted more than a thousand brews. Here in the Greater Atlanta area we're pretty fortunate. Our local heavies: SweetWater, Atlanta Brewing and Terrapin all do world-class work. But the scene goes much, much deeper. That's where I like to find fresh pints. The goal is to draw attention to those finds on a 3-cap scale. Three seems simple but that isn't to say everything is great, average or terrible. Quite the contrary is the reality. I have come across very few craft/micro beers that are just no good. I assume these are all good beverages brew by good people with good intentions and you should as well. If I cross paths with a local brew that is truly terrible I won’t waste your time, or mine, writing a review. 3 CAPS: Hurry. This is a rare brew worth going out of your way to find. I swear it. 2 CAPS: A very good beer. Stands out as great in the style. 1 CAP: A decent brew that is average for the style. Prost!