Maximum Enjoyment, at Max Lagers American Grill and Brewpub
Written: Jun 02 '04
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Food and Presentation: |
 |
|
| Ambiance and Decor: |
 |
|
| Quality of Service: |
|
|
|
Pros: The food; The beer; The atmosphere; The Location; etc., etc.
Cons: None, really, except perhaps the limited hours of operation and a few other minor things
The Bottom Line: Max Lager's is a great place in a great American city, with plenty of tasty brew and delicious food to choose from.
|
|
|
| Bryan_Carey's Full Review: Max Lagers American Grill & Brewery |
Located in downtown Atlanta, GA, Max Lager’s is a American grill with a full- service restaurant combined with a brewing operation that produces four different styles of beer on a year- round basis along with several seasonal beer products that change throughout the year. Brew master John Roberts is the man in charge, formulating the recipes and fine- tuning the different malt beverages produced at Max Lager’s to satisfy the needs of its thirsty clientele. Let’s pull up a chair and take a look at what Max Lager’s has to offer the beer and food connoisseur:
The Beer:
Max Lager’s brews many different beer products throughout the year, with four annual products that are almost always on tap. When I visited this brewpub, the following beer was available:
Max Black- One of the four annually produced beers, Max Black is dark in color and offers the taste of molasses, along with roasted and chocolate malts and the finishing tang of hops that attempt to keep the taste more balanced. This beer tends to be on the sweet side and is brewed with a starting gravity of 14.5 degrees Plato. The final product has a bitterness level of 40 IBU, making for a very good- tasting dark brew. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Max Red- This annual product is brewed in the tradition of Vienna Lager. Gold with a touch of redness in its color, Max Red features the flavors of toasted grains and sweet malt with a hop finish that is assertive without being overwhelming. This beer is brewed with a starting gravity of 13 degrees Plato and the final product has a bitterness level of just 22 IBU. Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Max Gold- Yet another annual product, Max Gold is brewed in the style of a Bohemian Pilsner and it has a golden/straw color. The flavor of this beer is very crisp and clean with a medium body and the taste of light malted barley and a nice hop finish that leaves a distinct aftertaste. Max Lager’s brews this product from a starting gravity of 12.6 degrees Plato and the final product has a bitterness level of 40 IBU. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Max Pale- The fourth annual product brewed at Max Lager’s, Max Pale is brewed as India Pale Ale and thus it has an assertive hop flavor that makes its presence known without going over the top, like some IPA are known to do. Toasted malt and tangy Cascade and Mt. Hood hop flavors round out this delicious beer product. It is brewed with a starting gravity of 14 degrees Plato and has a bitterness level of 55 IBU. Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Max Maibock- This is a seasonal beer brewed during the Spring. It is brewed in the tradition of a pale bock and it has a golden/reddish color. This beer features the taste of toasted malt and a sweet-dry character that seems to bounce back and forth due to the sweet malt and the higher than average alcohol content, giving the beer a somewhat medicinal taste in the finish. This product begins with a gravity of 16.5 Plato and contains a bitterness level of 20 IBU. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Max Hefeweizen- Pretty typical hefeweizen, this summer seasonal is unfiltered with a yellowish hue and a fruity/spicy aroma. The dominant flavors here are banana, yeast, and clove, with little or no hop taste to speak of. It’s not as rich as the other beer on the menu, but hefeweizen isn’t supposed to be as full- bodied as other styles. This beer makes a good choice for summer refreshment and is brewed with a starting gravity of 11.5 degrees Plato, finishing with a bitterness rating of 16 IBU. Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Max Barleywine- This is the strongest beer in the lineup, with a caramel/red color; a fruity bouquet; a rich, caramel malt taste; and a finish that is quite bitter and aggressive. The aftertaste is heavy and it lingers for a long time. A grand- slam in the world of beer, this product reminds me very much of Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine- big, bold, and beautiful.Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Other seasonal products brewed at Max Lager’s during specific times of the year include Max Scotch, Max Common, Max Oatmeal Stout, Max Reserve Lager, Max ESB, Max Summer Lager, Max Kolsch, Max Oktoberfest, Max Pumpkin Dunkel Weizen, Max Abbey, Max Winter Bock, and Max Imperial Mocha Oatmeal Stout.
Menu Selection:
Max Lager’s food selection is not as extensive as some of the larger restaurants, but it offers plenty of choices for its customers and, in fact, includes more food options than your typical brewpub. Here is a sampling of what you can find at Max Lager’s:
Appetizers- Start your adventure with one of these Max Lager warm-ups, including buffalo wings, chicken strips, shrimp, fried onions, etc.
Salads- As an addition or as a meal all by themselves, Max Lager’s offers several salads, which choices like Buffalo Chicken Salad, California Cobb Salad, Caesar Max, and San Francisco salad.
Sandwiches- For lunch or dinner, enjoy such great- tasting choices like the Max Burger, Blues Burger, Swiss Burger, Peachtree Special (chicken sandwich), Salmon BLT, the Maxine veggie burger, and the Old Chicago, a prime- rib sandwich.
Pizza & Pasta- Select among a menu of specialty pizzas, like BBQ Chicken, PPO Max, and Max Marguerite. Or, bite into one of the specialty calzones, like the Sausage Tomato Concasse Calzone or Vegetarian Calzone. Pasta lovers can choose between Max Jack Whiskey Shrimp served over a bed of fettuccine or a serving of Rigatoni: Italian sausage and artichoke hearts served with fresh tomatoes in a creamy garlic sauce.
Steaks- For those who love the taste of fire- roasted beef, Max Lager’s offers prime rib, BBQ ribs, Manhattan steak, filet mignon, and marinated Chicken Madagascar.
Atmosphere:
Max Lager’s is located amid the hustle and bustle of downtown Atlanta, but the inside of this restaurant/brewpub is relatively calm and quiet. The inside is dark, with heat/air vents on the ceiling in open view and hoses and chains on the walls in a few places, giving it the appearance of a factory warehouse or storage facility. The construction is brick, and there is even a short brick wall surrounding some of the brewing equipment on the inside, right as you walk through the entrance.
Seating combines bar stools, booths, and tables, with a total capacity for about 200 customers. There is an upstairs, too, with a metal staircase that leads to a second section with more seating and another bar, with dart boards for entertainment. Music is piped in, so there is no customer control of the tunes. There are also a couple of television sets for your entertainment needs, surrounding the main bar near the entrance.
Pricing:
Prices are pretty fair at Max Lager’s. Most every item on the menu (appetizers, salads, sandwiches) is priced below $10. The only exception would be the steaks and some of the other larger meals. Pints of craft beer sell for only $3.75, which is very reasonable when you consider what you get for the money.
Customer Service:
No complaints here- Max Lager’s staff was very quick and accommodating, taking care of my needs before I even had the chance to ask. I carried on a good conversation with one of the managers and with my waiter about the facility, the beer, and the business of brewing. I even received a very large complimentary order of fried onion rings to sample as we talked about the company, the competition, and the world of beer in general.
Be advised that the hours of operation at this location vary according to whether or not the weekend is nigh. On Monday through Friday, Max Lager’s is open from 11:30am to 10pm, but on Saturday and Sunday, the hours are limited, with doors opening at 4pm and closing at 10pm. I’m not sure why the management has decided to close so early in the evening, but it probably has something to do with the close proximity to downtown Atlanta.
Final Thoughts:
Max Lager’s is one of Atlanta’s showpiece brewpub operations. Each and every beer brewed at this establishment is quite good, with a few of them ranking near the top end of the perfection spectrum. Since I have a strong liking of hops, I was naturally attracted to Max Pale and Max Barleywine, both of which earn my five- star seal of approval. But I was impressed with the other products as well and I am happy to report that there isn’t a bad beer in the bunch. Even the lighter beers on the menu, like Max Gold, are still quite tasty and refreshing and they all prove that the head brewer, John Roberts, knows more than just a thing or two about beer. Roberts has honed his craft to produce many great- tasting beer products and I have no doubt that he could easily produce a noteworthy beer in any category or style. I had the pleasure of sampling seven different beer products when I visited and judging by the quality of these beers, I am sure that the other seasonal products are every bit as tasty and high- quality as the seven listed above.
The food served at Max Lager’s is equally impressive. I very much enjoyed my Max bacon burger and fries combo, cooked to order and served with just the right amount of toppings and table condiments. The fries were long cut and didn’t include any spices, but they did include skins, for a 100 percent potato taste. Fried onion rings were given to me courtesy of the management and they were a nice addition to my meal and to my beer, even though I ended up too full from all the great food and beer to have any hope of finishing everything.
One of the keys to the success of the food operation at Max Lager’s is the wood fire concept, introduced at this establishment many years ago. This style of cooking gives food a unique flavor that cannot be duplicated using other cooking methods. I was very tempted during my visit to order one of the specialty pizzas, just to taste that wood- fired goodness. The BBQ ribs and steaks were equally tempting, but I was worried that my stomach wouldn’t be able to handle so much food and beer at once, so I opted for the burger and fries combo. All food is prepared fresh each and every day, ensuring that the quality is at the highest possible level. The kitchen is in open view, so you can watch the cooks preparing the food, if you like. You won’t find frozen foods or other signs of mass- production at this restaurant like you do at some of the chains. Max Lager’s is independent and intends to continue its emphasis on quality.
I like the atmosphere at Max Lager’s, particularly the brick building and the interior styling that makes it seem like a warehouse. Like I mentioned above, the stairways leading to and from the upper level are metal and they make a stretching/bending sound as you walk on them. This, added to the construction of brick and the chains and hoses, gives the restaurant and the customer the feeling of being in a brewing warehouse.
The only thing that seems a little lacking at Max Lager’s would be in the area of entertainment. They do have some dartboards upstairs and there are a few television sets. But there are no pool tables or other games and no jukebox. I think the upstairs area would make a fun place to chill on a weekend evening, but I was told by the management that this area is generally only used for private parties, with some exceptions. I don’t know how much more development is planned for Max Lager’s, but the upstairs seems like it offers a large amount of untapped potential.
Max Lager’s might have a few, minor shortcomings, but don’t let these insignificant factors cause you to forgo a visit. Max Lager’s earns a strong recommendation from me, as I enjoyed all of the beer products on tap and all of the food products as well. I am very interested in trying some of the other seasonal beers, so there is a good chance I will be visiting Max Lager’s again as the earth moves from one equinox to another. Just the names alone- Max Oatmeal Stout, Max Imperial Mocha Oatmeal Stout, Max Scotch, and others- sound mouth watering and irresistible. And if the present lineup is any indication, I am confident that these other seasonal beer products are going to be very good and worth scheduling another trip to the Atlanta area.
Overall, Max Lager’s ranks as one of my more memorable restaurant/brewpub experiences. The main location can be found at 320 Peachtree St. in downtown, but I have been told that there is another location at the Mall of Georgia in the nearby suburb of Buford. I haven’t paid a visit to that location. My only experience is with the original site in downtown, so I cannot comment directly on the other facility. But I recommend seeking out Max Lager’s if you happen to find yourself in the northern Georgia area and feel the need for some delectable brew and some tasty foods. Great- tasting beer and some incredible food products grilled over a natural wood fire make Max Lager’s an important stop for those who are traveling through the city of Atlanta, GA.
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Best Suited For: Friends
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.