In November of 2011, we brewed a seasonal called ONE-20 that was, in a word, EPIC.

What made it such a massively popular and highly heralded addition to the Beer Board wasn’t its brown-sugar hue and crisp, clean finish.

Nor was it the malty nut and fruity esters that summoned comparisons to Rogue’s Dead Guy Ale.

No, what made this seasonal such a special one was where it took its inspiration: the Armor Soldiers at the Maneuver Center of Excellence.

Fort Benning has long been a neighbor to Columbus. In the span of a century, our two communities have grown so close as to become indivisible. When the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission moved to consolidate a number of installations into “centers of excellence,” we invited members of the Maneuver Center of Excellence and the 15^th Cavalry Regiment to a beer tasting and conceptualized a recipe based on their feedback. This tribute beer was dubbed ONE-20, the name of the main battle guns mounted on Abrams tanks.

So, in honor of their intense training and their willingness to fight abroad to protect our freedom at home, ONE-20 has re-enlisted to celebrate the sacrifice and service of everyone at the Maneuver Center of Excellence; and true to the long-standing relationship between town and post, we would like to invite everyone to come by Thursday, June 13^th at 5:00 to help us tap this tribute.

And should you see our men or women in uniform that day (or any day for that matter!), buy them a “round” of ONE-20s and raise your pint with them.

Because without the service of those that serve, there wouldn’t be nearly as much to “cheers” about.

Cheers!

~Management

Water is the most popular drink in the world.

Shocker.

It covers three-fourths of the earth’s surface, makes up 60% of the human body, and it’s essential for our survival.

Simmer down, H2O.

Unless you are in a hot tub, boiling crab legs, or cascading on the seashore, face it – you’re tasteless, odorless, and about as exciting as watching an ice sculptor carve his umpteenth swan.

Plus, should we really trust a drink that can’t decide whether it’s a liquid, solid, or gas?

Hmm…

Did you know that tea comes in at second?

(As Lucille Bluth said when asked “plate or platter” after ordering the Ike & Tuna Turner special at Klimpy’s: “I don’t understand the question, and I won’t respond to it.)

Coming up bronze is beer. Which is apropos, as beer has been in the running for “World’s Most Popular Potable” since the Bronze Age. It may not be essential for survival, like water, but, for us Hop Heads, it is essential for making survival a pleasurable experience.

This week, America celebrates beer and the artisans who brew it with the 7^th Annual American Craft Beer Week.

For the next seven days, across this great nation, mad love will be shown to the brewers of beer. And we, of course, are going to get right up in there by thanking Doug and the Brew Crew for the amazing beer they produce; not just the quality of there brews, but, especially, for the consistency with which they produce it.

But American Craft Beer Week isn’t just about thanking the pioneers of the brewing arts; it’s also about celebrating the simple pleasures of enjoying a properly poured pint.

That’s why we invite you to celebrate American Craft Beer Week with a pint of Doug’s newest seasonal: Riverside Rye, a refreshing rye pale ale with a spicy malt flavor and citrus notes. It clocks in at 5% abv, so let’s get the party started!

Sorry, Water. We’ll see you next Monday. This week – it’s all about beer.

Cheers to beer and the brewers who brew it. A week is too short to contain our gratitude.

Hooray Beer!

~Mgmt

There are old stories of a magnificent bird; its plumage a fiery vermillion.

It possessed incendiary powers; some say it was flame made flesh and feather.

But it was not immortal.

It would live.

Age.

And when it had had too much of this world, it would gather a nest of cinnamon sticks, lay a single egg in its eyrie, and then set the whole thing alight.

From the ashes of the conflagration, a new incarnation of the same bird would rise from the ashes, time and time again.

The Phoenix has been a popular metaphor around the Cannon before, during, and after the renovation process we completed last week.

Those of you who have been back in since we re-opened our doors have seen for yourselves some of the dramatic changes that have occurred: the upgraded pizza ovens; the modernized kitchen display; the island bar; and the additional guest seating.

But from your feedback, it’s been made clear to us that we’re still the same Cannon you’ve been coming to for craft brews for well over a decade.

Like the Phoenix, we have risen - from the brick, paint, plaster and splinters – a new incarnation of the same pub.

So, to commemorate this occasion of rebirth and the beginning of a new era here at the Cannon, Doug and the Brew Crew have unleashed the Phoenix Honey Wheat, an Orange Blossom Wheat seasonal that is a perfect pint to raise in celebratory cheers.

The Phoenix Honey Wheat carries the same fiery vermillion, blood-orange hue as its namesake; a nose of orange notes that peal around the nostrils; a dance of orange and honey that swirls in the mouth, flirting with floral. And at 5% ABV, you are in no danger of spontaneously self-immolating. But after a couple pints, you may feel a sense of renewal.

Once again, thank you Columbus and Phenix City – for being a part of the Cannon’s history for the past 14 years, and for letting us be a part of yours.

We could not have undergone this transformation without you.

Here’s to the ashes…

Cheers,

~Mgmt.

We are now well into the first week of our renovations here at the Cannon and we wanted to take a moment to catch you up on the progress.

We’re chugging along right on schedule, and the level of excitement down here is higher than Sledgehammer’s ABV. The first few days were mostly a blur of dismantling this, ripping up that, cleaning out those – general gutting and whatnot. But now the new Cannon is starting to peek around corners and linger longer out of the shadows.

And you know something? It looks a lot like the old Cannon.

In fact, it pretty much is the old Cannon.

Every beer-splattered plank of wood we pulled up from the floor around the bar, every brick removed from the recently knocked-down walls, every Tiffany lamp that hung in the server’s hallway, everything has been re-purposed.

The wood is being used in the grandiose brewery being built next door, in the new dining areas, and in the expanded private event space upstairs. The bricks have been meticulously reconstructed into matching archways leading into the new rooms. And the lamps will light those new rooms.

Care was also taken to preserve nearly all of the art and décor that has given the Cannon its local pub feel for these past 14 years.

This dedication to preservation is not the easy way of going about this expansion; but, for us, it was the only way.

The Cannon has history. You probably have history here. And that is important to us. That is what this is all about.

We are expanding our wood-fired oven and kitchen capacity to minimize your wait time and cook your food to the best of our ability.

We are expanding the bar so you will have more room to sit with friends and raise your pints.

We are expanding our brewing capacity to provide you with the ability to take your favorite Cannon beer home with you.

We are expanding our retail capacity to provide you all sorts of swag and surprises.

We are doing all of this for you.

We are changing now, so that we may all enjoy exactly what we have been doing for the past 14 years for the next four decades.

The menu is the same.

The beer is the same.

The look is the same.

The faces are the same.

It will just be bigger. And better. And beer-er.

And we couldn’t have done it -  without you.

Cheers,

~Mgmt.

We received a positive response to our push for growlers in Columbus, but, alas, House Bill 314 has fallen short. It will now be next session before we are able to present it again.

But that just means that our cause is not over; that our fight has only just begun.

We have a meeting after this session with the Senate ruling committee to discuss the bill and hopefully will come together with an agreement with the Wholesalers on adapting this bill for Brewpubs and Breweries.

The passing of HB 314 is an inevitability, but inevitabilities sometimes take time. Hang in there with us, y’all. And when the time comes again to make some noise, we’ve just got to growl a little louder. Soon, your fridge will be stocked with as much Cannon brew as room will allow.

Until then, why not join the Mug Club? It is the best way to imbibe our craft brews and at the best value. There is more beer in every mug, and that means more beer for your buck. Plus, it’s the perfect receptacle for the last remaining delicious pints of Breach of the Dammed, our Wheat/Pilsner collaboration brew. This is the last week you guys will be able to come in and raise a pint of this one-of-a-kind craft creation.

Why?

Well, here is a little insider tip:

We will be closing the Cannon doors on March 31^st and embarking on the largest expansion in our brewpub’s history!

We will be overhauling the kitchen, with particular focus on upgrading the pizza ovens and generally improving the flow of service across an extended floor plan.

We will be building a bigger and better bar.

We will be adding a shop, where you can buy all the cool Cannon swag you see at the entrance today – and future swag that you will want to rock as soon as it hits the shelves.

And we will be drastically enhancing our brewing capacity – not just for the Mug Club and growlers, friends; who knows what the future holds…

See for yourself when the doors re-open April 15^th at the Cannon!

Sure, it’s a bummer the Growler Bill didn’t pass. THIS TIME. But this is literally the most exciting time to be a part of the Cannon Brew Pub’s history – as we create the future.

Thanks for keeping the doors open all these years, friends.

We look forward to re-opening those doors with you on April 15^th.

Cheers,

~Mgmt

It has spent time lost at sea on a boat in the Pacific Ocean with a tiger named Richard Parker.

It smells like a luxury fragrance for men by Givenchy.

It sounds like a traditional Thai reed oboe.

But it is best known as the Rock Star of Arithmetic –as irrational as Steven Tyler’s wardrobe; as transcendental as a Hendrix solo; as constant as the Rolling Stones.

And today is its day…

Happy π Day!

There are many ways to celebrate Pi Day.

You could walk around in circles eating fruit pies.

You could watch Darren Aronofsky’s film and trigger a massive cluster headache.

Or you could come to the Cannon today and order one of our hand-crafted, wood-fired pizzas!

Nobody in town does pizza like us. And your options, while not as infinite at today’s special number, are vast to say the least.

You can go with the House Special; go whole hog on a Pig Pie; keep it in the garden with a Veggematic; or build your own pizza just the way you like it: lay down a sauce – red, blush, or bianca (our special sauce made with roasted garlic oil, and four cheeses) – and then load on the toppings.

So, come on into the Cannon Brew Pub and do Pi Day right.

And while you’re here, raise a pint to Einstein.

It’s his birthday, too.

3.14.13 is a very intellectual day.

Feel smart. Drink Beer.

Cheers,

~Mgmt.

Some things just go together.

Peanut butter and jelly.

“Q” and “u.”

Troy and Abed.

And, of course, food and drink.

When it comings to food and drink pairings, wine gets most of the press, respect, and pedantry. Books on wine line the shelves of Barnes & Noble. Connoisseurs excitedly scribble ridiculous tasting notes, claiming, “This peculiar Voignier nose is neo-classical, fleshy and voluptuous; vanilla-scented, long legs linger round the rim; finishes with coffee sighs slipping through caramel-balmed lips. Would pair delightfully with Tom yam kung nam khon.”

But as preposterous and persnickety as the wine afficianado’s notes can get, it is the widely accepted codex of rules – the “reds with reds; whites with lights” mantra – that sometimes makes food pairing an exclusionary art.

Well, we here at the Cannon believe that pairing food with adult beverages is really all a matter of taste. There are no set rules, no wrong answers. If it feels good (and tastes good), do it! That’s why we have always brewed beer that pairs well with our menu. (There is even a full page on our site that acts as a guide to what beers might go well with certain dishes.)

And as our newest seasonal will prove, we have taken that dedication to marrying high quality craft ales with a flexible, delicious menu to new heights with Breach of the Dammed.

A Wheat/Pilsner hybrid clocking in at 6% ABV. Breach of the Dammed is a hazy, dark golden unfiltered beer.  Like a fine wine, the brew teases a hint of the scent of pears and drinks like a dry, fruity pinot grigio.  A pint so refined it may as well be served in a wine glass, this sophisticated beer will please winos and hop-heads alike. Looking for an excellent food and beer pairing? Try Breach of the Dammed with a Calamari app, the Blackened Chicken Pasta, or maybe our Delta Fish Tacos.

In the spirit of pairing food and, well, spirits, Breach of the Dammed is our first “collaboration brew.” The recipe is joint effort between us and our friends at Jailhouse Brewing Company in Hampton, GA.

So, if you’re in the Hampton area, pop in and order a pint of their Breach of the Dammed, and give us some feedback on our collaborative experiment.

Or, you could join us in Athens, GA for the Classic City Brew Fest, April 7^th from 2:30 – 6:00 PM; where we will set up in the booth next to Jailhouse Brewing Company and let the revelers decide whose “Breach” was the dam-dest of the festival.

But you have plenty of time to prepare for a beer-filled Sunday in the Classic City.

Join us today, Monday, March 4^th at 5pm and get swept away as we breach the dam that is…

“Breach of the Dammed.”

Cheers,

~Mgmt

Our weekly posts are often stuffed with arcane history, pop culture reference, beer descriptions, and bad jokes.

This week, we’re going short and sweet.

You have probably all heard by now that we have been fighting the good fight in an attempt to bring growlers to Columbus, GA. Our little baby, House Bill 314, is on the floor of the General Assembly right this very moment.

Your enthusiasm last week when we asked for your support – whether by writing your state representatives; pushing the info through your social media channels; or through the simple, yet tried-and-true, “word of mouth” – was astounding to us. Thank you so much for putting your shoulder to the wheel with us on this worthwhile endeavor. We couldn’t do it without you.

The question that came up again and again last week on our Facebook page was: “What can I do to help?”

Beyond raising awareness and personally contacting your state representatives, the petition you will find in this link is the best (and easiest) way to make your voice heard.

Please take a second to fill it out.

Your name may seem but a hops cone in a hand, but thousands of names (like buckets filled with hops) will produce something powerful, something noble; a heady brew; that most intoxicating of elixirs: Change.

It’s in your hands now.

We have raised many pints over the last decade.

Now, it’s time to raise our voices.

~Mgmt

Friends.

The time has come for action.

House Bill 314 is ready to hit the floor of the Georgia Assembly.

Our “Quest for the Wholly Growl” began with a push to sell 64 oz. growlers for off-premise consumption. The Board of the Georgia Craft Brewers Guild joined in the crusade, stating that they wanted to raise it to 288 oz. We meet with the wholesalers tomorrow to hash out the particulars, so the final fluid measurement may still change.

Bottom line: we are one step closer to Georgia brewpubs and brewery’s being able to legally sale growlers.

We are spearheading the push to get this bill through the house and senate.

But we need your help to do this!

First, for those of you who haven’t read HB 314, here it is:

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Title 3 of the O.C.G.A., relating to alcoholic beverages, so as to provide for limited exceptions to the three-tier system for the distribution and sale of alcoholic beverages; to change the definition of the term “brewpub”; to provide for limited retail sales by brewers of malt beverages manufactured on their premises for off-premises consumption; to provide for the collection of applicable taxes on such sales; to change certain provisions relating to the terms and conditions that exist for owners and operators of brewpubs to allow for retail sales of malt beverages manufactured on their premises for off-premises consumption; to change certain provisions relating to manufacturing limitations; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

(http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20132014/HB/314)

Now that you have educated yourself to what is in the bill, we encourage each and every one of you to be very vocal about this. That is not to say come down to the Cannon, sling back pints like Sam Adams and the Sons of Liberty, and write seething manifestos. Just stick to the facts and stay positive.

Because you already have the upper hand.

Our Representatives and Senators, they hear from wholesalers all the time. It’s business.

But when our Representatives and Senators here from you, their constituents, it’s not just business – it’s personal.

In matters such as these, your voice is the strongest tool to chisel away at laws that, in a modified form, would better shape our city’s image and quality of life – by making Columbus appealing to new businesses, by creating an exciting atmosphere that will attract more people to live and visit, and, above all, by granting us the simple pleasure of being able to pour fresh, cool pints of Special ‘Ops in our own homes.

If you are ready to have growlers in Columbus, GA; if you are ready to raise Red Jackets under your own roof; if you feel Sunday Sales was just the first step, it’s time to make your voice heard. Again.

If you support HB 314, growl loud enough so that they hear you in the halls of Georgia’s Golden Dome!

The Cannon wouldn’t be the “Cannon” without every single one of the people who have made our pub – your pub. You have given us our character; our history and legends; you have kept the door open and lights on.

Our relationship has always been a partnership. And today, we call on that partnership; we ask that you employ the power that only you have: the power of many voices singing as one.

What do we want? GROWLERS! When do we want them? AS SOON AS THE PROPER LEGAL CHANNELS ALlOW ALCOHOL TO BE SOLD OFF-PREMISE IN COLUMBUS!!

Civic duty rarely tastes this refreshing.

Savor this moment.

And, soon, savor growlers!

Cheers,

~Mgmt

Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville and Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville sailed under the French flag with orders from Louis XIV to defend France’s claim on Louisiane. They entered the mouth of the mighty Mississippi River Monday March 2, 1699, and by the following day the two brothers had rowed their boat ashore just 60 miles downriver from present-day New Orleans.

It was there they set up camp.

What happened that night, no one knows for certain. But if current trends are any indication, their “krewe” spent the better part of the evening getting magnificently bladdered on Bourbon, chowing down on some cassoulet and King Cake, and exposing their chests for a booty of beads.

What we do know for sure is that the Gallic globetrotters christened their camp Point du Mardi Gras and commenced to celebrating the first “Fat Tuesday” in the New World.

It’s been called Carnival.

Shrovetide.

Even Pancake Day.

But here in the States, we know it (and love it) as Mardi Gras.

And it’s time to do it again!

Time to over-indulge, to over-imbibe, and to get it all over before Confession on Ash Wednesday.

What better place to accomplish these lofty goals than your one-stop shop for all of the above: The Cannon Brew Pub.

Especially so, because our legendary Sledgehammer is back on tap! But not only that, but this heavy-hitting ale’s namesake, the 3rd Infantry Division, is back from deployment. These guys are true heroes and we want to let them know everyday how much we look up to them, so we honored them with our signature seasonal. And now that the 3^rd is back in town, keep an eye out out for the actual Sledgehammer we gave them, a token of our gratitude that they take with them every time they deploy.

Thanks, guys. And welcome home.

So, to refresh your memory, Sledgehammer is orange-amber in color and carries an intensely hoppy aroma, with a taste that is deliciously aggressive – strong grapefruit up front with a citrusy bite and a malty backbone at the end.  The hops linger on your tongue, with the promise of another intense sip.

This beer could bully more delicate food – plus it’s Mardi Gras – so order up something spicy, like our Jambalaya Pasta or Chicken Bayou; maybe build your own Andouille sausage pizza. And, obviously, we are all about beer here, but for tonight, we understand if you’re craving a Hurricane or other French Quarter spirit.

We got you.

We may never know who threw the first bead, Pierre or Jean-Baptiste, today we are simply happy to celebrate wildly with friends and family before returning to a more sustainable state of moderation.

Come get your Gras on, y’all!

And drive safe.

~Mgmt.