Atlanta Perimeter Questions

5 Seasons Prado is worth a visit if you're near Perimeter. Located Roswell Rd near I-285. In some ways, 5 Seasons has been surpassed, but they're the brewpub that started it all in Atlanta. Quinte55ence is definitely worth a try. (They occasionally have barrel-aged bottles available, but they are on the spendy side.) Their Scotch ale is also nice, and they do German styles decently.

 

http://www.5seasonsbrewing.com/5/beer/beers-on-tap.html

 

I may be mistaken, but I believe the Taco Mac to which you are referring is in the same shopping center as Prado. (It's a huge complex.) That particular Taco Mac has something called The Fred. (It's named for Taco Mac's "beer guy.") It's located in the basement as Taco Mac's "speakeasy." There used to be limited entry tied to TM's beer club, but I think they've relaxed that requirement. I'm not a TM regular, but hopefully someone else can comment.

If you can swing a trip over to Buckhead, then go to Tower (http://www.towerwinespirits.com/find-us.php). Obviously, the better selections are going to be in Midtown, but this Tower is more likely to have better finds than Total Wine (which is okay).

 

Since you'll be going to the Porter on Sunday, drop by Hop City if you can. It should only be about 15-20 min. out of your way. They're open til 7. A trip there may let you accomplish most, if not all, of your shopping.

 

Ale Yeah! Roswell is just North of where you'll be staying. We have quite a good selection of bottles (600+) and growlers. As far as beer bars up in North OTP, The Prado 5 Seasons really is your best bet. Further North there's not much besides a Mellow Mushroom or two, and then into Alpharetta you have Hop Alley and Jekyll Brewing (both good, but maybe not worth the drive for you). Hop Alley is still nailing down recipes but the food is good, Jekyll has good beers and a good crowd from what I've heard. They're also open nearly every night. Not much of anything down at the base of the perimeter that I'd suggest. If you're really adventurous, Cherry Street Brewing in Cumming has a host of great beers. Just more of a drive for you.

After The Porter, walk a block to The Wrecking Bar. It's a must. Both places are A+ on food and the WB's beers are the best brewpub beers I've ever had. Can't say enough good things about them.

 

Couldn't agree more with everything @RDMII said. Wasn't sure about proximity of the Roswell Ale Yeah! to where you're staying, but do go there if its convenient.

 

I find the beers at 5 Seasons Westside ( next to Hop City ) to be much better than the ones at the Prado for what its' worth.

The barrel aged bottles they have, vary, and are like $25 a bottle, but man.. I had one aged in some PVW barrels that was fantastic. Crawford makes some nice stuff if you wonder off the normal beers.

 

It took a few years, but Westside has finally become the flagship it was destined to become. That said, Prado still brews good beer. They really managed to get the train back on the tracks after that Lucky Devil debacle.

The stuff Crawford brought out for Craft Beer week two years ago was stupid good. I missed Pappy, but Four Roses was great.

 

While the beer is good at Westside, the service and atmosphere from my experience are not. It's too much like a club, not a brewpub, and they've hired on the most useless staff of college aged kids who'd rather hang out and talk to each other than serve. Even on Yelp there's a good bit of bad reviews relating to the poor service.

 

If you have the time, head to Decatur to Brickstore..

 

Just hit up Ale Yeah today. As an out-of-towner/stater, was pretty happy.

 

Not just because we're competitors, but Moondogs is very expensive on their growler fills. Easily 30% above the market rate. Just an FYI. Never even heard of the Pour House.

 

Haven't been to the Moondogs up that way, but the main one in Marietta was terrible. Pricing was absurd, and they were some of the rudest people.

If you are looking for growler fills, there are better places close by, unless you don't mind the upcharge for them being close. Growler fills in GA are already marked up, they take it to another level.

 

I agree, Moondogs is expensive as hell.

 

The owner of Moondogs also lobbied against a possible law change that would help the rest of the craft beer community in GA. If memory serves, it was the change to allow breweries to sell direct to consumer, but I could be mistaken. Regardless, she appears to be in it just for a cash grab. If she can make a living that way fine. I just hope that anyone who truly cares about the advancement of beer in GA would think twice before spending their money there.