Visiting Atlanta, Georgia - Need Recommendations

No one has ever asked this. Ever.

CCB doesn't distribute anything besides cans once in a great while. Nothing in market at all right now, hasn't been in over a month, and before that it was four months.

 

Check out Wrecking Bar and then walk down to The Porter
Try and find Orpheus Transmigration and Creature Comforts Tropicalia, both are better than Jai Alai in my opinion.

 

The Brick Store, The Brick Store, The Brick Store, The Brick Store

 

That list gives you plenty to do, I like all of those places. Wrecking Bar makes great beer and food so if you're looking for locally crafted beer and food in one stop, check them out. I'd also add 5 Seasons Brewpub to the great beer/food list.

I could make a laundry list of breweries to check out but in addition to Orpheus and Creature Comforts I'd add Burnt Hickory (Didjits and Big Shanty are two of my favorites), Red Brick, Three Taverns (Get some A Night on Ponce, draft only right now, amazing beer), Monday Night, and Reformation (Stark porter is great). Of course there are our big boys here - Terrapin and Sweetwater.

If you'll be in town next weekend Burnt Hickory is having their 3rd Anniversary Party on the 25th, that's guaranteed to be a good time.

 

Just Decatur. Be lazy and roam through Decatur

 

You won't get much headway. I manage a craft beer store, believe me, there is zero CCB coming in right now. Jai Alai was last here in September, Invasion and Hotter than Helles maybe two months ago but each of those were a very small run, less than 100 cases each for the metro area. I keep hearing they're stepping up production, but we haven't seen any evidence of it in almost a year now. If you find any in stores, it is dead old.

 

Tower on piedmont still has both Invasion and Helles Lager.

 

Mandatory Georgia Brewery Warning

Georgia state laws prevent breweries from selling beer to anyone but a distributor. What they can sell you is merchandise. As a result, breweries will have hours they are open for tours (check each brewery's website) where they will sell you a souvenir glass for $10-12. The brewery will provide you with some arbitrary number of tickets (usually 6) to provide you with up to 32oz of free samples.

Yes, you can opt to not buy the pint glass and they will give you a plastic cup for your free samples, but keep in mind you are directly screwing the brewery by doing that. They are already getting screwed enough by the State.

Breweries are going to estimate each sample size, and the odds are you're going to consume quite a bit more than 32oz if you use all your sample tickets. Plan your transportation accordingly.

Brewpubs are an exception and are allowed to sell you beer. Wrecking Bar, Max Lagers and 5 Seasons are all prominent Atlanta-area brewpubs.

 

Holy shit. That's impressive. Guess they got a shit ton of them.

 

You forgot Twain's. How dare you....

 

and I probably go to Twain's more than the others combined.

 

Reformation Brewery in Woodstock Ga, Red Hare in Marietta Ga are north but awesome

 

Your list of bars should include Brickstore, The Porter and the Wrecking bar. You should also consider the World of Beer, while it is a bar located in a lot of other places, they usually have local brews on tap as well that you could try. For food, do not miss out on Vortex in midtown.

 

For the best burger in Atlanta, skip the Vortex and hit any of the four Corner Taverns. Solid beer list too. There's one right in L5P by The Porter and Wrecking Bar.

 

Eery

Got a case each there myself. Let me know if you strike out and I'll be glad to hook you up.

 

Glad you tried out Corner Tavern. Always love to steer people to better food than the trendy places.

 

At the risk of sounding "trendy," Bocado in Midtown makes one of my favorite burgers. It's a no-frills, double stack cheeseburger that gets plated with some great herb fries. Nothing fancy, but it's gotten something of a reputation that kind of makes the place a headache nowadays.

But if you do make it over to Hop City Westside (flagship), go across the street and give Bocado a go. Hop City routinely has CCB Maduro Brown, but it comes and goes. They did have it the last time I checked a couple weeks ago. If I walk over there today, I'll have another look and post back.

And while Brick Store is nice and all in the food department, I had my mind blown by the Iberian Pig on the Decatur Square. Yeah, it's a splurge, and yeah, it's a bit trendy, and yeah, it's tapas. But da-yum, bacon wrapped dates and huevo con trufa. Eat there first, and then go have a couple beers at BSP.