So I'm going to be living in Atlanta for the summer. I just moved here from Minnesota. What are some breweries I should keep an I out for at the store? What are the good local breweries besides Sweetwater and Terrapin? What larger breweries from other states can I get here that don't distribute to Minnesota?
Just go to a package store and look. I recommend Green's on Ponce de Leon, Ale Yeah in Decatur, Tower Package on Piedmont, and Hop City over by Georgia Tech. Local breweries would be Red Brick and Wild Heaven.
There are nice bottle shops all throughout Atlanta. I just returned from SC and went to Greens in Columbia and it was very nice. They had a phenomenal selection. The only brewery they did not have was DFH due to no distributor. The green in columbia had cases of terrapin wake n bake and moo hoo chocolate stout which are very good. I had one the other day from my cellar and they were still very good....I went to michaels in Alpharetta in November and their selection is top notch too. Both stores had very knowledgable people working there. Breweries to look forward to are terrapin, red brick, and sweet water, all local....not sure if cigar city from Tampa is distributing in Ga but it is solid as well.
I highly recommend a trip to Hop City, which has prominently features local breweries on tap to take home in a growler. Besides the obvious, you should check out Wild Heaven and Monday Night Brewing. For bars, Taco Mac is the most convenient due to all the locations in the metro area, but you have to tolerate draft lines that aren't always cleaned and the culture of chilled glasses. For the best craft beer experience at a pub, go to both the Porter and Brick Store Pub. For brewpubs, Five Seasons and Wrecking Ball are your best options. Five Seasons Prado probably has the best beer, but Five Seasons Midtown has the best atmosphere. Enjoy your time in Atlanta!
I recently made a list of all the Atlanta area breweries and brewpubs for my facebook group Society Of Beer Enthusiasts & Researchers (S.O.B.E.R.). you can download it here: http://docs.com/KYMQ Personally, my favorites are 5 Seasons (Westside), which features a rooftop patio, and Jailhouse Brewery, which is about an hour south of Atlanta, but worth the drive. Oh, and the world's 2nd best beer bar is in Decatur, Brick Store Pub. definitely worth experiencing
