need help

I have to second elektrikjester's call for Coastal Empire's Dawn Patrol. That beer was awesome and surprised me! I was a big fan of Smith when he was at Westbrook so I obviously really like Southbound as well.

 

I'm right there with you. I'm not from Georgia and this is the first example I've seen of the 3-tier system actively holding back the state. Sure it's easy to complain about prices and a limitation of rights, but there is no way to succeed as a small brewery here. It's scale or nothing.

I think Macon is still figuring out what they're doing. The beer sells well enough based on the local theme, but they're still struggling being a small brewery and making money. I think over time they'll hone in and make some decent beers, but they're never going to be a Creature Comforts or a 3 Taverns. The first year they did Love I would say it was very good, tons of tart cherries, though this year it's a lot more malty. They're also targeting the general populace of Macon with their styles, not Atlanta.

I can't speak for Augusta or Columbus, but Macon is slowly getting there. More downtown businesses are opening and Just Tap'd seems to be packed most nights. It's easily 10 years behind the curve, but at least it's on the curve.

 

You are exactly right @weaverr. I lived in California from 2003-2007 and the beer scene was light years ahead of Georgia, even back then. We are starting to make small progress though. Hopefully that trend continues.

 

I was in Wilmington recently and tried to explain to one of the small, newer breweries there how Georgia's laws worked. Needless to say he was dumbfounded and we talked about how scale is the only way to make any money. Southbound and Service in Savannah are good examples of that, part of even opening up for them was canning and distributing. Most breweries in Wilmington don't even package any of their beers, they just make money through selling kegs to local restaurants and drawing tourists into their taprooms.

Time will tell how SB63 has changed the craft beer business in the state. Hopefully it allows some of the smaller breweries to stay creative and still make money rather than trying to scale up to high production volume too soon.