Although Atlanta is not famous for beer, breweries are weaved throughout the city, popping up in corners of town conveniently located for beer connoisseurs and brewery lovers alike.
With the arrival of fall, lower humidity and Oktoberfest, beer season is in full swing. Atlanta hides some of Georgia’s best breweries within just about every neighborhood, each offering a different vibe and experience for responsibly enjoying a beer or two (or four).
Orpheus Brewing:
Orpheus Brewing, located in Piedmont Park off the Beltline, offers a comprehensive and unique beer selection, including IPAs, Lager, sours and several others brewed on-site. Their brewery name, “Orpheus,” is derived from the teachings of the Greek mythology story of Orpheus, hence the brewery their slogan of “Don’t look back.”
Orpheus Brewing is built on its ultimate goal to make and create new and extravagant beers that have yet to exist in this world.
“The goal is always ahead, whether in brewing or in any creative endeavor and seeking that goal requires an unwavering belief in your voice and confidence in your command of the fundamentals of their art,” their website states.
Sweetwater Brewery:
One of the most well-known breweries in Atlanta, Sweetwater Brewery, is still standing in! They are notoriously known for their 420 Extra Pale IPA, complete with grassy undertones and served up in a bright green can.
Sweetwater Brewery has been brewing since 1997, and they are all for the ideology that “we’re not here for a long time, we’re here for a good time,” according to their website.
Sweetwater is the nation’s 11th largest craft brewery, providing customers with brewery tours, a taproom, live music and a dog-friendly patio.
Down Home Brewing:
For Down Home Brewing, their goal is to be more than just some other Atlanta brewery. They want to offer an experience that leaves customers with memories that last a lifetime. One of their most famous IPAs, the Georgia Hood IPA, presents a sizeable citrus-like taste to those who drink it.
“Georgia Hooch is the epitome of being in the beautiful and scenic backwoods of the great State of Georgia,” Down Home Brewing’s website states. “We just happen to capture it in a glass.”
Down Home Brewing offers a brewing experience unlike none other, offering customers a selection of beers and dishes that pair well with those beers for an overall personalized and high-quality experience. As Georgia’s first black-owned and operated brewing company, their family-owned and operated business has one goal in mind – providing customers with the best possible experience with the best possible brews.
Eventide Brewing:
Eventide Brewing, located close to Zoo Atlanta, entices customers with good beer, good tacos and good company during trivia nights and comedy shows. Their beers each have unique names with a cute twist on Atlanta scenes, such as the “Grant Park Sour.”
This IPA is the definition of spring, as it twists notes of strawberry with Caruba – a South American tropical fruit.
Eventide began in Statesboro, with four friends experimenting with a beer kit, which shortly after upgraded to a beer kettle where those four friends still experiment with their brews today.
“The combination of everyone’s background and talents has allowed us to build this company from the group up, become closer friends and craft award-winning beer,” Eventide’s website states. “We are very happy to call Atlanta home and to provide this great city with offerings that will show us what craft can be.”
Halfway Cooks:
Located in Atlanta Neighborhood Summerhill, Halfway Crooks beer is all about the lager. They styled their taproom to resemble the “cool aunt.” It gives off a definite eccentric vibe paired with the aesthetic of a computer made in the 90s.
Their menu includes beers such as “Memory 375mL,” a farmhouse ale made with fermented peaches. The beer brings back childhood memories of sitting on the porch in the summer and eating peach rings.
On the opposite side of the menu is the “Reset 4pk x 16oz,” which gives off that bitter taste that comes with a German malt. The beer is deep and grainy– perfect for anyone celebrating Oktoberfest.
The slogan of Halfway Crooks is “no bad memories,” as the brewery is built on the fundamentals and ideology of a man in search of “beauty, love and lager,” as their website states. They are open inside and on their rooftop bar, and they require customers to wear masks while not seated.
