x
Breaking News
More () »

Atlanta named a top-10 beer destination

Where to Go for Beer? Atlanta, of course!

ATLANTA — Belgium, Colorado, Portland - you’ve got nothing on us in Atlanta. 

In naming the world’s top 10 beer destinations for 2019, Vinepair website tapped Atlanta as number four.

In choosing the top 10 cities, Vinepair looked outside the usual cities that make headlines in the beer geek world. The site pointed out several local breweries that piqued their interest, including Variant Brewing in Roswell, Monday Night Brewing in Atlanta, and Creature Comforts in Athens.

Here's the full list:

1. Austin

2. Berlin, Germany

3. New Orleans

4. Atlanta

5. Los Angeles

6. Raleigh, N.C.

7. Rochester, N.Y.

8. Tokyo, Japan

9. Seattle

10. Paris, France

A change in the laws governing Georgia’s craft beer operations a few years ago has opened up new avenues of commerce and helped expand the industry in the Peach State. 11Alive reached out to Nancy Palmer, the Executive Director of Georgia’s Craft Brewer’s Guild, to ask a few questions about Atlanta’s recent surge towards the top of lists like Vinepair.

11Alive.com: Atlanta and Georgia, in general, is starting to get more recognition since the laws have opened up for craft brewing. Did you expect to see such a change so quickly?

Nancy Palmer: Yes, we did expect to see this boom. It has been very rewarding to deliver on our promise to legislators that with this new law, we would open new businesses, pay more taxes, and hire more people. We've done all that we promised and more! But I don't think we've seen the whole effect of this law yet. 

Generally speaking, the fastest you can open a brewery from concept to door opens is just under two years, so this year we'll see several breweries that open in large part because of the new tap room law - breweries that otherwise wouldn't be interested in at state like Georgia.

11Alive: What do you see trending in 2019 in Georgia beer?

Palmer: We'll see our first round of very small breweries open - breweries that are focused on only selling the beer they make in their tap room and won't be available other places. I also think we'll continue to see established breweries consider second, or even third, locations. 

The national trend is towards very small, very local breweries that make the majority of their income from on-site sales - Georgia is poised to follow that trend and we have a ton of room to grow in the "nano-brewery" category.

11Alive.com: What’s next when it comes to expanding Georgia’s craft beer business?

Palmer: Though Georgia has taken a big leap forward in allowing brewery tap rooms, there are still some ways in which Georgia is behind the curve when it comes to small-brewery friendly laws and regulations. Taproom rights are still very restrictive and we may need to look at small changes to really maximize the consumer excitement around beer tourism and brewery visits. Also, nearly 90 percent of craft breweries in the country can do some version of self-distribution, meaning that they can sell directly to restaurants and stores, and because Georgia lacks this right we aren't as attractive as other states for craft breweries.

Before You Leave, Check This Out