Best Georgia Beer Development

Following years of work by the Georgia Craft Brewers Guild and countless beer advocates around the state, SENATE BILL 85 was finally signed into law this year, allowing Peach State beer makers to start selling beer directly to their customers on Sept. 1. Georgia is the final state in the country to pass such seemingly common-sense legislation, but hey, better late than never! Here’s how it works: You can now walk into a brewery and buy unlimited — well, you know, drink responsibly — beer by the glass, and you can take up to a case’s worth (up to 288 ounces) to go. Expect to see some interesting new breweries opening soon as result. less...

Thanks to the behind-the-scenes efforts of lawyer Taylor Harper and the Georgia Craft Brewers Guild, GEORGIA BEER LEGISLATION got a little friendlier this year. Since 2010 (the year Georgia got growlers), brewpubs have basically been allowed to sell growlers except for the fact that the Georgia Department of Revenue hadn’t explicitly OK’d it. Confusing? Yes, but so is all Georgia beer law. The problem has been getting the DOR to sign off on a regulatory interpretation. Harper picked up the cause last fall, crafting legal arguments that the GCBG presented to the DOR. So now, thanks to DOR Commissioner Lynne Riley, we were surprised with the most levelheaded Georgia beer decision in years — Peach State brewpubs can now sell growlers of the beer they make to customers, pending municipality approval. At press time, those municipalities included Alpharetta, City of Atlanta, DeKalb County, Forsyth County, Macon-Bibb County, Sandy Springs, and Savannah. More are expected to follow. Three cheers for progress, even when it comes from a weird loophole. less...

Despite the fact Atlanta beer lovers have it better than ever before, our most exciting prospect is the future. As great as the last few years have been to us in terms of new, Atlanta-area craft breweries (Burnt Hickory, Jailhouse, Monday Night, Red Hare, etc.), the next few promise just as many if not more (Three Taverns, Strawn, Blue Tarp, Creature Comforts in Athens, etc.). Yes, thanks to growlers and Sunday sales we’ve begun clawing our way out of the dark ages, but the fact that brewpubs can’t sell the former and breweries can’t sell six-packs on site is a plague that remains. But hey, that’s why we’re looking forward, right? Onward and upward, true believers. less...