FreshieCraft beer in Athens
College-town craft beer destination
Athens punches well above its weight class. Creature Comforts (2014) is one of the most-respected new-wave breweries in America, with their Tropicalia IPA distributed nationally and Athena Berliner Weisse helping define the modern American sour style. The University of Georgia town has a beer culture deeper than most cities ten times its size.
Breweries Tracked
1
Specialty
Hop-forward IPAs, Berliner-style sours, lagers
Hub Neighborhood
Downtown Athens, Eastside
How Athens shaped American craft beer
Terrapin Beer Company opened in Athens in 2002 — its acquisition by MillerCoors in 2016 freed local upstart Creature Comforts to become Athens's craft flagship. Creature Comforts founders David Stein and Adam Beauchamp came out of Foothills (NC) and brought professional rigor; their Tropicalia IPA scaled into one of the most-distributed craft IPAs in the Southeast. Athena (their Berliner Weisse) helped legitimize lighter, slightly tart sours in mainstream craft. Athens also has a thriving homebrew culture rooted in University of Georgia microbiology and chemistry programs.
Where to visit in Athens
Tasting Room HighlightsCreature Comforts on West Hancock Avenue for Tropicalia and rotating limited releases — they also operate a second taproom (The Southern Brewing Company collaboration space) downtown. Trappeze Pub on West Washington Street is one of the South's best beer bars with 25+ craft taps. Cine Athens for a beer-and-film experience.
Common date code formats from Athens breweries
MM/DD/YY
1 brewery