Finding Craft Beer During 2015 Masters Week

@The_Masters is here, and you can find good #CraftBeer while you're in AGS.

I give this town a bit of a ribbing by calling it "Beer Purgatory". Truth is, there is plenty of beer here. But not so much when it comes to craft beer and its culture, as can be found in other major cities. This is Georgia's second largest city, yet we have no breweries or brewpubs. We have recently added several growler fill locations, and we do have a few good bottle shops to speak of, but taps can certainly be hit or miss. Craft beer is starting to take over tap handles, but in most places Big Beer is more easily found than Craft beer. So, if you are coming to Augusta to enjoy the 2015 Masters, and you want to enjoy good Craft Beer, where should you go? Read on... 

TAPS/RESTAURANTS

Washington Ave between the country club and I-20.  To the best of my knowledge, most of what you are going to find here will be the "best" of Big Beer.  Locations like Somewhere in Augusta, Hooters, and Carrabas are going to have exactly what you expect.  Though SIA does do bottles as well, and has some OK selection especially from GA biggies Sweetwater and Terrapin.  Probably the same for TGI Fridays, Olive Garden, and Outback.  Bonefish occasionally will have an interesting tap, the same with Wild Wing Cafe, and I haven't a clue about either Tbonz Steak House or Rhineharts Oyster Bar.  Let's just put it this way....I have never heard the craft beer enthusiasts recommend any of these for good Craft Beer.

Just to the south of the country club is Surrey Center (Corner of Highland Avenue/Berkmans Road at Wheeler Road), with a few popular restaurants.  Calvert's Steakhouse, Surrey Tavern, French Market Grille, and Oliviana's Grille offer a variety of food.  What they don't offer however is a wide variety of beer.  Again, pretty standard offerings, though the Tavern has a larger selection of bottles (with Sweetwater/Terrapin).  But for Craft Beer, the lone standout is new arrival Finch & Fifth. 
 

While the selection is small (only 3 taps and 10+ bottles) it is all craft.  To add to the party they also have both a charcuterie and cheese menu.  Good Craft Beer, smoked meats, and cheese pairings.  Finch & Fifth is definitely a place to go!

If you go to Downtown Augusta, which I recommend, there are many places to find alcohol.  Some more respectable than others.  However on the Craft Beer front, there are a handful that rise to the top.  First up is The Bee's Knees, a venerable Tapas eatery (don't miss the Smoked Gouda Nachos!) that always has a fresh assortment of good Craft Beer on 6 taps and numerous bottle selections.  Check them out and you won't be disappointed. Also, if you return for the 2016 Masters, you will be able to enjoy their new 70-tap growler bar, The Hive, right next door.

Craft & Vine

Coming in right behind them are a trio of restaurants founded by the same ownership.  Frog Hollow Tavern, Farmhaus Burger, and the new Craft & Vine. With both Frog Hollow and Craft & Vine, you are going to find upscale (locally sourced) dining and cocktail experiences.  I am not sure of the current selection at the former, but C&V does offer a pretty good Craft Beer selection with 6 taps and 10+ bottles.  No Big Beer here.  Next door at Farmhaus Burger (again locally sourced) you will also find a good selection of Craft Beer with 6 taps and numerous cans.  Not only do these three use locally sourced produce, but they also feature some of the smaller craft breweries in Georgia.

Other notables downtown are Stillwater Taproom, the Whiskey Bar, and Metro Pub & Coffeehouse.  My bud John Pylant, new writer at porchdrinking.com, says that Stillwater earns high marks for its good tap and bottle selection.

Last but not least are the two big local pizza restaurants, Mellow Mushroom (15 major label taps) and Pizza Joint (30 mostly major label taps, along with Georgia's Eagle Creek and Southbound).  Both also have locations up in Evans, so more on them later.

Near the I-20/520 Interchange is Robert C. Daniel Parkway which is home to numerous restaurants and stores.  If you are in the area, your best bet for Craft Beer can be found at either the Carolina Ale House, or Buffalo Wild Wings.  The Ale House as ~40 taps with usually a good Craft representation.  The same can be said for BWW and their 30 or so taps.  Both places of course have plenty of TVs and pub food.  Also of note, is the Limelight Cafe, with a good number of Craft taps on hand, but be prepared for a smokey environs.

Further up Washington Ave in the town of Evans, where a lot of Masters patrons will rent houses for the week.  While there are many places to eat, there are not too many places that one will find a good Craft variety.  Probably the best is the second location of the Pizza Joint.  Over 30 taps taps with a good rotation, to include the newest "local" brew, the excellent Eagle Creek Pale Ale and Blonde out of Statesboro, GA.  Further up the road you will find better pizza (IMHO) at the second Mellow Mushroom.  MM-Evans has roughly a dozen taps, and a good selection of bottles. 

Like a good number of folks, you might be staying up in Aiken, SC.  While I don't get up there very often, it is the home of the regions one and only brewpub.  The Aiken Brewing Company features a line-up of 5 beers brewed on premises, and full menu.  The tap offerings are constantly rotating from their stable of 19 brews.  If you are up in horse country, visit downtown Aiken and check them out.

About an hour north of Augusta on I-20, you will find the capital of SC, Columbia.  Being a capital city, they have numerous locations for Craft Beer consumption.  In the downtown area, you can find Flying Saucer, World of Beer, Liberty Taproom, Hunter Gatherer, Thirsty Fellow, as well as another Mellow Mushroom.  

Columbia also has a trio of young craft beer breweries, with Conquest, River Rat, and Swamp Cabbage. On Fri-Sun, you can visit all three easily using the Columbia Brew Bus.  An embarrassment of riches...

 

Keg Cowboy

Finally, just south of Columbia is Lexington, SC.  Just off of I-20, you will find two gems in this small hamlet.  First is Keg Cowboy, which is half pub, half growler station with constantly rotating taps with high quality Craft.  Also in town is the Old Mill Brewpub, with up to 20 more taps and many more bottles.  Sounds like a good place for lunch!

BOTTLE SHOPS

After looking at where one can find good Craft Beer out on the town in AGS, let's take a look at where you can good to fill your fridge with the same.

As with restaurants and pubs around here, there are plenty of places to buy beer.  But there only a handful which can scratch the Craft Beer itch. 

Toast Wine & Beverage

There are a trio in my mind that offer the best selection in the Augusta area. First is Toast Wine & Beverage (417 Fury's Ferry) in Martinez.  Located close to where a lot of folks will be staying, this outlet strives to bring in new and different craft, and is extremely responsive to customer input and requests. They probably offer the most diverse and freshest selection that you can find in the CSRA.

Close behind are the related stores, Beverage Outlet (247 Bobby Jones Expy, Martinez) and North Augusta Wine & Beverage (1135 Knox Ave, North Augusta, SC).  Beverage Outlet is also pretty conveniently located on a major thoroughfare, and sports a large beer selection with probably the overall largest Craft selection in town. 

Just across the river, it's SC cousin NA Wine & Beverage also offers a nicely diverse craft line-up.  An added benefit to it being located in another state, is that this outlet can often get some brews that are not distributed inside Georgia.  If you are staying in Aiken, or near downtown, they will be an easy trip.

A few  other locations offer smaller, but usually worthy Craft offerings.  One is in Surrey Center, right near Augusta National, is White Horse Wine & Spirits (497 Highland Ave).  Size wise they are tiny, but they still manage to offer some pretty good Craft names.  A second way up on the north end of Washington Rd, but near really nice neighborhoods where patrons rent houses for the week.  Woody's Wine & Spirits (5121 Washington Rd, Riverwood Town Center) strives to keep it's smaller collection populated with good Craft, especially smaller regional offerings like Monday Night Brewing, Red Brick, Cigar City.   Closer in, in central Evans you can find Vineyard Wine Market (4414 Evans to Locks Rd).  

Another is located literally just across the 13th St Bridge from Downtown Augusta.  Wine World (133 Georgia Ave, North Augusta, SC) is an eclectic little wine & cheese shop that has a large offering of beer in bottles.  Wine World I am told used to really excel at Craft Beer offerings, but unfortunately personnel changes have not allowed them to maintain that level.  Still a pretty good selection, but not what it used to be.

Lastly, in Downtown Augusta, you can find Afficianados (307 8th St).  This outlet is primarily a Tobacco shop, but they have a pretty good variety of Craft Beer.  They are a little pricey, and they don't sell singles (like all the others listed above).  However, they do have 7 growler taps.

Somewhat surprisingly, you can also find some Craft selection at some local supermarkets.  Publix has some larger Craft beers, and can be convenient.  Augusta's lone Earthfare also has a better than average Craft selection.  Both now offer singles coolers, so that you can mix and match.   Lastly, but definitely not least, Augusta's newly opened Whole Foods Market (Washington & I-20) offers a vast selection of beers, as well as 5 growler taps.   

If for some reason you are up nearer to Columbia, SC (or down in Atlanta), you can find Green's Beverages.  I particular, Green's Piney Grove is an impressive warehouse with a huge selection of Craft .  Alas it is an hour away.  Green's Assembly St (Columbia) and Green's Atlanta, while still with good selections in their own right, don't approach the vastness of Piney Grove.  If you are up that way, stop in and stock up!  

GROWLER STORES 

One of the most significant additions to the craft beer culture in Augusta over the last year, has been the emergence of growlers.  There have been places here and there that offered them in the past, but nothing like the options we have now. 

In addition to the aforementioned Whole Foods and Afficianados, last April saw the opening of Gravity Growlers (341 Furys Ferry Rd, Martinez).  Gravity was opened by two brothers with local restaraunt experience and a nose for beer, and offers 25 taps of crafty goodness in addition to numerous large bottles and glassware.

The most recent addition to the market is this weeks arrival of Tip TopTaps (4317 Washington Rd, Evans).  This growler station located in an former gas station, has 20 taps.

Both of these locations fill 32 & 64oz growlers.  If you didn't bring one, you can get either size for a $5 deposit . 

So there you have it. A brief rundown (though longer than last year!) of places you can find to help scratch your craft beer itch, when you are in Augusta to enjoy the Masters.  Enjoy your day watching some golf, and then sit back and tip back some suds.

Drink up!