Augusta Seriously Needs Suds!

"If there's a bright center to the universe, you're on the planet that it's farthest from."
―Luke Skywalker

So here I sit, in Augusta, Georgia.  Not the most metropolitan of areas, but not bad for those of us with families.  But if you are a beer lover like me, you might consider this something akin to Luke Skywalker's wasteland.  A ‘Beer Purgatory’ if you will.

For you see, here in the home of the Masters, there are no local breweries, no brewpubs, no growler fill stations, few good bottle shops, and no homebrew shops.

The closest thing you will find to any “local” craft beer is 30 minutes north at the Aiken Brewpub (which means 45-60 minutes from the western suburbs).  Or perhaps some new breweries like Eagle Creek an equal distance away down in Statesboro.  Of course, Columbia, Athens, and Atlanta are 2-3 times further, and current beer Utopias Charlotte and Asheville are overnight trips.  There are plenty of micro and nano-breweries popping up in smaller locales in Georgia.  Just not here...

And not much has changed over time.  Four years ago, my friend Lonnie Best wrote something eerily similar on his craft beer blog:

"Statistically speaking, most Americans live within 10 miles of a brewery....the nearest brewpub lies nearly twenty miles away from the heart of Augusta, in downtown Aiken, South Carolina -- and even further from those living in the city's suburbs. For being the second largest metropolitan area in the state, it seems odd that in-house craft beer is so difficult to get ahold of, especially when other cities in the state are home to many.."

Are there bars/restaurants with large tap selections?  Sure, but at many places ‘craft beer’ translates to Shock Top, Shiner Bock, and Goose Island.  Most of the bars wouldn’t know what to ask for anyway, thus most distributors don’t see a demand that needs to be filled.  Local pubs will usually know about well established regional brewers like Sweetwater and Terrapin, but don't expect them to know about recent upstarts like Monday Night, Three Taverns, or Burnt Hickory.  And if they don't know about them, they won't ask their distributors for them.

Those relatively few bottle good shops generally have the same selection.  Distribution of smaller regional brewers is spotty, and what little we do get usually ends up at one retailer, as small shipments generally aren’t broken up.  Much like with the bars, if the shop doesn't know enough about emerging options, they will never ask to get it on their shelves.  And there is no guarantee that all the distributor sales reps know everything they have either.

So what is a beer lover to do??  Well, if you live in the CSRA, I think the least we can do is to proselytize to those proprietors and distributors, to help bring better craft beer to the region.  Engage the craft beer reps at shops, and put a bug into bartenders and restaurant managers ears.  If you don't ask for something, you will probably never see it.

Of course, if you are really desperate (like me) you can brew your own.  Like the rest of the country, the Augusta area has a vibrant homebrewing culture.  The Augusta Homebrewers Association was established in 2010, and is always looking to spread the zymergystic word.

So with this website, I hope to discuss all of these issues and more, and help compatriots like Lonnie bring a better beer culture to Augusta.  

"Augusta is in serious need of its own suds. It's time for the city's beer lovers to step up and take charge. Better beer is the goal. Come on, Augusta. Bring brewing back."

I will do my best to actually get as much hands on interaction as I can.  But as a family man, going out even once a week, let alone going on an impromptu road trip for a brewery tour, is a tough thing to do. That is where I will hop to use your feedback as much as possible to help things along.  Hit me up on Twitter at @BeerPurgatory, or on email at gardencitybrewreview -at- gmail.com.

And if you hear that someone is opening a craft brewery, let me know.  I need a job!