Finding Craft Beer During Masters Week (Bottle Shops)

@The_Masters is here! Find a good bomber of Beer in AGS. 

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. 

Beverage Outlet

Just across the river, it's SC cousin NA Wine & Bev 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).  

Wine World

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). 

Afficianados

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, the one thing that currently sets Afficianados apart is that it has the CSRA's only current Growler filling station (but more is coming).  They have 7 taps, and the last I saw them last month they had 5 of those running regional Craft from Georgia's Eagle Creek, Red Brick, Wild Heaven, and Alabama's Back Forty. Tap #5 was New Belgium, and the are kinda regional now, right?

Earthfare

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.  

Costco

However if you want to buy in bulk, there is always Costco. Inside the main store, they were carrying the Stone Bomber 4-Pack last week, and the outside Liquor store had a good variety of Georgia Craft (Sweetwater, Terrapin) and even Red Brick.

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!


So there you have it.  Good Craft beer can actually be found in Augusta to help make your Masters Week a great experience.

Maybe when you you stop back next year, you should bring your growlers, and maybe we might even have a Brew Pub for you.  You never know....