Today, Atlanta is the definition of contemporary, and no kudzu was harmed in the process to get there. What is beer if not art? And in Atlanta, there isn’t a single neighborhood without real, homegrown, heartfelt art that stretches for miles across the city. Architects love it because it’s hip, business owners welcome it because it’s genuine, and sometimes, the city even commissions it because it sells. The new Atlanta is purposefully colored with historic memories of old.
Finding a way to appreciate old styles in a new way is the goal of the state’s main city, and more than anything, it’s clear in its take on beer.
Despite the growing number of craft-beer drinkers across the country, the plight of the Georgia brewer has been difficult, if not borderline comical. But still, like kudzu, breweries keep popping up no matter how hard lawmakers try to feverishly cut them down. A legislative breakthrough in 2015 finally allowed brewers to sell bottles directly to consumers, allowing many breweries to invest in their businesses and hire more people. Before they could even count the revenue, the law was reversed due to distributor lobbying. Now, as it stands, on-premise consumption is allowed, but only off-premise sales are permitted. Growlers are allowed only as “free souvenirs.”