ATLGuide
The 21 Best Atlanta Breweries For Beer Snobs
Yes, you're someone who's comfortable using terms like "head retention" and "heat exchangers" in public areas. Well, this list is for you and your posse of serious beer people—and for the dabblers who always need expert recommendations.
Stop pretending to like your annoying neighbors just to score free swigs from their craft beer collection (tbh some of those cans are a few years old). Never again sell yourself out for beer—there are far better ways and far better places to be than in your neighbors’ basement, feigning interest in GOT fanfiction.
With several new breweries opening since the pandemic, our very own city is actually emerging as one of the top beer destinations in the nation. Yes, cities like Ann Arbor, both Portlands (Oregon and Maine), Asheville, and Denver are still hailed as prime beer hubs, but Atlanta is now demanding the same respect. In the words of Andre 3000, “The South’s got something to say!” This is especially true when it comes to the many phenomenal breweries throughout ATL. So tap into our list of the best breweries in the city.
THE SPOTS
BUCKHEAD
Mid-Atlantic-based Iron Hill’s successful restaurant/brewery combination entered the Southeastern market with this location and thankfully filled a void in the swanky Buckhead district. Known for award-winning brews crafted on site like the King’s Gold American pilsner, an extensive food menu, and industrial-chic décor, they’re a perfect fit for the neighborhood. Take everyone from beer geeks to business partners here and make a day of it either inside their spacious taproom, complete with chandeliers, or on the patio, set along bustling Peachtree Road with Lenox Mall and ritzy Phipps Plaza just steps away.
CASTLEBERRY HILL
Owned and operated by Grammy Award-winning rap group the Nappy Roots, the 6,000-square-foot brewery also serves as an event facility and art exhibit complete with a stage, where the Nappy Roots and aspiring artists under their Not Regular independent label perform. With their spacious brewery just steps away from the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlantucky welcomes a steady stream of visitors interested in the rotation of brews on tap, including the well-balanced Mile High Pale Ale, light-bodied Castleberry Pils Lager, Chesapeake Bae Fruit Beer, and Peaches + Queens Peach Cobbler Ale.
EAST ATLANTA
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Hippin’ Hops is the first Black-owned brick-and-mortar brewery in the entire state of Georgia. Located in the former Eastlake Pharmacy in the eclectic East Atlanta Village, this spot produces solid brews with smile-producing names like the Baby Mama Drama and Oops Upside Yo Head IPAs. Plus, “frozen beers” such as the Coco Crazy strawberry pina colada and the So Peachy sour fearlessly push the envelope. The brewery is always festive with live DJs, an adjacent beer garden and New Orleans-themed food staples, including authentic po’boys, gator bites, and a fresh oyster bar. There's also a second location ten minutes away in neighboring East Lake.
GRANT PARK
This experimental brewery with lots of limited-edition brews is located in Grant Park’s historic Atlanta Dairies complex, across the street from the BeltLine. Thanks to their heralded in-house brewer, virtually everything pouring inside this stunning bi-level facility has been world-class status since the doors first opened in 2020. The vast greenspace is shared with other businesses, including the new concert venue, The Eastern—perfect when you’re in the mood to sit with your friends and fam and throw a few down alfresco.
The Grant Park community has two great breweries to go with an eclectic variety of restaurants. Eventide is all about trivia, a constant rotation of food trucks, and serving up crowd favorites like their Kolsch Style Ale and Snow Cold IPA. Grab one of their brews and check out the neighboring Grant Park farmers market on Saturdays as well.
Elsewhere runs the back corner of the Beacon in Grant Park with a lively pet-friendly patio, where beer advocates and cycling clubs kick back to enjoy the European-inspired pilsners, Czech lagers, hefeweizens, and IPAs (try the popular West Coast-style Viridity) to pair with a full menu of tasty apps, handhelds, and salads. If beer isn’t your thing, you can quench your thirst with the assortment of beer alternatives like seltzers and craft cocktails. Live music is a regular thing as well, making it a good move when you’re rolling with a large group.
INMAN PARK
Wrecking Bar is a visual standout positioned at the base of the historic Victor H. Kriegshaber House—a prominent Victorian-style mansion on bustling Moreland Avenue. Their renowned beer program delivers a wide range of styles including pilsners, sours, a spectrum of award-winning stouts, saisons, barrel-aged specialties, and guest taps. We like the Juice Willis IPA variants and Breaking Bob Kölsch. There’s also a rotating farm-to-table menu, locally sourced provisions, a biergarten, event space, and top-notch craft cocktails fit for even the most sophisticated spirit advocate. Look out for their annual Strong Beer Fest and new Hop Harvest Fest.
MIDTOWN
Sure, as one of the nation’s largest beer companies—currently No. 10—SweetWater is everywhere throughout the country, but they do a good job in making sure their home base in Midtown shows patrons a hell of a time. The location is more like a complex, with a barrel-aging facility called the Woodlands Project, a completely redesigned taproom, a cornhole field, live music stage, full merch store, and spacious pet-friendly patio. And beside their assortment of IPAs, stouts, lagers, and legendary 420 Extra Pale Ale, SweetWater also diversifies their sipping lineup with selections from acquired breweries Alpine and Green Flash, plus the Oasis electrolyte-infused seltzer line.
No Greek tragedies here. The founder and brewmaster at Orpheus is also a classically trained musician, which explains the brewery’s moniker. Founded in Midtown in 2014, Orpheus Brewing answered Atlanta’s craving for high-gravity IPAs, stouts, and wild-fermented and sour beers. Orpheus is justly credited for helping to introduce Atlanta to popular European beer styles. The acclaimed Transmigration of Soul’s Double IPA, Atalanta Plum Saison, and numerous other varietals are served in the remodeled taproom (and in numerous retail outlets throughout Georgia and beyond). Located just off the BeltLine and with a steady rotation of food trucks and guest chefs, Orpheus is one of the city’s must-visit destinations.
OLD FOURTH WARD
Set directly beside the Eastside BeltLine trail, New Realm’s first of a few massive locations throughout the US cannot be missed—all 40,000 square feet of it. There’s a brewing program masterminded by a legendary IPA guru who brews sours, pilsners, wheat varietals, stouts, and other beer styles as well, thanks to the 26-barrel brewhouse and barrel room. Add the gorgeous beer garden, skyline rooftop, full-service restaurant (the New Realm Burger is a crowd fave), live music, and trivia regularly, and we're always willing to end any BeltLine stroll with a visit here.
Historic Old Fourth Ward could use another brewery, so Biggerstaff’s owners said, “Hold my beer” and created one. Their variety of solid beers often named after family members like the Harvey American IPA and Aunt Etta Satsuma Sour and the popular raw oyster Happy Hour produce a winning combination. Gourmet coffee welcomes early risers followed by an open kitchen serving up lunch, Sunday brunch, and dinner selections. With a dog-friendly patio and rustic-chic interior, this is one of the true have-it-all brew destinations in Atlanta.
SUMMERHILL
We like the ’80s tech-themed packaging and décor at Summerhill's Halfway Crooks, plus we're down for any setting that serenades you with hip-hop while you enjoy European-inspired pilsners, marzens, radlers, schwarzbiers, American IPAs, helles, and other selections. The second of the two levels is airy with a large projector screen (mostly showing wildlife videos), and the revamped beer garden is set to open in early 2023. Complete with a limited yet appetizing food menu serving wings, pretzels, and different versions of fries, this is the go-to spot for true beer heads and even local brewers who crave remarkable, true-to-style ales and lagers.
UPPER WESTSIDE
Round Trip wants to take your palate on a journey to experience German-inspired beers with a draft lineup, pouring marzens, helles, hefeweizens, berliner weisses, and Munich-style dark lagers. Open since 2021 on the Upper Westside, the brewery has weekly events like Dirty South Trivia and Speed Puzzle night. Lagers can be just as exciting and complex as ales, and Round Trip does a stellar job making that case for the ATL.
Undoubtedly one of the poshest breweries in Atlanta, the Brewed To Serve Restaurant Group strike magic again with this extraordinary three-level sipping experience on the Upper Westside. The award-winning Belgian-inspired ales and lagers, and culinary program rivaling ATL’s top restaurants—look for Belgian frites, brisket poutine, wood-grilled salmon, and mussels—are collectively the true draw, but the stunning décor is an invaluable complement. There’s velvet and leather seating, wood floors, beer garden with fire pits, a library, coffee bar, and a barrel room ideal for private dinners that further justifies Monk’s accolades.
Open on the Upper Westside since 2020, Fire Maker quickly became a city favorite thanks to their successful interpretations of classic styles, including Chattahooch-Tea Southeastern IPA brewed with lactose and two tea variations, plus other daring IPAs, lagers, and sours. Their brewery brandishes mural work by celebrated local artist Jordan Atkinson, and there’s a culinary partnership with local favorite Scoville Hot Chicken—with their hot chicken sandwiches you’re definitely fighting fire with fire here.
Scofflaw kicked in ATL’s door with edgy tactics and intended brashness, especially over social media, to validate their carefully-chosen name. They eventually settled down and focused on what they do best—making smash-hit IPAs like their Basement, POG Basement, Basement Light, and Hooligans, plus a lineup of imperial stouts, sours, seltzers, and even spirits. Scofflaw now has two locations in the Upper Westside, the O.G. in the Bolton neighborhood and a state-of-the-art, 9,000-square-foot brewing playhouse called Dr. Scofflaw’s Laboratory and Beer Garden. The latter is based inside the 80-acre retail development and food hall called The Works, where you can sit in Scofflaw’s beer garden or roam the food hall with a brew in hand. Their success story continues with a third location called Scofflaw Beer Barn with 48 taps inside downtown Atlanta’s State Farm Arena.
Since opening on Ellsworth Industrial, Steady Hand has become a solid spot for its 24 rotating taps of IPAs, stouts, sours, seltzers, and lagers, among others. Their Cloudland Hazy IPA, Paradise Waits IPA, Flower Business DIPA, and Lager are the year-rounds while an array of seasonals complete the portfolio—and it’s all encased in captivating can art. You can also enjoy the laid-back industrial style of the tap room that doubles as an event space for comedy shows, concerts, and trivia nights. And we're always here for live music and events like the monthly Ales & Overlands off-road vehicle show.
WEST END
Popularly christened Malt Disney, the Lee + White development on the Westside BeltLine is home to several beer spots, including Monday Night Garage. The brew company now has four locations throughout the South, including two venues in Atlanta. The O.G. on the Westside has a fire pit, two tap stations, food trucks, and live shows regularly. This West End location has all barrel aging, flaunts a coolship aka “Crunkship” to produce spontaneous beers, and an open kitchen serving Neapolitan-style pizzas to satisfy you whenever you're in the mood for a pizza and beer night.
Wild Heaven is widely respected for building the groundwork for Georgia’s craft beer scene by contract brewing before opening their own brewery in Avondale Estates. They now have a spacious, 21,600-square foot second location in the West End, also at Malt Disney. While Wild Heaven keeps steady year rounds like the Emergency Drinking Beer, ATL Easy Ale, Euro-Style Pilsner, and the Sunburst IPA, their seasonal odes to traditional European styles and Garden Beer collaborations with Atlanta Botanical Garden truly show how they flex their creative muscle. Come for the beer selection and then dive into the extensive menu featuring handhelds, wings, house-cut fries, tacos, and salads, plus a patio overlooking the Westside BeltLine trail.
With wordplay paying homage to their neighborhood, Best End joined Wild Heaven, Monday Night Garage, ASW Distillery, and the Hop City bottle shop to complete the “Malt Disney” collective in the Lee + White complex. The 20-barrel brewery has a pilot system for creating inventive lagers, IPAs, sours, stouts, and sours. With a restaurant, the Graffiki cocktail bar, and events with live music regularly, the party is ongoing—really making a strong case for the "West End is the best end" slogan.
DOWNTOWN
Popularly regarded as one of the premier sports bars in Atlanta with 70 televisions and a broadcast studio, the multi-level STATS also has an award-winning brewmaster crafting a wide range of IPAs, sours, lagers, and seasonals from a 10-barrel brewery. Besides televising virtually every big game and its location just a block away from State Farm Arena (where the Hawks play), the upscale bar menu and functioning taps built into tables also contribute to this 16,000 square-foot, industrial-meets-chic location’s draw in Downtown Atlanta.
