Get your growl on as you traverse the Brews & Q’s Trail through Georgia’s Historic Heartland, stretching between Athens, about 30 miles north of I-20 on highway 129, and Perry, just south of Warner Robins on I-75. If you’re a fan of craft beers or growler shops, this trip through the heart of Georgia is sure to whet your whistle and satisfy your appetite to boot.
In Athens, quench your thirst at one of two breweries serving up local brews to customers daily. Terrapin Beer Co. is one of the South’s most famous breweries, where the long-awaited outdoor tasting room has officially opened for public tours and tastings. The new space will supplement Terrapin’s popular large outdoor yard, making it easy for guests to find a comfortable space to enjoy their samples both inside and out. Across town, Terrapin partners with local coffee roaster Jittery Joe’s to cross-create new flavors: Terrapin beer is a prime ingredient in Jittery Joe’s “Wake-n-Bake” coffee, and Jittery Joe’s coffee is an ingredient in Terrapin’s “Wake-n-Bake” beer. The brewery also provides its spent grain to Luna Bakery for the retailer’s special spent grain bread.
As the new kid on the Athens brewing block, Creature Comforts Brewing Co.’s Curiosity No. 2 won a bronze medal for American Style Brett Beer at the 2014 Great American Beer Festival in Denver the same year the brewery opened. Creature Comforts might be new, but their building isn’t: it was originally built in the 1940s as a Chevrolet dealership. The newest incarnation of the building now features salvaged and reclaimed wood from its past as ceilings, wall paneling, tables and bar tops. The brewery owners were awarded a 2015 Preservation Award by the Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation for outstanding rehabilitation.
Growler shops are spread along the trail from beginning to end, from the CORK Growler and Cigar Shoppe in Covington, Top Dawg Growler in Milledgeville and Just Tap’d in Warner Robins. Never been to a growler shop? Not sure what it is? Growler shops are a modern revival of the old-fashioned practice of taking fresh beer home from the local pub. Typically, you purchase or pay a deposit on the growler (container) buy fresh beer from the shop’s tap to fill it up, then take your sealed container home to enjoy. If you keep your growler in the refrigerator, your beer should stay fresh for seven to 10 days. Most of the time, you are invited to bring your washed growler back to the shop to enjoy more fresh brews.