Athens Based Creature Comforts Launches Cans in Atlanta Market by Brad Hondett

With big plans to further expand Creature Comforts Brewery, located in Downtown Athens, Georgia, has brought its big, bright beautiful cans to the largest craft beer market in Georgia. Adam Beauchamp says the team at Creature Comforts is excited about the move. “It’s great to be able to begin getting some cans into the Atlanta market. I’m from metro Atlanta originally, along with the rest of our leadership team. We’re very lucky to have such a large and vibrant beer drinking community nearby.”

I can attest, as a friend of a lot of people in the Atlanta craft beer community that I had lots of requests for these two beers on my trips to Athens. Of course, people love draught at a bar or when they can get a favorite at a local growler store, but these beautiful cans just cry out to go on a hike or other outdoor adventure in our beautiful state.

Athena (pictured above) is a great citrusy, tart berliner weisse style that is easy to drink at 4.5% abv. The tartness continues to come through even as it warms a little and stays refreshing. I can almost see myself with this in my hand on a boat on Lake Lanier or tying a cooler full on my tube shootin’ the Hooch. Don’t pigeonhole this beauty, though. It would be just as at home poured in a weisse glass and enjoyed with a strong blue or sharp cheddar cheese before dining with friends.

The name kind of says it all with 6.5% Tropicalia American IPA. Even a malt head like myself can absolutely enjoy this AIPA. The hops used give the beer a wonderful ripe tropical fruit taste and the bitterness that is there helps balance the beer and doesn’t wear down ones palate like some AIPAs that use a lot of bittering hops. The can itself seems ask, “Why are we not at the beach?” In the hot days to come, have a Tropicalia and you can take a beach vacation with your mind’s eye. A good goat or sheep cheese from Georgia’s Sweetgrass Dairy or Decimal Place Farm would be nice, but you better start planning a trip to Jekyll or St Simon’s soon to get the real “beach feel”.

There are a lot of cans coming on the scene lately to the market as Eddie Holley, owner of 3 Ale Yeah! locations can attest, “Creature Comforts Tropicalia and Athena cans exploded on the scene last week. Second Self cans are in this week. Transmigration of Souls came back in last week. Southbound and Service Brewing cans have recently landed.”

There was other news from CEO Chris Herron, as well.

-After doubling it’s fermenting capacity once this year, the brewery hopes to double it again by the end of the year. That’s what we call “exponential growth”, folks.

-After the success of the bomber/keg release of Southerly Love earlier in the year, Dayspring is being released very soon and is a Saison style beer. In the spirit of collaboration, the wheat used in the beer came from Northeast Georgia Dayspring Farms. That’s what we call a vertically integrated Georgia product. Anyone in the Georgia General Assembly listening?

With the growth, though, Beauchamp says he has one goal. “ My number one priority is to keep our beer’s quality as high as is feasible. “

The beers’ consistency is one thing I, personally, have been really impressed with out of the gate. The guys have done a great job with the cans of delivering the same experience with every pop of the top. But, worry not, seekers of varied Untappd check-ins and badges. The co-brewmaster and self-appointed “Heisenbrewg” tells me, “This year will also bring lots of new and interesting one offs, as well as a full calender of seasonals.” I know for a fact that if you are in downtown Athens on a certain day that “Curious Tuesdays” are not to be missed.

Georgia brewers and brewpubs still face headwinds that brewers in other states no longer have to contend with. The supposedly “pro-small business” General Assembly passed a Georgia Beer Jobs Bill that was somewhat of a shadow of its former self, as they sat back and counted contributions from local beer wholesalers.

As Holley puts it, “It’s a great time to be a beer drinker in GA. And with the winds changing, no matter how hard they are blowing, the important point is that they are. The future is bright in the first notch of the bible belt.”

Let’s check out what it looks like as the can get filled at the brewery.

Video of Athena can being filled at Creature Comforts

Cheers, y’all.

@dawgontap

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