On the edge of Grant Park in downtown Atlanta, a trio of college friends opened a brewery. Nathan, Haley, and Geoffrey met while undergraduate students in Statesboro, Ga. Years later they opened Eventide Brewing.
The brewery sits on the edge of a residential area, so it has a built-in clientele within walking distance. Additionally, the brewery is not far from the Atlanta BeltLine, which is a rail-to-trail corridor under development around the center of Atlanta. As more of the trail system is completed, Eventide will be connected to more residents who can ride their walks to the brewery.
When visitors arrive at the brewery they see this…
Due to construction across from the brewery when I visited there are very limited parking spots in the brewery’s lot, but there is plenty of street parking. As evidenced from the above photograph, there is plenty of outdoor space with picnic tables and other gathering spots.
Inside the brewery is a slightly different situation. When my wife Katie and I walked into the brewery it was packed, which wasn’t a surprise because it was a college football Saturday.
Despite the full crowd there were some open tables toward the back of the taproom, which shouldn’t have been a surprise considering that most people were focused on watching the football game on the TV.
Putting it all together here’s an overview of the seating area.
There are three tables to the left of the bar with open space before visitors get to the six high-top tables in the back.
There are two entertainment areas for visitors in the taproom. The first is an area behind the high-top tables setup for the bimini ring game (a.k.a. ringing the bull). It’s a game that involves swinging a bull’s nose-ring that is attached to a string with the objective of landing the ring on the hook to score points.
The other pub game is darts.
However, the dart boards area serves a secondary purpose to display some of the brewery’s t-shirts available for purchase.
There are two really cool displays at the brewery. One is not far from the dart boards, and is just outside the brewing facility. It is a sign detailing the brewing process.
The other interesting display is on the wall behind the high-top tables.
The brewery’s collection of photos and old news stories about the Grant Park community bring a degree of historic preservation to the brewery. Considering the brewery’s proximity to residences, it’s great seeing part of the community incorporated into the taproom.
Although I’ve discussed the multiple areas of the taproom, I have yet to discuss the most important aspects of my visit: the bar and the beer on tap. Visitors clearly see the bar when they walk into the taproom. However, on this visit the crowd made it nearly impossible to reach the bar an order a beer. So instead, I had to capture it from the back of the taproom.
Unlike many bars at a brewery, the bar top at Eventide does not have any stools for seating. It is set up for people to order beer and sit elsewhere in the taproom. Next to the bar is a cooler, which as of Sept. 1, 2017, allows visitors to purchase six-packs to take home with them.
Onto the important stuff…
Eventide usually has six to eight beers on draft. While a price menu lists the beers and their cost per pint, there are also posters detailing the SRM (standard reference method; i.e. the color of the beer ranging from pale yellow to black), IBU (International Bitterness Unit), and ABV (alcohol-by-volume). The posters also include a detailed description of the beer including a tasting profile so people know what flavors to expect while enjoying their beer.
I first visited Eventide in March 2017 before Georgia breweries were allowed to sell beer direct to consumers. My most recent visit took place nearly eight months later, after Georgia modernized its beer laws. So on this visit I ordered the two beers I did not get to sample during my first visit. I ordered Red Headed Haley (an American amber) and Highlander (a Scotch ale). Both were quite enjoyable and done close to style.
During my previous visit, back when visitors had to buy tours and received six 6-ounce samples I tried most of the brewery’s year-round beers. I had previously drank Kölsch Style Ale, Pale Ale, and Dry Irish Stout (on nitro) from Eventide’s staple of beers. I also sampled Slam Dunkel Weisse (a dunkelweizen) and Kattegat Baltic Porter, two seasonal brews that were available at that time. Looking back on all the beers I’ve tried from the brewery, the Kattegat Baltic Porter has been my favorite. It was rich with chocolate and coffee notes, and a very smooth brew.
However, depending upon your taste buds and preferences you may enjoy The “A” IPA or something else more than the Kattegat Baltic Porter. Regardless of your preferences, you’ll assuredly find a beer at Eventide Brewing that makes you feel at home in this friendly, communal tasting room.
