One of my sneaker buddies in Atlanta just turned 21 and he called me asking for advice on what to buy, where to drink, etc.
He mostly likes Blue Moon and Corona right now, but he's trying to get into IPAs.
I'm not really sure what's available in Atlanta, so can you guys give me some good stores, good breweries and good places to drink. He goes to Emory and lives on campus if that helps at all.
He lives at Emory . . . so he's not far from Decatur and Brick Store Pub which is often considered one of the best beer bars in the Southeast and some claim the country. They always have Weihenstephaner Hefe on tap and that should merry well with his love for Blue Moon. Draft and bottle lists to give you an idea of what's available in Atlanta:
http://www.brickstorepub.com/draughtbeer/ Leon's is an off-shoot of Brick Store down the road, good beer selection but they focus more on high end food. Still a good vibe. To be honest, there are cool spots for drinking/eating all over Decatur. Ale Yeah is a beer store not far from there. Its a little small and boutique-like, but they have a good selection and a good growler selection.
Elsewhere you have The Porter in Little 5 Points which is another very nice beer bar. I don't deviate much from Brick Store to be honest, so my beer bar suggestions are thin and biased.
Beer stores: Hop City on the west side, Greens Liquor (on Ponce de Leon and another on Buford Highway), Tower has quite a few stores and they aren't bad either.
Breweries: I can vouch for SweetWater of course. They have an awesome college vibe going on there with a laid back, stoner atmosphere. In my experience, it is always fun when you visit SweetWater. 5 Seasons has brewpubs around the city with pretty damn good food and equally good beer. Monday Night Brewing just opened their brewery to tours, but I haven't made it over there yet or tried any of their beers.
Atlanta has a huge selection these days of available beers and breweries (Bell's, Founders, Port, and Green Flash to name a few). I would look at the Brick Store link above for suggestions from your end. If he wants IPAs, you can't go wrong with SweetWater IPA of course. There is also a small brewery South of Atlanta called Jailhouse and they are making some stupid good beers these days. Available all over the city. Hope this helps.
