In 2011 there were just 21 breweries in Georgia, and with growth held back by restrictive regulations the state lagged behind many of its neighbors. Former state Sen. (and current gubernatorial candidate) Hunter Hill’s Senate Bill 63 in 2015 kicked off a turnaround, loosening red tape by allowing breweries to sell their wares to distributors who could then sell to consumers on site. That compromise left many brewers wanting, but it was a step forward for an industry that had been stuck in neutral for years.
In 2017 SB 85, sponsored by state Sen. Rick Jeffares (current candidate for lt. governor) helped the industry take another step forward, removing the distributor as a middle man and allowing breweries to sell their product directly to customers. A year later and the effect of those two bills can be tangibly felt across the state as dozens of breweries are slated to open up, boosting what has become one of Georgia’s fastest growing markets.
2016 saw seven new breweries and three brewpubs open in the state, and the following year added 13 new breweries and 10 brewpubs. That growth brought Georgia’s total to 48 breweries and 27 brewpubs by the end of 2017, a stunning 70.4% increase in just two years.
And it’s not stopping there.
In 2018 some 30 breweries and brewpubs are slated to open, and not just in Atlanta. Towns as far away from the capital as Brunswick, Dahlonega, and Valdosta are seeing new breweries open up, proving that a love for craft beer is far from restricted to bearded hops-hipsters in East Atlanta.
By reducing the barrier of entry, new breweries are sprouting like so many sudsy weeds, quickly filling a hole that saw Georgia ahead of only Oklahoma and Mississippi in terms of breweries per capita. With 33 new locations on the schedule for 2018 and already more in the planning phase for years to follow, look for the Georgia beer bubble to continue to expand.
