Atlanta is home to a host of popular breweries and brewpubs: from staples like SweetWater Brewing Company to newcomers like Halfway Crooks Beer.
However, there are plenty of places to enjoy local lagers and ales outside the Perimeter as well — like the breweries in Marietta.
And now, beer lovers can visit them in style by rolling around on the Marietta Beer Bus.
Here’s how it works: every other Saturday, the beer bus (free to ride) roams around Cobb 2-8:30 p.m.
There are seven stops for suds along the way. Or, if beer isn’t your thing, a number of stops also offer cider, mead or craft wine.
Participating locations are: Treehorn Cider, Viking Alchemist Meadery, Schoolhouse Brewing, Red Hare Brewing, Ironmonger Brewing, Shezmu Cellars and Marietta Square — where you can hop off to enjoy a drink at Hemingway's Bar & Grill or explore restaurants within walking distance.
There are two buses in rotation, which reach each stop every half hour, according to the website, or stay on board for a 50-minute round trip drive.
Riders are encouraged to Lyft or Uber to one of the stops, then pick up the bus from there, but parking is also available at the stops along the way. According to the website, the service is an attempt to curb drunken driving.
The service is free to use (it’s funded by participating craft alcohol manufacturers), but the brews will be on your own dime.
If you're looking to save, there's a $15 wristband available for purchase, which includes removable tabs that will count as a $3 credit toward your bill at each stop. The wristbands can be purchased in advance online or at any stop along the way.
Since 2017, when the Georgia law around breweries changed, places have opened their doors to beer lovers across town. The new law allowed breweries to sell beer directly to customers and nixed the previous rule requiring tours in order to sell from taprooms.
According to the Brewers Association, Georgia was home to 82 craft breweries in 2018. That's up from just 21 in 2011 and 53 in 2016. Nationwide, there were more than 7,000 craft breweries operating last year, which was nearly double the number open in 2014.
Since the market has become more concentrated, breweries have become more sophisticated. Many, like New Realm Brewing along the Beltline Eastside Trail, offer a wide array of food as well.
The next beer bus is making the rounds this Saturday, Oct. 19. It will run next month on Nov. 2 and 16. The bus operates on a first come, first served basis.
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