Meet the Drinker Who Visited Every Brewery in Georgia

There’s no shortage of feats conquered in the beer space. From some folks trying as many different beers as possible (and keeping track) to others who aim to have a pint on every continent. Apps like Untappd help drinkers track achievements through digital badges and share with friends . Some conquests are more private.  Georgia native Travis Allen recently completed his personal beer quest, a local endeavor that saw him visiting every brewery in the Peach State. He shared the story of his journey with All About Beer editor John Holl. 

John Holl: Tell me about yourself. 

Travis Allen: I was born and raised in what’s now Milton, GA. I attended Georgia Southern University, where I met my wife Tiffany, and have been at UPS for 21 years. When I first started at UPS, a group of us would frequent Taco Mac, an Atlanta area chain that has over 100 beers that frequently rotate. This sparked my love of beer and its varieties which eventually led me to my challenge of visiting all the Georgia breweries.

In fact, my brother-in-law just celebrated his 5,000th beer at Taco Mac this past month, earning him a trip to Octoberfest in Germany. In my spare time I follow the Boston Red Sox and volunteer at multiple levels with the Atlanta Area Council of Scouting America (Boy Scouts of America) and am excited for my son to be nearing his Eagle Scout rank. No word on a “Brewing” Merit Badge at this time.

John Holl: When did you start this journey, and when did you hit the most recent? What was the reason for ticking off all these spots?

Travis Allen:I really began in earnest around February of 2023 after a trip to Asheville, NC. I’d visited maybe 12 to 20 Georgia breweries prior to that. The planning was difficult as I’ve never been able to find a true list anywhere. Not all breweries are part of the Georgia Craft Brewer’s Guild.

I had to rely on good old fashioned homework and not only create my list from the guild’s page, but follow blogs, talk to people at beer festivals, see where people had checked in on facebook and word of mouth. 

I finished up my most recent visits on July 12th with Tabby House Brewing in Darien, Union Station Brewing in Jesup, and Hops on Fire in Midway. The previous day I knocked out Crooked Finger Brewing in Dublin and Ohoopee River Brewing in Vidalia. Once we’d visited a few it became the thrill of the chase and challenge. Plus I got to see a lot of towns and places that I’d never been able to before, even though I’m a Georgia native.

John Holl:  Are there some memorable breweries that you experienced for the first time? What makes those stand out above others? 

Travis Allen: Absolutely, probably too many to count. I’d say most of those in small towns have a lot of personality and color to them, along with more personable employees. That’s not a slight on the larger places, they just don’t typically have time to talk beer. Here are a few that stand to me in no particular order:

• River Remedy in Rome: Made for a nice day trip from Milton and Justin was fun to talk with
• Six Bridges in Johns Creek/Milton: I’ve gotten to know AmyNoelle and Clay during my frequent visits and will talk shop with them anytime
• Omaha in Omaha: Probably the most remote brewery we’ve been to. It’s about 25 minutes from anything interesting and is in an old school house
• Pontoon in Sandy Springs: Sean has been through a lot the past few years, but they keep cranking out sours and stouts that I’m always looking forward to
• Linder Street in Bowersville: Neat little brewery, mostly nitro taps, housed in an old church. Talk about the last spot you’d expect to find a brewery 
• Abbey of the Holy Goats in Roswell: Sad that it’s been gone so long. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and beers. Kathy Davis and I graduated high school together.
• Talking Rock in Talking Rock: How often to you see a brewery in an old train?

John Holl What are some of the favorite beers you enjoyed? And why? 

Travis Allen: I’ve really learned to appreciate all the different styles, although I’m really keen on barrel-aged stouts and sours. I’m always down for a nice crisp lager, golden ale or Kölsch, but I think a lot of brewers make them for the casual drinkers that just want something that tastes familiar. I get a lot of crap for it, but I’m really not an IPA person at all. I have found a few that I’ve enjoyed, but maybe only three or four that I’d go home and tell people about. I can’t drink a lot of those heavy ABV stouts in one sitting, so I love it when the brewery has both a good selection and offers flights. I think the creativity in flavoring stouts and sours is what really draws me to them.

John Holl: Any advice for folks who might want to undertake a similar journey? What a strategy that worked for you that others should follow? 

Travis Allen: Don’t only make a list or spreadsheet, but map it out.It definitely helps to visualize things. We like to collect stickers or magnets, so we keep track of that as well. I used Google Maps and actually have things color coded. If green we went and got a sticker/magnet. Yellow, we went but no sticker/magnet. Red I haven’t been to. Black, they closed or never opened. Purple is closed, but we visited before they closed.  I’m also an avid collector of Tap Handles, but keep that on my spreadsheet only. 

• Expect to grow your list. I’ve found breweries I didn’t even know existed simply by googling “breweries near me” or asking the staff what else was around. 
• If the brewery has multiple locations, decide if you want to visit them all, or just one (I took on all)
• Decide if you want to include Brewpubs, Atlanta certainly has some good ones (Twains, Wrecking Bar, etc.)
• Definitely hit those next to you first, but group ones further away into regions that you can visit in a long weekend
• If married, spousal buy-in is a must.

John Holl: I assume you’ll keep up with the newer openings to keep the list intact. Any other beer goals on the horizon?

Travis Allen:  I’m hesitant to say I’ve “completed” my goal. It’s more comfortable to say that I’m “current” and have my sights set on the five breweries that should be coming in the next year or so. I’m headed out to Louisville, KY for work in September and they have a nice selection of breweries. Hopefully more are on the horizon in Georgia, but here are those I know of and am looking forward to:

• Grizzle Beer Company in Monroe: I met some of their guys at the guild festival a few months ago
• Camp Brewing in Fayetteville: I missed out on visiting before they closed up in Hampton
• Rabun Brewing: Neat little town to stop in on the way to the Great Smokey Mountains
• B-Side the Tracks Brewing in Conyers: first heard about them three years ago, fingers crossed as they just finished the demo in their building
• South House Brewing in Nashville: well, guess that gives me an excuse to hit the Southwest part of Georgia again.

Pull Up a Stool is a regular feature on All About Beer. Reach out to editor John Holl at JohnHoll@allaboutbeer.com with suggestions on brewing professionals that should be featured. And to support our journalism, please visit AllAboutBeer.com/support