The Macon Beer Fest is undergoing some major changes this year. In previous years, the beer festival has featured a unique and very cool "pub crawl"-style atmosphere. Patrons would visit 10-15 venues and use their sample tickets to try beer at each venue. This format was logistically creative and offered patrons an opportunity to experience bars they may not have visited in the past. On the other hand, it also required a lot of walking around downtown, which was not always enjoyable when the temperatures were north of 95 degrees.
This year, the Macon Beer Fest is shifting the layout to a smaller footprint, occupying two blocks at the corner of 3rd and Poplar. The festival format will switch from a sample ticket system to an unlimited sample system. That means you can try your favorite beer as often as you want (unless it's everyone's favorite beer and you drink it all!). There will also be live music and more portalets available.
You may have heard radio or TV ads promoting the event as being able to sample over 30 craft beers. While this is technically true, the lineup is much closer to 50 different craft beers from nearly 30 craft breweries. This is already shaping up to be the biggest and best Macon Beer Fest to date. The festival proceeds still help support prostate cancer research through Pints for Prostates, so you'll be having a good time AND supporting a good cause.
The Macon Beer Fest is Saturday, August 22. General admission tickets are $35 and the event runs from 3PM - 7PM. If you want to start early, VIP tickets are $75 and they start off the festival early with food and a few special release beers at 1:30PM.
Buy your tickets here.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/152992298133545
Twitter: @MaconBeerFest
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Friday, July 17, 2015
Macon Beer Company Grand Opening
Macon Beer Company isn't a new name to those in Middle Georgia. Their flagship beer, Macon Progress, has been available in your local bars for almost 2 years. Macon Love, the seasonal cherry blossom-themed beer, is now on its second year of production. As of this Saturday, Macon Beer Company will officially be cutting the ribbon on their tasting room, allowing you to check out the brewery and sample some beers that have never been distributed to bars.
That's right, you can try some brand new Macon Beer Company beers at their tasting room this Saturday, from 1-6PM. For $10 you'll get a Macon Beer Company pint glass, 5 tasting tickets and a tour of their brewery. Live music will be provided by The JC Connection and Moonhanger Group will be selling food. Tours will be running throughout the day so make it a point to stop by and check out the brewery and some new beers!
Speaking of those new beers, here's what you can expect to see on tap:
Macon Progress - Surely you've had this by now.
Macon Progress^2 - A variant of Macon Progress that's a little less sweet and dry-hopped with El Dorado hops. Compare it to regular Progress and see which one you like better.
Macon Love - The official beer of the Cherry Blossom festival, a blonde ale fermented with cherries to give it a full body that's sweet but not too sweet.
Macon Movies - A brand new offering that coincides with the Macon Film Festival. This amber ale is brewed with sarsaparilla to give it a hint of root beer character.
Macon Out - The perfect summer beer, a light blonde ale brewed with rye malt to give it a nice spicy finish. Currently a tap room exclusive.
Macon Homebrew - Back out of retirement, an IPA brewed with a ton of peach flavor. It is summer in Georgia, after all.
Macon Beer Company is located at 345 Oglethorpe St and will be open from 1-6 on Saturday. Come on out and support your local brewery!
Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/523216804500729/
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
How SB 63 Affects Consumers
After much publicity, lobbying, backroom deals, and rewriting, SB 63 has passed and was signed by Governor Deal on May 5. It's not the bill that consumers or breweries wanted, but it is a small amount of progress. Here's what you need to know.
The biggest change that consumers will see with SB 63 is that distilleries can now open to the public for tours and tastings. That means the new craft distilleries in Georgia can now operate very similarly to how breweries operate. Consumers can pay a small fee to tour the distillery and try up to 3 half ounce samples of their products. Just like breweries, distilleries can sell you merchandise and other promotional items that aren't alcohol.
The other big change is to the revenue model of tours. Previously brewery tours and tastings had to be free. Breweries were able to recoup some of these expenses by selling you an expensive pint glass, usually for $10-12. Consumers not interested in helping breweries stay open could opt not to buy the pint glass and drink out of a plastic cup for free, but I trust no readers of this blog ever did that. With the passing of SB 63, breweries can now charge for their tours. Once you pay for the tour, all tastings and food are to be provided for free. The amount of beer you can sample during the tour has been increased from 32oz to 36oz, though I really doubt you'll notice the difference.
SB 63 also introduces the concept of a "souvenir." For both distilleries and breweries, the price of a tour may include a free souvenir to take home. At a distillery, a souvenir is up to a 750 mL bottle of distilled spirits. For breweries, souvenirs are up to 72oz of malt beverages brewed on site. That's roughly a growler, 6-pack or 3 bombers. Souvenirs must always be sealed and only one can be provided to a customer per day.
On the business end for brewpubs, the beer they sell to distributors is no longer included in their profit ratio. At a brewpub, food has to make up at least 50% of sales. In the past, beer that was sold to a distributor would count toward the "less than 50%" of profit that could be generated by beer. This is no longer the case, which might mean that brewpubs will be sending out more of their beer to growler shops and bars. Brewpubs can now bottle their beer as well, though it still is not available for retail sale at the brewpub.
You can read the bill in its entirety here. Let me know if I missed anything.
Assuming SB63 is like most legislation in Georgia, it will go into effect on July 1.
The biggest change that consumers will see with SB 63 is that distilleries can now open to the public for tours and tastings. That means the new craft distilleries in Georgia can now operate very similarly to how breweries operate. Consumers can pay a small fee to tour the distillery and try up to 3 half ounce samples of their products. Just like breweries, distilleries can sell you merchandise and other promotional items that aren't alcohol.
The other big change is to the revenue model of tours. Previously brewery tours and tastings had to be free. Breweries were able to recoup some of these expenses by selling you an expensive pint glass, usually for $10-12. Consumers not interested in helping breweries stay open could opt not to buy the pint glass and drink out of a plastic cup for free, but I trust no readers of this blog ever did that. With the passing of SB 63, breweries can now charge for their tours. Once you pay for the tour, all tastings and food are to be provided for free. The amount of beer you can sample during the tour has been increased from 32oz to 36oz, though I really doubt you'll notice the difference.
SB 63 also introduces the concept of a "souvenir." For both distilleries and breweries, the price of a tour may include a free souvenir to take home. At a distillery, a souvenir is up to a 750 mL bottle of distilled spirits. For breweries, souvenirs are up to 72oz of malt beverages brewed on site. That's roughly a growler, 6-pack or 3 bombers. Souvenirs must always be sealed and only one can be provided to a customer per day.
On the business end for brewpubs, the beer they sell to distributors is no longer included in their profit ratio. At a brewpub, food has to make up at least 50% of sales. In the past, beer that was sold to a distributor would count toward the "less than 50%" of profit that could be generated by beer. This is no longer the case, which might mean that brewpubs will be sending out more of their beer to growler shops and bars. Brewpubs can now bottle their beer as well, though it still is not available for retail sale at the brewpub.
You can read the bill in its entirety here. Let me know if I missed anything.
Assuming SB63 is like most legislation in Georgia, it will go into effect on July 1.
Monday, April 6, 2015
Taste of the South Beer Festival
Just Tap'd in downtown Macon will be hosting Taste of the South, their very first beer festival this coming Friday, April 10, from 3-9PM. Over 20 breweries from across Georgia and beyond will be in attendance. The breweries and live music will be set up in Rosa Parks Square across First Street. This festival will scale to however much time you have available to dedicate to trying new craft beers, with ticket levels starting as low as $15. Here's what's available:
Taste-Tester - $15
For $15 you'll get 8 4oz pours from any combination of breweries you're interested in.
Beer Sampler - $25
For just $10 more than the Taste Tester, you'll get 15 4oz pours plus a $5 discount on a festival t-shirt.
Beer Lover - $35
At the $35 mark you'll have 25 4oz pours, which should allow you to try something from every brewery, and you'll still get a $5 discount on a festival shirt.
Craft Beer Connoisseur - $50
The best deal comes at $50, which allows you unlimited 4oz pours plus access to a Founders VIP beer which I'm pretty sure is KBS. Not only do you get unlimited beer, you also get a festival t-shirt and 25% off any growler purchases you make on Friday.
Or you can even show up for free and just hang out. Corner Concerts will be providing live music throughout the afternoon and Peach State Ale Trail is sponsoring a cornhole tournament. I can't think of a better way to spend a Friday. And since it's on a Friday, you can still enjoy the Magnolia Soap Box Derby, Bearstock and/or Beards, Bourbon and Bacon on Saturday!
Friday, March 20, 2015
Last Chance to Support GA Beer
The following is a repost of the latest communication from the Georgia Craft Brewer's Guild:
As many of you already know, the Beer Jobs Bill has been decimated by the Senate. Despite our attempts at a reasonable compromise working with various members of the industry, our original bill was deemed too controversial for the tastes of the Senate leadership. The Regulated Industries Committee Chairman pulled the version of SB 63 originally proposed by our advocate Senator Hunter Hill and replaced it with a version written by the Senate leadership. The new version is riddled with mistakes, bad public policy, and has stripped the bill of anything that might tempt a brewery to open in the state of Georgia. We hoped to offer amendments to this new bill inside of the Regulated Industries Committee, but no amendments were allowed. So we planned that on the Senate floor we would finally get the chance to modify the new bill and offer amendments - but unfortunately again, the Senate leadership exercised it's power and some of the most important amendments were withdrawn. As one of our supporters put it, "The new bill will do nothing for jobs and has become a protectionist piece of legislation that bear hugs the status quo and smacks free enterprise in the face."
Here's what happened in the Senate -
and what we need TODAY and Monday!
and what we need TODAY and Monday!
As many of you already know, the Beer Jobs Bill has been decimated by the Senate. Despite our attempts at a reasonable compromise working with various members of the industry, our original bill was deemed too controversial for the tastes of the Senate leadership. The Regulated Industries Committee Chairman pulled the version of SB 63 originally proposed by our advocate Senator Hunter Hill and replaced it with a version written by the Senate leadership. The new version is riddled with mistakes, bad public policy, and has stripped the bill of anything that might tempt a brewery to open in the state of Georgia. We hoped to offer amendments to this new bill inside of the Regulated Industries Committee, but no amendments were allowed. So we planned that on the Senate floor we would finally get the chance to modify the new bill and offer amendments - but unfortunately again, the Senate leadership exercised it's power and some of the most important amendments were withdrawn. As one of our supporters put it, "The new bill will do nothing for jobs and has become a protectionist piece of legislation that bear hugs the status quo and smacks free enterprise in the face."
So now we're on to the House and we have to ask them to fix the Beer Jobs Bill. With some common sense amendments this bill can underpin some of Georgia's craft breweries and give us a small amount of flexibility to show what kind of tourism our industry can provide. This bill has to be modified, at the very least, into something that doesn't actively hurt Georgia breweries. But we should go further and ask that the Republican majority in the House to stick true to it's roots - we need a bill that drives economic growth, makes Georgia's beer industry competitive, and gets our craft breweries hiring! Georgia's politicians say that we're the number one place to do business - it's time to make them prove it.
Help us take the bill the Senate leadership gave us and let's turn it back into the
Beer Jobs Bill.
Beer Jobs Bill.
Here's what we need now:
Reach out to the members of the House Regulated Industries Committee and let them know that you support common sense amendments to SB 63, the Beer Jobs Bill. You can find a list of committee members here. As before, phone calls can be better than emails, but both are well-recieved and appreciated. We believe that we'll have a hearing in front of the Alcohol Sub Committee (consisting of members of the Regulated Industries Committee) on Monday - it's important that they hear from supporters going into that meeting!
If you'd like to reach out to your local representative, you can find them here.
As always you can also help by sharing gabeerjobs.com on Facebook. Ask your friends to sign the petition. We need all of Georgia behind this. Use the button below to share now:
Finally, thank you for all of your hard work and support over the last few weeks - it's meant a lot to our cause.
Cheers,
Nancy Palmer
Executive Director, Georgia Craft Brewers Guild
Reach out to the members of the House Regulated Industries Committee and let them know that you support common sense amendments to SB 63, the Beer Jobs Bill. You can find a list of committee members here. As before, phone calls can be better than emails, but both are well-recieved and appreciated. We believe that we'll have a hearing in front of the Alcohol Sub Committee (consisting of members of the Regulated Industries Committee) on Monday - it's important that they hear from supporters going into that meeting!
If you'd like to reach out to your local representative, you can find them here.
As always you can also help by sharing gabeerjobs.com on Facebook. Ask your friends to sign the petition. We need all of Georgia behind this. Use the button below to share now:
Finally, thank you for all of your hard work and support over the last few weeks - it's meant a lot to our cause.
Cheers,
Nancy Palmer
Executive Director, Georgia Craft Brewers Guild
Monday, February 9, 2015
What's On Tap?
Rookery and Margarita's in Mercer Village are both posting their draft lists online. I've updated the links on the sidebar, but you can find out what's currently available at the links below.
As usual, all of our local growler shops keep up to date lists online.
Growler Spot - https://www.facebook.com/growlerspots/app_350090741787212
Just Tap'd Macon - http://www.justtapd.com/now-pouring-3/now-pouring-macon/
Just Tap'd Warner Robins - http://www.justtapd.com/now-pouring-3/now-pouring-2/
Top Dawg Growler - http://www.topdawggrowler.com/tap-menu/
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Support SB63!
Senate Bill 63 was introduced into the Georgia State Senate yesterday. You can read the bill in its entirety here. Creative Loafing has put together a nice summary of the bill's current status and what it contains. Here's what Senate Bill 63 proposes:
This is a bill that we should all be able to get behind. The limits on sales prevent breweries from becoming a major competitor with existing businesses. Jobs will be created at every brewery and the state will generate additional excise tax revenue. Georgia will also benefit from increase beer tourism.
Although this bill was introduced, it is a long way from being passed, but you can help! David Lucas, our state senate representative in Macon, is on the Regulated Industries committee and his support is crucial. Send Mr. Lucas an email and let him know that SB63 is important to you. Let him know how much you enjoy the Macon Beer Company and how much you want to see them grow as a local business and that you believe SB63 is necessary to enable their success.
David Lucas - david.lucas@senate.ga.gov
- Breweries and brewpubs would be able to sell up to 144oz of beer for off-site consumption. That's roughly 2 6-packs or 2 growlers. By keeping this number low, the brewer's guild has demonstrated that they do not wish to directly compete with growler stores or distributors.
- Breweries would be able to sell up to 72oz of beer for on-site consumption. Currently they can give away 32oz and are not allowed to charge for it.
- Brewpubs would still be limited to the product of 10,000 barrels of beer per year, 5,000 of which could be sold to a wholesaler. Off-site sales, such as growlers, would be included in the 5,000 barrel cap.
- Breweries and brewpubs would be required to sell beer at the current market rate, preventing them from undercutting other bars, beer stores or growler stores.
This is a bill that we should all be able to get behind. The limits on sales prevent breweries from becoming a major competitor with existing businesses. Jobs will be created at every brewery and the state will generate additional excise tax revenue. Georgia will also benefit from increase beer tourism.
Although this bill was introduced, it is a long way from being passed, but you can help! David Lucas, our state senate representative in Macon, is on the Regulated Industries committee and his support is crucial. Send Mr. Lucas an email and let him know that SB63 is important to you. Let him know how much you enjoy the Macon Beer Company and how much you want to see them grow as a local business and that you believe SB63 is necessary to enable their success.
David Lucas - david.lucas@senate.ga.gov
If you have a few more minutes, consider emailing the other members of the Regulated Industries committee and let them know that you believe SB63 will create jobs, increase tourism and make Georgia a better place to live.
Rick Jeffares - rick.jeffares@senate.ga.gov (Chairman)
Frank Ginn - frank.ginn@senate.ga.gov (Vice-Chairman)
Frank Ginn - frank.ginn@senate.ga.gov (Vice-Chairman)
Bill Cowsert - bill.cowsert@senate.ga.gov
Steve Henson - stevehenson@mindspring.com
Jack Hill - jack.hill@senate.ga.gov
Butch Miller - butch.miller@senate.ga.gov
Jeff Mullis - jeff.mullis@senate.ga.gov
David Shafer - david.shafer@senate.ga.gov
Renee Unterman - renee.unterman@senate.ga.gov
Brandon Beach - brandon.beach@senate.ga.gov
Steve Gooch - steve.gooch@senate.ga.gov
Brandon Beach - brandon.beach@senate.ga.gov
Steve Gooch - steve.gooch@senate.ga.gov
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