Sometimes I have to explore the surrounding region to remember how lucky we have it in Beer City USA. I really wanted to visit Creature Comforts for some time as they are one of the regional breweries that I hadn't been to yet. So my wife and I picked up and headed south over the weekend to test them out. Creature Comforts is located in the college town of Athens, GA. Tucked away in a pretty isolated area of Georgia, about 3 hours from the mountains of Beer City. Athens was very easy to navigate as the streets were NOT full of tailgaters and football fans in the heart of summer. In fact there weren't many people around at all until we made it to the brewery.The locals were amazed that we picked up and decided to overnight for the sake of tasting the wares of this humble college town's main brewery attraction, especially coming from Asheville.
The beers at Creature Comforts were very well crafted which was their reputation. They are an established destination brewery that has had an influence for almost a decade now.
We tasted our way through a nice portion of their extensive draft list. We came home with several different styles, including flagships and one off's alike. Tropicalia is the IPA that put CC on the map and it did not disappoint with its fruity, American hoppiness and dangerously smooth flavor profile. The Automatic Pale Ale had a beautiful resin and pine aroma to pair up with the smoothness of the light malt bill. To learn more about hazy beers click here.
The mixed culture and kettle sour beers were probably the stars of their lineup which kind of surprised me. Each beer seemed to have good acidic restraint as no beer seemed abrasive or harsh. In fact, the Dayspring Grisette was so delicious and dry that it begged to drink more and more. I bought one to go. I paired it with their salsa verde jerky that they had at the counter.
Tritonia is their flagship sour beer with lime and cucumber and it did not disappoint. Is there a more perfect 90+ degree gose at 4.5%? This is a true Georgia crusher for their hot summers. The balance of the fruit was cucumber-forward with just enough tartness from the lactobacillus and the lime. I also picked up a collaboration beer with Allagash of Portland, ME for $8 which is astounding. Allagash is one of my favorite breweries in the nation and I had the pleasure of crossing it off the beer bucket list last November. College town pricing is really nice btw!
Creature Comforts makes an Oktoberfest lager collaboration with our friends at Burial every year and last years batch was a wonderful example of the style. I look forward to that beer again in a few months. This trip, I also picked up a double barrel aged barleywine for CC 8 year anniversary. This Imperial Stout was rested in in Willet bourbon barrels for 12 months and Sazerac rye barrels for 16 months. Needless to say I am excited about some cooler temperatures to enjoy this bad boy in a snifter glass.
I would like to give the staff at Creature Comforts a shout out as well. Witty, hip, helpful without any pretentiousness at all I really appreciated the staff's vibe even on a busy Saturday afternoon. If you want to avoid the crowds, go when they open on Sunday as there were much fewer people hanging out. The solar panels are also worth noting at this brewery as they take advantage of the Georgia sun with 100s of panels powering the business. That is smart and sustainable.They are also a Certified B Corporation which means they are driven by more than just profits and money.The staff reiterated this by saying how much they loved working there. I also enjoyed the playfulness to the old tire business on the wall and their merch to double down on the theme of their roots. Overall I would really recommend going to Creature Comforts in Athens,GA as they have made themselves into a regional player in the beer scene.
tyAlthough we have some of the best breweries in the world in Asheville it is always cool and exciting to see what is going on all over the region, nation and world to compare notes. I will definitely be talking about Creature Comforts in the future on Beer City Brewery Tours. Come join the Best Asheville Brewery Tour by booking Beer City Brewery Tours online today.
Cheers!
Evan
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