Athens, GA - Trappeze Pub

 

Trappeze Pub in downtown Athens, Georgia

You can travel the world for beer, wine or chocolate, but sometimes, there is no place like home. Athens, Georgia is a college town where University of Georgia, this year's #1 party school, is located. (It’s also a damn good University and my employer.)  With a couple bars on every corner and $1. PBRs and Jager shots, no trouble finding a drink in Athens. I am happy to say that Trappeze is not your average college bar. In Athens, it’s in a class by itself

 Why go: First of all, there is something for everyone.  There are 35 craft beers on tap, over 200 different varieties in bottles and not a Budweiser, Miller or Coors in sight.  Wine is available by glass, bottle or on draught. There is a coffee bar offering espresso drinks, and the Highwire Lounge, their sister bar, is attached, and specializes in signature cocktails and single malt scotch. The food menu is fairly limited, but is very tasty. There are a variety of pub grub items, but the emphasis on locally grown ingredients makes everything a notch above the usual. They always have an amazing dinner special if you’re really hungry. Their signature dessert is a chocolate cake that is baked by small local bakery and is insanely good.  It has a light, airy texture rather than a heavy density, and just enough dark chocolate frosting. It's served with a dollop of real whipped cream. Perfection.

The bar

What did we have:  This is not my first visit to Trappeze.  You might even say I’m a regular, but not so much of a regular that the bartender yells “Liz!” when I walk in the door.  During this visit I was accompanied by my husband, Bruce, and my son, Greg, who just successfully completed his junior year at Georgia Tech. We were celebrating.  Bruce decided to try the Aecht Schlenkerla Fastenbier from Germany.  It is a Rauchbier with 5.5.% alcohol and had quite a smokey flavor.  Fortunately, he only ordered a half pour (available in all draught beers) since it was not his favorite.  Greg tried the Lagunitis Wilco Tango Foxtrot, a cask ale with 7.8% alcohol and a slightly hoppy finish.  He loved it.  I chose the draught wine.  On the menu it’s listed as Bonne Etiole, but actually it’s from Lucky Star Winery from California.  If you know French, you’ll understand that the Trappeze folks are having a little joke on us.  Bonne Etiole is lucky star in French.  I was a little dubious about the concept of draught wine, think wine in a box, until the bartender educated me.  The wine is aged in barrels and instead of bottled, it’s put in kegs.  He insisted that the wine stays fresher and is less likely to be damaged by light or heat.  He was right, the wine is very pleasant.  I had a glass of the chardonnay which had a crisp, slightly sweet flavor, perhaps a hint of pears and citrus. 

What’s fun:  The atmosphere at Trappeze is casual and relaxed.  It’s a gorgeous bar with dark wood overtones and a variety of gleaming beer taps.  It’s located on the corner of two centrally located streets in downtown Athens which is bustling with students and other young adults, so the people watching outside the windows is always fun.  There are outside tables, on the sidewalk, if you'd like to drink al fresco.  The pub is always lively but not uncomfortably packed.  The crowd is a cross section of locals and visitors.  You might see a table of graduate students, a family with a couple of toddlers, a couple of undergrads on dates, and some professor types.  It’s also a popular place for students to bring their out-of- town parents when they visit.  As my son says, "people don’t go to Trappeze to get drunk." The offerings are quality products and not inexpensive. The half pour option is great and they will always give you a small taste if you’d like to try something on tap.  One of my favorite things about Trappeze are the glasses.  You’ll never know the shape and size of glass your beer will arrive in.  The bartender told me there is a reason that certain beers are served in different glasses, but all I know is that I like the surprise.  And if you really like the glass, they’ll sell it to you.  Check it out, you won’t be sorry.