Savannah, GA - Moon River Brewing Company

We are so fortunate to live in Athens, GA, a wonderful and unique college town.  It's location couldn't be better. It's wedged in between two of my favorite small US cities. Drive three and a half hours to the northeast and you're in Asheville, NC.  Drive three and a half hours southeast and you're in Savannah, GA.  And that's just what we did on the weekend before Christmas this year.  We've been to Savannah many times, but not during the holidays when it's all dressed up in it's holiday finest.  It was just as lovely as we imagined. On this visit we went to two blog worthy establishments.  The first was Moon River Brew Pub.

The entrance to Moon River Brewing Company. 

Located right in the heart of historic Savannah, the Moon River Brewing Company building has an interesting past.  It was once the first city hotel in Savannah, established in 1821. All the beer is brewed in the three story building where the pub is housed.  There is exposed brick and wood throughout the warm and friendly pub located on the main floor.  There is also seating on the second floor, and reportedly there are a few ghosts that inhabit the building as well. The huge stainless steel beer vats are visible through the side windows.  My husband and I arrived shortly before 5 pm on a Friday evening and were lucky enough to get a comfortable booth right next to the lively bar located in the center of the pub. Moon River offers their own brewed beer and a few additional guest beers on tap. In addition, wine, mixed drinks and bottled beer are offered. Within a half hour there were folks outside waiting to be seated at this popular brew pub.  At 5 pm, the bartender rang a bell, recited a poem and declared a beginning to the weekend festivities.  A rousing cheer went up from the locals, and I knew we were in for a fun filled evening.

Moon River offers many enjoyable beers. 

What did we have:  As usual I ordered a sampler since I wanted to try all six beers they produced and their one cider.  The waitress also brought us a taster of a guest brew that they carried, the Heavy Seas Martzen which is one of our favorites.  The sampler consisted of Wild Wacky Witt, Apparition, Swampfox IPA, Rosemary IPA, Captain's Porter, Brown Sour and Cider.  Moon River makes some very good beer with a few brews that were outstanding.  My husband particularly liked the Apparition, a lovely brown classic English pale ale.  I was enthralled with the Rosemary IPA.  This beer is infused with rosemary, and since I'm a big fan of the herb, and could really taste it, I loved this beer.  It had a nice hop finish as well.  I imagine it's one you either love or hate.  I also liked the cider a lot.  It was quite dry, with a full apple flavor.  The waitress told me that the apples come from the north Georgia mountains and is only made in the fall after harvest.  Quite special.While we sampled our beer we enjoyed two tasty appetizers, fried green tomatoes and crab cakes. The menu has lite fare, burgers and sandwiches, and full course entries.

The beer is brewed and stored right next to the pub. 

What's fun:  The lively clientele consisting of a great blend of the unusual  mix of Savannah locals, as well as tourists add to the atmosphere. The historic setting, comfortable seating, quality beer and food, and friendly wait staff all add to the experience.  The banter between the poetic bartender and the local patrons made happy we were part of the scene on this pleasant winter evening.