Athens, GA Pub Crawl - Treppenhaus, Walker's and Pauley's

My husband Bruce, had reconstructive foot and ankle surgery in February. Too many years of hard core running finally took it's toll. It kind of put a damper on our traveling plans, hence the lack of blog posts. Now he’s up on his feet again, and although not ready for any extensive trips, we did make it downtown for an Athens' pub crawl.  May is a perfect month for bar hopping, with warm weather, long evenings, no big crowds, but just enough people around to keep things a little lively.

The mini-beer garden, aka sidewalk patio, at Treppenhaus.

We started our Happy Hour adventure at Treppenhaus, a German style brewpub, featuring a variety of European draft beer and domestic craft favorites.  Although there is no beer garden, the patio is lively and the pub opens up to let the outdoors in.  We sat at an indoor table near the entrance and had a great view of the sidewalk passerby's and even enjoyed a fresh breeze. Bruce ordered a Warsteiner Dunkel and I stuck with one of my all time faves, Bell's Oberon The pints are only $3 until 9 pm on weekdays  That explained the healthy crowd.

  

Coffee by day and beer by night at Walker's. 

Our next stop was Walkers Pub and Coffee House.  What makes Walker’s unique is its dual personality,  a coffee house by day and a pub in the evening.  It’s a popular spot for students to study and then let loose a little after hours.  The relaxed atmosphere is perfect for a pint or two.  Their menu included Finch’s Fascist Pig and Allagash Tripel, two beers we had not tried before, and we spent a relaxing hour at Walker’s sipping a couple of winners.  

Pauley's outdoor tables, a great place to see and be seen. 

Our third stop is Pauley’s, a very popular bar and crepe restaurant featuring 150 draft craft and bottled beers that rotate regularly.  If you become a fan and want to be included in their wall of fame, all you have to do is try 100 different beers.  The Around the World Beer Club keeps growing, but there still is plenty of wall space left.  So if you’re up for the challenge, go for it. 

Here is one proud member of the Around the World Beer Club. 

Time to head home.  Okay, it was a really lightweight Pub Crawl, but remember, Bruce’s foot is still not fully healed, and after our walk around town, it needed to rest.  No worries, we’ve already got our next Athens Pub Crawl planned.  Stay tuned for three more of America’s quintessential college town’s best!

For two additional Athens  beer venues check out the reviews of the Globe and Trappeze. 

Athens, GA - Terrapin Brewery

Terrapin offered a great selection the night we visited. 

It is hard to beat the energy and atmosphere of Athens, GA in the month of April. With the exception of autumn, when football fever is everywhere, the spring is this college town's most exciting season. Outdoor events abound, the weather is gorgeous and healthy University of Georgia students are out in force looking for a little fun before finals begin.  All were in play when we visited Terrapin Brewery last Saturday night to drink beer and enjoy the festivities.  Terrapin is celebrating their 10th year anniversary this month and is currently a regional microbrewery, producing craft beer and distributing only to a few southern states. The great news is due to their success, there are plans for expansion and broader distribution If you haven't had the chance to sample some Terrapin Beer, you're missing out.

More people tasting than touring

Why go:
The Terrapin microbrewery is located only a few miles from the UGA campus, and therefore, a popular destination for students and other members of the University community looking for some great beer and something fun to do. The brewery is open for tours and tasting on Wednesday - Saturday nights from 5:30 - 7:30. Georgia law prevents selling the beer at the brewery, but you can buy an imprinted beer glass for $10, and with that comes 8 tickets for "tasting."  Each taste is a healthy 4 ounce pour and you can easily sample all the beers they have available, and go back for seconds on the ones you like the best.  On the busy Saturday night when we visited, there were bars set up both inside the brewery and outside in the large gathering area where there are tables, a large lawn where people sit on folding chairs and blankets, and a stage for live music. The brewery was hosting a fundraiser and there were booths of food vendors from local eating establishments.  For $25 you could drink your beer, eat all you wanted of an eclectic assortment of delicious food, enjoy the music, and support a great local cause. Terrapin has made a huge impact on the Athens community over the past decade supporting many local philanthropic organizations and sponsoring numerous special events.

A generous 4 ounce pour.  Eight pours per visit. 

What did we have:
Unfortunately I was the driver that night, so I had to limit my beer consumption.  Truthfully, I have tried most of Terrapin's beers over the years, so I was familiar with their offerings.  I really like the Hop Karma, a brown IPA with just the right balance of malt and hops.  The Rye Pale Ale is very popular and I enjoyed that as well.  My favorite was the special release Anniversary Ale, a strong Belgian 10% blond with malt, spices and totally yummy. If it's hot and you're thirsty, the crisp, clean bold tasting Golden Ale, my husband's favorite, may be your beer of choice. For hop lovers, the Hopsecutioner, is a big hit, and Hopzilla, a side project with a whopping 110 IBUs is only for the real hop head. The great thing about Terrapin is that you just never know what they are going to come up with next. Whatever it is, I know it's going to be fun.


 

Great people and dog watching at Terrapin

What's fun:
Okay, so here is the deal.  If you love craft beer and haven't visited our quintessential college town (and why haven't you?)  I have a reason for you to put Athens, GA on your list of "must visit" locales. It is really hard to beat the fun you'll have on an April or October evening at Terrapin Brewery on a Saturday night.  With the laid back happy crowd, the live music, the superb people (and dog) watching, it feels like an American version of a German beer garden.  The beer is great, and with every year it keeps getting better. I absolutely expect to see this microbrewery listed on the Beer Advocate's top 50 list near future.

Danielsville, GA - Boutier Winery

Boutier Winery tasting room on a gorgeous winter day.

The great thing about living in Athens, GA is that there are a number of unique venues in the area to explore.  When work and budget constraints do not allow for travel, I have plenty of places in my back yard to check out.  And that's just what we did one Saturday this winter.  We took a little wine tasting trip to Boutier Winery, small boutique vineyard just 20 miles from Athens.  To call it a vineyard, is a little premature, but the proprietors do have plans to grow grapes in the future. At present all their grapes and other fruit are provided by other growers. The wine is made on premise and some is quite good. 

A wine barrel candle holder handcrafted by Victor Boutier.

When traveling from Athens or Atlanta, you drive down several pleasant country roads to get to Boutier.  Located on a top of of hill, the small attractive building that houses the tasting room and event facilities, is surrounded by unique sculpture, gardens and a wine barrel fountain.  Upon entering you find yourself in a beautifully decorated and warmly inviting tasting room. In addition to wine tasting, there are unique wine related gifts available for purchase.  I particularly liked the wine barrel candle holders hand crafted by the proprietor. 

Victor Boutier and his kitchy fruit wines.

What did we have: Our friend and petsitter, Emily, bought us gift certificates for wine tasting.  Otherwise the cost would have been $10 each.  Of course that is waived with the purchase of wine.  We received personal service from owners Victor and Mary Ann Boutier. We sampled all the traditional grape wine choices available at that time, and a few of their other fruit wine specialties. Victor, the winemaker, makes small batches and bottles maximum of 1500.  He sells his wine at the winery and it is offered at several restaurants in Atlanta.  Their red wines include Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Elegance Vin Rouge and Hot Flash - a combo of Petit Syrah, Malbac and Syrah.  We only tasted two of the white wines, a Reisling and Chardonnay. We really liked the crisp dry Reisling. Their specialty is their fruit wine.  With names like Diva 'Licious and The Skinny Bitch and The Cranky Bastard, you know they're not taking themselves too seriously, but I actually enjoyed both the peach and blueberry wine.  It wasn't as sweet as you might think and it would couple beautifully with dark chocolate.



The warm and inviting tasting room at Boutier.

What was fun: Just discovering this unique little winery close to home was a treat.  We really enjoyed the personal attention we received from the proprietors.  The wine was fine and we even bought a couple of bottles to take home with us. I love the entrepreneurial spirit of the proprietors and local flavor that inspired this winery in the back hills of Georgia.

Athens, GA - The Globe

The Globe on a hot, steamy night in Athens, GA.

The Globe: The quintessential college town bar

What did we have: Paulaner Hefeweizen and Belhaven Scottish Ale

What's fun: A comfy, cozy, friendly bar with great location, with good beer, wine and food.


If you're looking for a location to shoot a film with a storyline about a college town bar where faculty and graduate students gather to share a cold beer and talk department politics, the Globe would be the place.  Think Good Will Hunting and you can imagine the atmosphere you'll find there.  It's the perfect bar for a cold beer on a hot summer night in Athens, Georgia.  The Globe has been a mainstay in downtown Athens since 1989.  Selected as one of  best bars in the country by Esquire magazine, the Globe has been a favorite of ours since we relocated to Athens 18 years ago.  Located on the corner of two busy streets in Athens, and just a couple of  blocks away from Trappeze (another great bar reviewed earlier), it's the ideal place for a quick stop when you're bar hopping, or to settle in for a pleasant evening with good friends, food and fun.  It has a comfortable feel like an British pub.  Since often groups of friends and colleagues gather at the Globe, there are long tables and cozy seating areas with sofas and rocking chairs, As I said, it's a very comfortable bar. There is an upstairs seating area for those who choose to sit apart from the crowds.  It is usually busy during the academic year, but slows down in the summer when the student population shrinks. The offerings include 12 beers on tap, most are mainstays, with only a couple that rotate in and out. Wine is available by the glass or the bottle and there is a nice selection of both domestic and imported.  They also offer a full bar, with excellent Bloody Mary's and Mojitos on special most of the time.  I think their Margaritas are the best in town.

A Belhaven Ale and Paulaner Hefeweizen. 

What did we have: I mentioned it was a hot steamy night, and I couldn't imagine anything more tasty than a Paulaner Hefeweizen.  Always refreshing when served with an orange slice.  My husband ordered one of his favorites, a Belhaven Scottish Ale. Both those beers are standards, as are Guiness, Harp, Warsteiner, Smithwick's, Terrapin Golden, Fuller's ESB, Palm and Chimay White.  They carry 62 beers in bottles. Everything from Pabst Blue Ribbon for $1.75 to Chimay Blue for $9.  We did not eat at the Globe on this visit, but have done so many times in the past.  I always enjoy the Tandori grilled chicken salad and my husband likes the bratwurst.  The Globe is known for their tasty burgers.  On Friday evenings they often offer a nice spread of complimentary bread and cheese. You have to come early before the crowds arrive and quickly devour all the free food.  The dessert choices are limited, but they do have a notable Red Velvet Cake, which is actually chocolate flavored, and very tasty.

The bar at the Globe is a friendly place to hang out .

What's fun:  At the Globe it's all about the comfortable feeling you get when you walk in the door.  Everyone feels welcomed and the mix of people include the local characters, academics, business folk, students and visitors.  It is most fun when you come with a crowd or meet up with friends.  It's a rare occasion when we walk in the Globe and don't see someone we know.  If you're visiting Athens and want to know more about the town, stop in at the and strike up a conversation with a local.  You should be able to find out anything you want to know. You can stay for an hour or stay all night, I promise you'll enjoy your time at the Globe.
(Please note that the website for the Globe is currently down.  When it's up again, I'll provide a link.)

The wine list at the Globe is a good one.