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. 

Hilton Head Island, SC - The Lodge

The front entrance of The Lodge in Hilton Head. 

If you're looking for miles of sandy beaches, a unique natural setting, and world famous golf courses, Hilton Head Island is a terrific vacation destination.  If you're looking for great craft beer, not so much.  Bud and Coors are everywhere, but for years it's been difficult to find a bar that offers a selection of draft craft beer.  The good news is that The Lodge, formally a martini and cigar bar, is now the island's choice for an interesting and varied selection of craft draft. You can skip the local brew pub, located right next door, but The Lodge is worth the visit. I got to sample four new beers, and that's always fun.

A one of a kind bar on Hilton Head Island. 

Most of the popular bars on Hilton Head are going for a bright, cheerful beach feel. Not The Lodge. Walk inside and you'd think you were in Montana or Alaska with the dark wood paneled walls adorned with mounted animal heads, and bar stools that are covered with faux animal skins. It's dark, and not at all what you'd expect for a beach community. The Lodge features 36 rotating taps with a rather eclectic selection of beer, including the ubiquitous Pabst and Yuengling to Harpoon Leviathan with a whopping 10% ABV.

A sampling of very tasty summer ales. 

What did we have:  We came for Happy Hour and decided to have a bite to eat along with the discounted drafts. Since they offered many selections that I hadn't tried, I decided on a sampler of summer ale style beers.  I asked our server to recommend selections that had some character with a nice hop finish.  My sampler included North Coast Blue Star American Pale Wheat Beer, Anderson Valley Summer Solstice Cream Ale, Foothills Hurricane Hefeweizen and Stone Cali-Belgique IPA. I did not dislike any of the selections, but found only the Stone Cali-Belgique to have the complex taste I was looking for.  I also enjoyed the cream ale, but due to it's sweetness, a small quantity sufficed. The menu offered usual pub grub fare with a large selection of burgers and barbecue.  I chose the caprese grilled cheese with mozzarella, basil chiffonade, tomato slices on Parmesan crusted sourdough with balsamic glaze dip.  It was very tasty.  My husband enjoyed his baby back ribs.

What was fun: Just the fact that you can find a venue on Hilton Head Island that serves craft beer is a treat. I hope that the locals, as well as visitors, will support this bar. Among the plethora of beach bars featuring overly-sweet Margaritas, Corona and Jimmy Buffett cover songs, it's great to have one establishment that actually serves GOOD beer.