Ask many residents and even visitors to Atlanta and they will tell you that the Atlanta Beltline is one of the best things to happen to our city in years. With plans to eventually connect 45 distinct in-town neighborhoods through a network of multi-use trails, the Beltline is making our city more walkable and bikeable, and has been a boon to many businesses that were either already located nearby or have popped up along the trails. With a completion date still almost a decade in the future, the Beltline is already bringing us together in wonderful ways.
The walkable nature of the trail system and the green spaces and offshoot trails that are popping up along the way also go hand in hand with the local Atlanta craft beer scene, making it easy to visit multiple breweries while strolling across town. Restaurants and boutiques, along with large-scale residential developments are also sprouting up beside and because of the Beltline, so you’ll have plenty to do in addition to grabbing a few beers, whether you’re coming to the Beltline for a stroll or contemplating a move to live close by.
Tips for Taking it all In:
If you decide to head to the Beltline for a walking, biking, skating or jogging beer tour, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Parking – Walking along the Beltline is the major attraction, but you have to get there first. Valet park at the Krog Street Market on the Eastside Trail and for $5 you can drop your car off hassle-free.
- Plan Your Distance – Before you take off on your beer adventure, decide how far you are willing and able to walk. Bring water to hydrate, and remember that there are no public restrooms along the trail.
Be Polite – The Beltline can become crowded, especially on weekend afternoons. Follow traffic rules such as letting faster traffic pass you on the left, and walk in pairs, not as a group of several people spreading the width of the trail.- Stay Alert – Stay off your phone. You need to be aware of bicycles, scooters, dogs and joggers, so burying your face in your phone doesn’t work well on the Beltline.
- Don’t Miss the Art – Murals, sculptures and other local artwork are popping up all along the Beltline, so look as you go to make sure you don’t miss anything.
- Don’t Overdo It – You don’t have to hit all the breweries in one day, in fact, we highly advise against trying that! Plan to spend more than one day on your Beltline brewery walking tour so that you can taste it all without over-imbibing.
Best End Brewing
Best End Brewing is located on the Beltline’s Westside Trail, just a hop, skip and jump from the perhaps better known Monday Night Garage and Wild Heaven Brewery & Gardens. Open since late 2019, the facility features a 20 barrel brewery and a three barrel pilot system brewing ales, pilsners, porters, lagers, IPAs, and sours, along with a restaurant with a chef’s area serving what’s being described as “Southeast island food.” You’ll find a menu heavy on surf and turf, vegetables, and snacks such as charcuterie and cheeses. With that theme in mind, alongside Best End’s beers the drink menu also includes cocktails, tiki drinks, wine, milkshakes and slushies.
Best End Brewing – 1036 White Street SW, Atlanta, GA 30310
Elsewhere Brewing
After traveling throughout Europe and spending time in Belgian cafes, Bavarian beer gardens, and English pubs, Elsewhere Brewing owners Sam and Sara Kazmer wanted to bring a similar space to Atlanta, a spot where people felt encouraged to linger and engage with one another over food and a shared love of beer. The brewery operates partially on a membership model, where purchasing a membership grants people first dibs on beer releases and events, discounts, travel packages, and a monthly beer club with a choice between growlers or cans.
Elsewhere Brewing – 1039 Grant Street SE, Atlanta, GA 30315
Eventide Brewing
Eventide is located just a short hop off the Southside Trail, where they’ve been a beloved neighborhood meet-up spot since 2014. The patio is so dog friendly that there are even King of Pups puppy popsicles for sale along with the brews. Their lineup of beers is deceptively simple, driven by approachable styles that depend on subtlety and high quality ingredients.
Eventide Brewing – 1015 Grant Street SE, Atlanta, GA 30315
Monday Night Brewing’s Garage
Located on the Beltline’s Westside Trail, together with Best End Brewing and Wild Heaven’s Brewery and Gardens, The Garage is the place to go if you want to try Monday Night’s special barrel-aged brews and sours. This 22,000 -foot space includes both a taproom and a separate private event space. It’s not all sours and special releases though – you can still find the popular Monday Night beer’s that have made it the second largest craft brewery in the state by volume. Seasonal and exclusive Garage series beers that can only be found at the Beltline location due tend to be the main draw to the space.
Monday Night Brewing’s Garage – 933 Lee Street SW, Atlanta, GA 30310
New Realm Brewing
New Realm Brewing opened its doors in 2018, co-founded by the former Stone brewer Mitch Steele. Their facility along the Beltline includes a 3,000-square-foot farm-to-table restaurant space, a rooftop patio, and a beer garden. Not sure what to order? Every serverer is well-versed in all things beer, and can provide recommendations on a wide range of beers on tap, including small batch pilot brews.
New Realm Brewing – 550 Somerset Terrace NE #101, Atlanta, GA 30306
Orpheus Brewing
Orpheus is located overlooking Piedmont Park, just off of the Beltline’s Eastside Trail. The Orpheus line up relies heavily on sours, but their versions tend to be fruit-forward and sweeter than average, making them approachable and very drinkable.
Orpheus Brewing – 1440 Dutch Valley Place NE, Atlanta, GA 30324
Sweetwater Brewing Company
Perhaps no other brewery in Atlanta is as popular and nationally known as Sweetwater Brewing Company, which has been around since 1997 and is now located at the beginning of the Beltline on the Eastside trail. The ever expanding taproom is home to all of Sweetwater’s favorites, along with special releases that can only be found at the brewery. Music, food and beer festivals are going on year-round at the space, along with many other special events.
Sweetwater Brewing Company – 195 Ottley Drive NE, Atlanta, GA 30324
Wild Heaven Brewery & Garden
Wild Heaven Brewing has been in operation at their Avondale Estates location since 2013, but in 2019 they opened a second location on the Beltline’s Westside trail, alongside Best End Brewing and the Monday Night Garage. This location, known as the Wild Heaven Brewery & Gardens occupies a 21,600 square foot structure that includes a restaurant and 12,000 square foot outdoor patio and garden area. Events such as musical performances and yoga are held regularly at the Gardens. The seven barrel brewhouse is home to some of the brewery’s newer and more innovative recipes that can only be found at the West End taproom.
Chef Eddie Russell, known for other Atlanta favorites such as Argosy, Last Word, Parish, Farm 255 and Five & Ten is the full-time chef at Wild Heaven’s taproom restaurant. He has implemented a counter-service model focusing on approachable food made with locally-sourced ingredients whenever possible. The menu features favorites like tacos and flatbreads, that pair excellently with Wile Heaven’s brews, though you don’t need to be a beer fan to appreciate the grub.
Wild Heaven – 1020 White Street SW, Atlanta, GA 30310
Honorable Mentions
Not a beer fan? No problem! Whiskey lovers and others can also find their favorite beverage along the Beltline.
American Spirit Works (199 Armour Drive NE, Atlanta, GA 30324) – Located in the new Armour Yards neighborhood, just off the Northside Beltline trail, the American Spirit Works includes a tasting room, private event space and whiskey distillery. You can taste the full ASW portfolio of spirits, including vodka, bourbon, whiskey and rye.
Cultured South (1038 White Street SW, Atlanta, GA 30310) Atlanta’s first kombucha taproom can be found alongside Best End Brewing, the Monday Night Garage and Wild Heaven’s Brewery & Gardens, so non-beer drinkers can get their fix alongside their hop loving friends.
Looking to the Future
The Atlanta Beltline’s full network of trails is scheduled to be completed by 2030, at which point it will connect all the way around our city, a walking and biking perimeter that will connect neighborhoods in way that was previously almost unthinkable in a city known for its car culture and traffic. When these additional segments are completed, several additional westside breweries will join those listed above as being on or very close to the Beltline. You will then be able to add breweries like Atlanta Brewing Company, Scofflaw, Second Self, Steady Hand, Bold Monk and the original location of Monday Night’s main brewery to those that are easily accessible to the walkers, joggers and bikers along the Beltline.
And this only includes breweries that are already here. As the Atlanta craft beer scene continues to grow at the pace we have seen recently, it is almost guaranteed that new facilities will pop up, and most business owners will be looking at proximity to the ever-growing Beltline when deciding where to plant their roots.