Watch out, Asheville, North Carolina. Blue Ridge, Georgia is hot on your tail. Blue Ridge, located in North Georgia on the North Carolina/Tennessee line, is a tiny little mountain town that now boasts two breweries. That’s one brewery per 632 residents, using Wikipedia’s listing of 1264 residents as a guide. According to the Explore Asheville website, Asheville has 20 breweries, 1 per every 8,000 residents, and they claim that per capita that’s the highest level in the country. It looks like Blue Ridge has you beat, Asheville, but never fear. The two cities are close enough that you can easily visit them both.

The two breweries in Blue Ridge, Blue Ridge Brewing and Fannin Brewing Company (Fannin is the name of the county where Blue Ridge is situated), share a common beginning. According to the Fannin Brewing website, they shared a common brewhouse until 2013 when they reached capacity, and now they each have their own location about a mile apart in Blue Ridge.

Tonight I’m drinking a seasonal beer, Fannin Blue Ridge Lager from Georgia’s Mountain Brewery as they call themselves. Here’s how the brewery describes it:

An authentic Bavarian lager using noble hops and German grains.  An extended boil creates a crisp and clean beer and the noble hops of hallertauer, liberty and sterling give this the authentic flavor this classic style deserves.  This beer is lagered, or cold stored, for 4 weeks allowing the beer to fully mature, and is pleasing to everyone’s palate.  Take a deep drink, close your eyes, and imagine yourself in Munich on a beautiful summer day.  Prost!

Fannin Blue Ridge Lager has an alcohol content of 5.3% by volume and 21 IBUs. I picked up a 32-ounce growler at Stout’s Growlers here in Canton for $7.25.

Fannin Blue Ridge Lager pours to a brilliant copper color with a medium sized foamy head and a sweet nutty malty nose with a subtle hint of phenols and grassy hops. Taking a sip, I get some light caramel and toasted nutty notes up front followed by a slightly grassy, more than balancing bitter hop finish. The noble hops really come through, but the malts are just delightful here as well. A well-crafted amber lager that I can see myself enjoying again and again.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft



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