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W HAT DOES A RUNAWAY BRIDE with Sea Legs do when she befalls a Muscogee Curse given to her by a Norseheart? If you are beer lover in Macon, the answer is simple: She pours herself a pint – or four. Many a cold beer has been enjoyed in and around Macon, but if you want to sip on any of the above, you'll need to head to one of our local breweries. Although Macon's oldest brewery, Macon Beer Company, has been brewing since just after Prohibition, in recent years the city's beer culture has exploded faster than a freshly popped IPA. Macon's love for beer has resulted in brewpubs, beer gardens, beer festivals and even beer yoga. It's a boon for tourism, too. "e development of the Macon beer scene has been crucial to attracting a new group of visitors to our destination," said Gary Wheat, president and CEO of Visit Macon. "With the addition of new breweries, beers and the creation of a Visit Macon-Rock Candy 'Behind the Beer' Tour, Macon is positioned as one of Georgia's emerging beer destinations." Josh Rogers, president and CEO of Newtown Macon, said the more things made locally that people are able to buy and consume, the better it is for our economy. "Research shows that far more money stays here when it's spent here, enhancing our schools and community," he said. "Buying local beer is fresher, tastes better and supports more local jobs than national brands, along with reviving historic buildings, revitalizing our downtown and providing great opportunities for us to meet and get to know our friends and neighbors in their beautiful breweries. Local beer is good for our economy and good for our community." Longwood's, an international destination research company, conducted a study for Visit Macon a few years ago to establish our city's visitor profile. "It noted that the average overnight travel party size to Macon for leisure was 2.5 people and the party spent $205 per day," said Wheat. "An individual overnight leisure traveler to Macon will spend $78 per day on lodging, food, entertainment, etc." at number includes $30 of food per day, per overnight individual. Arguably, that number includes local beer consumption, especially when you consider research in other cities. In his article, "Eleven Signs a City Will Succeed," national correspondent at e Atlantic and co-author of the national best- selling book, "Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey Into the Heart of America," James Fallows noted this after developing an informal checklist of the traits that distinguished a place where things seemed to work: "In our experiences (after visiting half a dozen cities), these things were true of the cities, large or small, that were working best. ... ey have craft breweries. One final marker, perhaps the most reliable: A city on the way back will have one or more craft breweries, and probably some small distilleries, too. ... A town that has craft breweries also has a certain kind of entrepreneur, and a critical mass of mainly young (except for me) customers. You may think I'm joking, but just try to find an exception." Fallows visited Macon in 2018 when he joined Historic Macon Foundation as keynote speaker for the inaugural Revolving Fund Summit. But don't just take his word for it, head downtown and check it out for yourself. All of these breweries are comfortable, family-friendly places to meet up with friends for good food and great beers. Even if beer is not your thing, the food alone is enough reason to check out the historic buildings which house Macon's four breweries. And stay tuned: We hear there is talk of distilleries on the rise in Macon, too. Crushing it EXPLORE MACON'S BUBBLING BEER CULTURE ONE PINT AT A TIME BY JANE WINSTON PHOTOGRAPHY BY JESSICA WHITLEY 38 maconmagazine.com | DECEMBER/JANUARY 2021