Macon Magazine

February/March 2025| maconmagazine.com 75 Get into some St. Patrick's Day mischief with a festive murder mystery-themed dinner at Fall Line called Unlucky Charms! More information on their Facebook page. hands twice between major companies. Even Franz Maytag, father of the modern movement, sold Anchor Brewing Company in 2010. It sputtered after another corporate acquisition and shut down in 2023, closing a 127-year chapter in brewing history. There's hope of a revival this year – after all, Anchor has weathered plenty of storms before. Georgia currently ranks 44th nationally in number of breweries per capita, according to Georgia Public Broadcasting, despite having an outsized economic impact. More than a dozen locally owned breweries closed their doors in 2024, and most experienced a sales slump, as the Georgia Craft Brewers Guild attempted to pass Senate Bill 163 to modernize industry regulations. It died in committee, leaving Georgia as one of the most onerous states to operate a craft brewery compared to neighboring Southern states, like North Carolina or Alabama. Drinking craft beer can get tied up in hipster cliches, but it's still valuable to be proud of sipping a special stout or a seasonal saison when it's made by an independent craft brewery. It's an unwavering commitment to the ideals of creativity and entrepreneurship and supporting your neighbors, against a tide of contemporary corporate greed. The unique nature of small breweries helps preserve the character of communities, too. "When I do events or beer festivals, I'm not only talking about Fall Line," said Smith. "I talk a lot about Macon. It's on the front of our tent. People come up to us all the time. They went to Mercer or Wesleyan. They have aunts and uncles that live in Macon. Or they've never been to Macon, and they ask me about it – after all, it's just a hop, skip, and a jump from Atlanta. I tell them about everything there is to possibly do." "Every pint you enjoy helps fuel the growth of our craft beer industry and strengthens the community we all share," said Kaitlynn. She is the current vice president of the Georgia Craft Brewers Guild. "Drinking Georgia beers supports local businesses, creates jobs, and keeps money in our state's economy." It's also just tasty. "It's fresher," said Wright about drinking local beer. "You can also get a lot of more variety. Even if you love Budweiser – I drink them, too – they are packaged in a way that keeps them safe to drink over many miles. But in Downtown Macon, whether it's here or Piedmont or OBP, there's a bunch of great, fresh beer. In fact, there really is great beer everywhere you travel." Cheers to that. "Drinking Ge orgia b e ers supp or ts lo cal businesses, creates jobs, and ke eps money in our state's e conomy." Fall Line's tall ceilings. Smith calls Savannah Distributing to let them know how much product to pick up. The timing is tricky – once beer is officially canned or kegged, its shelf life begins. This ensures freshness at its destination. If Fall Line misses the window, the distributor will send product back before it's sold. Smith said that's never happened, because they keep a Goldilocks-like operation: "We stay on top of the quantity they have and keep a rotation. We don't send them too much. We don't send them too little. It's based on last year's numbers for that week." Savannah Distributing brings a truck to load up in Macon, then the beer travels to a warehouse in Atlanta. From there, orders are filled – by bars, restaurants, package stores, and more. It goes back on the truck, this time mixed with other companies' stock, and finally sent around the state to be picked up and enjoyed by the very same customers reviewing their purchases on Untappd. Behind the Daily Rind that poured at Park Bar was weeks of work and years of inspiration. K E E P I N G T H E T A P F L O W I N G Much has changed since Fritz Maytag stumbled into brewing a revolution. The Brewer's Association has gone from less than 100 members in the late '70s to almost 10,000. They define a craft brewer as independently owned and explicitly small in production size, with hallmarks like creating innovative brews using historic styles, or getting involved with the community through philanthropy and sponsorship. Most Americans now live within 10 miles of a craft brewery. After exploding as a Millennial-driven trend in the last 15 years, craft beer's growth has begun to decline. A number of causes are at play. The boom may have made the market oversaturated, with immature businesses failing to launch. The rise of craft spirits and canned cocktails encroach into craft beer's territory as a premium beverage. Gen Z buyers are less likely to drink alcohol at all. Another factor is that the popularity resulted in many microbreweries being bought up by big players, like Athens-based Terrapin Beer trading LEFT Two Fall Line Daily Rind wheat beers are ordered during a lively Friday lunch at Park Bar.

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