The Beer Growler Opens in Alpharetta Today

The city's second growler store begins sales of craft beer straight from the tap.

The Beer Growler opens in Alpharetta today, a franchise from the partners who opened the first growler store in Georgia two years ago. Don Edwards, a Forsyth County resident, had sold his company and retired. But he had been looking for a business to start with his son, Kyle, who recently gradauted from college. "The growler itself is a concept of returnable bottles that allow you to buy beer, fresh beer from the tap and take it home and drink it at home at your leisure, selecting from a wide variety of tastes," Edwards said. He said the beer doesn't have that out of the bottle or out of the can taste. He picked Alpharetta because of the population and location. Once people understand that there's such a wide variety of beer and the …

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Milton OKs Growler Sales of Beer

Retail stores with a beer and wine license can sell the beer poured from a keg, and customers can try small samples to taste.

Milton City Council adopted an amendment to the city's alcohol ordinance that clears the way for growler sales. Mostly because of state laws and regulations Milton's ordinance on growlers is nearly the same as Alpharetta's. City Council approved the amendment at their meeting in City Hall on July 2. "Somebody who just wants to taste a beer and see if they like it, they can do that," said Milton Finance Manager Stacey Inglis. Growlers are glass containers filled with beer from a keg, and typically are specialty beers that aren't sold by the bottle, she said. The containers–usually 64 ounces–are sold in the store. Once filled and taken home, they can be brought back to the store to purchase more beer. The growler is sanitized in the store …

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July Overflowing With Wine, Beer Tastings

Red, White & Blue festivities lead off month filled with barbecue, beer, wine and more. Oh, and there's a local running of the bulls.

Starting with the July 4th Weekend’s Red, White & Blue Pub Crawl and two holiday parties featuring barbecue, beer, bluegrass and wine, this month's calendar of wine, beer, and spirits tastings offer opportunities to sample a little of everything. Brew Master Bobo, a Catholic monk from Belgium, comes to town. There's a Sour Beer festival and a Christmas in July party as well as an “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes” and the “Wine Wars." Also planned are a beer dinner in an authentic English-style cask ale pub along with three super wine tastings set for July 21, July 26 and July 27. Foodies everywhere are licking their lips for the start of Downtown Atlanta Restaurant Week. There is a local celebration of the Spanish running of the bulls.  July…

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Alpharetta Hosts Summer Block Party & 5K Road Race

Worlds Hoppiest Road Race holds Peachtree Road Race Qualifier to accompany a downtown party.

The money raised in the Summer Break 2012 5K Road Race will go to the dogs. It's a fundraiser for Canine Assistants, which provides assistant dogs to those with special needs. Runners will take to downtown Alpharetta streets tonight, June 23 at 9 p.m. in the Peachtree Road Race qualifier, presented by WHRR (World's Hoppiest Road Race). More than 500 runners are expected to participate. You can register for the race online. The race is part of the Summer Break 2012 Block Party & 5K Road Race event in downtown Alpharetta. The party starts at 7 p.m., with the race starting at 9 p.m. The awards ceremony begins at 10 p.m. Every runner of legal age–that's 21, in case you've forgotten–will get a free beer. Everybody else has to buy their first …

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Blind Murphy Craft Beer Market's Mission is Charity

The store opening in downtown Alpharetta may be the first to sell growlers in the city.

Blind Murphy Craft Beer Market opens later this month with a mission. "Our tag line is 'Drink good beer, do good work,'" said David Sheets, owner of what might be the first store to sell growlers in Alpharetta, though that is just part of what will be sold. Bottled craft beers, home brewing and "man cave" supplies also will be on tap (pun most certainly intended). "One hundred percent of our net proceeds, after payroll and taxes, will be going to missionaries and charities," he said. "If what you do benefits others, then when you come in here we will reward that. That's really the true purpose of opening Blind Murphy Craft Beer Market," Sheets said. The store will open in the Kell Building in downtown Alpharetta as early as June 16, if …

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Beer Growler To Open 5 Franchises

Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Brookhaven, Suwanee and Sandy Springs will soon have shops.

The Beer Growler is expanding deeper into the Atlanta suburbs. Beer Growler franchises are expected to open by the end of July in Brookhaven at 1400 Dresden Road and in Suwanee at 4140 Moore Road. By the of the summer, franchises should open in Alpharetta, Sandy Springs and Johns Creek, Denny Young, one of the co-owners, said Thursday afternoon at the Beer Growler store in Avondale Estates. Young said he and the other owners want the franchises to look something like the shop in Avondale Estates, but their big concern is maintaining product quality. "Nobody will be selling Bud Lite in these stores," he said. The shops will only sell growlers – 32- and 64-ounce glass jugs used to transport draft beer for off premises consumption. They won't…

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Brew Moon Fest Brings Crowd to Downtown Alpharetta

The Downtown Alpharetta Trade Association present the first Alpharetta Brew Moon Fest on Saturday night, Oct. 1, to a section of Milton Avenue closed off for the event, and the earlier Scarecrow Harvest in the same location. Food, beer and friendly faces invited any who braved the chilly temperatures. Banks and Shane was the headliner, and entertained the crowd well into the night. Had DATA been selling sweatshirts instead of T-shirts, they might have sold even more to support the costs of the festival.

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Street Dance, Brew & Shenanigans to Draw Vistiors Downtown

A group of downtown business owners is planning the Oct. 1 Alpharetta Brew Moon Fest event.

People will be dancing in the streets on Oct. 1 if everything goes according to plans for the Alpharetta Brew Moon Fest. The Downtown Alpharetta Trade Association (DATA) is planning the street dance, brew and shenanigans to draw potential customers and visitors to downtown. The event will run from 6-11 p.m. and costs $10 per person. The Alpharetta Convention and Visitors Bureau is sponsoring the event with DATA. "It's a street dance party with live music, good food and beer and wine," said Kathy Frawley, who is in charge of publicity for the organization. Featured bands will be the Old School Horn Band and the headline band will be Banks & Shane. "DATA, of course, is looking for a way to breath life back into downtown Alpharetta and they …

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Get Out: Things To Do This Weekend in Alpharetta, Milton Area

End August with music, local farmers market and a rodeo.

Beers of Belgium Tasting Where/When: Harry's Farmers Market, 1180 Upper Hembree Rd, Roswell, GA 30076, Friday, Sept. 2, 6:30pm–7:30pm Why Go?: Annually the people of Belgium consume over 93 liters of beer per person! Wonder why? Find out when you attend our Beers of Belgium tasting. Sample various Belgian beers and learn about the different styles and brewing methods that make their brews so extraordinary Price: $15 Downtown Alpharetta Farmers Market Where/When: Historic Downtown, 2 S Main St, Alpharetta, GA 30009, Saturday Sept. 3, 8am–12:30pm Why Go?: You will find farmers with fruits and vegetables, gardeners with fresh flowers and plants, and makers of all sorts of edible home goods from yummy desserts to local raw honey and homemade …

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'Brown-Bagging' Will Soon Be Allowed in Milton

Businesses that apply for license can allow customers to bring their own wine and beer.

Milton City Council approved an amendment to the city's alcohol ordinance to include provisions to allow “brown-bagging” at its Monday, Aug. 1 meeting, making it possible for some businesses to welcome outside wine and malt beverages. Before the vote, Milton resident Peyton Jamison urged the council to approve the measure. “As a Milton business owner, I believe this ordinance will have a profound effect on our business. If passed it will allow us to continue to grow in the city of Milton. If it does not pass it will hinder our ability to compete with other competitors in the metro area. As a resident, I believe this will continue to make Milton a unique community to live and work while not tampering with the rural feel that is Milton,” …

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