If an award existed for best theme integration, hands down, it would go to Jailhouse. Employees are cheekily referred to as inmates, live events are promoted as lockdowns, and each beer name gets better than the next: citrusy Slammer Wheat, the hoppy Mugshot IPA, and the Breakout Stout, which quickly secured the loyalty of many metro Atlanta Taco Mac customers. Seasonals like the Saison Reprieve make you wish summer never ended in Georgia, but the Conjugal Visit imperial red ale rounds out the cooler winter months. The tiny space lends itself to casual conversation, so come ready to chat with your neighbors. Further down on Main Street, Speakeasy Bookstore offers espresso drinks to boost the ride home (ask to see the Prohibition era underground tunnel, which at one time, not surprisingly, led to the former jailhouse).
Good to know: Not many would have anticipated Georgia’s fourth brewery (following SweetWater, Terrapin, and Red Brick) to be a small set-up in the quiet town of Hampton, about 40 minutes south of central Atlanta. But that’s precisely the notch of history former home brewer Glenn Golden earned when he opened for business in 2009. Golden had settled on the property just over a year before that—perhaps it will not surprise you to learn that Jailhouse Brewery is housed in a former jailhouse, one that was operational in the early–to-mid 20th century and also served as a courthouse and fire station, apparently sometimes at the same time—but it took a while to transform a decrepit building into a working brewery.
Address: 8 Cherry Street, Hampton
Hours of Operation:
Thursday, 5:30-8 p.m.
Saturday, 2-6 p.m.
Website: jailhousebrewing.com
Kids: OK
Pets: Nope
