What's On Tap, Savannah - The Distillery

by Mike Pomranz, Posted Nov 5th 2009 @ 4:00PM

Image: www.distillerysavannah.com.

A weekly look at the draft selection in beer-friendly bars across the country.

Ben Volen, general manager of the Distillery, agrees: Savannah, Ga., is a very traditional city. "For a long time there was nothing on at any of the bars besides Bud draft, Miller draft, Yuengling had just come into town ... Corona in a bottle," Volen reflects. So when the Distillery opened around this time last year, the idea of a craft beer-centric bar was certainly a change of pace.

Volen had attended school in New York when the craft beer trend was gaining momentum. Upon returning south, he brought his love of New York brewers like Brooklyn and Captain Lawrence back to Georgia, looked at the burgeoning beer scene in nearby Atlanta and constructed a plan for his bar.

Savannah reacted appreciatively. "We've been welcomed with open arms," Volen says. "We've completely changed this town and how they look at beer." Since their opening, according to Volen, most restaurants now carry at least a couple of craft brews.

Read more about the Distillery and see yesterday's entire draft list after the jump.

But the Distillery isn't looking to abandon Savannah's rich history entirely. Quite the opposite, in fact.

"Our building was once the only distillery in Savannah," Volen informed us. He took that historical tidbit and ran with it, creating a "pre-prohibition themed bar" complete with high, old brick ceilings and retro-styled fans. He even threw in a brass and copper still.

Another tradition worth getting behind: Savannah is one of the few places in the country where people can walk the streets with an open container any day of the year, so the Distillery serves plenty of beers in to-go cups.

Just because an idea is old, doesn't mean it's bad. Thanks to the Distillery, now the town drunk can stumble the streets with a craft beer. Sounds like a worthwhile upgrade.

Yesterday's draft list at the Distillery:

Dogfish Head Pumkin
Victory Golden Monkey
Terrapin Big Happy Monster
Bell's Amber
Bell's Oberon
Dogfish Head 60min IPA
Smuttynose IPA
Victory Prima Pilsner
Terrapin Midnight Project Depth Charge
Spaten Optimator
McSorley's Black Lager
Victory Donnybrook
Flying Fish Double Dog
Harpoon UFO
Original Sin Cider
St. Bernardus Christmas
Harpoon Leviathan
Highland Gaelic
Stone Pale Ale
Abita Purple Haze
Terrapin Pumpkinfest

Filed Under: Lists, What's On Tap?, Drink Recipes, Drinks
Tags: beer, Distillery, draft, draft beer, GA, Georgia, Savannah, The Distillery

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

11-05-2009 @4:16PM cathy said... I used to be able to take or leave beer. Then some of these specialty brewery restaurants started popping up in Denver near where I live. What a difference. I tend to look at different beers now more like different kinds of wine. http://newsy1.wordpress.com
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