Several weeks ago, I had the amazing privilege of visiting Creature Comforts Brewing Company in Athens, Georgia. I had heard great things about the brewery, and I had also heard the tales of their flagship beer, Tropicália, but the stories did not compare to the sheer awesomeness of the brewery and their brews.
From the moment I walked in the door, I knew that there was just a little something different about Creature Comforts. There are a lot of great breweries out there; however, it really says something when the brewery seeks to—and succeeds in—engaging the visitor on multiple levels. I feel that Creature Comforts did this through not only taking great pride in their beer but also in their community and overall experience as well.
First, the facility was both unique and amazing. Originally constructed in the 1940s as a Chevrolet dealership, and later used as Tire Service Center, the building has been completely reclaimed and repurposed. The various old signs and roll up service doors are a constant nod to the past history of quality and service, while quality and service continues today in the form of great beer and customer service. I learned on the tour that Creature Comforts actually repurposed all of the wooden rafters in the original building and used them to create the walls behind the bar areas. Pretty awesome!
The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful—whether serving a beer, selling merchandise or giving a tour. I felt that many of them really loved what they were doing—almost as is if what they were doing was bigger than themselves. That’s huge, and again, I feel that it speaks to the brewery’s pride in their engagement with their community. Bree, our tour guide was phenomenal. She walked us through the brewhouse, the cellar, and the canning area, constantly fielding questions and explaining the work that goes into each delicious pint of Creature Comforts beer.
Deb, the taproom manager, was amazing as well. She helped me pick out a flight and constantly checked back to see how I was doing. Amidst my tasting of eight different brews, I watched a lot of people come and go, but Deb was non-stop, constantly moving about to serve patrons at multiple different bar areas. Again—just an incredible commitment to customer service.
Of course I would be remiss in my praise of Creature Comforts if I did not mention the beer. I am writing about a brewery after all! The beer was just excellent! There was nothing that I tried that I did not like during my visit. I started off with the Bibo Pilsner before the tour, and it was excellent
After the tour, I had a flight which consisted of Tropicália, Creature Comforts flagship IPA; Athena, a Berliner Weisse; Reclaimed Rye, a Rye Beer aged on French Oak barrels; and Loopulus, a Double IPA. After the flight, I tried the Table Beer, a tasty Belgian, followed by Awaken my Love, a special release breakfast stout. Even after tabbing out, I returned for another taster, giving Get Comfortable, another famous Creature Comforts IPA, a try. Each one of these were unique and tasty in their own way, and I will go more in depth on these brews in a later post.
What an amazing brewery—from the facility to the customer service, to the engagement and of course the beer—everything was excellent. My only regret is not getting more beer to go to enjoy later. I had an amazing time and can’t wait to go back. Cheers to Craving Curiosity! #BreweryFeature #Georgia
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