From the street, the draw of Elsewhere Brewing is evident and hard to ignore. The vibrant colors bounce off the white brick and the allure of the painted greenery pulls you to a table. Place is a powerful tool and weighs down heavily on experiences and memories. This sentiment is present in the look and feel throughout the brewery.

Elsewhere Brewing opened near Grant Park, in Atlanta, back in October of 2020. This was after suffering through several delays with the City of Atlanta due to COVID-19 slowdowns.

Influence of Travel

You are struck with a yearning for authenticity and adventure once you step inside the taproom. There is a wave of home and comfort that radiates from the environment. The atmosphere and aura create a sense of relaxation and vacation as you look over the selection beers on tap.

It’s easy to see the influence that travel has had on owners Sam and Sara Kazmer, as the food menu resembles authentic Argentinian fare which pairs beautifully with any of the beers on tap. Regardless if you order an IPA, Lager or even the Pastry Stout, you can expect refreshing options thanks to the work of Director of Brewing Operations Josh Watterson, who is a self-proclaimed yeast nerd.

The feel and atmosphere creates a sense of wanderlust as the sporadic cacti, vaulted-ceiling and in-wall arches sprinkle some Southwest or Spanish feel to the space. The architectural design is as creative as it is intentional. Dark, slant-cut wooden floors juxtaposed with the hand-tiled walls adds more depth to the space. Just past the bar, ten fermenting tanks lay horizontally, stacked two high.

Brewhouse & Beer Talk

The design of the brewhouse was the result of several factors, according to Josh. For starters, laying the tanks on their side helped to add some flare to the space, no doubt, but also the 10BBL system had to be efficient as it is housed in a 1,000 square-foot brewhouse. An added bonus is the additional contact space that the yeast gets with the beer during fermentation. The end result? Yeast-forward, light-bodied beers that finish dry and crisp which allows for several to be enjoyed regardless of style.

Traditional approaches and giving the beer its needed time were two of the strongest priorities in both the beer and food from Elsewhere. Watterson was classically trained on tradition and practice and it is evident in each sip regardless of which beer is in your glass.

“Beer takes time, and the yeast is going to make all the difference. We aren’t going to rush one just to have it on tap,” Josh mentioned.

So, what can you expect to see on draft when you venture Elsewhere? There are two Lagers, a Hefeweizen, both a New England and West Coast IPA and a Pale Ale. In addition to that, there is a dedicated tap handle for a rotating Saison — the current one boasts peaches and peppercorns — and a rotating Pastry Stout. The current offering is red velvet cake with a dulce de leche Stout aging in the tank. Saisons and crisp-finishing beers are part of the reason why Watterson is known in the industry. Everyone on #teamsaison now has a new local favorite to try.

Due to the crisp and dry finish across the lineup of core offerings, any beer you choose will be the perfect pairing regardless of what you order for lunch or dinner. The chimichurri hummus and crispy potato benedict pair well with Carouse, a European-style Pilsner with both German and Czech influences fused together.

There are exciting one-off offerings such as their Shivoo Grape Gose, and Full Melt Terpene IPA. Elsewhere also has an apricot Hard Seltzer offered to-go and on tap. The goal for all of the beers available, though, is to simply be approachable and complementary, whether you intend to pair a pint with food or just a different offering.

Closing Conversation

When asked about the entire process of getting to this moment and looking ahead, Co-Owners Sara and Sam shared their thankfulness of their community support. They also they are looking ahead in good faith of what’s to come. Sarah commented on the difficulty of the restaurant side of Elsewhere in just maintaining consistency whereas the beer, once fermented, is good for a batch at a time.

Resilience, they mentioned, was important in terms of learning the details as they went through the process of opening and operating at a consistent level.

The pandemic was an extra obstacle that no one saw coming, but Sara and Sam are grateful for the community support even since they were strangers to the area. Elsewhere opened with a membership option, and before their beer was even poured all of the slots sold out. All of the early supporters are no doubt thankful now as the beer is some of the best in Atlanta.

If your mouth is watering and you’re eager to venture Elsewhere, then do so on February 15 for their second Beer Dinner. The ticketed event is a five-course curated dinner where the meal and beer shines simultaneously. For anyone who can’t make the date, grab some beer to-go or plan for lunch. Whatever you do, make plans to head Elsewhere soon.

Feature image by Matt Thomas (@photogenicbrew). 

---

Can't visit the site everyday like us? Bummer! No worries, we've got you covered. Submit your email below to receive our monthlyish newsletter on reviews, tours, events and more!

Email address:

Leave this field empty if you're human: