On a balmy Saturday afternoon in early October, a convivial throng of beer connoisseurs stood three-deep at the bar at the Brick Store Pub. Many had traveled from as far away as Alabama, Tennessee and North and South Carolina to spend the day at the Atlanta beer mecca on the occasion of its inaugural Hop Harvest Festival.
Beer-geek banter filled the air, along with the pungent citrus and floral aroma of hops. The crowd shifted in waves, pressing against the burnished horseshoe-shaped bar downstairs and climbing to the more intimate confines of the Belgian bar, tucked into a cozy, loft-like space above a flight of creaky wooden stairs.
For one day only, all 25 of the pub’s taps had been turned over to big, bold I.P.A.s, including eight Belgian or Belgian-style I.P.A.s and several rare one-off casks, prompting discussions that quickly turned to a spirited assessment of favorites and worried questions about what might run out first. By midnight, people were still hanging around, but few were fully aware that another milestone in Brick Store history had been reached.
“Hop Harvest has the potential to be the biggest thing we do,” said the co-owner, Dave Blanchard. “It’s just viral the way it caught on. But that’s what’s happening now. It’s really cool how much things have changed in that way.”