ATHENS, Georgia - Akademia Brewing Company, a full-service brewpub and brewery that opened in Athens on Oct. 16, will soon have its beer available in the Athens and Atlanta areas. Brewpub owner Matt Casey signed an agreement with Georgia distribution company Modern Hops, and the first slate of kegs was shipped Jan. 12.
"We chose Modern Hops primarily because of their eagerness to do business with us, and their willingness to creatively work an agreement that would allow both our young companies to grow together," says Casey. "By the end of the year we hope to have our beer throughout Athens and Oconee in our home markets, and in key accounts in Fulton, Gwinnett, Dekalb and Cobb counties. We should also be branching out to key accounts toward Augusta, Savannah and coastal Georgia."
The first two beers available in market are IQ IPA and Niboe's Tears gose. IQ has a burst of tropical citrus flavor from Citra and Simcoe hops, and is dry-hopped with both Citra and Hallertau Blanc for hints of melon, lemongrass and grapefruit. Niobe's Tears has a balanced flavor of salt, coriander and tartness that defines the style of this kettle soured beer. As Akademia looks to expand its in-market offerings, craft beer fans can expect to see High IQ double IPA, Moirai Belgian tripel and Everything He Touches tart brett saison available soon as well.
A cornerstone of the partnership between Akademia and Modern Hops involves removing any roadblocks to getting the fresh possible beer to the retailers.
"We designed a model to pick up beer directly from the brewery. The kegs stay cold the entire time," says Modern Hops owner Eric Levin. "We don't want to store beer; we want to get beer straight from the brewery that's freshly kegged and put it in the retailer's hands."
In Athens, beer will soon be available at Catch-22 Gastropub, Blue Sky Bar and growler shops at both Five Points Bottle Shop locations. In the Atlanta area, Akademia beer can be found at the HOp City Krog Street and West Midtown locations, The Tap on Ponce, My Parents' Basement and Argosy.
"We really wanted to do our part in helping make Athens be more of a craft beer scene," says Levin. "I think it has the ability to be another Asheville at some point in time, where some people come in for a weekend and are driven by the beer tourism. We also felt like Akademia has a great product and a great brand that we wanted to share with our current accounts."
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Akademia Brewing Company is a full-service craft brewpub located off of Atlanta Highway in Athens, Georgia. We are dedicated to the mission of crafting distinct and consistent ales with unique twists that provide balanced and enjoyable flavor profiles and tantalize your taste buds, paired with pub fare inspired by seasonal ingredients.
Modern Hops is an independent Georgia based craft distributor focused on freshness, quality, and service to its brewery and retail partners. We serve as an extension of our brewery partners handling outside sales, marketing, events, and logistics.
Contact | Dallas Anne Duncan
dallas@akademiabc.com
www.akademiabc.com
