Grumpy Old Men Brewing — Restaurant in Blue Ridge

This is one of my favorite breweries in Georgia, a large part being my affinity with its name (and logo!), but also because they brew stellar beer. If I'm in Blue Ridge, and only have time to visit one craft brewery (the town as four!) this is the one I want to go to. We visited this for a second time in July on our "beat the heat" tour up to the North Georgia mountains. We got there not too long after they opened on a Tuesday afternoon and there were already a few people there ahead of us. Yes, they are popular with the locals as well as passing through beer nerds. We sat at the bar (of course) and, another plus, were waited on by a bartender who was in our age bracket. (This is not that big a deal, but it is nice to at times to have conversations with people who have the same life experiences as you and without having to decipher the language.) The first time we were here it was a pretty busy Sunday afternoon and we really didn't get to sample very many beers, this time we did our typical two flights including two of the beers we had had before. They did not disappoint. If you're looking for a nice pale blonde ale on a hot Georgia day (yes, even in Blue Ridge it can sometimes get a tad warm), the Acoustic Blonde Ale is definitely a winner. One of the best examples of the style that I've encountered. The other standout (again, they were all good) was the Grasshoppa DIPA, which I considered just a sliver above their Scentsation, another DIPA. At 8% ABV it goes down much lighter and probably has surprised more than a few people with the impact it winds up having. This really is brewery that requires one spend time exploring the brews. If you're in the area, this is a must...

Their wheat beers and their sours were excellent - really good beers. My enjoyment of their beer was, however, disproportionate to my enjoyment of the location. Upon entering, the parking lot is a little rough. Exiting, however, was more difficult. To see to the right (past their big truck parked out front) and the left (around the cars in the parking lot and the street’s curve of oncoming traffic) I had to aggressively nose-out and even after looking both ways several times, upon pulling out of the parking lot I barely avoided getting hit by a truck that came speeding (way too fast) around the corner. [And the police/court are never going to favor the accident-involved party who just enjoyed beers at the brewery.] Inside the brewery I was surprised, however, to see how much staff power and floor real estate was devoted to selling merchandise. It almost felt like their business was actually merchandise and the brewing was just a vehicle to sell the merchandise. The most redemptive thing about being inside their building was interacting with the bartender. I liked him a lot - he was funny and skilled at recommending beers. Also, the bathroom was very clean, which is something I appreciate.

Bottom line: I would happily order and enjoy their beer when I’m at a restaurant, but because of the parking/traffic challenges and the merchandise overload, I won’t return to the...

Fabulous place! We visited several local breweries during our stay in Blue Ridge and Grumpy ended up being our favorite for their great beer and friendliness. They have a very well curated selection from light blondes such as the white chocolate (my favorite), to IPAs and the stronger marshmallow stout (my husband's fav). Flights are offered which was a great way to sample all of their selection. We ended up taking a growler of their stout home. The brewery is like a big warehouse with ample seating, witty decor and they even sell Grumpy's merchandise. The place gets packed with locals on Fridays and weekends with the occasional out-of-towner. We ended up enjoying their karaoke night on one occasion which was a lot of fun and great talent! Locals and staff are super friendly and they make you feel welcomed. I wished I would remember the name of the girl behind the bar. She was always smiling and greeted us warmly every time. Would go back for sure on...