Grand Opening
By Amy Lopp
T
he long‐awaited brewery from the ingenius
homebrewer, Brian Roth, and beer policy guru,
Rick Goddard, opened its doors (and its taps) on
May 14th. Roth and Goddard have been forward‐
thinking throughout the development of their joint venture
and have set the stage for Southern Brewing Company to
become a regional powerhouse. Though the current facility
is rela vely modest in size, the crew at SBC have already
designed and engineered expansion plans to make efficient
use of the en re 15‐acre site, including an outdoor
ampitheater.
Roth has been a fixture in the local beer scene for years and
has earned a reputa on as a “mad scien st” of sorts in the
homebrewing community. His penchant for experimenta on
plays out in the laboratory at SBC – an uncommon inclusion
for a brewery of SBC’s rela vely small size – where Roth and
Co. are cul va ng local yeast strains, including varie es
cultured from the Cherokee Rose (Georgia’s state flower) and
wild azaleas (Georgia’s state wildflower). SBC’s current
por olio of brews features tradi onal beer styles made with
both tradi onal and unconven onal ingredients, which has
become the industry standard for cra breweries.
Consumers of cra beer display a par cular affinity for beer
that comes with a story
– a rare hop strain, a
crea ve
brewing
technique or perhaps a
hyperlocal
ingredient
like SBC has unearthed.
Top 10 Steps to Get it
Southern
Brewing
Company picked a great
me to start brewing, as
domes c cra beer sales
in the U.S. have climbed
17.6% and export sales
of cra beers have shot
up a whopping 36%.
Cra beer s ll accounts
for only 11% of the total Southern Brewing Company beer glass ready
to be consumed.
American beer market,
but that number has
increased steadily for the last decade. There is s ll plenty of
room in the market and crea ve breweries like SBC are
poised to become major players.
1.
Schedule a Visioning Mee ng ‐Visioning mee ngs are held every other Wednesday morning and offer an opportunity for an owner or
developer to discuss a poten al project at an early stage with their selected ACC department representa ves. Visioning mee ngs can
be requested online at athensclarkecounty.com/plansreview.
2.
Carefully Review All Applica on Informa on‐ Some mes Plans Review applica ons encounter delays in review due to lack of required
informa on in the plan submi al. The ACC Plans Review applica on contains a checklist that details the types of plans required, the
number of required copies, and other important informa on about your project. The applica on is a vital tool in the review that is
o en glossed‐over, to the detriment of the overall process.
3.
Contact the ACC Development Coordinator‐ If you have any ques ons or concerns regarding any aspect of the Plans Review process,
or your project’s status, contact the Development Coordinator (706‐613‐3233). The development review process has many cogs in the
machine, but this posi on was specifically created to communicate with both reviewers and applicants to ensure a smoother review
and permit process.
4.
Determine if a Design Professional is Needed ‐Due to their complexity, proposed scale or occupancy, some types of plans must be
prepared by an Architect, Engineer, or Landscape Architect with a design seal affixed to each page. If you are unsure whether your
project requires a design professional, contact the Development Coordinator (706‐613‐3233) or consult the ACC Plans Review
Handbook (h p://athensclarkecounty.com/DocumentView.aspx?DID=276).
5.
A end Plans Review Conference and Ask Ques ons‐With every Plans Review submi al, a mee ng with staff reviewers is scheduled—
with building plans, it is on the Thursday of the week following the Tuesday deadline. With civil plans, the Thursday appointment is two
weeks a er. At this mee ng, the reviewers will explain any comments, correc ons, or concerns that they may have with the project. As
the applicant, you are encouraged to ask ques ons of your own—both to increase your own understanding of the process and
comments, as well as to provide the reviewers with informa on that may not have been clear from the plans submi ed.
6.
Submit Complete Plans (Don’t Piecemeal It!)‐ If you are submi ng plans for review, make sure it is a complete set that could feasibly
go to approval and permit. Submi ng incomplete plans (i.e. building plans with no plumbing plans included) will result in a