Arches Brewing recently opened its new taproom at Atlanta Utility Works in East Point, about eight months after closing its original Hapeville location.
During a recent visit, I met up with Arches co-owner and brewmaster Jamey Adams and Melanie Styles, the owner and proprietor of Atlanta Utility Works.
“I bought this place three years ago,” Styles said. “It was completely disheveled and abandoned. There was no plumbing, no power, and it was just a wreck.”
Styles’ brands include Cultured South Fermentation Co., Grandmother Hard Kombucha and Golda Kombucha. She also owns the Cultured South kombucha taproom in Atlanta’s West End and opened the East Point kombucha brewery in August 2023.
Initially, she planned to stick to serving kombucha at the taproom, but then Adams reached out when he was closing Arches and figuring out where to go next.
Credit: Bob Townsend
Credit: Bob Townsend
“I never planned to do traditional lagers,” she said. “I always thought it would be cool to have that here, but I didn’t want to take on too much. When Jamey called, I said, ‘That sounds awesome.’ It’s like a match made in heaven.”
Adams downsized his brewing equipment and moved it to AUW with the primary goal of putting his beer on tap.
“It’s awesome to have a landlord that’s in the same business as you,” he said.
Right now, Adams serves a limited amount of previously brewed Arches beer, including Lloyd’s Light lager. While he gets his brewing operations at AUW established, guest taps include Creature Comforts Bibo pilsner and Automatic India pale ale, Three Taverns Night on Ponce IPA and Left Hand Mexican Hot Chocolate milk stout.
“I’m less interested in focusing on distribution and more on what we can do in-house,” Adams said. “At the same time, we will do some distribution, and we will continue to partner with Georgia-only breweries to help manufacture large batches.”
When it comes to food, Cultured South specializes in sandwiches and hot dogs featuring fermented sauerkraut, house-made fermented vegetables and kimchi.
Adams and Styles are East Point residents, so Atlanta Utility Works has a special place in their hearts.
Credit: Bob Townsend
Credit: Bob Townsend
“East Point needed a community space, and in their strategic plan for the city they specifically identified a brewery as being the mecca for socializing and community development,” Styles said. “East Point is really on the up and up. I really think it’s going to have a resurgence in terms of housing and businesses.”
“It doesn’t seem like we’re a whole lot closer to what I call Malt Disney over in the West End (which is home to Monday Night Brewing, Wild Heaven Brewery and Hop City Craft Beer and Wine), but we are,” said Adams, who has a day job as a biochemist. “I love the proximity to MARTA. It’s less than a mile from here to getting on a train.”
He wants to do some things he couldn’t get off the ground at his previous location. “We never did music past 11 p.m.,” he said. “They don’t even start some music here until 11 p.m. It’s all about maximizing your hours.”
Arches Brewing at Atlanta Utility Works. 2903 RN Martin St., East Point. 470-382-5435, archesbrewing.com
Sign up for the AJC Food and Dining Newsletter
Read more stories like this by liking Atlanta Restaurant Scene on Facebook, following @ATLDiningNews on X and @ajcdining on Instagram.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
