The second location of Hippin Hops Brewery opened in late February on Hosea L. Williams Drive in East Lake.
The first Hippin Hops brewpub debuted in April 2021 on Glenwood Avenue in East Atlanta Village, with the distinction of being one of the first Black-owned breweries with a permanent location in Georgia.
Now, owners Clarence and Donnica Boston, who are married, are set to open a third Hippin Hops, with a larger production brewery and taproom, on Memorial Drive in Stone Mountain. After that, look for a Charlotte, North Carolina, outpost of the company.
Last week, Clarence Boston conducted a tour of the Hippin Hops in East Lake, where head brewer Kevin Blodger was busy tweaking things in the five-barrel Deutsche brewhouse.
“Our plan is to brew most of our beers in Stone Mountain, and brew sours here, and our lagers in East Atlanta,” Boston said. “We have a 15-barrel Prospero brewery in Stone Mountain, with a brand-new canning line, so we’ll be getting our beer into the market soon.”
Credit: Mia Yakel
Credit: Mia Yakel
All Hippin Hops locations have a kitchen, with an oyster bar in East Atlanta, what Boston calls “healthier food” in East Lake, and soul food slated for Stone Mountain.
“Once we open Stone Mountain, we’ll be the biggest Black-owned brewery in the country,” Boston said. “We are growing fast. But I’m investing my own capital in it. And, I believe in the brand, so, hopefully, we’re really going to do well.”
Blodger, who has been brewing professionally for about 20 years, moved to Atlanta last year, and worked at Pontoon Brewing before taking the job at Hippin Hops.
“I think beer should be approachable to everybody,” he said. “So, I like to make flavorful, drinkable beers, but, hopefully, they can be appreciated by a connoisseur or a beer geek, too.”
Blodger has come up with several recipes for Hippin Hops, including a pale ale, a Belgian triple, a hefeweizen, a kölsch and even a corn-based malt liquor. Looking ahead, he said he hopes to make more lagers, along with some other classic styles.
Credit: Hippin Hops
Credit: Hippin Hops
“I’ve won some medals for my gose,” he said. ”And, I worked at Gordon Biersch, so I’m a big fan of technical German brewing. But, going into the market, we’re going to need to figure out what our core beers are going to be, and, for distribution, never run out of those beers.”
Boston’s vision for Hippin Hops is to reach out to people who might not be craft beer drinkers. To that end, sours and fruited beers are a big part of the mix. Plus, the East Lake location distills vodka, whiskey and mezcal, and makes a variety of cocktails with the spirits.
But, culturally, Boston and Blodger are aware of what it means to be part of a growing number of Black-owned breweries.
“I was the chair of the diversity committee for the Brewers Association for a while,” Blodger said. “I think that’s something that’s really important to the industry ... not just from a social justice standpoint, but from an economic standpoint. I can remember when I was only Black person at a beer fest. Now, you see a lot more Black and brown faces. I think that’s really cool.”
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