Avondale Estates is poised to get a new brewery.
Jon Shari, who has been in lawn maintenance and grounds management for 25 years, is going brick-and-mortar with his homebrewing. He started brewing in earnest in 2012, eventually turning his hobby into a part-time gig selling his beers at local events.
“I initially started home-brewing because I drank a peach beer from Terrapin/Left Hand Brewing called Peaotch,” Shari told the AJC in an email last week. “I knew it was a one time release and if I wanted to drink something like that again I would have to brew it myself. Soon after, my wife bought me a home-brew kit for Father’s Day. From the first batch, I was hooked.”
Shari was set on a different space for Little Cottage before his broker mentioned he should take a look at the building at 120 Olive St., which he eventually signed a lease on. While he wasn’t very familiar with Avondale Estates at the time, he said the city’s “tight-knit community” won him over.
“For me, Little Cottage Brewery is about community,” he said. “In fact, that’s what has made me better at what I’ve been working at all these years. I have always strived to make things better or perfect what I do but knowing that the community is excited about it, gives me the push to do the best I possibly can when I create a beer.”
Little Cottage, named for the small grey cottage in Sandy Springs where Shari and his wife lived for more more than a decade and where he first began homebrewing, will brew eight different beers once it’s up and running.
While Shari said he’s a fan of most styles of beer and has experience brewing several kinds, he’s partial to “dark and complex beers,” as well as saisons and experimenting with mixed fermentation. Beers will be available in crowlers, bottles and drafts.
Shari said that while details -- including how many barrels he’s planning on -- haven’t been firmed up, the Little Cottage space will definitely include a taproom, and Shari plans to host a rotation of food trucks.
Shari said to “stay tuned” for a projected opening date.
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