In September, following a string of local brewery closures, owner and brewmaster Matt Williams announced on Facebook that Blackbird Farms Brewery in Lilburn would be closing, too, due to financial constraints.
Instead, a GoFundMe campaign started by Williams, a long-time Atlanta brewer and Lilburn resident, raised more than $8,000 and Blackbird Farms Brewery kept its doors open.
Williams also received pro bono assistance from a local attorney to resolve a permitting issue that was keeping the brewery from reopening.
The funds raised will help the brewery recover lost revenue and pay staff, as well as cover rent and health department fees.
Credit: Courtesy of Blackbird Farms Brewery
Credit: Courtesy of Blackbird Farms Brewery
Blackbird Farms, which opened in 2021 at 4098 Lawrenceville Highway, brews beers including Yellow River Wheat, Part-Time Genius Hazy IPA, and an amber lager, called Georgia Airport Beer, made with Vienna malt. While the brewery has gotten a reprieve, Williams said he’s hopeful it’ll be more than temporary.
He said it’s been a struggle to attract customers on weekdays, and in turn, to pull in food trucks that would help to grow a customer base.
“Our family has put in a lot of money just to operate it over the last year and a half,” Williams said. “Mentally I’m all over the place with it…But I’m actually in an OK place, where if people come, and buy enough beer, then we’ll keep it going. If they don’t, then we won’t.”
Blackbird Farms is far from the only metro Atlanta brewery to struggle to stay open over the past year.
Anderby Brewing, Candler Rail Brewery, Orpheus Brewing and Second Self Beer Co. all closed recently.
Credit: Courtesy of Blackbird Farms Brewery
Credit: Courtesy of Blackbird Farms Brewery
Atlanta Brewing Company, Atlanta’s oldest craft brewery, scrapped plans to reopen in the Underground Atlanta development after closing its original Upper Westside location in 2022, while Burnt Hickory Brewing closed its location in Kennesaw with plans to relocate.
“The brewery closures really highlight the sense of urgency in the industry,” Joseph Cortes, the executive director of Georgia Craft Brewers Guild, told the AJC earlier this year. “I think it’s pretty easy to say that none of these breweries closed for one single reason. But I think it’s also pretty easy to say that small breweries in Georgia operate in a highly restrictive system.
“In fact, it still remains one of the most restrictive systems of regulation nationwide.”
Blackbird Farms is currently open 4-10 p.m. Wednesdays-Fridays, noon-10 p.m. Saturdays and noon-7 p.m. Sundays.
4098 Lawrenceville Highway, Lilburn. blackbirdfarmsbrewery.com
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