The BeltLine is connecting neighborhoods in ways Georgia's capital has never seen before, and while it's not without its growing pains, the benefits for intown ATLiens are real. A picturesque half hour walk takes you from Piedmont Park in Midtown to Ponce City Market in the Old Fourth Ward. Go another half hour and you're having pizza at Ammazza. All the while, you've been walking over major thoroughfares, taking in exquisite views, perusing street art, and seeing dozens of fantastic dogs—all without an automobile or the maddening traffic that comes with it.

Breweries have taken notice, too. In the city's West End, beer makers like Monday Night Brewing, Banyan Roots Brewing Co., and Wild Heaven Craft Beers are all planning to set up shop, despite the fact that that section of the BeltLine doesn't even connect to the more highly populated eastside portion yet. Then again, this shouldn't surprise. If there's one thing we've learned about the way beer and community intermingle, it's that time and time again, breweries are a consistent, defining characteristic of thriving—and revitalizing—neighborhoods.

That eastside section, by the way? It's where Mitch Steele is about to start brewing. When Carey Falcone and Bob Powers—who each have more than 25 years' worth of beer experience at companies like Anheuser-Busch and Constellation Brands—set out to open a new craft brewery, they reached out to the former Stone brewmaster through mutual friends and former AB coworkers. Steele officially became New Realm Brewing Company's brewmaster on July 1 of last year. Since then, he's been dialing in IPAs and exploring Atlanta.

GBH sat down with him at Decatur's Brick Store Pub to find out why he left one of the world's most celebrated craft breweries, how he balances working 2,000 miles away from his family, and what he has in store for the Peach State beer community.