Kennesaw brewery will be Georgia’s first to add distillery

The team at Dry County announces today they will add distilled spirits to their portfolio beginning in early 2018.

One of three breweries in Kennesaw, and soon to be the second distillery, owners Trey Sinclair and Jordan Cooper offered their brews to the local market via contract brewing while building out their brewery. They further strengthened their team by hiring former Red brick head brewer Steve Anderson as Brewmaster earlier this year. The trio has made their mark on Georgia with their popular flagships Dry County IPA and NoonDay Pale Ale as well as more unique offerings such as Neon Neon Berliner Weisse, Kennesaw Bourbon Ale, and Damn It All! barrel-aged Barleywine.

With the law changes on September 1st, Dry County made major renovations to their tasting room. The addition of a pool table, arcade games, a jukebox, televisions, and additional seating make the location a great alternative to the standard bar scene.

The final word on getting the distillery going is approval from the city and state. Kennesaw city council is expected to vote tonight and the finance department has recommended approval.

UPDATE: Approval has passed the Kennesaw city council, Dry County hopes to have state approval before the end of 2017.

More information via press release:

Dry County Brewing Company is proud to announce the expansion of our product offerings to include distilled spirits, joining the growing list of Georgia Craft Distilleries, and becoming the first Craft Brewery/Craft Distillery operation in Georgia history.

While the addition of liquor to our portfolio requires a new, distinct manufacturing license (Special thanks to our lawyer, Taylor Harper) and a few additional pieces of manufacturing equipment, distilling truly is a natural extension of running a brewery. The majority of distilled spirits start their life as beer prior to entering the still, and a growing portion of our Dry County beers find their way into prior-use spirits barrels for added flavor and complexity in the finished product. Manufacturing both beer and distilled spirits at our Kennesaw facility will allow for increased creativity and experimentation in both realms, which has us extremely excited about the future of Dry County and the craft beverages that we produce.

As with our recent launch of Dry County Coffee Roasters, Dry County Spirits will be available exclusively in our Kennesaw Tasting Room beginning in early 2018, for both on-site and to-go consumption. Exact product lines will be determined based on consumer feedback and demand, but initial offerings will include Gin, Rum, and White Whiskey. Dark spirits will naturally follow.