The Churn
Hippin’ Hops: Georgia’s First Black-Owned Brewery is Now Open, Bringing Great Beer + Vibes to East Atlanta Village
Mike JordanMay 6, 2021
You can hear hip-hop music as you approach Hippin’ Hops Brewery from Glenwood Ave. “Hypnotize” by The Notorious B.I.G. pumps respectfully but appropriately into the street, and a variety of songs like “Touch It” by Busta Rhymes and other icons of hip-hop’s golden age reverberate through the square-but-spacious space.
Truth be told, you could pass right by the unassuming black-painted building, located between Insomnia Cookies and Holy Taco, and even with its lime green neon sign above the entrance, if not for the noise. But being this close to the heavily walked main intersection of East Atlanta Village at Glenwood and Flat Shoals is prime drinking real estate.
Once you step past the picnic tables and through the front door, onto the swirling black and white stone floor, you may not realize it but you’re in what appears to be the first Black-owned craft beer brewery to open for business in its own physical space in the state of Georgia.
While other Black-owned beer companies exist in the city, including Down Home Brewing and Khonso Brewing, they have used the facilities and equipment at established breweries as they move toward the goal of opening brick and mortar buildings.
Hip-hop group Nappy Roots is expected to open their expansive Atlantucky brewery, located just a couple blocks from Mercedes-Benz Stadium, this year. By then, Hippin’ Hops’ second location in East Lake on Hosea L. Williams Drive could be open, and another facility is in the works for Stone Mountain.
Married owners Clarence and Donnica Boston, came to Atlanta from North Carolina, where they continue to own two nightclubs. A mortician by trade, Clarence and Donnica, an attorney, sold a mortuary and used the $1.35 million proceeds to secure a lease at the former East Lake Pharmacy building in EAV.
The access to fresh capital and high population of Black beer drinkers weren’t the only motivating factors. According to a report from Black-owned Charlotte media outlet Q City Metro, the Bostons were turned down by nine landlords with properties they wanted to rent. Here in Atlanta they found 10 locations they wanted, and all 10 landlords were happy to accommodate them.
“It’s Chocolate City down here, but even the White landlords are very diverse,” Clarence, a longtime homebrewer, told Q City Metro.
In the end, 1308 Glenwood Ave was their choice. And from their first location, with it’s shiny silver beer tanks behind the bar are where Hippin’ Hops makes its brews. Today the menu includes four styles, each with a hard-to-forget name.
Their 7%-ABV (alcohol-by-volume) imperial pale ale is called “Baby Mama Drama.” The imperial stout, brewed with oysters, is called “Liar Liar,” and clocks in just above 7%. There’s also a wheat beer named “Buckwheat,” and “Sourdeville,” which is exactly what you’d guess (sour).
They’ve also got “Beermosas” or mimosas made with beer, available in pitchers, and they’ll soon release a 12%-ABV triple IPA called “Barely Legal,” which is a nod to the 14%-ABV limit on alcohol content in beer in Georgia.
As for the food, they’ve got executive chef Jamarius Banks, who in 2019 competed on Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay.” Raw and baked oysters are a mainstay, along with a lobster and waffle combo, a variety of po’boy sandwiches and more.
Our recommendation? The “Baby Mama Drama” IPA and “Liar Liar” stout are Hippin’ Hops’ best brews so far. Two weeks into being open, there’s sure to be more creativity and more beer for folks to enjoy either inside the bar in view of the super-Instagrammable pink neon “Get your halo dirty” sign on the wall, or outside in the Astroturfed beer garden that was converted from an old alleyway.
Either way you run it, Hippin’ Hops seems destined to be a great marker on the timeline of Black brewing in Atlanta and beyond. And Clarence told us that he’s definitely excited for how the EAV location will evolve and the further expansion of the business and his beers.
“It’s unbelievable,” Clarence said in an exclusive interview with Butter.ATL. “The last two weeks have exceeded our expectations beyond imagination. It’s a great concept, and we look forward to moving on with our brand!”