Some photos from the brewing and bottling portion of my visit.  I had never before seen a bottling facility of a microbrewery.  The local NYC microbreweries do their bulk bottling outside of the tri-state area (where real estate is much more affordable versus in the five boroughs).  Even for the size of Sweetwater (who proclaimed to be the 27th largest craft brewer in the U.S.), this operation seemed elaborate to me.  The entire bottling room was two stories high and nearly two football fields in length.

What are your thoughts on Sweetwater and its bottling facility?  Leave a comment here.

A visit to the Sweetwater Brewery entailed some sampling at the indoor bar and hanging in the outdoor area.  Some photos from the occasion.  The photos from the brewery tour part of the visit will be available later this week.

I just wish Sweetwater’s beer were available in NYC!  Check back later this week from some photos of the brewing and bottling process.

The anchor spot for any Savannah craft-beer focused pub crawl.  21 taps and many more out of the bottle.   The first pic below says it all re: beer selection.  Spacious spot located in a historic building.  The food menu is extensive, serving regional fare as well as traditional bar eats.  The Bloody Maries are made with pickle-infused vodka, making the Distillery’s Bloody Mary quite possibly the best I have ever had!  The friendly staff makes you feel at home.

Located on West Bay Street, Churchill’s offers a good beer selection (10+ taps and 20+ bottles) along with a mix of American bar and English pub fare.  The place is spacious with a long bar area and a separate dining area.  Staff is friendly.  It is the only place that I visited more than once on my short trip.  Of course, if I had known about the next spot earlier in my trip, I would have likely returned there as well.  I will reveal this mystery spot later today.

Slightly off the beaten path, the Social Club has a good vibe to it.  In warmer weather (which is apparently most of the year, except for the weekend we visited!), the Social Club has a large outdoor front yard for drinking (not something we see in NYC very often!).  Inside, the L-shaped bar is to the left and in the back is an elevated section for billiards.  A few flat-screen TVs allow for good sports watching.  Beer selection offers ten draughts and nearly 40 bottles, of mainly quality beers.

Recommended to me by several folks, Jen’s and Friends did not disappoint.  A smallish space with a focus on craft beer (over 60 bottled beers!) and flavored martinis (over a dozen different kinds), Jen’s offers a relaxed vibe and a friendly staff.  I can imagine the place getting crowded fairly quickly since there is not much standing room between the bar on the left and the half-dozen tables on the right.  I look forward to going there again on my next visit.

I had a great time in Savannah.  I spent a full weekend there, but still wasn’t able to see everything.  The city has one of the largest historical districts in the United States.  Numerous movies have been filmed there over the years.  Some great food to be had.  I’ll be sharing some of the pub crawl highlights of my trip in the coming days.  Please check back frequently for updates.

I’m heading to Savannah for a few days.  I’ve heard some great things about that city’s bars.  Check this space next week and I’ll have some brief descriptions and reviews of the best that Savannah has to offer.

From a recent trip to Boston, here are a few pictures from a crawl.