Black-Owned Brewery Opens In East Atlanta Village

ATLANTA — The first black brewery in Georgia opened last week in East Atlanta Village.

Hippin Hops Brewery & Oyster Bar co-owner Clarence Boston told Atlanta CBS 46 he had no idea he was the only African American owned brewery in the state brewing from its own brick and mortar location when he began developing the business.

“We were shocked,” said Boston, who owns the business with his wife Donnica. “We didn’t even know.”

Two other Black-owned breweries — Khonso Brewing and Down Home Brewing — don’t produce their beers onsite, but contract out the process to off-site brew facilities, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Boston said he has been making home brews for more than 20 years, and was happy to turn his hobby into a business.

“Back in the day we couldn't afford to buy beer, so we made our own,” he said.

Craft beers on tap include a wheat beer, an IPA call “Baby Momma Drama,” an oyster stout, and a brew called Barley Legal.

Besides an assortment of craft beers, the menu at Hippin Hop also features “freshly shucked” oysters on the half-shell as well as Oysters Rockefeller and a few twists on the traditional baked shellfish dish.

Oysters Collardfeller includes baked oysters accompanied by collard greens and smoked turkey, topped with Hippin Hop’s Homemade Rockefeller Cheese sauce. And the Smoked Gouda Oysters are baked and topped with Smoked Gouda smothered in the signature cheese sauce.

Other Cajun-centric menu items include shrimp and grits, po'boys with either fried shrimp, fried oysters or fried alligator bites, lobster rolls, and Cajun shrimp deviled eggs.

Boston said he plans to expand his location to include the East Lake area of Atlanta on Hosea Williams Boulevard.

Hippin Hop is located at 1308 Glenwood Avene SE, Atlanta.