The Helen Craft Beer Scene

Craft beer in and around Helen, Georgia, sits at an interesting crossroads between German brewing tradition and the American craft beer movement. Helen is known worldwide for its German look and its big Oktoberfest, but the surrounding area has also grown into a real hub in North Georgia's "agritourism" brewing belt.

One thing to know before you go: Tantrum Brewing Company, Georgia's first agritourism brewery with its own hop farm, was bought by NoFo Brew Co. in 2023. The Cleveland, GA location is still a key spot for craft beer just south of Helen.

Craft beer in and around Helen, Georgia, sits between German brewing tradition and the American craft beer movement. Helen is known worldwide for its German look and its big Oktoberfest, but the surrounding area has also grown into a hub in North Georgia's "agritourism" brewing belt.

Downtown, in the Alpine village itself, the beer skews to German imports (Hofbräu, Paulaner, Erdinger) poured in traditional biergartens that stick to the Reinheitsgebot, the old German purity law.

A quick clarification, since these come up in searches: there is no "Cedartown Brewing" in Helen, as Cedartown, GA, is about 100 miles away. And Habersham Winery is a winery, not a brewery, though it's a big part of the local drink-tourism scene.

The North Georgia beer scene has come a long way, from a handful of struggling microbreweries in the 1990s to a real network of taprooms and production facilities, helped along by relaxed distribution laws and a focus on local ingredients.

To make sense of beer in Helen today, it helps to know a little about the history of brewing in North Georgia.

The History and the Laws Behind It

The modern craft beer movement in Georgia was relatively late to bloom compared to other US regions, largely due to restrictive post-Prohibition laws. While brewing has a deep history in the state - dating back to 1738 with Major William Horton's brewery on Jekyll Island - the modern "craft" resurgence began in the mid-1990s.

In the 1990s, early names like Marthasville Brewing (Atlanta) and Dogwood Brewing built a taste for craft beer but ran into distribution rules and a market that wasn't quite ready, and most eventually closed. That first wave set the stage for survivors like SweetWater and Terrapin.

The scene took off in the last decade after Georgia changed its laws to let breweries sell beer directly to customers for on-site drinking and to-go sales. That shifted the business from pure production and distribution toward "taproom tourism," which matters a lot for mountain towns like Helen and Blue Ridge.

The Move to Agritourism

North Georgia has become a leader in "agritourism" brewing, meaning breweries that grow their own ingredients on-site as well as brew. You see it most in White County, where Helen sits.

Breweries like the one formerly known as Tantrum used the local climate to try growing hops, a crop usually left to the Pacific Northwest. That makes "wet hop" or "fresh hop" seasonal releases possible that you won't find elsewhere.

If any one spot bridges Helen's German side and American craft brewing, it's this one, just south of town in Cleveland.

The Tantrum Story and the Handoff

Just south of Helen in Cleveland, GA, Tantrum Brewing Company opened in 2018 as a family-run operation. It was Georgia's first designated agritourism brewery, with on-site hop yards you could see from the taproom.

In April 2023, NoFo Brew Co., a brewery based in Cumming, GA, bought Tantrum's assets, land, and building. The location now goes by NoFo Brew Co. Cleveland.

The ownership changed, but the place still runs as a community hangout built around adventurous ales and lagers, and it still feels tied to the North Georgia mountains.

What's on Tap

Under the NoFo Brew Co. banner, the Cleveland location offers a diverse tap list that contrasts with the traditional German lagers found in downtown Helen.

Signature Beers:

Snow Ghost: A New England Hazy IPA (7.5% ABV), noted for a pillowy mouthfeel and tropical citrus notes.

Bluebird Day: A Czech-style Pilsner (5.3% ABV), offering a crisp alternative to the heavier IPAs.

Collateral: A Mexican-style Lager (4% ABV), popular for its drinkability.

Seasonal/Experimental: The brewery produces various sours (e.g., "Leaf Peeper" fruited sour) and stouts ("Saddlers Stout").

A couple of names come up in searches that are worth sorting out before you plan a trip.

The "Cedartown Brewing" Mix-Up

There is no brewery named "Cedartown Brewing" in or near Helen, Georgia.

Cedartown is a city in Polk County, about 99 miles southwest of Helen, nearly two hours of driving away in a different part of the state.

Cedartown has a long history as a mill town, but brewery listings for it usually point to nearby cities like Cartersville (Drowned Valley Brewing) or Rome. There's no major craft brewery in Cedartown that serves the Helen tourism market.

If "Cedartown" turned up in your planning, you may be thinking of Cedar Creek Cabin Rentals, a well-known lodging provider in Helen, or Cedar Creek Winery (which is in Wisconsin). Either way, don't come to Helen expecting a "Cedartown Brewing" nearby.

Where Habersham Winery Fits In

Habersham Vineyards & Winery is one of Georgia's oldest and largest wineries, in Nacoochee Village, half a mile south of Alpine Helen.

It's strictly a winery, making wines under the Habersham, Creekstone, and Southern Harvest labels, including vinifera (Merlot, Chardonnay) and muscadine wines.

Habersham does not brew beer. Some of its affiliated tasting rooms or gift shops (like the one in Blue Ridge) may occasionally serve imported or third-party beers, but the Helen location is a winery through and through. If you want beer near the winery, head to the neighboring restaurants or the Alpine Brew Store.