OK, so most local brews retail for around the same amount, so the “for the money” qualifier here isn’t that apt.  But the franchise is “for the money” so we had to tack it onto the tail of this post title.  Didn’t realize it was a franchise?  Well neither did anyone else, including myself!

Anyway, this should be an interesting topic, since there’s a good amount of pent up passion surrounding local suds.  And by local beers, we’re looking for the specific beer, not just the company.  So we’re talking Sweetwater IPA or a Red Hare Watership Brown or a Wild Heaven Invocation.  ‘K?

And I guess the definition of “local” here is Georgia.  But if you want to stretch it up into Western North Carolina, I won’t complain.

Photo courtesy of Atlanta Beer Snob

Back when Nick Purdy launched his “Wild Heaven” craft beers in September, it was pretty well known that while the beers were brewed by a contract brewer in South Carolina, Purdy’s long-term goal was to open a craft brewery right here in Decatur.

Apparently that dream might not be as far off.

In a recent article on Patch, Purdy says he’s already in the process of executing plans to open a permanent brewery in Decatur “as soon as 2012″.  He won’t give up the specific location, but says it’s near the old Paste offices at East Decatur Station and that he’s already “deep into the process” of making it a reality.

In terms of what he’d like Wild Heaven to most be like, Purdy cites breweries like Dogfish Head, Allagash, Avery, Russian River and Stone.

A “Brew Masters“-type establishment in Decatur?

Even a casual beer-geek such as myself knows that could be pretty awesome.