Stone Mountain, GA — The first Black-owned brick-and-mortar brewery in Georgia is expanding from East Atlanta Village to Stone Mountain by the end of the year.

But Hippin’ Hops brewery owner Clarence Boston had different plans for the Stone Mountain space at first.

“Initially it was going to be our funeral home, but I decided to retire from the funeral business because I was a little burned out,” he told The Tucker Observer.

Boston owned a funeral home in Charlotte, N.C., before selling it last year and moving to Atlanta. He opened the first Hippin’ Hops Brewery & Oyster Bar in East Atlanta Village earlier this year and is close to opening a second Hippin’ Hops focused on cheesesteaks in East Lake soon.

Stone Mountain will be the brewery’s third location, and it’s sounding much different from the others.

“We plan to put in a three-hole putt-putt course,” Boston said. “I really wanted to put a Ferris wheel out, but that may be a bit much. We are still working on the menu, but I am thinking a soul food tapas cuisine with a twist.”

The Stone Mountain location will also include a production facility that will allow Boston to distribute Hippin’ Hops beer to stores and bars.

“It’s been hard to keep up with our tap room demand because our capacity with our current brewhouse is only three barrels,” he said.

Boston is shooting for a November opening.

“Our equipment will be here in October,” he said. “We bought a 15- barrel brewhouse with 30 barrel fermenters and Brite tanks. We are waiting for the architect to finish the plans and then we will submit them to the county.”

It’s one of a slew of new businesses coming to Stone Mountain this year.

Health-conscious chicken wing restaurant Drumz N’ Flatz opened on Stone Mountain Freeway and holistic boutique Village Gemz opened on Main Street in April. Cherokee Rose BBQ Bar & Kitchen opened on Main Street in July. Bookstore and wine bar The Vibrary will open in August. And restaurant-lounge The Mailroom Lounge will open in the fall.

“The county has big plans for this corridor of Stone Mountain and we decided that the brewery would be a great fit,” Boston said.

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