The Hive

The Hive is located on 10th Street in downtown Augusta, Georgia.

Charlotte trip Day 2 sent me through South Carolina and into Georgia. When planning this trip, I had ideas to go to Athens (GA) or as far west as Atlanta, but I knew my body would still be exhausted from the first day. Augusta, which is just over the South Carolina - Georgia border, seemed like a good alternative.

Yes, this is the same Augusta that is home to Augusta National Golf Club, which hosts the Masters golf tournament every April.

Downtown Augusta is lovely. It has the old-school downtown vibe and was not very busy since I arrived on a Saturday. The James Brown statue is downtown, and a street is named after the famous singer.

The Hive is fairly spacious. I got here before noon when it was not too crowded, but gradually, more people filed in by the time I left.

Even before getting there, the Hive was the perfect spot to stop for lunch. Excellent food options and lots of beer (over 70 taps). I loved the design near the taps, the hexagonal honeycomb look staying consistent with the business name.

Since I was in Georgia, I naturally had to drink Georgia beers. I tried these three:

• Gate City Awe Juice is a 7% NE-style IPA from Roswell, GA. Slightly hazy golden color with white head. Tropical grapefruit and stone fruit peach. More peach on the aftertaste and perhaps a trace peppery note. Fitting that I'm in the peach state for this one.
• Firewater Life Changer is a 7.5% IPA from Kenesaw, GA. Again a slightly hazy golden color with white head. More stone fruit peach presence and a more assertive malt. Another delicious brew.
• Scofflaw POG Basement is a 7.5% hazy IPA from Atlanta. I got this because one of my friends who occasionally travels to Atlanta for work loves Scofflaw's beers. It had more of a saison-like taste to this one. Like most POG beers, the guava is usually the most assertive of all the fruits. As the beer warmed up, the orange came through more. Not as tropical as I thought it would be.

With my brews, I ordered the Augusta Burger ($12.50): grass-fed beef, house smoky pimiento cheese, romaine, and tomato on a brioche bun. Although the default on the beef temperature is medium, I asked for my burger cooked medium-rare.

Instead of getting just the creole-garlic fries, I made it a poutine instead ($1.50 extra). That poutine uses those garlic-creole fries, added cheese curds from Wisconsin, and a "yeast gravy".

That burger was one of the highlights of the trip. Perfectly cooked medium-rare, and I encourage everyone to try pimiento cheese at least once.

Excellent poutine here. Sure, it was non-traditional, but the creole-garlic fries were perfect for this. Pillowy, fall-apart spuds that didn't go limp even with the gravy on top. That "yeast gravy" also tasted great, even though I couldn't tell you what that is even made with.

If I ever get back to the area, I'd probably get the Hole in One Grilled Cheese next ($9.50). A typical Southern take on grilled cheese with pimiento cheese and fried green tomatoes. And you can add protein like bacon for $2.50 more.

I was also amused that the bathrooms reminded me I'm in the South:

I really loved going to The Hive. Hopefully my travels take me back here in the future. 9.25/10