Social drinker or seasoned connoisseur, you have your go-to beers. Maybe it’s dark and hoppy. Or maybe it’s light and citrusy. With more than 500 bottles and 62 different beers on draft, World of Beer is a safe bet for finding that perfect beer to be your summer fling, whether it’s an Arrogant Bastard or a He’Brew Messiah.
The latest addition to Broughton Street, World of Beer, held its grand opening on June 19 with a buzzing crowd of locals and tourists. It’s the franchise’s first establishment in Georgia and their 26th nationwide.
“I am extremely happy with the turnout,” said Angela Aguayo, one of the managers, over the live music and bar chatter. “We didn’t really think it was going to be like this, but apparently the hype has just been ongoing in the town for a while.”
We’re a drinking town. Our last Saint Patrick’s Day saw more than a million people downtown, beers in hand.
But after another bar on the same street, Shipwreck, shut down after a year of disappointing business, why would World of Beer be any different?
“When you go to another bar, you have a limited beer list,” said Seth Parker, an Armstrong Atlantic State University student. “But here there is no limit.”
World of Beer offers a selection of brews imported from more than 40 countries, but this isn’t the first time we’ve tried to break away from PBR. Fancy Parker’s started a beer growler program, offering craft brews on draft.
But they only have 18 varieties in their rotation.
“Everything [at World of Beer] is continuously rotating on draft so you can always come in and find something new,” said Aguayo. “Every night there is something for everybody, so there’s no excuse for anybody not to be in here every single night.”
One of the promotions World of Beer offers involves their Loyalty Card. You pay $15, get a T-shirt and earn points for every new beer you try. Try enough new ones and they give you a $250 bar tab. Loyalty Card holders also get 25 percent off all bottles every Tuesday from open to close.
There’s also the WOB U Card that you can use every Wednesday for WOB (World of Beer) University, the nights college students and faculty get half off select drafts from 9 p.m. to close. All you have to do is prove your enrollment or employment at a school and sign up.
This is in addition to their 3 – 7 p.m. happy hours held Monday through Friday and the Thursday night Ladies’ Nights where women get half-off select drafts and wine. They also have promotions for people who work in the service industry (bars, restaurants, etc.) where their WOB Service Industry Card gets them half-off select drafts every Monday.
With the weekly lineup of promotions and the opening night turnout, World of Beer is a strong contender to be one of Broughton Street’s lasting businesses. But while the opening night crowd was an indicator of World of Beer’s likely success, it was also a factor behind some negative criticism.
“We couldn’t get in soon enough to get what we wanted,” said a tourist couple that left the bar without a single drink. “It was too crowded, and we’re in the above 50 crowd.”
The turnout could’ve been due to anticipation. Or perhaps World of Beer will stay the course after Shipwreck turned up on the rocks. Either way, World of Beer will still offer the widest selection of beer to a city that loves a cold one with its southern comfort.
“I think everybody’s just been waiting for that craft brew to just come take over Savannah,” said Aguayo. “And here we are.”
