Tip Top Taps, the former Evans growler shop, reopened on Broad Street after Thanksgiving, introducing downtown Augusta to its unique approach to drawing curious customers to appreciate craft beers from all over the country and beyond.
“It’s so nice to have that reflected light coming in,” said owner Marty Koger about the new location, which formerly housed The Book Tavern, next door to New Moon Café. “I get the benefit of the sun reflecting off of the Merrill Lynch building with the old YMCA. I absolutely love this place.”
Koger got into the beer business after discovering growler shops on a trip with daughter to Atlanta. He converted his convenience store to a craft beer shop, operating near the bustling intersection of Belair and Washington roads for seven years, before closing in March of 2022.
Moving the business to Augusta brought both advantages and challenges. In Evans, Tip Top Taps could only sell beers for customers to take with them, as Columbia County ordinances restricts on premises alcohol licenses to restaurants.
Now people can buy a growler, or sit and drink, or both. However, one of the toughest trials for setting up shop in Augusta was making sure the bar stood out.
“I had to come up with a concept,” Koger said. “I had to do something that would differentiate me from all these other places that are so well established, all the restaurants, the other the bars places that have been doing business for some time in downtown and I needed a way to kind of fit in, but be different.”
Koger ultimately settled upon a “backyard” theme. The interior, including the mezzanine, is furnished with wood carved tables and lawn chairs, encouraging a flexible atmosphere; and the walls are decorated with pieces by local photographer Addie Strozier, mostly idyllic, outdoor southern scenes, encouraging the relaxed “backyard cookout” ambience.
The taps on the wall offer some 20 craft beers, supplied by seven distributors, from local and regional breweries as far as Savannah, Charleston, S.C. and Asheville, N.C. to nationally-distributed craft brews and Belgian styles and imports.
“The people that designed these beers are artists,” said Koger, noting some of the store’s strongest sellers downtown, so far, such as ACE Pineapple Cider and Wicked Weed Freak of Nature IPA. “They’re brew masters with high confirmation.”
Regulars from the old Evans store have already rediscovered Tip Top Taps Augusta, including Columbia County residents who’ve followed it downtown. As the clientele grows, Koger notes that his current challenge is encouraging potential beer enthusiasts to try new flavors not found in usual beers.
“That’s one of the biggest things that I’ve had to overcome is the people reluctance to try something,” he said. “There are lots of people that come in that have never tried some of the styles that we like to offer. And so that’s kind of our job is to make people comfortable with new experiences.”
Tip Top Taps is at 936 Broad St. in the J.B. White’s Building, and is open Wednesdays through Saturdays.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business and education for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
