Albany City Commission solves part of downtown brewery equation

ALBANY – The Albany City Commission made its choice from a list of three options regarding the downtown brewery facility on Tuesday, approving a Lawrenceville-based company to run the operation.

In a 4-2 vote, the commission approved Socius Beer Collective to operate the brewery portion only, with a provision to provide other businesses in the tap room space.

Socius was the only vendor who responded to a request for proposals in the spring of 2025. At the time, the city did not own the building, which it acquired in late 2025.

 The company asked the city to invest additional funding into the facility, located in the 100 block of Pine Avenue, including a line of credit of $250,000 to cover operating expenses during the first years of operation if income does not cover expenses.

Socius’ proposal to the city also included a food stall area, potential apartments or hotel rooms upstairs, a larger tasting/dining room and an enhanced beer garden.

The other options provided to the commission were to reject Socius’ proposal and request new proposals or to accept the company’s original proposal.

The company has agreed to the option selected by the city, City Manager Terrell Jacobs told a Herald reporter at the conclusion of the Tuesday commission meeting. A contract on the terms will be drafted.

The commission will make a decision on what to do with the tap room and beer garden space at a later time.

During the time that the brewery and tap room were operated by Pretoria Fields Brewing, which closed after a lender foreclosed on the property in late 2024, the location was a gathering spot that offered entertainment and activities like musical performances and trivia contests as well as a monthly farmer’s market.

Recently, the idea has been floated to have multiple vendors in the tap room space, including a possible food option.

Mayor Bo Dorough, who voted against the proposal along with Commissioner Diana Brown, had advocated for seeking new proposals before making a decision to see whether there was more interest after the city took control of the facility. He also had asked commissioners to consider giving Pretoria Fields owner Dr. Tripp Morgan another shot at operating the brewery.

The decision seems to have closed a chapter for Commissioner Chad Warbington, who along with Commissioners Vilnis Gaines, Colette Jenkins and Willie Weaver voted to work with Socius.

“We keep referring to it as Pretoria Fields,” Warington said. “I think we ought to just call it the brewery.”