Mutation Brewing is opening a new Sandy Springs brewery and pub in just a few weeks. It’s hard to miss the 2-story white building two blocks north of I-285 on Roswell Rd. The Mutation team took over the former home of Taqueria Tsunami and Stockyard burger in May 2021. Since then, owners Jack Poole, Christopher Shapiro, Leslie Shapiro, and Michael Shapiro have been hard at work to build a brewery from scratch and get the unique dining room ready for customers.
Why Sandy Springs?
The ownership team grew up together in Alpharetta, and went to college in Kennesaw and Athens. They feel at home in North Georgia and knew they wanted to stay nearby. Jack Poole moved to Sandy Springs after college and got to know the area. Since deciding to build their business here, Poole says, “[we] just really love Sandy Springs, and really like what they’re doing with the city. The City council has been unbelievably welcoming. It’s been such a blessing to come into this kind of community.”
Beer background
Poole and his partners have been home brewing since college, but this is their first foray into big-time brewing. They wanted to start a business together, and they decided to talk to brewery owners to get some insight into their business. Poole and the Shapiros found a passionate community that is happy to share their insight and experiences. When I asked Poole about his competition, he told me, “I really wouldn’t call them competition. I’d say they’ve been more help.” Other breweries in the area helped the Mutation team find brewery equipment, supplies, and even accounting software. Poole says, “It’s been such a great community to talk to and learn from.”
Food options
The kitchen was already set up by the previous restaurant tenants, so the Mutation team just had to find the right partner. Spiced Right Barbecue will be serving barbecue, fried foods, and wings at Mutation Brewing. Spiced Right has been in business at their current location since 2004, and they are well-known for their great barbecue. Poole and his team are excited to have the food covered so they can focus on producing high quality beer.
Modular spaces
The dining spaces were conceived by Morgan Justis and Danny England at Office of Design. Poole describes the aesthetic as, “upscale modern industrial.” The dining room consists of different seating areas, from bar to tables to booths. This allows the space to adapt to different size groups, private parties, or just hanging out. There is a conference room that can be reserved for business meetings and events.
The speak-easy is a really cool feature of the space. If you know where to look, there is a secret door that leads to an intimate bar area with a custom bar-top and great views of the brewery.
The Patio
The outdoor seating will surely be the most popular spot at Mutation Brewing. The huge patio features two stories of seating and service. Downstairs you’ll find both covered and uncovered seating, and unique swing seating around custom tables. Upstairs you’ll have a birds-eye view of Roswell Road with additional seating and an upstairs bar.
The patio will help the new business to get rolling, even during the pandemic. If they aren’t allowed to serve drinks and food indoors, patrons can come to the patio for a beer and some barbecue.
Why Mutation?
I asked Poole how they came up with the name, Mutation Brewing. The name symbolizes the “mutation” from boring corporate jobs to building a business they’re passionate about. Poole says, “Long story short- Chris and I both come from corporate backgrounds out of college. We wanted to find a name that shows the transformation from who we were before this project, and then who we are now. And we’ve got the mutation name really kind of fit into that well.”
What’s next?
The brewery equipment is nearly set up, and the team is planning to start brewing sometime on Christmas weekend. The process will last around 30 days. during that time the team will be adding the finishing touches to the dining areas and helping the Spiced Right team get ready to serve. Once the beer is ready, they will be ready to serve guests. Hopefully we will be posting an update about the grand opening and the delicious beer by the end of January. Stay Tuned!
