Mystery over brewery behind Augusta’s Masters beer

Despite the best efforts of a wily and determined hack, the source of a favourite beer served during the PGA’s Masters Tournament at Augusta has not been found.

It is a mystery as old as…a few years. But nevertheless, it is one that has created a huge amount of intrigue around the upcoming golf major championship: who makes the delicious beer served to fans at the Augusta National Golf Club?

For years the brew was Blue Moon, brewed by macro-brewery Molson Coors, but this was replaced in 2021 by the Crow’s Nest beer, which was named after the infamous clubhouse accommodation for amateurs competing in the tournament.

Going on the hunt for the brewery who makes this beer has proved a tricky task, as shown by Golf.com‘s Josh Berhow, who visited various local establishments in an effort to find the producer.

Claiming it tastes like ‘the cousin of Blue Moon’, it is obviously a Belgian wit beer, although, according to tasters, it does not have the signature orange peel flavour, and instead has a lemony vibe.

Pax Summer from Savannah River Brewing Company tells Berhow that it is seeems like “one of the best kept secrets”, and beer cicerone Jim Christian says that only two people know where it comes from, “the folks at the (Augusta) National, and whoever is brewing it.”

So if local brewers and beer experts have no idea where it is made, and by whom, what does Berhow suggest could be the answer? More sleuthing from Golf.com reveals the probable answer, and it goes back, somewhat inevitably, to Blue Moon.

The brewers suggest that Crow’s Nest could have come from Terrapin Beer Co, located around 100 miles from Augusta. The site was purchased by the formerly named Miller Coors in 2016, and the Coors link seems to be sticking on this issue.

Adolph Coors great-grandson Pete Coors is also an Augusta National member, and, of course, the Masters used to serve Blue Moon. So is Crow’s Nest a one of a kind, only for Augusta exclusive brew of the Blue Moon recipe with lemon rather than orange?

That’s a theory. But who knows whether we will ever find out who brews the fan favourite.