LINCOLNTON, Ga. (WJBF) – Lincoln County is home to Back Paddle Brewing, the newest brewery in the CSRA.

“Lincoln County is a lake community. A lot of people will say it’s a bedroom community. Folks live here but they don’t necessarily work here. We have a large tourism drive, but we still have a large population of folks who live and more people who are moving here as growth happens in the CSRA,” said owner, Kyle McCloud.

The business has gotten its fair share of attention over the years.

“The last two years we’ve won Augusta Magazine’s Best Music Bar and on top of that we’ve gotten second and third place in a bunch of those. We’re a finalist for best music venue in the CSRA,” said McCloud.

Owner Kyle McCloud got some recognition of his own when he was awarded one of Georgia Trends Magazine 40 Top Young Professionals Under 40.

“When we started the music program we wanted to be a place where musicians wanted to play and I think that’s what we achieved. We’re a great location, Lincoln County, because we’re an hour and fifteen minutes from Athens, we’re an hour from Augusta, we’re an hour and a half from Greenville, South Carolina, so we’re bringing musicians from all of those music scenes to Lincoln County,” said McCloud.

The music isn’t the only thing that makes Back Paddle Brewing so special.

“The people are the main reason why this business succeeds. That goes for the staff and the folks who come in. An old mentor of mine told me a while back that your friends won’t necessarily be your customers, but you’re going to make friends out of a lot of your customers and that’s exactly what happened,” said McCloud.

Whether it’s for the good food and drinks or the music, people come from all over to experience Back Paddle Brewing and they’re thankful to those who have supported them along the way.

“I don’t say it enough, thank you. If it wasn’t for the staff and it wasn’t for the folks who believe in us and then come in. The folks who still come out here for a burger and a pint, thank you we appreciate that. It helps us keep those doors open all year long,” said McCloud.