In recent years, Gwinnett county has become a hotspot for craft brewing. You’re sure to find at least one brewery in every major town across Gwinnett’s 437 square miles.
Some spots are purposely built for crafting beer, like Anderby Brewing in Peachtree Corners and Good Word Brewing in Duluth. Others give purpose to older, existing buildings, such as Slow Pour’s revitalization of a former garment factory along the tracks in Lawrenceville, or Still Fire occupying the garage of what was once Suwanee’s fire station. At all locations, however, you will find space to mingle—sometimes a patio, sometimes a biergarten, sometimes a public house—in which community members may come together to eat, drink and be entertained. And of course, some breweries will pull acts from local or regional talent to do so.
One such act making her way through the brewery scene is an aspiring young woman named Cat Carter.
At only 18 years old, this Cumming-based singer/songwriter hits breweries around the metro Atlanta area, bringing additional interesting flavor to their selections of craft brews. On her Facebook page, Carter attributes her rise through the Atlanta music scene to her unique blend of pop, blues and soul, with country undertones and strong voice pairing to give a style of Americana to her music. Cat’s artistic ability brought her to the Berklee School of Music, where she strives to continue honing her skills with local audiences.
Carter’s writing ability and passion for guitar has made her a finalist in many local competitions, including ones at Eddie’s Attic and the Red Clay Music Foundry. At Wire and Wood Songwriter’s Festival, Carter appeared alongside nationally known artists like Shawn Mullins and Michelle Malone. Her YouTube channel showcases a few of her original works and live performances, among them acoustic covers of songs by John Mayer and Radiohead at Truck and Tap in Duluth. She also enjoys success on Spotify, with her songs streaming to nearly 1.5 million listeners worldwide.
Carter tours regularly in the Atlanta area; to catch an upcoming gig live, you can find her at Slow Pour in Lawrenceville, where she will perform from one to four p.m. on Saturday, July 3.