As bar patrons screamed the lyrics to the National Anthem from the top of their lungs, one could feel the excitement in the air.
Sports bars are a great part of sports fandom and big games. There might not have been a better example of that energy than on Monday night in a room filled wall to wall with comrades in arms, all rooting for the same thing, a Georgia Bulldogs victory.
Open since 1997, Brewhouse Cafe has been the go-to destination in East Atlanta for many big games, from soccer (the bar’s main sport-related focus), to football to the Braves playing in the World Series two years ago. Monday night’s game between the University of Georgia Bulldogs and the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs qualified as a big game. The Bulldogs were playing for a consecutive national championship. The Horned Frogs were playing for national respect and their first national title since 1938.
The pro-Georgia Brewhouse Cafe crowd stood strong as TCU was utterly destroyed in a 65-7 rout. Each touchdown, tackle, and celebration was met with an outrageous roar either in jest or in triumph. Bulldog pride was lingering in the air.
“We are a pretty big sports bar and hopefully all seats will be filled! It could be chaotic [tonight],” Sharon Cooper, owner of Brewhouse Cafe said. She was right.
Even though there wasn’t a TCU fan in sight, the camaraderie in the bar was awe-inspiring.
When the game officially ended and the Georgia Bulldogs were once again national champions the room erupted in celebration. The patrons knew long before the clock hit double zeros that the game was over. Only one moment at Brewhouse Cafe might have overshadowed this historic night in college football, said Cooper. “It was the 2012 World Cup. The U.S.A played England. It was crazy- everybody was everywhere,” she remembered.
It was a night enjoyed by all, except TCU fans.