Sweetwater Brewing Company

Infobox Brewery
name = Sweetwater Brewing Company


caption =
location = Atlanta, GA United States
owner =
opened = 1997
production = 50,000 barrels
active_beers = brewbox_beer | name=SweetWater 420 | style=Pale ale brewbox_beer | name=Hummer | style=Belgian Wit brewbox_beer | name=SweetWater Blue | style=Light Style Wheat Ale brewbox_beer | name=Georgia Brown | style=Brown ale brewbox_beer | name=Sweetwater IPA | style=India pale ale
seasonal_beers = brewbox_beer | name=Festive Ale | style=Winter Spiced Ale brewbox_beer | name=Road Trip | style=Pilsener brewbox_beer | name=Dubble D's | style=Belgian Dubble brewbox_beer | name=Happy Ending | style=Imperial Stout brewbox_beer | name=Donkey Punch | style=Barley Wine brewbox_beer | name=Motor Boat | style=Bitter

SweetWater Brewing Company is a brewery located in Atlanta, Georgia.

The company was founded in 1997 by friends from the University of Colorado, Boulder, Kevin McNerny and Freddy Bensch. Originally on the west side of Atlanta near Charlie Brown Airport, as of 2004 it is located in Mid-Town Atlanta at 195 Ottley Drive, Atlanta GA 30324 in the Armor industrial district closer to Ansley Park.

In 2002 it was voted Small Brewery of the Year at the Great American Beer Festival and Kevin McNerny was voted Brewmaster of the Year. SweetWater brews have won numerous nationally recognized awards at both the World Beer Cup and Great American Beer Festival. Distribution is limited due to interstate alcohol laws; the primary market for SweetWater is Atlanta and the surrounding area. However, SweetWater is distributed to other areas of the Southeastern United States, at least as far as the Nashville, TN, Asheville, NC, Greenville, SC, Birmingham, AL, and the Florida panhandle Tallahassee west into Pensacola. In all markets SweetWater is available on tap as well as in a bottle.

Best known for their SweetWater 420 pale ale, they also make the popular SweetWater Blue, a blueberry-flavored beer. Other brews include the Sweetwater IPA, Georgia Brown, Happy Ending Imperial Stout, Hummer (a wheat beer), and the Festive Ale. Discontinued brews include the SweetWater ESB, originally known as the SweetWater Ale, SweetWater Dubble D's, and the SweetWater Exodus Porter. SweetWater also feature it's Catch and Release series of beers available on a limited basis throughout the year. Early in the Year is Happy Ending, A Dry Hopped Stout - Road Trip, a Pilsner Style Ale is available spring through Summer, Motor Boat, a modified version of the ESB is out in the fall, and Festive Ale is the strong spiced ale.

On August 28th 2007 SweetWater Draft House opened its doors on the B Concourse of Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia. The SweetWater Draft House features 4 of SweetWater's Beers on Draft and SweetWater's look and culture throughout the space.

Hosted tastings

Every Wednesday Thursday and Friday from 5:30 - 7:30 SweetWater opens it doors and tasting room for sampling and tours of the brewery. In January 2005, Sweetwater hosted the first Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting real ale competition. [ [http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/food/stories/btownsend/2007/02/12/021507FDbeer.html Devotees of cask ale pick their favorites | ajc.com ] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.sweetwaterbrew.com/ Sweetwater Brewing Company website]