Beer News

SweetWater Hits Florida On October 15th

Starting the week of October 15, Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater will have Atlanta’s SweetWater Brewery flowing from their taps. Expect draft and bottle of:

420 Extra Pale Ale – SweetWater’s 420 Extra Pale Ale is a West Coast style pale ale with big Continue Reading →

Posted in Beer News, Distribution Expansion, SweetWater Brewing

SweetWater Hits Florida On October 15th

Starting the week of October 15, Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater will have Atlanta’s SweetWater Brewery flowing from their taps. Expect draft and bottle of:

  • 420 Extra Pale Ale – SweetWater’s 420 Extra Pale Ale is a West Coast style pale ale with big hops and a crisp finish. First brewed on April 20, 1997, this beer has developed quite the following in the Southeast. 420 is extremely well-balanced which makes it a perfect introduction to a new town…that’s why we say “drink ‘em if you got ‘em!”
  • SweetWater Blue – SweetWater Blue is a unique, lighter-bodied wheat ale enhanced with a hint of fresh blueberries. This brew’ll give folks a good whiff of a blueberry influence, with a subtle taste and an extra clean finish. This ain’t no fruit beer, but it is our breakfast beer, and perfect for hanging outside in the Florida heat.
  • SweetWater IPA – This mammoth India Pale Ale (IPA) is dry-hopped to the gills delivering a kick-you-in-the-teeth hop chop. The brew is unfiltered and, like all of our beers, always unpasteurized to leave all the natural flavors intact. SweetWater IPA recently won first place in a blind tasting against 15 of the best IPA’s in the country held by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

In Florida? Check out these events:

  • Weds., Oct. 17 — Pub crawl featuring SweetWater samplings, specials and meet-and-greet with Freddy in Tampa (times/locations TBD)
  • Thurs., Oct. 18 — Pub crawl featuring SweetWater samplings, specials and meet-and-greet with Freddy  in St. Petersburg (times/locations TBD)
  • Fri., Oct. 19 — SweetWater’s presents Olde Bay Café’s Craft Beer & Crab Festival at Edgewater Park in Dunedin from 2-10 p.m.
  • Fri., Oct. 19 — Brews featured at Safety Harbor 3rd Friday in downtown Safety Harbor from 6-10 p.m.
  • Fri., Oct. 19 — SweetWater will be flowing at the JJGrey & Mofro show at Jannus Live in St. Petersburg at 8 p.m.

Follow SweetWater’s Florida Facebook page at facebook.com/SWHeadyPeddlersFlorida

[PressRelease]

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Beer News, Distribution Expansion, Press Releases, SweetWater Brewing

SweetWater Brewery To Start Flowing In Tampa on October 15 (PR)

SWEETWATER BREWERY TO START FLOWING IN TAMPA BAY AREA THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 15

The South’s second largest craft brewery announces distributors and launch festivities

 

ATLANTA (October 5, 2012) — Kicking off the week of October 15, Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater natives will officially be able to get their hands on SweetWater Brewery’s lip-smackin’ lineup.

“After an arduous and comprehensive wholesaler assignment process, we are glad to announce that we’ve selected Pepin Distributing Company for the Tampa market, and Great Bay Distributors for St. Petersburg and Clearwater,” said Dave Guender, Director of Sales for SweetWater Brewing Company. “We are stoked to be adding these great markets to our distribution footprint, and the anticipation of our fine brews making their way further into southwest Florida has been fantastic.”

SweetWater is bringing “the beer you’ve been training for” to thirsty locals starting with 420 Extra Pale Ale on draft at bars and restaurants, following later in the week with distribution of SweetWater brews in 12-ounce bottles to include the following brands:

  • 420 Extra Pale Ale – SweetWater’s 420 Extra Pale Ale is a West Coast style pale ale with big hops and a crisp finish. First brewed on April 20, 1997, this beer has developed quite the following in the Southeast. 420 is extremely well-balanced which makes it a perfect introduction to a new town…that’s why we say “drink ‘em if you got ‘em!”
  • SweetWater Blue – SweetWater Blue is a unique, lighter-bodied wheat ale enhanced with a hint of fresh blueberries. This brew’ll give folks a good whiff of a blueberry influence, with a subtle taste and an extra clean finish. This ain’t no fruit beer, but it is our breakfast beer, and perfect for hanging outside in the Florida heat.
  • SweetWater IPA – This mammoth India Pale Ale (IPA) is dry-hopped to the gills delivering a kick-you-in-the-teeth hop chop. The brew is unfiltered and, like all of our beers, always unpasteurized to leave all the natural flavors intact. SweetWater IPA recently won first place in a blind tasting against 15 of the best IPA’s in the country held by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

 

Get in on the action! A crew from SweetWater Brewery, along with its Founder and Big Kahuna Freddy Bensch, will be flooding the market with sampling celebrations and sponsored festivities including:

  • Weds., Oct. 17 — Pub crawl featuring SweetWater samplings, specials and meet-and-greet with Freddy in Tampa (times/locations TBD)
  • Thurs., Oct. 18 — Pub crawl featuring SweetWater samplings, specials and meet-and-greet with Freddy  in St. Petersburg (times/locations TBD)
  • Fri., Oct. 19 — SweetWater’s presents Olde Bay Café’s Craft Beer & Crab Festival at Edgewater Park in Dunedin from 2-10 p.m.
  • Fri., Oct. 19 — Brews featured at Safety Harbor 3rd Friday in downtown Safety Harbor from 6-10 p.m.
  • Fri., Oct. 19 — SweetWater will be flowing at the JJGrey & Mofro show at Jannus Live in St. Petersburg at 8 p.m.

 

Online fans can wet their whistles too by following SweetWater’s Florida Facebook page at facebook.com/SWHeadyPeddlersFlorida for details on how to enter the “Catch a Trout Tap” con The challenge rewards the first 20 folks to spot, capture and post photos of the brewery’s iconic trout tap handles around town with SweetWater Schwag.

 

To learn more about SweetWater Brewing Company and its full lineup, visit www.sweetwaterbrew.com.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Beer News, Cigar City Brewing

Cigar City Fires Up Canning Line, Jai Alai On Sale

Cigar City Brewing (Tampa, Florida) has officially started canning. Yesterday they fired up the canning line. (Purchased from New Belgium.) Jai Alai, the brewery’s IPA is on sale in the tap room in 12oz/6 packs ERP $11.00.  They will hit distributors over the course of the next week.

Next up in cans: Florida Cracker, Hotter than Helles, Maduro Brown, and Cubano Espresso. The brewery just recently announced the addition of a brewpub.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Beer News

Are We About To See Oskar Blues Dale’s Tallboys?

From the rumor mill. Oskar Blues is purported to be unveiling a new package next week during the Great American Beer Fest in Denver, Colorado. We have reason to believe it might be the debut of the ubiquitous Dale’s Pale Ale in tallboy cans. It would make sense too. Deviant Dale’s is in tallboys, and G’Knight  is coming in big cans soon too.

Nothing confirmed by Oskar Blues. We’ll see this week.

Read more: Oskar Blues

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Beer News, New Belgium

Expect New Belgium To Release 2 New Seasonals Next Year

Up until now, New Belgium Brewing has been rotating their seasonals on a 2 years on, 2 years off rotation. Skinny Dip dropped out of the rotation in lieu of Somersault. 2 Below dropped out for Snow Day. After a discussion with New Belgium this week, you have something to look forward to in 2013.

The brewers in Fort Collins have been having too much fun experimenting and creating new brews. So in 2013, look for new seasonal creations in the summer and winter slots. What will they be? Can’t wait to find out…

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Beer News

USA Today Names Top Beer Drinking Cities

USA Today just named the 10 Ten Best Beer Drinking Cities. I wanted to take bets from co-workers for #1.  I won’t even divulge it here. [USAToday]

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Beer News, Dogfish Head, Seasonal Return

Dogfish Head Positive Contact Will Return in 2013

Dogfish Head Positive Contact

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Milton, DE) will release another round of Positive Contact next year. The recent release is a cider/beer hybrid, loosly based on a witbier. This fusion is brewed with organic Fuji apple cider, fresh organic cilantro, and dried cayenne pepper.

Bottles were only released in a box set of 6/750mls, recipe pairings and a Dan The Automator record. Next year more bottles (outside of the box set?) and draft will appear- tentatively in March, 2013.

by Reid Ramsay