Breweries

SweetWater celebrates 28 years [PICS]

SweetWater celebrated their 28th Anniversary on February 22nd, with live music, food plenty of beer.

For 28 years, SweetWater has been brewing in Atlanta – and a lot has changed since the early days. Having been to almost every birthday party Continue Reading →

Posted in Beer News, Don't Miss This, New Releases, Schlafly Brewing

Schlafly releases passionfruit spin on ‘Tasmanian IPA’

Schlafly Imperial Passionfruit Tasmanian IPA debuts as April winds down.

St. Louis, Missouri-based Schlafly Beer has released a passionfruit-infused version of their Tasmanian IPA to kick off summer 2025.

By our best recollections, Tasmanian IPA was first released back in 2010 using Galaxy hops after brewery members to a trip to Tasmania. According to David Schlafly, brewery CEO, “this release builds on the legacy of our ground-breaking Tasmanian IPA, which is one of the first in the nation to showcase Australian-grown Galaxy hops, by adding vibrant passionfruit for a tropical twist, he says.

Schlafly Imperial Passionfruit Tasmanian IPA is 9% alcohol by volume, available in 12-ounce cans and draft through the end of the summer

Style: Imperial IPA (w/ Passionfruit.)
Hops: Galaxy, Topaz

Availability: 12oz Cans, Draft. Seasonal Release.
Debut: April 2025

9% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Don't Miss This, Galleries, New Releases, Sierra Nevada

Sierra Nevada Premium PILS launches in select markets

Sierra Nevada Premium PILS Lager is debuting across select markets across this U.S. this week.

In Atlanta last evening, a team from Sierra Nevada as assembled at The Ramspeck (Brick Store Pub’s private event space) to debut a new beer. While the brewery is most known for whole-cone hop forward offerings, this beer you could say is a departure from the hops- a Premium PILS Lager.

A year in the making.

For more than a year, Sierra Nevada VP Brian Grossman, Brewery supervisor Seth Hewitt, Innovation brewer Matt Ruzich and team have been developing a new pilsner – a future national offering that Sierra Nevada hopes mays set a standard for the style in U.S. In the past, Sierra has released a pilsner here and there – Nooner Pilsner back in 2014, and seasonal Summerfest. Good beers in their own right, but the grander vision was a more “elevated” pilsner. Hence why “premium” is a part of the branding.

History + Quality.

The team focused heavily on the brewing history on pilsners, especially water chemistry, hops and yeast. Premium PILS is features Weihenstephaner yeast, and newer hop variety Saphir (German bred), and Pilsner malts with a touch of Carapils malt. Throughout Sierra’s presentation, the brewers focused on quality. Something the brewery is well-known for, and it definitely shows in Premium PILS. It’s soft, and crisp, with just a tinge of underlying hoppiness, and only 4.7% alcohol by volume. Whether or not the brewery intended it, they are setting a new standard for craft pilsners going forward.

Markets.

For now, Sierra Nevada Premium PILS is available on draft in 30 markets: Orlando,Jacksonville, Atlanta, Chicago, Portland, Maine, Las Vegas, Reno, NYC, Rhode Island, Denver, Boise, New Orleans, Grand Rapids, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Cleveland, Portland/Eugene/Medford, Dallas/Ft.Worth, Milwaukee & Madison, Wisconsin, Bay Area/Sacramento/Chico, California, St. Louis, Charlotte/Asheville/Winston-Salem/Wilmington/Raleigh, North Carolina, South Carolina (All), Washington D.C.

For now, PILS is a year-round beer, expanding to more markets over the summer. Expect it to hit a very unique package in late-summer 2025.

Below, scenes from the media release party in Atlanta.

Ed note: Article was updated 4/21 to mention PILS is a year-round beer at launch.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in 3 Sheeps Brewing, New Beers

3 Sheeps Heads Blonde Ale

3 Sheeps Heads Blonde Ale

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Distilleries, Headlines, Wild Heaven Craft Beers

Wild Heaven Electric Avenue, the 8th Bulleit collab

Wild Heaven Electric Avenue, the latest in the brewery’s ongoing collaboration with Bulleit Whiskey debuts this week.

Munichwine. You don’t see that style in the beer often- if at all. This is a first in 16 years for Beer Street Journal. The idea is pretty simple- think barleywine with mainly German Munich malts.

The 8th Collaboration.

Electric Avenue marks the 8th collaboration with Bulleit Frontier Whiskey, with the first release being 95 Shilling, dating back to one of the worst years in human history, 2020. There are two components to each collab – the brewer and the distillery. In Wild Heaven’s case, each of these unique releases have been the brainchild of head brewer Josh Franks. Franks excels at digging out the right beer style to compliment what barrels Bulleit will send down to Georgia.

Fresh, just emptied “wet” barrels head 437 miles south to Wild Heaven, (also one of the beer collaborations) to be filled with what Franks and co-founder Eric Johnson concocted. Having had 7 of these beers thus far, the fresh barrels make all the difference in the end result.

“Bulleit-vardier”

The Wild Heaven team were on a trip to the Bulleit Distillery last year, drinking Boulevardier cocktails (a bourbon-swapped take on the Negroni) where the idea of a cocktail-inspired “Bulleit-vardier” came to mind. The challenge? Making the herbal and bitter notes of the cocktail work in this barrel-aged beer. That’s where the additions of Gentian root, rubarb root and Angelica come in.

“The question had become what style would work well for the cocktail idea and I had really liked the idea of a Munichwine, I’m a big fan of Munich malt. But some of that Munich and aromatic malt profile doesn’t feel dissimilar to red vermouth so I ran with it,” says Franks.

Tonight we find out the result at a special Bulleit & Beer media preview at Wild Heaven’s new Toco Hills location.

Wild Heaven Electric Avenue debuts this week in 12-ounce cans and draft for a limited time.

Style: Munichwine (w/ Gentian Root, Rhubarb, Angelica. Barrel Aged. Bourbon.)
Availability: 12oz cans, Draft.
Debut: Mid-March, 2025

9.6% ABV

Media launch party pics below.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Headlines, SweetWater Brewing

SweetWater celebrates 28 years [PICS]

SweetWater celebrated their 28th Anniversary on February 22nd, with live music, food plenty of beer.

For 28 years, SweetWater has been brewing in Atlanta – and a lot has changed since the early days. Having been to almost every birthday party the brewery has thrown for the last 18 years, the obvious changes are that Tilray owns the brewery now, that Shock Top is brewed at SweetWater, and soon, Terrapin Beer (at least Hopsecutioner) will be made on Ottley Drive for the first time. Two breweries that were once friendly competition are now one after Tilray acquired Terrapin from Miller last year. The stacks of Shock Top, once owned by brewing giant Budweiser was also a weird sight.

FLASHBACK: SWEETWATER 15TH ANNIVERSARY PICS

The 28th Anniversary party featured music headliners Break Science and STS9, as well as serving as the unofficial/official launch party for the new Dive Beer Lager.

SweetWater has grown and changed over the years, but one thing remains unchanged – they still know how to throw a party. Next up is SweetWater 420 Fest in April.

Check out the party below.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Brewery Expansions, Three Taverns Brewery

Three Taverns Ponce Brew Terminal opens this fall

Three Taverns Ponce Brew Terminal opens at Ponce City Market in Fall 2025.

Three Taverns Craft Brewery will open its third location later this year in the mixed-use development known as Ponce City Market. This will be the first brewery in the market.

Ponce Brew Terminal will be located on the ground floor of Signal House, which are private residences that provide “frictionless living” attached to Ponce City.

Three Taverns’ new “Brew Terminal” is touted as a brewery, distillery, and taproom that will feature food from DAS BBQ. Gentle Works will design the space, incorporating large garage doors that will open the taproom to the outdoors. Outdoor seating will overlook Atlanta’s Beltline.

For years now, one of Three Taverns’ most popular beers is A Night on Ponce (de Leon Avenue), a well-known street in Atlanta. This fall, the brewery will have a home on it.

Below is a throwback video of the Three Taverns launch party, which was shot at their launch party on an extremely hot day in August 2013.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Coming Soon, Silver City Brewery

Silver City Brewing partners for clean water

Washington State-based Silver City Brewing is releasing a new gose that also serves as a partnership for cleaner water.

Silver City Brewing, based in Bremerton, Washington, is releasing Gose with the Flow, a beer with a bigger purpose – clean water.

The brewery has partnered with Communities for a Healthy Bay, whose mission is to maintain clean water in Bremerton, Tacoma, and Puget Sound.

Gose with the Flow

This new gose is brewed with locally grown lemon balm and sea salt from San Juan Island in San Juan County, Washington.

…echoing the crisp essence of Puget Sound. Bright citrus notesmeet a whisper of salinity, creating a perfectly balanced, crushable beer that brings you right to the water’s edge with every sip

Silver City Brewing

The brewery is planning a beach cleanup at the local Les Davis Pier on March 1st, followed by the release of the beer after.

Style: Gose (w/ Lemon Balm, Sea Salt.)
Availability: 16oz Cans, Draft.
Debut: 3/1/25

5% ABV

by Reid Ramsay