SweetWater Brewing

SweetWater Grass Monkey hits shelves in February

SweetWater Grass Monkey is a new seasonal on deck from the Atlanta, Georgia based brewery.

The brewery recently released Squeeze Box, a follow-up to this summer’s extremely popular seasonal release – Goin’ Coastal (brewed with pineapple). Coming soon – SweetWater Grass Monkey, Continue Reading →

Posted in SweetWater Brewing, Coming Soon

SweetWater Cool Breeze Cucumber Saison, two firsts for the brewery

SweetWater Cool Breeze has been bottled, right on time for spring in the south. The brewery has been busy this week bottling the new release.

Never has the Atlanta, Georgia based brewery canned a saison, nor brewed with cucumber. Two firsts with this new release. The brewery has seen great success with subtle additions of fruit to their seasonal offerings, and is looking to continue the trend with this refreshing cucumber saison.

RELATED: SweetWater’s new sour facility in pictures

A fresh and refreshing way to find that chill spot this summer. This cucumber flavored Belgian-style saison is light in body and laid back in spirit. Notes of fresh cucumber and lime flavors come through in this hazy golden summer crusher.

SweetWater Cool Breeze will be a 12 ounce can, bottle and draft offering. Look for your first taste of Cool Breeze at SweetWater 420 Fest, and on shelves shortly after.

Style: Saison (w/ Cucumbers)
Availability: 12oz Cans, 12oz Bottles, Draft. (Tentative)
Debut: April, 2017

4.9% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in SweetWater Brewing, Headlines

SweetWater brews with wasabi in future ‘Torikumi’ release

SweetWater Torikumi, a collaboration with Colorado based Telluride Brewing,

This release is where the brewery’s side project series known as “Dank Tank” is going to a get a little weird. SweetWater Torikumi is a blonde ale, infused with wasabi.

Wasabi, which shares its family with the likes of mustard and horseradish, is pungent. The vapors alone will wake you out of a coma. According to SweetWater, a lighter style was chosen to accentuate the flavor of wasabi, while still being crisp and drinkable. The idea is NOT to destroy your senses with each sip.

RELATED: SweetWater Wookie Down, because 420 Fest

This isn’t wasabi’s first rodeo in brewing. Back in 2014, Dogfish Head created Rosabi, an imperial pale ale brewed with the aromatic plant. Foodies were instantly in love the ale.

Sumo Danko vs King Dragon Fish: Two men enter, one man leaves. Sumo Danko hails from the back hills of Georgia, is feared and revered for his fists of fury, oversized sack of hops, low-grade narcolepsy, and a penchant for buggery.

King Dragon Fish is a mountain dweller from TaHellYaRide, with an insane ability to break trees with his ankles, occasional bouts with gout and high altitude Tommy boy foolishness; usually found face down….

SweetWater Torikumi will be availalble in 16 ounce cans and draft. The brewery has not yet announced this beer.

Style: Blonde Ale (w/ Wasabi)
Hops:
Malts: 2 Row Wheat, Carapils, Oat Flakes, Rye

Availability: 16oz Cans, Draft
Debut: TBA

7.5% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in SweetWater Brewing, Don't Miss This, New Releases

SweetWater Wookie Down emerges from the Dank Tank this week

SweetWater Wookie Down joins the brewery’s Dank Tank Series starting this week.

Recently the Atlanta-based brewery re-brewed Pulled Porter from the Dank series. This was the first time the brewery canned a Dank Tank release. Now apart of the same series is SweetWater Wookie Down, an imperial red ale.

RELATED: SweetWater Dank Tank Series

This forthcoming release is brewed in celebration of the brewery’s annual 420 Fest,  held every April in downtown Atlanta. You might recall 420 Fest Double IPA from 2015.

This edition is an imperial red ale, big on tropical citrus flavors and a sweet malt body.

Dressed to get pressed at the fest, El Dank took one whiff of his stash of Simcoe, Mosaic and Waimea hops and dove straight in. Feeling no pain with lots to gain, El D saddled up next to a big bodied mahogany/red beauty of an ale looking to mingle a blast of his stash of tropical citrus aromas with her big bodacious sweet maltified booty. Overindulging as always, Danko peaked at 7.6% ABV, causing him to spin with the spinners ’til he spun out and was left face up in the field. Eyes open but case closed.

The 2017 fest lineup includes Widespread Panic, Ween, and Slightly Stoopid.

SweetWater Wookie Down is a draft and 16 ounce can release, starting in mid-March.

Style: Imperial Red Ale
Availability: 16oz cans, Draft.
Debut: Mid-March, 2017

7.6% ABV, 82 IBUs

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in SweetWater Brewing, Seasonal Return

Pineappley SweetWater Goin’ Coastal is back. PERMANENTLY.

Atlanta’s headiest brewery has dropped their hoppy pineapple offering once again. This time, it’s sticking around indefinitely. SweetWater Goin’ Coastal won’t be fading with the fall this year.

In case you haven’t tried a cocoction of this variety yet, pineapple works quite well with the citrusy/tropical hops of an American IPA. Especially since SweetWater is doing the hopping. This beer is heavy on the citrus and fruity hops, with a tropical breeze of pineapple. Find water and sit your ass in a tube and take stock of your life. The demand for this island breeze of a beer has prompted SweetWater to keep this beer in the lineup all year long.

Slide into summer and step off the grid by Goin’ Coastal with this pineapple laced IPA. The bright aromas of the five citrus hop additions are accentuated by the tropical fruit of the pineapple- and just like those three day weekends, its finish is quick.

SweetWater Goin’ Coastal will be a 12 ounce bottle and 16 ounce can offering. Back on shelves for a second season in March, 2017.

Style: IPA (w/ Pineapple)
Availability: 12oz Bottles, 12 oz Cans, Draft. Year-round.
Latest Return: Late Feb/March, 2017

6.1% ABV

SweetWater Goin' Coastal can stack

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in SweetWater Brewing, Coming Soon, Headlines

SweetWater 20th Anniversary Ale gets funky in February

Marking the double decade milestone, SweetWater 20th Anniversary Ale will debut in February.

If we could sum up the just the last 5 years of Atlanta’s SweetWater Brewing Company, it would be growth. The brewery has jumped from a 25 barrel brewhouse to a 400 barrel system, added cans, expanded lab and quality control, added distribution states, bottle conditioning. and most recently, a multi-million dollar sour & wild facility. So much good coming out of 195 Ottley Drive.

In February, the brewery will mark their 20th year with a party featuring the band Moe. as well as releasing SweetWater 20th Anniversary Ale.

For the past few years, SweetWater has been working on their own house blend of Brettanomyces. A part from some small batch releases, this is the first time the beer has seen the big time. The base beer is an imperial IPA brewed with brewery staple “hop hash”. (Hash is the potent chunks leftover after hops are pelletized.)

Described as extremely hop forward, the American wild ale is fruity, herbal, and citrusy, with a touch of funk in the finish.

Can’t make the party? SweetWater 20th Anniversary Ale will be available in 750 milliliter bottles in mid to late February, 2017.

Style: American Wild Ale
Hops: Bravo, Mosaic, Citra
Malts: Pilsner, Maris Ottler, Wheat, Flaked Oats, Midnight Wheat

Availability: 750ml Bottles, Draft.
Debut: February, 2017

9% ABV, 81 IBUs

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in SweetWater Brewing, Don't Miss This

SweetWater Grass Monkey hits shelves in February

SweetWater Grass Monkey is a new seasonal on deck from the Atlanta, Georgia based brewery.

The brewery recently released Squeeze Box, a follow-up to this summer’s extremely popular seasonal release – Goin’ Coastal (brewed with pineapple). Coming soon – SweetWater Grass Monkey, a wheat ale.

RELATED: A look at SweetWater’s new sour facility

The early spring seasonal features a base wheat ale brewed with lemongrass, plus a healthy dose of Lemondrop hops in both the boil and dry hop phases of the brewing process. According to the brewery, the light malt bill allows the piney, grassy, and lemon flavors shine.

Spring got sprung with this funky monkey. We dropped a big stash of Lemondrop hops into both the kettle and the dry hop – delivering a big citrus blast – and topped it off with a Lemongrass addition for a refreshing twist. Light in body with bright citrus notes, this is an extremely complex but very easy drinking brew.

SweetWater Grass Monkey will be available in both 12 ounce and 16 ounce cans, as well as draft until April, 2017.

Style: Wheat Ale (w/ Lemongrass)
Hops: Lemondrop
Malts: 2 Row, Wheat

Availability: 12oz, 16oz Cans, 12oz Bottles, Draft. 
Debut: February, 2017

5.4% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Don't Miss This, SweetWater Brewing

SweetWater Second Helping returns for 2017, still helping others

SweetWater Second Helping IPA is back again as we settle into 2017, available on draft only. This beer has a very special backstory… a beer that is more that just hops and malts. The below article ran earlier this year when it was first released. If you have a minute, please read below, and watch the video… 

Atlanta lost a great chef, Ryan Hidinger. This story starts with Ryan, who worked at local restaurant Muss & Turners, and his wife, Jen. The two shared aspirations of opening a restaurant of their own. The duo would hold weekend supper clubs to raise money for that dream.

A few years ago, Ryan was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic cancer and given just six months to live. Most people probably wouldn’t have blamed him for giving up. That’s not even close to what Ryan and his wife, Jen, did. The first step was getting the most aggressive treatment available. The next was to continue working towards make their restaurant, The Staplehouse, a reality.

The outpouring of support for Ryan led them (in part) to create The Giving Kitchen, a nonprofit that offers financial assistance to restaurant and hospitality workers with similar hardships.

When SweetWater Brewery learned of the cause, there was no question of their desire to help. Working with Ryan, the SweetWater brewers designed a beer based on Hidinger’s favorite style- the imperial IPA. 100% of the profits from the sale of this beer goes to The Giving Kitchen. Not only is SweetWater donating, but also United Distributors, and the many Atlanta establishments selling SweetWater Second Helping IPA.

Whether or not you had the honor of meeting Ryan Hidinger, it is impossible not to be inspired by this desire to achieve his dream, and help others along with way. The world needs more people like him.

SweetWater Second Helping IPA is available on draft only in 2017. Your purchase will help give someone a second chance. Sometimes it’s not just a beer – it’s hope.

Style: Imperial IPA (w/ Juniper Berries)
Availability: Draft Only, 2017
Latest Return: January, 2017

?? ABV

by Reid Ramsay