Part 2 of a 2-part series, Beer Street Journal goes inside SweetWater Brewery’s massive new 400 barrel brewhouse. The Atlanta based craft brewer’s story began when founder Freddy Bensch and Kevin McNearney travelled from Colorado to Atlanta during the Summer Olympics. They both got a good vibe from the city and decided building a brewery here was their destiny.
February of 1997 saw the first beers from SweetWater rolling off the tiny bottling line on Fulton Industrial Parkway. Over time, the brewery grew and relocated to SweetWater’s current location on Ottley Drive near Midtown Atlanta. Not so shockingly, the demand and desire for SweetWater continued to grow. This time, however, the decision was made to build for not only current beer demand, but future needs.
Cash in hand, SweetWater went shopping. Freddy (working with brewers Nick Nock, and Mark Medlin) chose this 400 barrel Stenneker brewhouse; now the largest craft brewing facility in Georgia. The new equipment truly is a site to behold. Nick Nock is the brewery’s 3rd employee. Check out this 8 minute intimate sit down with Nick, and pics of the installation.
