Sweetwater Brewing Company - Sweetwater Ale

Sweetwater Ale, an English-style bitter (ESB), is brewed with seven, count ‘em, 7 malts and four hops. As you might suspect look for a complex malt profile in this amber colored, medium-bodied, ale. Note an exceptionally smooth malty character dominating the body and a slightly dry, hoppy finish. Overall, a complex, very full flavored and well balanced interpretation of an ESB. When we asked Matt to provide us with some potential food pairings, we’d liked his answer more than if he’d actually answered the question: "I hate matching beer with food. Beer is beer. You can drink any beer with any food."

The Sweetwater Brewing Company’s Co-owner, Matt Patterson, along with his two partners, all cut their teeth in the industry working for varied Colorado micros. We like them already. Empowered with the vision to found their own brewery, they packed up the truck and moved to Atlanta. That’s right, Atlanta! "The Southeast," Patterson said, "is the last frontier for microbreweries to hit and succeed in." Not long after opening their doors for business in 1997, the brewery began to build a strong reputation by taking its first Gold Medal. The judges at the World Beer Cup -- the most competitive beer contest featuring brews from 68 countries -- gave the Gold to Sweetwater Ale this year. And now you’re going to have the opportunity to sample it and see for yourself what it takes to bring home the big daddy trophy.

The Sweetwater Brewing Co., which was named after a local creek, makes three other beers including: 420 Extra Pale Ale, Exodus Porter and Sweetwater Blue Ale . Overall, it was the second most award-winning brewery at the 1998 World Beer Cup. It was also voted the Best Brewery in Atlanta by listeners of radio station 99X, as well as by the readers and writers of Creative Loafing. "It's the first brewery we've owned," Patterson said, "and I can tell you it's a lot more fun owning your own."

For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (404) 691-ALES or check out their web site at www.sweetwaterbrew.com.