Sweetwater Brewing Company - Georgia Brown

A GABF Gold Medal winner, this brew yields a prominent aroma of fresh grains with some notes of toast and brown bread, moderate caramel, hints of maple syrup and coffee, some nuttiness, and a kiss of spicy and somewhat woody hops. On the palate, expect a blend of lightly bitter hops, burnt toast, and above all, a rich, sweet, nutty character (think hazelnuts and almonds) with deep-down caramel tones and a hint of cocoa powder. There's a ghost note of coffee at the intro to the finish, which gives way to a back-of-the-tongue hop bitterness that complements the hops and balances the sweet malty notes through the fade. Far from being thick or heavy, this brown ale delivers robust flavor while remaining light on its feet. Enjoy with a cheese plate featuring aged gruyere, camembert, and morbier melted over pumpernickel bread wedges. If you're looking to improve your beer tasting experience, or if you're among our many members who hold regular beer (and food) tasting sessions with guests (yes, you are the life of the party!) – consider joining our Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club. Cheese and flavorful beer complement one another extraordinarily well, better than wine and cheese in many cases. Check out www.monthlyclubs.com for more details. Cheers!

SweetWater founders Freddy Bensch and Kevin McNerney met as roommates at the University of Colorado, Boulder. They quickly realized that they had more of an affinity for beer than books, and began dreaming of starting a microbrewery. After graduating, they headed off to California to attend brewing school at UC Davis, after which the two friends honed their craft by working for a number of breweries on the West Coast. In 1996, Freddy visited Atlanta and decided that the town was in dire need of a quality microbrewery. With the help of family and friends, Freddy and Kevin amassed enough capital to get their dream off the ground.

SweetWater Brewing Company (named after a local creek on which Freddy liked to kayak) opened for business in 1997, and after driving all over the city in an old van, Freddy and Kevin managed to line up a few bars interested in their new West Coast style beers. Their beers were a hit, and in the 1998 World Beer Cup, SweetWater walked away with the second highest number of medals. Then in 2002, they were named Small Brewery of the Year at the Great American Beer Festival. After several years of strong growth, the brewery was relocated in 2004 from its original location on Atlanta’s west side to a larger facility near Ansley Park in mid-town Atlanta. But, within just a few short years demand increased to the point that the brewhouse was in near continuous operation – 24 hrs a day, 365 days a year – necessitating a major expansion in 2012. The new features included Atlanta’s largest privately owned solar array, capable of generating 157 KwH of clean electricity, as well as top-of-the-line computerized brewing equipment that allows SweetWater to slow down the human side of the brewing process to increase quality control, while simultaneously increasing their overall output. Just last year, SweetWater launched their "Woodlands Project" in an adjacent building, which is focused on their barrel-aging program and small batches of sour, funky, and experimental beers. For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call 404-691-2537 or check out their web site at www.sweetwaterbrew.com.