Sweetwater Brewery

While Sweetwater Brewery is not a restaurant and does not produce any kind of food, I figure I can still blog about it as part of a wider food and drink theme. The brewery is a great deal and a really good time.

We showed up at the brewery about ten minutes before it was set to open and a long line had already formed. We were probably thirty people back in line. But we quickly got in and were able to get a beer. The place does get packed on Saturday afternoons. Packed to the point of bumping up against people and having people pushing past you. The excessive crowd is the one downside of the brewery tours. But fortunately the large crowd does not cause excessively long beer lines.

For $8 you get six beer tickets, each of which entitles you to one half pint of beer. You also get a pint glass to drink out of and to take home. Tours are run throughout the period the brewery is open. I think that three pints worth of Sweetwater beer and a pint glass is a great deal for $8.

The brewery has all of Sweetwater's beers on tap and has additional beers not available in stores. I personally am partial to the IPA and the Georgia Brown. The IPA is pictured below. It has the best floral and hops smell and taste. But the floral notes are deceptive because it is not sweet. It is more of a spicy, dry, hoppy, floral taste. The dark background behind the picture causes the picture to not show the consistency of this beer. It is actually rather clear with a very light brown color.

The brewery also had a delicious porter, the Exodus Porter, on tap. The porter had a deep chocolaty, nutty, and burnt smell and taste. The dark color seen below and the chocolate smell did not prepare me for the consistency of the beer. I expected a thick, rich porter. The beer was rather smooth and thin for being a porter and so dark. While I would prefer that the beer be a little thicker, it was not too thin. It is an excellent porter for those who want the big, bold porter flavors but don't want to eat their beer with a fork and a knife.



In addition to sampling the delicious beers, you can take a brewery tour. I found the brewery tour to be a little underwhelming. Of course, that could be because our guide admitted at the start that he was hungover from the night before. It was interesting to see all of the equipment and how the process works. It was also amazing to see the giant stack of kegs and cases of bottled beer.

Due to the cheap price and tasty beers, I highly recommend a Saturday afternoon at Sweetwater Brewery as a great way to spend a relaxing afternoon in Atlanta.

Sweetwater Brewery

195 Ottley Drive

Atlanta, GA 30324

404-691-2537
http://www.sweetwaterbrew.com/

The brewery offers tours on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday starting at 5:30 PM and on Saturdays from 2:30 to 4:30 PM. The brewery accepts cash or credit cards for tours and merchandise.