Though I didn’t drink anything but Coors Original (Banquet Beer) 24oz grandes for my entire 2nd senior year at Georgia Tech (thanks to a sweet deal at Mac’s), I’m not a true beer aficionado. But I did come across some information this evening regarding Craft Beer on BeerTown.org that I found interesting.
In the Brewers Association press release from April 13, it’s stated that a craft beer is defined as any small, independent, and traditional brewer. A small craft brewer produces less than 2 million barrels, independent meaning that no more than 25% of the brewery is owned by a non-craft brewer, and a traditional brewer produces at least 50% of its volume in malt beers (being primarily produced with malt, we ain’t talking about malt liquor).
Two pieces of data caught my eye, one being the Brewer’s Association Top 50 List, which lists the top 50 craft brewing and top 50 overall brewing companies by volume in the US. I was proud to see that SweetWater Brewing Company is listed 29th on the craft list and 40th overall. Nice job guys! I remember hitting up Sweetwater when they were in their old digs off I-20 some time around 2000, and it’s very cool to see their new facility and how far their reach has extended. Their signature 420 brew and IPA are delicious, and even the Blue is quite impressive for a fruit flavored beer. I miss the sparsely crowded, all you can drink for $5 days of old, but progress does have its downsides, and I’m glad to see that more people around the country are now able to enjoy fantastic beers.
Unfortunately, SweetWater is the only Georgia brewery making an appearance. The other data of interest on BeerTown is the Breweries Per Capita 2008. Georgia comes up 43rd out of the 51 states + DC, having only 16 breweries. In fact, the whole Southeast is under-saturated – Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, and Tennessee are all sitting near the bottom. What gives?
I’m not sure where I’m going with this, but I thought it was interesting, and thought this was a good segue into reminding you to support the few local breweries we do have. Terrapin makes a mean brew, and Atlanta Brewing Company is coming on strong as well. Both ABC and SweetWater have brewery tours every week, which can be a lot of fun when they aren’t straight jammed with heady brahs. The actual tour is interesting to do once, but plan on going back again and again just to hang out and enjoy the great weather that is upon us, some good music, and some tasty suds at a great price (including a pint glass).
SweetWater Brewery – 195 Ottley Drive – Tours Wednesday-Friday, 5:30PM
Atlanta Brewing Company – 2323 Defoors Hills Road – Tours Wednesday-Friday, 6-8PM
