SweetWater Brewing Company, an Atlanta-based brewery, is expanding its distribution to Virginia and The company’s brews, which all host the motto, “Don’t float the Mainstream” will be distributed loca



SweetWater Brewing Company, an Atlanta-based brewery, is expanding its distribution to Virginia and The company’s brews, which all host the motto, “Don’t float the Mainstream” will be distributed locally by Loveland. We should be able to find the hooch across the state, including Northern Virginia and Southeastern Virginia as well.

Samples of SweetWater’s flagship brews were sent to the Staff at RVA to be tasted, and after some thought and comparison to their experiences with other craft beers, they commented on the quality of the selection.

The first tested was the 420 Pale Ale. SweetWater wrote that this brew has quite a high amount of popularity in the Southeast, and to, “Drink ‘em if you got ‘em.” The label of the bottle reads, “A tasty West Coast Style pale accentuated by a stimulating hop character.”

“It’s refreshing and very light on the hops, smooth,” a staff member started. “It definitely has that classic West Coast character. It has got a head to it, but it does not hang heavy.” RVA Staff then said it is something that could easily be shared with friends, and something one could “enjoy constantly”.

Another member noted that, “It’s kinda sweet. I like it, it’s mild. It kind of reminds me more of a Pilsner than a pale ale.”

Next on the table was the SweetWater IPA, which is described as being , “dry-hopped to the gills delivering a kick-you-in-the-teeth hop chop.”

The IPA was definitely the Staff’s favorite. One said, “You can immediately smell it. It’s got that super hoppy smell. I like that a lot, more than the [420 Pale Ale]. It’s got a bit of a sweeter flavor, but it’s naturally from the hops. This is the one I would go fishing with.”

However, one other commented that, “It’s not as hoppy as I would expect in an IPA. It’s a light IPA, I would say.”

The last to be tested was the SweetWater Blue which is a “unique light bodied wheat ale laced with natural blueberry flavor” according to the ale’s label.

“Woah, that tastes like a blueberry Eggo,” one member exclaimed upon tasting the beer. They then continued to say that, “It starts off with heavy blue berry, but finished as a light beer. It reminds me of Flying Dog‘s blueberry flavor.

Our resident craft beer expert said, “I am surprised by the taste of that. I am surprised that I like it. I don’t usually like fruit beers, but the wheat helps it along.” They thought the beer was decent, but they typically do not care for fruity beers.

Overall, there was a general approval for the selection of brews that SweetWater delivered. Richmonders can expect to first find SweetWater’s 420 Pale Ale on draft at bars and restaurants, with a variety of other selections in six-packs and twelve-packs to be purchased elsewhere.

For more information about the brewing company, visit www.sweetwaterbrew.com, or follow their Virginia Facebook page.