SWEETWATER BREWERY SUPPORTS LOCAL, ORGANIC FARMERS WITH NEWEST RELEASE
Partnership with Serenbe Farms Launches “Farm-to-Bottle” Initiative
(ATLANTA, GA — 9.26.09) -- SweetWater Brewery is excited to release Big Ol Belgian Blue Balls, (BOBBB) a 9% alcohol/volume Belgian wheat and rye brew made with local, organic blueberries from Serenbe Farms. This is the first in a series of brews using local, seasonal organic ingredients, which SweetWater and Serenbe have dubbed a “farm-to-bottle” initiative.
BOBBB uses a Trappist Style yeast for this high gravity ale which SweetWater’s Head brewer Nick Nock chose to best complement the subtle blueberry undertones. The blueberries are certified organic and biodynamically grown from Serenbe Farms, and 750 lbs were picked by Serenbe farmers and a group of volunteers/beer lovers at their peak. BOBBB is part of SweetWater’s Dank Tank — a series of small-batch, experimental brews. The release is available as of Wednesday, August 26 for tasting at the brewery, and will be available on draft at selected restaurants and in 22oz bottles in selected retailers the first week of September, and will likely sell out before the end of October.
“This ‘farm-to-bottle’ initiative gets people thinking about what they’re drinking,” says Steve Farace, Minister of Propaganda for SweetWater “And as we have been brewing local beers for local folks for the last 12 years we know how important it is to support local, organic farmers. We expect this to be the first of several creative brews using farm-fresh ingredients.”
“Serenbe is known for its ‘farm-to-table’ initiative, with our three restaurants making dishes from local, organic produce grown in their backyards on Serenbe Farms. It’s a natural fit that we would extend that to beverages, so we were thrilled when SweetWater approached us about creating a beer using Serenbe Farms ingredients,” says Tucker Berta, director of communications for Serenbe. “Plus, SweetWater’s commitment to water conservation and protecting the Chattahoochee River is very much aligned with our philosophy and mission — we’re proud to be associated with them.”
SweetWater Brewery is a 65,000-barrel regional brewery located in midtown Atlanta specializing in producing aggressive West Coast-style beers for the Southeastern U.S. After six years of brewing, the brewery gained national attention when it was crowned “Small Brewery of the Year” at the Great American Beer Festival; SweetWater is the first and only brewery east of the Mississippi River to win this coveted 28-year-old “Super Bowl of brewing” award. The brewery is also a major sponsor of Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeepers (www.ucriverkeeper.org), whose mission is to advocate and secure the protection and stewardship of the Chattahoochee River, its tributaries and watershed. Tours of the brewery on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 5:30 – 7:30pm and Saturday from 2:30 – 4:30. For more information, visit www.sweetwaterbrew.com
Serenbe is a 1,000 acre community located just 30 minutes from Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, with a focus on balanced growth, sustainability, green building, organic farming, and smart environmental practices. It was the first hamlet built in Chattahoochee Hills, a 40,000 acre city with an overlay plan that calls for preservation of a minimum of 70% of the acreage. Serenbe has private residential homes, commercial space, art galleries, original shops, stables, a 20-room inn with conference facilities, and Serenbe Organic Farms with CSA program and Saturday markets. The community is home to three restaurants, all practicing the farm-to-table concept—Blue Eyed Daisy Bakeshop (the nation’s smallest Silver LEED certified building), The Farmhouse (which has received national critical acclaim in Gourmet and Bon Appetit magazines, and is consistently featured in local publications), and The Hil (owned by executive chef Hilary White, and has received national critical acclaim in Food and Wine magazine, and was named a Best New Restaurant by Atlanta Magazine and the Atlanta Journal Constitution). In 2008, the Urban Land Institute awarded Serenbe its inaugural Sustainability Award, the Atlanta Regional Commission honored Serenbe as a “Development of Excellence” with special merit in conservation, and EarthCraft named Serenbe the EarthCraft Development of the Year. For more information, visit www.serenbe.com .
SweetWater Brewery will present a check for $55,420–proceeds raised through its fourth annual Save the Hooch campaign–to Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper (UCR) during the Brewery’s tour and tasting on Friday, August 14, at 6:00 pm. The Save the Hooch campaign runs from Memorial Day through the middle of July each year and engages beer drinkers, bar patrons, and restaurants throughout metro Atlanta in efforts to raise awareness and funds to support UCR’s river patrol and water quality monitoring programs.
