Sweetwater IPA

Sweetwater Brewing Co.
Atlanta, GA

Sweetwater Brewery is a 49,000 barrel microbrewery specializing in producing West Coast-style beers for the Southeastern U.S.

ABV: 6.5
ABW: 5.17
Color: n/a
Bitterness: 55
Original gravity: 1061

The label describes this as a “mammoth IPA” and the intensely floral hop resins, lightly toasted malt and tangy citrus fruit on the aroma live up to the claim. It has a complex and brilliantly balanced palate, with sweet, juicy malt, tart fruit and bitter hop resins. The finish is long, deep and complex, bittersweet to start but becoming dry and hoppy, but with a fine balance of tart fruit and rich malt. A wonderfully quenching beer.
- Roger Protz

This hazy honey-colored beer stands a thick off-white foam and exudes a big, resiny, orangey, passion-fruity blast of hop aroma. After such a striking aroma, one girds for a ferocious hop attack, but the palate turns out to be relatively mild. It’s snappy to be sure — dry, fruity and hoppy throughout, down to the clean finish. Some might call for more bitterness, but I’m not one of them; this is a very nice beer indeed. It’s packed with flavor, well balanced and delicious, the work of a judicious hand. Red snapper in a Thai coconut curry will do very nicely.
- Garrett Oliver

Roger Protz
Roger Protz is the author of Complete Guide to World Beer and 300 Beers to Try Before You Die. He is a respected beer authority and editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.

Garrett Oliver
Internationally recognized brewer and expert on traditional beer, Garrett Oliver is the brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery and the author of The Brewmaster's Table.

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