ATLANTA—SweetWater Brewing Company is proud to announce the funds raised for various Waterkeeper Alliance members totaling more than $145,000 after the culmination of their seventh consecutive clean water campaign. The brewery once again challenged drinkers to “give of their livers to save the rivers” this summer during their Save Our Water campaign, helping to protect and preserve threatened waterways throughout the Southeast.

After founding the crusade in 2006 with Atlanta’s local Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, SweetWater’s Save Our Water campaign continued to grow larger as the brewery did. As of 2013, SweetWater has raised just shy of $700,000, working with more than 30 individual Waterkeepers throughout the region. Funds are raised locally in markets where SweetWater beer is sold and go directly back to local Waterkeepers to aid in better patrolling, protecting and preserving local waterways.

The campaign kicked off on July 4th and ran through Labor Day. Funds were raised through online donations and sales of campaign t-shirts and paper fish located at participating restaurants, bars and retail accounts. Additionally, portions of proceeds from SweetWater’s seasonal Waterkeeper Hefeweizen – brewed to help raise awareness for the cause – were donated back to Waterkeepers.

“It’s hard to see waterways throughout the Southeast facing such challenges. This is where we go to fish, relax and it’s also the water we use to make our beer,” said Big Kahuna and Founder Freddy Bensch. “It’s been really humbling to watch the community join us and help support the great conservation efforts of these Waterkeeper Alliance members.”

“Waterkeeper Alliance is always excited to partner with SweetWater for the Save Our Water campaign,” said National Director of the Waterkeeper Alliance Pete Nichols. “It’s always refreshing to see the business community step up in the protection of clean water and we’re grateful for their support.”

For more information about SweetWater’s conservation fundraising efforts, visit www.waterkeeperbrew.org. For more information about SweetWater Brewery, visit www.sweetwaterbrew.com.

ABOUT WATERKEEPER ALLIANCE:

The Waterkeeper Alliance is an international alliance that provides a way for communities to stand up for their right to clean water and for the wise and equitable use of water resources, both locally and globally.

ABOUT SWEETWATER BREWING COMPANY:

SweetWater Brewing Company is an Atlanta‐based craft brewery following the motto “Don’t Float the Mainstream!” SweetWater’s brews are unpasteurized and designed to be consumed fresh so distribution is limited to the Southeast. SweetWater Brewery, open for tours every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 5:30‐7:30 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 2:30‐4:30 p.m. For more information about SweetWater Brewing Company, please visitsweetwaterbrew.com. Follow SweetWater on Twitter and Instagram @sweetwaterbrew, and become a fan on Facebook: www.facebook.com/sweetwaterbrew.

ATLANTA—SweetWater’s Dank Tank is bringing the heat with its steamy new limited-release, Red Hot Mama. Brewers hopped up this Imperial Red Ale to draw out some fierce flavor with a super smooth finish. Red Hot Mama will roll out red-hot onto shelves the week of Oct. 14.

Story goes, Red Hot Mama was one bad chick who liked to have her way with the boys on the farm. She used and abused one particular hop farmer before hitchin’ a ride to Atlanta with a dress full of fresh hops. While looking for a new soul to steal, she met her match with El Danko. When things got steamy, clothes and hops flew all over the brewhouse. The load of fresh Centennial hops was scooped up by SweetWater’s brewers and the rest is history!

This scorchin’ American style Imperial Red is brewed with Two Row, Pilsner, Cara Munich, Chocolate,Midnight Wheat, and Wheat malts; fresh, wet Centennial hops, Chinook, Cascade, Willamette and Mt. Hood hops; and then dry hopped with Centennial and Willamette. The brew includes more than two pounds of hops per barrel and brings the heat at 8.6 percent ABV. ¡Muy caliente!

“Red Hot Mama is a hop forward Imperial Red, with a malty sweetness on the nose,” said SweetWater Head Brewer Nick Nock. “It gives a beautiful tingle on the tongue, starting really big from the fresh hop additions, and then finishing low and slow.”

Fans will find the beer on draft taps and in 22-ounce bombers at participating accounts and retailers throughout the Southeast. Red Hot Mama will be riding on though, so drinkers are reminded to get their hands on this good lookin’ gal before she’s gone.

For more information on SweetWater Brewing Company and its Dank Tank series, visitwww.sweetwaterbrew.com.

ATLANTA—Cyclists and beer enthusiasts alike unite with Team SweetWater for the eighth annual Spin For Kids bike ride and fundraiser benefitting Camp Twin Lakes (CTL) this Oct. 19-20. The buck doesn’t stop there though. SweetWater is kicking it into high gear, releasing a fresh brew dedicated to the cause – a new and improved Crank Tank Helles lager peddling out the week of Sept. 16.

Crank Tank returns for its annual limited-time run after a small hiatus in 2012 due to prior brewery production constraints during its now-completed expansion. The team took a new direction in 2013 with its first attempt at a Helles style lager. Crank Tank combines Pilsner, Carapils and Munich malts; Mt. Hood and Zaaz hops; and a German Helles yeast for a brew that’ll keep your chain running smooth at 5.8% ABV.

Brewers cranked down the fermentation temperatures to a chilly 11-degrees Celsius and lingered in the lagering process on this sucker for an extra crisp and refreshing finish. Typical of traditional Munich style lagers, Crank Tank is bright and balanced, quaffable after any long ride. Fans can celebrate the cause on draft at participating restaurants and bars or pick it up in six-packs at select retail accounts throughout the state of Georgia now through the end of October. Drink ‘em for the kiddos!

Since its inception, SweetWater Brewery has been committed to creating more than just great beer for the community. After a visit to the CTL facility, SweetWater founder and Big Kahuna Freddy Bensch felt a strong responsibility to spread the word about the amazing work being done at the camp for children facing serious illnesses, disabilities and other life challenges. Each year the brewery pulls together Team SweetWater, inviting friends and fans to join their ride for the cause, and donates all proceeds from their Crank Tank brew straight back to CTL.

Crank It Up Kick Off Party Feat. Yacht Rock Revue: This year, SweetWater is teaming up with the superbly-smooth Yacht Rock Revue and Piedmont Park Conservancy to throw an epic kickoff shindig to help raise awareness and funds for this year’s Spin For Kids ride. The Crank It Up party will be held on Friday, Oct. 4 from 7:30-11 p.m. at the Greystone at Piedmont Park. Tickets are $35 presale/$45 at the door and include show admission plus unlimited wine and SweetWater beer (including Crank Tank), along with raffle prizes and food trucks for an additional charge. To purchase tickets visit: http://ctl.xorbia.com/crankitup.

To join Team SweetWater or sponsor one of their riders, visit www.spinforkids.org. For more information on SweetWater Brewing Company or Crank Tank, visit www.sweetwaterbrew.com.

ABOUT SWEETWATER BREWING COMPANY:

SweetWater Brewing Company is an Atlanta‐based craft brewery following the motto “Don’t Float the Mainstream!” SweetWater’s brews are unpasteurized and designed to be consumed fresh so distribution is limited to the Southeast. The award‐winning lineup of year‐round brews includes SweetWater 420, IPA, Blue, LowRYEder and Georgia Brown. SweetWater also features a Catch and Release series of beers available on a limited basis throughout the year, and an experimental, one‐time‐only Dank Tank series. SweetWater Brewery, open for tours every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 5:30‐7:30 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 2:30‐4:30 p.m., is located at 195 Ottley Drive in Atlanta. For more information about SweetWater Brewing Company, please visit www.sweetwaterbrew.com. For more of a social relationship with SweetWater Brewing Company follow @sweetwaterbrew on Twitter and Instagram, and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sweetwaterbrew.

The brewery population in Atlanta recently reached double digits.

Not terribly long ago, we explored the idea of confronting Jack Frost mano a mano and actually heading north in our wintry beer travels. Bold, but there’s a more comfortable way to soak up beer culture that puts hop bite ahead of frostbite. And with craft beer culture permeating every corner of the country, consider visiting existing and emerging hot spots in the American South.

It took the South a bit longer to appear on the beer map, considering, historically, it was more difficult to brew quality beer below the Mason-Dixon line (hotter temperatures spoiled the beer. Plus, no hops). But modern technology and passion know no bounds. So forget about talk of secession—the South is rising and even Yankees ought to pack a few growlers and shorts and prepare to eat more biscuits and gravy with breakfast than some folks might ordinarily get all year.

Atlanta

When RateBeer.com users vote two beer bars in Atlanta among the top in the U.S. (OK, one’s in Decatur, but they’re less than four miles apart), it’s clear The Big Peach plays a dominant role. No wonder the brewery population has reached double digits.

Brewerywise, it starts with Red Brick Brewing (2323 Defoor Hills Road). Georgia’s first craft brewery, founded as the Atlanta Brewing Co., counts Hoplanta IPA and Red Brick Brown among its core beers. It created the Brick Mason series for bigger beers, including a Double IPA and Vanilla Gorilla that sees a smoked porter receive smoked vanilla beans before aging in whiskey barrels. Red Brick’s 17^th Anniversary Ale is an imperial version of its brown ale, then aged in Jim Beam barrels.

SweetWater Brewing Co. (195 Ottley Drive NE) in the Buckhead neighborhood, was founded in 1996 and has grown into one of the country’s largest on the strength of its flagship 420 Extra Pale Ale. Its growing barrel program keeps it at the forefront of intriguing new beers. Visit the brewery for a tour Wednesday through Saturday, but really, just skip the tour and spend your time kicking it at the tasting room, where a ten spot gets six 5.5-ounce beers.

Atlantans have thrown their arms around 5 Seasons, now with three locations stretching from 5 Seasons-Midtown (1000 Marietta St.) to the original in Sandy Springs tucked inside The Prado shopping center (5600 Roswell Road) and 5 Seasons-North in the suburb of Alpharetta (3655 Old Milton Parkway). Two talented brewmasters helm the brew houses, both esteemed for the brews. On the pub side, the fare leans more toward gastro than grub. There’s no going wrong with the Organic Brisket Reuben with amazing hand-cut sweet potato fries (with cocoa chili). The entrees are always elegant, and, this being Atlanta, definitely go for the Coca-Cola Cured Duck Breast. (Do this preferably after visiting the World of Coca-Cola, aka the Coke Museum, at 121 Baker St. NW; worldofcoca-cola.com).

As if brewpubs aren’t fun enough on their own, Twain’s (211 E. Trinity Place in Decatur) is both a billiard hall and brewpub. Well, it started tapping only other people’s beers, but in ’06 the pub wisely started to brew its own. The Tropicalia Project is its series of single-hopped IPAs. The food menu is beered up, too, in small but fun ways like making spent-grain bread and offering IPA-brined pickles. With pool tables as well as shuffleboard and arcade games, hope you weren’t in a rush to go somewhere else.

The beer joint often seen as synonymous with Atlanta is the Brick Store Pub (125 E. Court Square in Decatur). On the main floor, it feels like you’re in a British pub, down to the horseshoe bar and British classics such as shepherd’s pie on the menu. The draft list is far-reaching, but you’ll certainly find a few taps dedicated to in-state brews from SweetWater and perhaps something from Athens’ Terrapin. Upstairs, the beer culture changes to little Belgium in the Belgian Room. Here, you can get your geek on with a bottle list that’s even longer than the one printed for downstairs, and—it goes without saying—pricier, too. But hey, Cantillon is worth the cost, and it’s on the list.

Newer on the Decatur scene but from the same Gallagher brothers who brought us The Pub is Leon’s Full Service (131 E. Ponce de Leon Ave.), its name taken from its former use as an actual filling station. Here, beer shares the spotlight with its cocktail brethren, and the munchies menu has gone more upscale, including Georgia shrimp and clams in a white wine broth. But fans of finger foods will love the frites served with a staggering array of dipping options (the curry ketchup and smoked tomato mayo are my faves) and the most talked about is the glassful of bacon strips with a side of peanut butter for dipping.

The Porter (1156 Euclid Ave.) in Little 5 Points is the other beer mecca in town. With over 800 beers to be enjoyed (including 40 on draft), how could it not be? Order a glass of the L5 Project Imperial Porter from Wrecking Bar, one of Atlanta’s other fine new breweries, or a bottle of Hard Time Barleywine from one of Georgia’s newest and most exciting micros. Happily, since you’ll be doing some serious drinking here, you get to do serious eating, too. The half-pound burger is a meal to behold, and if the Wrecking Bar is your first stop of the day, at least on weekends, the brunch options are mouthwatering. The toughest decision you make may be whether to go sweet with pancakes topped with bananas flambé and toasted pecans, or savory with a “Biscuit’wich” holding scrambled eggs, cheese and choice of breakfast meat (including soysage for those who don’t do meat).

Since I forgot to mention that Leon’s offers a bocce court, now’s a good time to do so, seeing as Ormsby’s (1170 Howell Mill Road) in Westside sports bocce action, too. It even hosts (Atlanta Bocce) league play. The smartly curated draft options are apt to include some of the other Atlanta-area breweries such as Monday Night Brewing, which morphed from three guys who met in a Bible studies group and learned how to homebrew together into a company that, after a year in operation, is expanding into a 30-barrel brewery that’ll see the addition of a tap room and, duh, bocce courts.

Last but nowhere near least is Taco Mac, the chain of family-friendly sports bars that kick-started beer education in Atlanta—now with 22 locations—and expanding throughout the South. By getting patrons to enroll in the chain’s Brewniversity program and continue trying new beers (not hard when the bars have over 140 taps), Taco Mac deserves the credit for expanding people’s craft-beer perceptions and palates.

In fact, once you have more than a few beers punched on your member card, you can gain access to The Fred (5600 Roswell Road), hidden away in the basement of the Taco Mac-Prado location. Taco Mac beverage director Fred Crudder says he has the best job in the world. This is his tangible proof: Order up a Mac ’n’ Cheese Kobe Burger, pair it with something off Fred’s Secret Stash list you thought you’d never get to try, and sink into a night of rarefied beer culture.