The Beer Road

To many craft beer fans that live in my state of Virginia, certainly including those in my own city of Roanoke, the beers are more than familiar – 420, Georgia Brown, Blue, Happy Ending – but the opportunities to enjoy them have been far too few, usually relegated to road trips into more southern situated states.  But in April of this year, the brewery behind those great brews, Atlanta based SweetWater Brewing, announced that recent expansion would finally give them the capacity to open up distribution to our state, albeit in the latter part of the year, so we’d have to wait still.  Finally, to the delight of us who have been patiently waiting on an official word, true movement into Virginia became a bit clearer with this Facebook post from just a few days ago:

Over a hundred comments and several shares later, folks are still chiming in on Sweetwater’s entry and interest in Virginia.  Now, consider this next social media post, which at least for me, reinforced just how serious SweetWater’s interest in individual cities in the state is.  Obviously, it became clear that the brewery wasn’t going to stop with just the one Facebook post when this interesting (and funny) tweet, from their new “SweetwaterVA” account, surfaced just last night:

Scouting the city of Charlottesville tonight. Starting at Mellow, stumbling from here

— SweetWater Virginia (@sweetwaterVA) October 29, 2013

Who says a fun night on the town isn’t the same thing as research.  But what’s most interesting about the tweet is that apparently, distribution into our neck of the woods holds much more than a passing interest, so much so that it looks like brewery folks are already out and about in prospective Virginia cities.  And while I do very much enjoy the Charlottesville area, I think it’s high time, should you call Roanoke home as I do, to make sure SweetWater knows just how interested we Roanoke craft fans are for their beer, and how viable our city is for expansion.  More specifically, the Facebook post is a chance to let the brewery know of all the possible spots in Roanoke they might want to consider.  So think of this as a call to “arms” (or “beers”) of sorts.  While Virginia craft beer fans are always happy to hear that a nationally known brewery is planning an entrance into our markets, here’s a case where one is actively looking for feedback.

So in case you’re one of their fans that has only been able to enjoy SweetWater’s beers rarely and mostly from afar, or simply enjoy the idea that our state is once again growing in overall craft beer interest so much so that a brewery like SweetWater is finally coming to town, here’s a chance to show some classic (Roanoke) Virginia love, craft beer style.  After all, one of the often heard comments from beer fans usually revolves around how easily, or not so, it is to actually find a brewery’s beers.  Here’s a chance to make sure the brewery knows about Roanoke, and exactly where in the Star City you’d like to see beers like SweetWater’s tasty but accessible IPA, their 420 pale ale, their summer favorite Blue, or even their highly regarded Imperial Stout Happy Ending.  Below, I’ll link to the Facebook post to make commenting as easy as possible.  Cheers, and let’s send some welcoming Roanoke love to SweetWater Brewing!  Cheers!

Here’s the Facebook post.

Below is an excerpt from the brewery’s own website, from the page titled “A Look Back At SweetWater Brewing Company”, for additional info:

“ABOUT SWEETWATER BREWING COMPANY: SweetWater Brewing Company is an Atlanta-based craft brewery living by 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, Exodus Porter, 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. The SweetWater Brewery, open for tours every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 5:30-7:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 2:30-4:30 p.m., is located at 195 Ottley Dr. NE, Atlanta GA 30324. For more information about SweetWater Brewing Company, please visit http://www.sweetwaterbrew.com. For more of a social relationship with
SweetWater Brewing Company follow @sweetwaterbrew on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sweetwaterbrew.”

~ by thebeerroad on October 29, 2013.

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