Sweetwater 420

Happy 420 everyone!

Recently some friends and I went to Asheville, North Carolina for a bachelor party.  On this trip our friend introduced us to the nectar of the gods known as Sweetwater 420 Extra Pale Ale.  We fell in love with this brew over the long weekend and a few of us brought cases of it north to our homes where Sweetwater 420 can’t be found.  The last of my stash ended up in the recycle bin a few days ago and I’m still barely able to cope.

The beer is relatively light which makes it a crowd-pleaser.  But it’s also complex and balanced enough to draw in the beer snob.  It’s hoppy in a light, floral, cirtiusy sense, without being overly hoppy or bitter.  It’s  just enough hops get your attention and make you notice the other subtle characteristics of this beer.

This brewery is in Atlanta.  Currently distribution goes as far north as some cities in North Carolina.  I’ve heard that the reason it isn’t in Virginia yet is because of a trademark issue with the Sweetwater Tavern which has its own brewery.  I don’t know if this is truly the case but, if so, hopefully they can work something out.  As for now the best we can do is hope that stores in the closest North Carolina city, Raleigh, start carrying it (which they should in a couple of weeks), and that any friends coming north to visit make a stop in North Carolina to pick us up a few cases.

I would point you to their website for more info, but their site is terrible.  Here it is if you want an example of how unusable a website can be.  Here is the (slightly more usable) site for the Sweetwater 420 Festival going on right now in Atlanta.  I bet it’s a lot of fun.