SweetWater Brewing Company
Don't Float the Mainstream.
SweetWater Brewing Company got its start in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1997, when Freddy Bensch and Kevin McNerney—former roommates at the University of Colorado at Boulder who had cleaned kegs together at a local brewery—decided to launch a craft brewery. Bensch had studied at the American Brewers Guild in California after graduating in 1993, while McNerney worked at several breweries out West, including Rockies Brewing Company, Avery Brewing Company, and Mammoth Brewing Company. During the 1996 Summer Olympics, Bensch visited Atlanta and spotted a chance to bring a West Coast-style brewery to the Southeast. McNerney soon joined him, and together they raised the initial funds to open the first location off Interstate 20 on Fulton Industrial Boulevard.
The brewery’s name came from Bensch’s kayaking trips down Sweetwater Creek, a tributary of the Chattahoochee River in Georgia’s Sweetwater Creek State Park, a few miles west of the brewery. Its motto, “Don’t Float the Mainstream,” pays homage to that same creek. Brewing kicked off in January 1997, and the first keg—SweetWater ESB and Blue—was sold on February 21, 1997. Soon after, the brewery introduced its most popular beer, SweetWater 420 Extra Pale Ale, named for the date it was first brewed: April 20.
Two years in, SweetWater hosted the World Beer Cup. In 2002, it won Small Brewery of the Year at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver. By 2003, the brewery had outgrown its original space and moved to a 25,000-square-foot facility in Atlanta’s Armour Circle Industrial Park on Ottley Drive. A 2004 deal with United Distributors—one of the largest beverage distributors in the U.S.—boosted distribution from 200,000 to 700,000 cases over six years. McNerney left the company in 2008 to spend more time with his family, later becoming brewmaster at 5 Season’s Brewing Company. A three-phase expansion completed in 2012 added office and event space, a bottling line and packaging hall, and a tank farm that increased capacity from 100,000 to 500,000 barrels per year.
In 2013, SweetWater ranked 26th among the top 50 U.S. breweries and 19th among the top 50 U.S. craft brewing companies by sales volume. On September 29, 2014, it sold a minority interest to TSG Consumer Partners. In July 2015, Kim Jones—who had been CFO since 2013, with prior senior financial roles at Spanx Inc.
Quick Facts
- Founder
- Kevin McNerney / Freddy Bensch / Levi Jacob Holcomb
- Area Served
- United States
- Industry
- Alcoholic beverage
- Products
- Beer
- Parent
- Tilray
- Founded
- 1997-02-21
- Hq Location City
- Atlanta
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
SweetWater Brewing Company was founded by Freddy Bensch and Kevin McNerney, who were roommates at the University of Colorado at Boulder and worked part-time cleaning kegs at a local brewery. After graduation, Bensch studied at the American Brewers Guild in California, while McNerney worked at several breweries in Colorado and California. Bensch visited Atlanta during the 1996 Summer Olympics and saw an opportunity to bring a West Coast style brewery to the Southeast. McNerney joined him, and they raised initial funds to open the brewery's first location off Interstate 20 on Fulton Industrial Boulevard. Bensch named the brewery after kayaking down Sweetwater Creek in Georgia's Sweetwater Creek State Park. The brewery began brewing in January 1997 and sold its first keg on February 21, 1997—SweetWater ESB and Blue. SweetWater 420 Extra Pale Ale soon followed. In 2002, SweetWater won Small Brewery of the Year at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver. The brewery outgrew its original space and moved to a 25,000-square-foot facility in Atlanta's Armour Circle Industrial Park in 2003. In 2004, SweetWater signed with United Distributors, increasing distribution from 200,000 to 700,000 cases in six years. Kevin McNerney resigned in 2008 to spend more time with his family. In 2012, a three-phase expansion increased capacity from 100,000 to 500,000 barrels per year. On September 29, 2014, SweetWater sold a minority interest to TSG Consumer Partners. In July 2015, Kim Jones was promoted from CFO to CEO. On November 4, 2020, Aphria Inc. acquired SweetWater for $300 million. In July 2021, the company acquired the Fort Collins, Colorado, brewery of Vancouver-based Red Truck Beer.
Reader's Guide
SweetWater Brewing Company has established itself as a significant player in the craft beer industry, particularly in the Southeast, by bringing a West Coast brewing style to Atlanta. Its unpasteurized beers and commitment to environmental sustainability—including recycling millions of pounds of spent grain, hops, and yeast, and reclaiming over six million gallons of water annually—reflect its operational ethos. The brewery's annual SweetWater 420 Fest, an Earth Day-inspired festival featuring craft beer, music, and arts, began in 2004 and has become a notable event in Atlanta. SweetWater's growth from a small startup to a brewery with a capacity of 500,000 barrels per year, and its eventual acquisition by a cannabis producer, mark key milestones in its history. The brewery's motto 'Don't Float the Mainstream' encapsulates its independent spirit, even as it has scaled up distribution and ownership.
Did You Know?
- SweetWater's most popular beer, 420 Extra Pale Ale, is named after the date it was first brewed: April 20.
- The brewery's motto 'Don't Float the Mainstream' is a tribute to its namesake, Sweetwater Creek.
- In 2013, SweetWater recycled more than 9.5 million pounds of spent grain for local farmers.
- SweetWater was acquired by Aphria Inc., a Canadian cannabis producer, for $300 million on November 4, 2020.
More in Beer Brands, Part 4 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced