CulturAle Press

Brewing All Stars #11: SweetWater, the Woodlands, Sinner’s Son Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout with Coffee; Atlanta, Ga.

Date:  July 30 , 2019  —

The Story— SweetWater is one of the most creative breweries in the east.   That’s usually an indication that a bottle purchase comes with a degree of risk.  and so it is, but with SweetWater the hits outnumber the strikeouts by a pretty wide margin.   A coffee bourbon barrel aged Imperial Stout is right in their wheelhouse.   It’s a “Big Hammer” beer — (if the peg doesn’t fit…) that’s pretty hard to mess up, but still, it deserves respect for the time energy and wood they poured into this sipper.

The Beer– Very rich with big bourbon flavors that go beyond the vanilla.   Lots of roast and bakers chocolate with dark chocolate.  Herbal notes join the coffees the coffee and both ride on the sideboards as it rollicks down a woody road as it drinks.

Value —  Good.  The half liter bottle seems to give a share-able pour at a touch less bread than the 22 ounce bottle.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

It’s All-Star season.  MLB has finished theirs, but it seems like a new sport is showcasing exceptional talent almost every day.  So we’ll be presenting our own all-star brewing line up.  We don’t claim to present– or even know– what the best beers in America are, but out of the hundred or so that we taste every month, some are indeed special.   For the second couple of weeks in July, we’ll share some recent standouts in  a very crowded craft beer field. .

We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers, and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”