SweetWater Take Two Pils

Take Two Pils 5.5% ABV
German Pilsner
SweetWater Brewing Company

Down the rabbit hole, tumbling, twirling, no longer scared but bored, will I ever hit the bottom?
Mind racing, rattled, fragile, will everything I’ve done all implode?
“Doc, what do I do?”
The one in the top hat responds, “Take Two Pils, call us in the morning.”
“What pills? And who is us, I only see you?”
“You and I are us, my lad. Take Two Pils, call us in the morning.”
Fatigued and frustrated he takes the mug and begins to drink.
All of a sudden it’s morning, he’s back in bed and all is peaceful again.

—

After facing disappointment with my last SweetWater beer, I’m back to being impressed and enjoying another of SweetWater’s delectable concoctions.  As the label states, SweetWater took “a head-first dive” into the “Wonderland world of lagers.”  They have come out the other side producing a lager with much more flavor than anything the Big Boys of Brewing create.  This beer is light yet packed with good taste.  The Mt. Hood, Saaz and Styrian Golding hops give the beer a nice finish, that makes you want to drink more.  I had to keep myself from downing the whole mug before I got any notes down.  This is just the beer I’d want in a Tackle Box Variety pack to drink in between the 420 Extra Pale Ale and the Road Trip.  

After sampling and reviewing four SweetWater beers, I realized I had no idea how this brewery came about.  It turns out that the founders Freddy Bensch and Kevin McNerney were roommates at the University of Colorado, Boulder.  They used to wash kegs on the loading dock of a brewery for free beer, during their college stay.  After graduation they made it out to the west coast and began brewing for various breweries there.

The 1996 Olympics brought Freddy to Atlanta and he realized the city needed a west coast style brewery.  Kevin and Freddy scraped together some start-up money and got to building a brewery.  Freddy would get some relief from time to time by kayaking the SweetWater Creek.  This spawned the brewery name and their motto “Don’t Float The Mainstream.”  February 17, 1997 was the official beginning date for the brewery and it has obviously taken off since.