SweetWater partners with Atlanta Braves, cans at Turner Field

Will debut April 8 at the Braves’ first home game
1607
Courtesy of SweetWater Brewing

SweetWater has confirmed their new can line will be available at Turner Field, and the brewery is now the exclusive craft beer sponsor coming into the 2014 season. The cans will give the brewery more access to ticketholders throughout the ballpark, offering baseball fans an opportunity to enjoy 420 Pale Ale and IPA in 12-ounce and 16-ounce sizes.

As part of the new relationship, SweetWater gets dibs on the beer island in the Fan Plaza. Attendees should look out for a rebrand there, featuring the popular rainbow trout logo, tie dye art, and 30-foot fishing pole.

SweetWater says the pavilion will open April 8 for the Braves’ first home game. In addition to 420 and IPA cans, staffers will pour fan favorites: Blue, Georgia Brown, LowRYEder IPA, and a seasonal offering.

The Turner news comes just one day after the launch of SweetWater’s partnership with Delta Airlines. As of yesterday, cans of SweetWater 420 are now available on 34 flights from Atlanta to LaGuardia. Look for cans on flights from Atlanta to Denver during the Craft Brewers Conference April 7-9. Steve Farace, director of marketing for SweetWater, says they will keep to the Atlanta-LaGuardia route for now, just to ensure product availability. And quality controllers can feel good about getting a fresh serving: The process of can conditioning will keep the beer in tip-top shape for 90 days (on ground, or in the air). No word yet on when the IPA will get its SkyMiles.

This spring is turning out to be a big season for SweetWater, as they can boast being in the top 20 craft breweries nationwide for 2013. The Brewer’s Association now ranks them at 19 in beer sales volume, all the more impressive as SweetWater keeps to the southeast and was ranked alongside breweries with national distribution.

SweetWater launched their canned line earlier this year, part of a $19 million expansion completed in 2013 that reduced production limitations and quadrupled the brewery’s capacity. They opened distribution in Louisiana and Kentucky last year, and launched Virginia in January. Additional planned expansions for 2014 include Texas, Ohio, Mississippi, and maybe Maryland, says Farace.

Farace says that besides airplanes, ballparks and poolside, customers should anticipate seeing more SweetWater cans throughout the southeast market. Still, he says, “it’s great doing business in our hometown.”

Advertisement