SweetWater Brewing’s Waterkeeper Hefeweizen raises awareness of Save Our Water campaign

First off, SweetWater Brewing Co. just announced the return of its Waterkeeper Hefeweizen to its Catch N Release seasonal lineup. The unfiltered wheat ale will roll out in six-packs, on draft at participating restaurants and retailers, along with summer Tackle Box variety packs across the Southeast starting the week of June 17. Secondly, the SweetWater Brewery debuted Waterkeeper Hefeweizen as an extension to its “Save Our Water” campaign, further raising awareness and proceeds for Waterkeeper Alliance members in cities where its beer is sold. Clean water is vital to the creation of tasty brews as 90 percent of beer comes from water, making this cause near and dear to the brewery.

“I bet many folks aren’t aware, but it takes a lot of clean water to brew our beers,” said Co-Founder and Big Kahuna Freddy Bensch. “What better way to raise awareness and get the community involved in protecting its local waterways than to take our mission to the next level and dedicate a seasonal brew to the cause.”

Waterkeeper Hefeweizen is golden in color, brewed with wheat and two-row barley malt and capped with Sterling and Hallertau hops. A refreshing brew perfect for summer in the South, this Hefeweizen ale rings in at 5.7 percent ABV, delivering banana and clove notes from the Bavarian Hefeweizen yeast and finishing with a hint of lemon. On the bottle, the label features a hand-drawn river image alongside the story of how the Waterkeeper partnership began, plus details on how drinkers can get involved on a local level.

The “Save Our Water” campaign will officially start making waves again this year, kicking off July 4 weekend. The campaign offers Southeastern patrons the chance to “give of your liver to save the river” by purchasing customizable paper fish donations, commemorative T-shirts or a cold Waterkeeper Hefeweizen at local participating bars, restaurants and/or retail accounts. Proceeds from these efforts will go towards patrolling, protecting and preserving local waterways.

Since the inception of the program nearly seven years ago, SweetWater has raised more than $550,000 for the cause. SweetWater founded the program with its local Chattahoochee Riverkeeper in 2006, and efforts grew as the brewery did. Today, SweetWater’s “Save Our Water” campaign supports 35 resident Waterkeeper members in Southeastern cities where its beer is sold including Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.