ATLANTA—SweetWater Brewing Company is partnering with Delta Air Lines, to debut a new in-flight craft beer offering. Delta will begin serving SweetWater’s flagship brew — 420 Extra Pale Ale — on Delta’s 34 daily flights between Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International and New York’s LaGuardia Airport starting April 1.
“Delta is a world-class organization, as well as a local neighbor, so we couldn’t be more excited about this alliance and the opportunity for SweetWater to be featured onboard,” said SweetWater Founder and Big Kahuna Freddy Bench. “Our new cans eliminate the glass restrictions that previously held us back from offering our beer in great spots like airplanes, stadiums, beaches and more. This is an exciting time for craft beer and I’m personally looking forward to enjoy a few 420s on my next trip to The Big Apple!”
With the advent of SweetWater beers being available in cans, this is the first time passengers have had the opportunity to enjoy SweetWater’s craft beer at altitude. SweetWater Brewery announced the launch of its first-ever canned beers in early March to include 420 Extra Pale Ale and IPA in 12-ounce and 16-ounce options. The homegrown collaboration guarantees Delta passengers will enjoy the freshest in-flight brews possible as SweetWater’s beers are brewed and canned just a few miles from Delta’s headquarters.
As a brewery known for keeping quality of craft top of mind, all of SweetWater’s canned brews undergo an advanced can- conditioning process that naturally keeps the beers fresher for longer. After adding a small amount of priming sugar and live yeast to the beer prior to being sealed, cans are then kept for 7-10 days at alternating temperatures to allow the yeast to metabolize the sugar and excess oxygen in each can, creating a more stable beer while also naturally extending its shelf life.
Delta continues to expand its team of chefs and culinary partners as it evolves its in-flight food and beverage approach to offer menus that complement regional tastes.
“As Atlanta’s hometown airline it’s exciting that we can now offer Atlanta’s hometown brew onboard,” said Joanne Smith, Delta’s senior vice president — In-Flight Service. “Our customers have told us that they want more fresh, local flavors onboard and serving SweetWater 420 is a great way to give our global travelers a taste of Atlanta.”
ABOUT SWEETWATER BREWING COMPANY
Living by the motto “Don’t float the mainstream,” SweetWater Brewery has been blazing its own path in craft beer throughout the Southeast since its inception in 1997. With a brewer calling the shots, quality of beer—and life—are always most important in crafting a lineup of lip-smackin’ brews. Widely known for its flagship 420 Extra Pale Ale and recent Great American Beer Fest gold medal winner LowRYEder IPA, SweetWater also serves up an ever-evolving Catch & Release seasonal lineup of brews and an off-beat, one-off Dank Tank series. SweetWater invites folks to join them for tours and tastings of their Atlanta brewery every Wednesday through Sunday. Visit www.sweetwaterbrew.com for more info about SweetWater, or hang out with your social thang out by following SweetWater on Twitter/Instagram @sweetwaterbrew, or on Facebook at facebook.com/sweetwaterbrew. And always remember; drink ‘em if you got ‘em!
ABOUT DELTA AIR LINES
Delta Air Lines serves nearly 165 million customers each year. This year, Delta was named the 2014 Airline of the Year by Air Transport World magazine and was named to FORTUNE magazine’s top 50 Most Admired Companies in addition to being named the most admired airline for the third time in four years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 324 destinations in 59 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs nearly 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry’s leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France- KLM and Alitalia as well as a newly formed joint venture with Virgin Atlantic. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-JFK, New York-LaGuardia, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. Delta has invested billions of dollars in airport facilities, global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Additional information is available on delta.com, Twitter @Delta, Google.com/+Delta, Facebook.com/delta and Delta’s blog takingoff.delta.com.