Review Date 10/18/2014
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Low!
There are a lot of fine brews out there, folks, and as beer enthusiasts and budding gurus of brew, we want to try them all. We can’t, of course, but we do try. For my part, I often give special preference to local beers, and beers of a particular style that I might enjoy more than others. One sure way to get my attention, though, is to brew up a beer for a good cause-and that’s exactly what Sweetwater Brewery has done with their 2econd Helping (Second Helping) India Pale Ale Brewed with Juniper Berries.
This isn’t the only beer for a cause that Sweetwater does-part of the proceeds of their Waterkeeper Hefeweizen goes to keep Georgia waterways clean. In the case of Second Helping, all proceeds go to benefit The Giving Kitchen. More details on that from the painted label bottle:
One often thinks of the act of dining at a restaurant as a communal, flavorful and memorable experience. It is no doubt all of those things, but for the very first time in Atlanta, it is becoming more than that. Born of an unforeseen diagnosis of late stage cancer to one of Atlanta’s influential chefs, Ryan Hidinger, Staplehouse Restaurant is serving a greater purpose beyond sharing great meals with the ones you love.
By simply dining at Staplehouse restaurant and indulging in this delicious beer, guests are creating a sustainable source of funding for The Giving Kitchen (TGK), a 501c(3) that strives to provide charitable contributions to members of Atlanta’s restaurant community facing unanticipated hardships of their own.
Sweetwater Second Helping is only sold in Georgia according to their website. I bought a bottle in February of 2013 and didn’t get around to it until September. Did I mention I paid a very reasonable $5.99 for the bottle? Sweetwater does recommend keeping it refrigerated, and I did for most of that time. Still, at 7 months old it was exceptional, and I continue to eschew the modern nonsense that you have to drink IPA before you leave the parking lot of the store where you bought it. Sweetwater Second Helping has an alcohol content of 7.4% by volume with 69 IBUs. No indication of ingredients, other than the juniper berries.
Sweetwater 2econd Helping (Second Helping) India Pale Ale Brewed with Juniper Berries pours to a bright orange color with a thick chunky white head of foam and a big spicy nose of resiny hops and juicy juniper berries. Taking a sip, the beer has a wonderful chewy caramel malt body up front followed by big piney, resiny aromatic hops and a big gin-like juniper berry flavor. At the last, the beer is a little herbal and drying in bitterness, with piney Christmas tree notes and a long lingering aftertaste. Juniper and hops are not all that dissimilar, and this beer proves it. Add to that and absolutely delicious peppery hop bite in the finish, and we have a winner.
All that and for a good cause too? Don’t miss this one folks.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
