Despite a scaled-back music lineup, a $10 admission price assured that crowds gathered April 20-21 as Atlanta’s SweetWater Brewing Co. celebrated 420 Fest and Earth Day at Pullman Yards. Proceeds benefited the brewery’s favorite charity, Waterkeeper Alliance.
SweetWater was acquired in late 2020 by what is now Tilray Brands. The company now includes several more breweries, including Montauk, Alpine, Green Flash, Widmer, 10 Barrel, Redhook, Breckenridge and Blue Point.
During the first afternoon of 420 Fest, I sat down with the Tilray team to get a fix on where SweetWater and the rest of its breweries are headed.
Tilray Brands Chief Marketing Officer Prinz Pinakatt spent 17 years at Coca-Cola and also has worked at Vita Coco and Danone Waters.
“SweetWater was my first endeavor into beer, and I couldn’t be more excited about the portfolio that Tilray Brands has now,” Pinakatt said. He’s leading a team of marketers tasked with building the company’s brands.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
In a somewhat surprising move, Tilray recently bought Shock Top, a Belgian-style spiced witbier, from A-B InBev.
“We have some brands that can play on the national level,” Pinakatt said. “Shock Top is one of them, and we just need to unleash it. Craft beer drinkers love to discover, love to explore and love to find new things. We have a phenomenal number of brewers who are innovating every single day.”
New products include Shock Top LiiT hard ice tea and a 420 variety pack with SweetWater’s original 420 extra pale ale and the new 420 Citrus Haze, Mango Crush and Extra Chill cold pale ale.
“SweetWater is the largest brand in our portfolio,” said Tilray Beer North America President Ty Gilmore, who has more than 20 years of beverage industry experience. “Our beer headquarters is at our brewery here.”
The connection to the Atlanta community is a priority, Gilmore said, including partnerships with Atlanta United, the Georgia Aquarium and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
“We’re the fifth largest craft brewery in the U.S.,” said Tilray Chairman and CEO Irwin Simon, who has spent more than 30 years with companies dealing in organic and natural foods, dietary supplements, personal care and cannabis. He credited the company’s success to its people. “You can have great brands, and you can have great strategy,” he said, “but if you don’t have great people, it doesn’t work.”
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