In past trips down South, I’ve sometimes had trouble finding decent beer, but the Southern beer scene is getting better — on my recent trip to Charlotte there was great beer at every turn. One of my go-to breweries when I’m in the Southeast is SweetWater Brewing Company from Atlanta, Georgia.

After having many SweetWater brews on draft during my visit to Charlotte, I left town toting the SweetWater Brewing Company Tackle Box. This mixed 12-pack came with:

• 420 Extra Pale Ale, SweetWater’s most popular brew and a solid West Coast-style Pale Ale (5.4%)
• IPA, flavorful and hoppy, an exceptional IPA (6.4%)
• Georgia Brown, a drinkable Brown Ale (5.1%)
• Exodus Porter, first brewed on Bob Marley’s birthday, this classic Porter is available only in the winter edition of the Tackle Box (6.2%)

I also brought home a six-pack of Blue, a refreshing light-bodied ale (4.9%) with a hint of blueberries (for Beth).

All of the SweetWater brews were excellent, and I wish they were available in the DC area!