ATLANTA (October 21, 2009)Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFMI) has partnered with SweetWater Brewery to create a beer bread baked at Whole Foods Market’s Bakehouse in Alpharetta, Georgia. SweetWater 420 Extra Pale Ale bread is made from spent grains (barley) from the SweetWater 420 Extra Pale Ale brewing process.  This new bread will be offered in all stores throughout the Southeast  beginning October 23rd and sells for $3.49 per loaf.

SweetWater 420 Extra Pale Ale is SweetWater’s most popular local brew and is a tasty West Coast style pale ale with a stimulating hop character and a crisp finish. After brewing this award-winning beer at the Midtown Atlanta brewery, the grains are delivered to the Whole Foods Market Bakehouse and used exclusively for the SweetWater 420 Extra Pale Ale bread. Pumpkin seeds and a rustic, nutty texture and crust round out the flavor profile.

Steve Schulte, South Region Bakery Coordinator for Whole Foods Market, said, “This is a great new bread for us and our bakers had a lot of fun developing a new recipe using SweetWater’s grains. Partnering with a local brewery is something we’ve talked about doing for some time now, and the result is a hearty, delicious, local bread that’s perfect for fall dinners and tailgating parties.”

Steve Farace, Minister of Propaganda for SweetWater Brewing, said, “It seemed like a natural partnership – we make fantastic beer but we have leftover grains, so why not work with Whole Foods Market and see what we can come up with to make sure that tasty stuff finds a good home! The result is delicious, and it’s all produced right here in Georgia!”

The SweetWater 420 Extra Pale Ale bowl is ideal for tailgating, and pairs nicely with beer and cheese fondue, which also incorporates SweetWater 420 Pale Ale. (Recipe follows)

Beer and Cheese Fondue featuring SweetWater 420 Extra Pale Ale Bread

Ingredients

  • 3 cups, shredded sharp Cheddar
  • 1/4 pound Gruyere shredded
  • 1 rounded tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup SweetWater 420 Pale Ale
  • 1 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
  • A few drops Worcestershire sauce
  • A few drops hot sauce or horseradish (optional)
  • 1 SweetWater 420 Extra Pale Ale bread loaf

Directions

  • Combine cheeses in a bowl with flour. Add beer to a small pot and bring up to a bubble over medium heat. Reduce the heat to simmer and add cheese in handfuls. Stir constantly, melting the cheese in batches. Stir in a figure-eight pattern with wooden spoon. When the cheese has been incorporated fully, stir in the mustard, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce.
  • Hollow out the bread to form a bread bowl. Pour the fondue into the bowl.
  • Make cubes from the leftover bread that was hollowed, dip cubes into the fondue and enjoy.

For more recipe ideas or Whole Foods Market locations near you, visit www.wholefoodsmarket.com.

About Whole Foods Market® Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market (www.wholefoodsmarket.com), a leader in the natural and organic foods industry and America’s first national certified organic grocer,  was named “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store” in 2008 by Health magazine. The Whole Foods Market motto, “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet”™ captures the company’s mission to find success in customer satisfaction and wellness, employee excellence and happiness, enhanced shareholder value, community support and environmental improvement. Thanks to its more than 50,000 Team Members, Whole Foods Market has been ranked as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” in America by FORTUNE magazine for 12 consecutive years. In fiscal year 2008, the company had sales of $8 billion and currently has more than 275 stores in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Whole Foods Market, Fresh & WildTM, and Harry’s Farmers Market® are trademarks owned by Whole Foods Market IP, LP.  Wild Oats® and Capers Community MarketTM are trademarks owned by Wild Marks, Inc.

About SweetWater Brewery:

SweetWater Brewing Company, makers of 420 Extra Pale Ale and a host of tasty brews, began its dream of free beer till their dying day in an isolated office park near Sweetwater Creek State Park on the west side of Atlanta in 1996. Today, six years into a shiny new brewery in midtown Atlanta as the second largest craft brewer in the Southeast, SweetWater produces four year-round beers; 420 Extra Pale Ale, Blue, IPA, and Georgia Brown, as well as a slew of Catch and Release seasonals, and the Dank Tank series of experimental beers. SweetWater Brewery is also the winner of the “Small Brewery of the Year” award at the Great American Beer Festival – the only brewery east of the Mississippi to have ever won the award in the 28 year history of this Grand Daddy of beer festivals held in Denver, CO every fall. Tours of the brewery on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 5:30 – 7:30pm and Saturday from 2:30 – 4:30. For more info give them a call at 404-691-ALES or visit www.sweetwaterbrew.com

Sliced bread and beer