ANDERSONVILLE — For those people who love drinking to a good cause, Andersonville Brewing is releasing a Scandinavian-inspired beer to raise money to restore Andersonville's iconic but damaged water tower.
Andersonville Brewing's latest seasonal brew is a high-alcohol Baltic Porter style lager named Vattentorn, meaning "water tower" in Swedish. The brew pub said Monday that for every Vattentorn bought, $1 will be donated toward efforts to restore the water tower.
"We felt this was a good cause because the old water tower has become the symbol of Andersonville. It's iconic and very recognizable," said Brandon Wright, co-owner of Andersonville Brewing, formerly Mary's Rec Room.
The Vattentorn is about 7 percent alcohol by volume and will cost $6.50 per glass, according to Andersonville Brewing, the brewing arm of restaurant Hamburger Mary's at 5400-02 N. Clark St.
The brew pub is throwing a Vattentorn release party Friday from 7-9 p.m.
Metropolitan Brewing in nearby Ravenswood collaborated with Andersonville Brewing, offering its expertise in lagers and its house yeast strain to create Vattentorn. Baltic Porter lagers like Vattentorn are not common in the U.S. The style originates from countries bordering the Baltic Sea, including Sweden.
The water tower's damaged tank, the casualty of a winter so brutal it earned the moniker Chiberia, has sat in the Swedish American Museum's parking lot at Foster and Ashland avenues since March, when crews took it from its usual perch atop the museum at 5211 N. Clark St. for safety reasons.
It's painted in the likeness of the Swedish flag and is considered an emblem of Andersonville's Swedish roots.
The water tower is also part of Andersonville Brewing's new logo, Wright noted, "So the timing of its removal and our re-branding was unfortunate."
The Swedish museum is raising funds to restore the water tank and return it to its roof, which could cost at least $200,000. And the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce said it aims to raise $15,000 for the effort with its popular Midsommarfest festival.
