Welcome to our weekly Five Beers to Know column, in which the craft beer news flows like wine. After typing that I wanted to find the origins of the “flows like wine,” phrase, and all I could find was the joke from Dumb and Dumber. Was that really the first time anyone ever said something “flows like wine?” Doesn’t seem right to me, but there is no other answer on the first page of Google results, so sorry Shakespeare or whomever actually first wrote it. If you have a different answer or a new beer to tell us about, let us know at [email protected].
Hi-Wire Brewing’s Amaize IPA is the best named beer of the week
Hi-Wire Brewing is released three specialty beers this June for stocking summer coolers, and the one that stood out most to us is a collaboration with long-time friends Homeplace Beer Co.
Owner and Head Brewer John Silver of Homeplace returned to the Hi-Wire brew deck (he manned for over two years during his tenure at Hi-Wire Brewing) at their Big Top Production facility to collaborate on an IPA made with local Riverbend Malt and heirloom Jimmy Red corn. The Amaize I.P.A. (6 percetn ABV) hopped with Eureka, Wakatu and Amarillo lends palpable notes of tropical fruit, citrus and dankness while the blend of malted and unmalted corn provides a subtle sweetness and creamy backbone to this full-bodied brew. This beer will see limited distribution in Hi-Wire’s footprint and will be available in their taprooms on Friday, June 14.
North Peak Brewing remixes Diabolical IPA
North Peak Brewing Co. is launching Tropical Diabolical, a take on the classic Diabolical IPA with a tropical twist. Brewed with generous amounts of passion fruit, pineapple, guava, tangerine and sweet orange peel combined with seven hop varietals for a hoppy bite and exotic flavors and aromas. Diabolical goes tropical for a limited time. Tropical Diabolical is a fruit IPA with 66.6 IBU’s | 6.66 percent ABV and will be available in 12-oz cans, six-packs, and draft in 1/6 and 1/2 barrels.
Tropical Diabolical can be purchased at craft beer retailers, restaurants and bars throughout Michigan, including North Peak Brewing Co. and Jolly Pumpkin, in Traverse City, Ann Arbor, Detroit, Royal Oak, Dexter and Grand Rapids. It can also be purchased at Jolly Pumpkin in Hyde Park, Chicago.
JuneShine takes over Ballast Point brewery to produce an alcohol kombucha
Only a year in the making, JuneShine, the organic hard kombucha brand that is on a mission to brew honest alcohol for a healthier planet, is expanding into the Pacific Northwest, including Seattle, Portland and northern California — San Francisco and Sacramento. The expansion north parallels the opening of JuneShine’s Scripps Ranch brewery (previously occupied by Ballast Point Brewing) in San Diego this month, allowing them to increase production in great volume. JustShine is 100 percent organic.
“The northern region was the obvious next step for us — Northern California, Oregon and Washington are consistently leaders in sustainability and conservation, not to mention craft beverages. We are excited to bring our product to a set of like-minded customers that appreciate and are similarly trying to conserve our outdoors. Our friends, some of them our co-owners, were born and raised in Northern California and the PNW and have been pushing us to launch there since day one. Frankly, this expansion is overdue,” said Greg Serrao, JuneShine cofounder and CEO.
Looking to plant their roots in the region’s communities, JuneShine will partner with local artists, athletes and creatives. Co-owner Ambassadors and Pacific City, Oregon natives, musician Corey Harper and photographer/filmmaker Ben Moon will partner with JuneShine in their PNW launches.
Big Lake Brewing ready to rule Michigan’s summer with two new IPAs
Big Lake Brewing recently announced a 50 percent brewing expansion with two new 30-bbl fermenters and a new brite tank, increasing the brewery’s overall output to 5,000 bbl per year. The extra capacity will help it take over Michigan this summer, as will these two new IPAs — Lake King, an American IPA, and Camper, a New England IPA.
“We take our inspirations from Michigan’s amazing natural resources and outdoor activities, and combine what makes them great, with the beers we like to drink,” said Travis Prueter, cofounder of Big Lake Brewing. “We love the pride and the connection our customers feel when they drink a beer named after a favorite activity or place in our beautiful state.”
In a reference to reeling in that prized King Salmon on the Great Lakes, Lake King is an American IPA brewed with Columbus hops, which presents a clean, bright lemony flavor. Featuring a King Salmon on the label, Lake King is the perfect complement to take out on the boat during a fishing trip on Lake Michigan or on one of Michigan’s many inland lakes.
This Heavy Seas taproom exclusive features yuzu juice and some cool local art
Heavy Seas Beer announced the fourth release from its 15 Barrel Brewhouse in 2019, En Route, a Brut IPA with yuzu juice. This beer will be exclusively available in the Heavy Seas Taproom at the brewery on Friday, June 21, 2019, in four-packs of 16-oz cans and on draft.
“Our newest creation, En Route Brut IPA, is an incredibly dry, quenching, hoppy brew with virtually no residual sugar,” said Heavy Seas Brewmaster Christopher Leonard. “Wonderfully aromatic, heavy dry hop doses of Citra and Mosaic hops also provide a soft, subdued bitterness. The addition of first pressed yuzu juice exacerbates the magnificent citrus bouquet, redolent of pink grapefruit and exotic fruits. A fine carbonation and fluffy white head add to this champagne-esque experience.”
The En Route Brut label artwork was designed by local Baltimore artist, Owen Murphy, of One Drop Design Studio. All the taproom exclusive beer labels will be designed by Owen in 2019.
Cody Fague says
At a glance, that yuzu brut sounds fairly freakin’ tastey,