Craft beers can do it all. They mark occasions and prime celebrations. They can aid in cancer research. Heck, they don’t even need to include alcohol these days. Don’t believe me? Really? After all these years? Sheesh. Well then, here are some beers this week to prove it. Jerk.
Level Crossing brews Rising Hope IPA, and you can too
Level Crossing Brewing Co., located in Salt Lake City, partnered with Brewing Funds the Cure to release Rising Hope IPA this month. One hundred percent of the proceeds from Rising Hope will be donated to the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation! Brewing Funds the Cure was crafted in Tampa, Florida when two breweries, Cigar City Brewing and Brew Bus Brewing, collaborated to help raise awareness for the need of more pediatric cancer research. Through this partnership, Rising Hope was born in 2017 and launched nationally in 2019 with Rising Hope served in 23 states in all corners of the US.
Every brewery or industry partner can be a part of Brewing Funds the Cure by brewing this exclusive signature brew, Rising Hope , or hosting giveback nights, or donating a percent of proceeds from products and/or merchandise you sell. Through the efforts and donations from the Country Malt Group, Yakima Hops, Amoretti Fruit and brew masters from Cigar City Brewing and Brew Bus Brewing, a standard recipe for Rising Hope has been developed for 2020, and it will be served and/or distributed in all 50 states.
Steady Hand Beer Co. has some Tangerine Flower Business to discuss
This citrus twist on a core beer quickly became a fan favorite both in the Steady Hand Beer Co. taproom and in the market due to its sweet, smooth crushability topped off with a 9% ABV. Flower Business, a classic from the West Midtown brewery, is a hazy; hop filled double IPA with a subtle smooth pine finish. The tangerine addition comes bursting through complementing the already juicy, citrus hops and displays oh so beautifully a vibrant, hazy orange appearance.
Housing the luscious liquid is the eye-catching, psychedelic can art by Colorado based artist Phil Lewis. This particular art is a perked up version of the O.G. Flower Business can art filled with vibrant swirls of peacock feathers boasting bright, fiery orange and red tones. This limited, small-batch release will be available in the taproom and market in 12oz 4-packs and on draft at the end of the month.
New Realm’s Oaxaca Choca is a seasonal favorite with the raddest label
Pumpkin beers and Oktoberfests are great, but I always like different approaches to autumnal celebrations, with Oaxaca Choca being a solid example. This is New Realm Brewing‘s Imperial Mexican Chocolate Stout brewed with vanilla, cinnamon, chili peppers and locally roasted cacao nibs from their friends at Xocolatl Small Batch Chocolate. This is Oaxaca’s third anniversary in celebration of the winter season but timed to celebrate Halloween and Día de los Muertos with its beautifully themed label artwork.
“Our brewing team nails this beer every year. The combination of a great Imperial Stout recipe, locally sourced cacao nibs, cinnamon, vanilla and chilies give this beer a wonderfully complex flavor. It’s one of our favorite releases all year long, and it’s also great as a cellar beer with a bit of age on it – perfect for vertical tastings,” said Mitch Steele, Brewmaster and Co-Founder of New Realm Brewing.
Athletic Brewing brews non-alcoholic Oktoberfest
Following the success of last year’s Sober Oktoberfest and 5K, America’s first exclusively non-alcoholic brewer Athletic Brewing Company is releasing its first non-alcoholic Oktoberfest brew. In honor of the traditional Oktoberfest beers, Athletic Brewing’s Festbier is brewed with German Vienna and Munich malts, and German Hersbrucker hops.
“Up until now, Oktoberfest beers for drinkers looking to keep their edge without compromising their social life have been on the outside looking in. Our Oktoberfest should complement the fall seasonal beer category and allow a wider audience to take part in celebrations – even if this year’s Oktoberfest is in the comfort of our homes rather than at an outdoor tented party,” said Athletic Brewing co-founder John Walker. “Autumn is an exciting time for beer connoisseurs – and a person’s preference for non-alcoholic beverages shouldn’t prevent them from enjoying the rich, complex flavors of an Oktoberfest beer.”
Athletic Brewing brews more than 15 styles – the largest range of any non-alcoholic brewery. Leveraging Athletic’s proprietary brewing process, their brewers developed a great-tasting, full-flavor Festbier. With just 80 calories and 18 IBUs, the brew has a golden appearance, clean malt flavor notes of bread crust and toast, a delicate sweetness, and a restrained bitterness
Tröegs’ innovation shines in HopCyclone
Tröegs Independent Brewing announces the release of two beers for the fall season – the brand new HopCyclone Hazy Double IPA and perennial favorite Master of Pumpkins, available in 16oz cans for the first time ever. While it’s lacking an awesome Metallica pun, HopCyclone is our focus here. Its haze is built with a grain bill of pilsner malt, Vienna malt and wheat. The haze helps prop up hop oils that would normally fall out during fermentation. Speaking of hops, HopCyclone gets a combination of Citra, Sabro, Sultana and Simcoe. And London-3 yeast does the hard work of fermenting this big Double IPA and also boosts the tropical notes.
From their blog: “HopCyclone gets its name from a dry-hopping system we have here at Tröegs. During fermentation, we pull out a portion of beer and with our Hop Gun, we dose in hops to create a densely hopped mix. That mix is then pumped back into the fermenter, and we repeat the process until all the hops that the recipe calls for have been added. To make sure the hops are thoroughly spread throughout the batch, we use our HopCyclone technology to churn the fermenters and make sure those oils hit every last drop of beer.”
Flying Dog celebrates 30 years with Great Job!
For 30 years, Flying Dog Brewery has been marching to the beat of its own drum. To mark the occasion, the brewery did what it does best – brewed a big, hoppy West Coast Style Double IPA that hits like a block party to celebrate, aptly and hilariously named Great Job!, a West Coast Double IPA.
Flying Dog’s brewmasters boiled down everything they have learned in the past 30 years and poured it into one very special anniversary beer. This 9% ABV double IPA balances out the bitterness from Columbus, Centennial and Simcoe hops with subtle toasted malt sweetness. The medium bodied brew is bursting with dank and piney hop aromas and pours a light orange/amber color.
The special anniversary release is the brewery’s way of saying ‘thank you’ to all of their passionate fans that have supported Flying Dog from day one.
“Our fans are the reason we wake up in the morning, and we’re forever thankful for their continued support of damn good craft beer,” said James Maravetz, VP of Marketing for Flying Dog Brewery. “Actions also speak louder than words, so if there is someone in your life that deserves to hear ‘great job!’, don’t just tell them, crack open a beer and hand them one in recognition.”
Flying Dog Brewery’s story began 30 years ago when George Stranahan, founder of the Aspen Center for Physics, opened the Flying Dog Brewpub in Colorado. The name ‘Flying Dog’ was inspired by an oil painting of a dog leaping upward toward the sky that George saw in a hotel in Pakistan after he and his ‘band of innocents’ trekked down from K2’s base camp.
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