Georgia’s newest black-owned brewery, Atlantucky Brewing, is owned by Southern hip-hop trailblazers Nappy Roots. While on tour throughout the past several years, Nappy Roots has collaborated with dozens of breweries and mass-produced numerous beers across the country. The Grammy Award-nominated group began experimenting at their home brewery, which fermented their passion for microbrewing. The name, “Atlantucky,” celebrates the band’s historical roots of being founded in Kentucky and settling in Atlanta.
Atlantucky Brewing is celebrating Women’s History Month by highlighting its Floor Manager and Brewer-in-Training Shana “Boogie Monstah” Otero and other female Atlantucky staff by producing a peach cobbler ale in partnership with beer educator Jen Price of Atlanta Beer Boutique and Craft Women Connect.
The “Peaches & Queens” 6.7 percent alcohol-by-volume peach-infused ale is brewed with real graham cracker, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. It was created with the goal of crafting a beer that both non-beer drinkers and craft beer connoisseurs would enjoy.
“At Atlantucky, our goal has always been to introduce craft beer to underrepresented segments of the craft beer industry,” Boogie said. “Being lucky enough to travel with Nappy Roots to many breweries, allowed me the opportunity to realize there’s a beer out there for everyone. So, we choose to accept that challenge and would like to introduce everyone to their new favorite beers and brewery Atlantucky.”
DC Brau celebrates Pride with label designs
For this year’s Pride, DC Brau partnered with local artist Chord Bezzera of District Co-Op to design this year’s Pride Pils, designing two distinct cans for the public to choose from. Restaurants, bars and retailers will be selling the specially branded DC Brau Pride Pils cans for the fifth year with 100% of the proceeds going to benefit SMYAL and The Blade Foundation.
Since 2017, DC Brau has donated a total of $42,083.92 and sold over 81,576 cans through the Pride Pils program. This year the can labels have been generously donated by Blue Label Packaging Company.
Design 1 (above) was inspired by the 1970s, a transformational decade for LGBTQ+ culture that saw the rise of activism and the establishment of Pride Week. This design reflects the vibrant optimism and that freedom of thought that is still needed today. Design 2 is in direct response to the passage of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which limits what classrooms can teach about sexual orientation and gender identity thereby disenfranchising vulnerable youth. This design seeks to counter the bill’s harmful message and celebrate Pride across the LGBTQ+ community.
The public can vote at PridePils.com through March 31. The winning design will be unveiled in June and will be available across the city for purchase during DC Pride.
Colorado Pint Day is coming up!
The Colorado Brewers Guild (CBG) presents the 7th Annual Colorado Pint Day on Wednesday, April 6. This time-honored tradition has reached cult level status with beer lovers flocking to participating breweries every year to purchase Colorado Pint Day limited edition glassware. $1 of each pint glass sold will be donated to the Colorado Brewers Guild.
More than 100 breweries across the state participated in Colorado Pint Day last year, selling over 19,000 glasses. The beloved fundraiser is a great way to support local, independent craft beer and the CBG’s mission of promoting and protecting its members through advocacy, education, and public awareness.
This year’s theme celebrates Colorado Parks & Wildlife and their 125th anniversary—and includes a fun twist.
“Knowing that there are a lot of talented creatives in our local brewing scene, we decided to hold a friendly competition late last year where brewery employees and contractors could submit their artwork for an opportunity to have their creations featured on Colorado Pint Day glassware and marketing,” says CBG Executive Director Shawnee Adelson. “We’re thrilled that this year we had numerous beautiful submissions.”
The Guild is proud to announce that Anna Long, graphic designer and marketing manager from Copper Kettle Brewing Co. and CEO of Norlo Design, was the lucky winner. Long was previously a graphic designer at Big Grove Brewery in Iowa before moving to Denver to lead the marketing at Copper Kettle Brewing Co. Recently, one of Long’s label designs was awarded a gold medal at the Craft Beer Marketing Awards for best bottle design in 2021. Artist’s statement:
125 years of Colorado Parks and Wildlife calls for a true celebration. From managing all of Colorado’s wildlife to overseeing over 40 state parks, Colorado Parks and Wildlife know their job is anything but simple. State park visitors alone have increased by 30% in the past two years showing us what Coloradans truly value.
Just like the craft beer industry, it takes people that are passionate about their craft to keep it all running. Passion always attracts passion and that will ring true whether you’re in the craft beer industry or nurturing Colorado’s vast land.
This belief was the inspiration behind this design. To celebrate all of Colorado’s natural beauty it has to offer while acknowledging those Park Rangers and staff members that are behind it all. A Great Horned Owl represents the parks as they are found in every state park within Colorado, while a Park Ranger stands tall overlooking the land they so dearly protect.
Pure Project Releases Rove Adventure Beer
San Diego-based craft brewery Pure Project is launching a new beer brand for that sessionable state of mind. Launching March 31, Rove Adventure Beer is bright, refreshing, and clocks in at only 4.2% ABV. Since its inception in 2016, Pure Project has made a name for itself with many of its higher ABV “murky” IPAs and barrel-aged brews. The Pure team is especially excited to take their love of the craft and passion for sustainability to broader audiences with this deliciously drinkable adventure beer. With its subtle flavor profile of lightly toasted grain, pear and honeysuckle, Rove leans on Pure’s ethos of sourcing choice ingredients.
“Built on the essentials—water, malt, hops, and yeast—this beer is simple, and it’s supposed to be,” says Winslow Sawyer, Pure’s co-founder and head brewer. “The Rove brand is a pivot from a lot of the beer styles Pure has produced in the past. Rove is approachable so you can focus on what you’re doing while you drink it; it’s about being in the moment.”
Like its parent, Rove is also a 1% for the Planet brand, meaning 1% of all Rove sales (not just profits) will go to nonprofits that support the planet. All carbon and plastic footprints of Rove will be offset as well.
Lakewood Brewing makes Tangerine Queen a year-round delight
Lakewood Brewing upgraded last year’s smash seasonal Tangerine Queen, an American Wheat beer with orange peel and tangerine, to year-round availability.
“Since citrus are winter fruits we decided to release Tangerine Queen at the peak harvest season,” said Wim Bens, President and Founder of Lakewood Brewing. “Tangerine Queen was a huge hit for us last year so we decided to make it a year-round offering. It’s just such an easy drinking beer with tangerine aroma up front, sweet citrus in the middle, and a soft finish. Perfect for any day of the year.”
A fresh batch will kick off in the brewery Taproom at 2302 Executive Drive in Garland, Texas, and will be available on shelves statewide next month.
Lawson’s Finest Liquids makes Ruby Red Grapefruit available via distribution for Spring
Lawson’s Finest Liquids is welcoming spring with a first-time distribution of its most sought-after specialty beer — Double Sunshine with Ruby Red Grapefruit. The double IPA bursting with fresh ruby red grapefruit flavor and aroma will be available for a limited time at retailers across Lawson’s Finest Liquids nine-state distribution area (VT, CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA and RI) beginning this week.
Double Sunshine with Ruby Red Grapefruit was first dreamed up during a trip to Florida where company owners, Sean and Karen Lawson, fell in love with the refreshing, citrus-infused flavors of several IPAs they sipped along the way. Since the trip, they’ve never looked back and brewed this iconic version of Double Sunshine every year. At 8% ABV, this craft beer is the perfect refreshing, fruit-forward, tropical taste to kick off spring.
“Double Sunshine with Ruby Red Grapefruit is the most highly coveted brew among our loyal fans. This special edition has an extra layer of mouth-watering, juicy, lush fruit character and dank tropical aromas,” said Sean Lawson, CEO and founding brewer of Lawson’s Finest Liquids. “Dried grapefruit zest is used in the kettle, grapefruit purée is added during fermentation and the beer is finished with grapefruit peel added to the tank. The final result is pure delight!”
Uhl’s Brewing celebrates two years with two barrel-aged releases
Uhl’s Brewing turned two in March, celebrating with a weekend of music, food, and barrel-aged beer releases: their anniversary beer, Barrel Aged Big Mole Stout, and a rum barrel-aged Belgian Quadrupel named What Did We Do?
Uhl’s Barrel Aged Big Mole Stout is brewed with a laundry list of exotic ingredients, including Ecuadorian cacao nibs, Tahitian and Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans, Vietnamese and Indonesian cinnamon, and ancho chili peppers from south of the border. Every batch is brewed with slight tweaks on the spice levels, adjusted by the owner Aaron Uhl, to bring out the best flavor every time. Big Mole’s creation stemmed from an award-winning homebrew recipe, inspired by some of the best spiced beer makers in the world, Perennial Artisan Ales, Prairie Artisan Ales and Cigar City. Specifically, Aaron took flavor notes from Prairie’s Bomb! and Perennial’s Abraxas stouts to create his Barrel Aged Big Mole.
“The feedback I got on the original homebrew recipe helped me realize I just may be able to make it on a larger scale,” said Aaron. And indeed he did. Uhl’s will be releasing the Barrel Aged Big Mole, which was aged in a single 9-year-old Buffalo Trace barrel for 14 months, on the weekend of their anniversary.
Uhl’s What Did We Do? is a rum barrel-aged Belgian quadrupel that rested for 12 months in 20-year-old rum barrels from South America before getting racked on more than 50 pounds of fresh bananas, 30 pounds of raw coconut flakes, 2 pounds of Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans and just a hint of cassia chips to round it out. The resulting flavors and aromas ignite the imagination with thoughts of hot buttered rum cakes and Bananas Foster desserts.
New Belgium’s Fruit Smash Super Hard Seltzers
New Belgium Brewing debuted a new variety of Fruit Smash Super Hard Seltzers following the brand’s initial 4.7% ABV variety pack launch last Spring. Fruit Smash Super Hard Seltzer features three new bold and colorful flavors, each packing a party ready punch at 8.0% ABV.
Made with real fruit juice and other natural flavors, Fruit Smash Super Hard Seltzer boasts real fruit flavor and a colorful liquid to match. Flavors include Pineapple Punch, Cherry Lime Chill, and Wild Watermelon, all delivering intense fruit juice flavor at a high ABV, perfect for those occasions where typical hard seltzers fall flat.
“Fruit Smash Super Hard Seltzer is perfect for turning up the fun and making any occasion feel like a party,” said Fruit Smash Brand Manager, Michelle Robertson. “Our new Super Hard flavors deliver bold, real-fruit juice flavor and extra quirkiness to the seltzer world.”
With its unapologetically playful branding, Fruit Smash Super Hard Seltzer is an unexpected and colorful alternative to basic hard seltzers. Now available nationwide.
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