Never a Dill Moment is a 5.5% ABV beer that’s made with 70 gallons of The Real Dill pickles and brine, inspired by WeldWerks Brewing Marketing Manager Lauren Kayl’s love of both pickles and beer. The Greeley, Colo., brewery looked to their friends at The Real Dill, a Denver-based company that makes artisan pickles and bloody Mary mix, to make Kayl’s dream a reality.
“One of my favorite aspects of WeldWerks has always been our commitment to embracing new ideas and our willingness to draw inspiration from any of our co-workers like Lauren,” says WeldWerks Head Brewer Skip Schwartz. “My only condition with this project, though, is that if we’re going to venture into the pickle beer space, it has to be with our close friends at The Real Dill. Their involvement has been crucial in ensuring that we not only craft a pickle beer but that it’s the absolute best pickle beer on the planet.”
This unconventional ale is easy drinking and slightly tart with subtle notes of dill and spices. This extremely limited beer will be available on draft at WeldWerks on Friday, Sept. 1, as well as at participating retailers in Colorado.
The dynamic duo previously worked together during the fall of 2021 to create the country’s first barrel-aged bloody mary mix where The Real Dill aged their bestselling bloody mary mix in three of WeldWerks’ Medianoche Imperial Stout barrels and then blended them. This will be WeldWerks’ first pickle beer but hopefully not the last.
“Making something fun and unique is always rewarding, but it is even better to do it with a company like WeldWerks who prides themselves in breaking the mold,” says The Real Dill Co-Founder Tyler DuBois. “We love working with WeldWerks, and welcome any chance we get to collaborate with them, no matter how crazy the idea!”
Never a Dill Moment will be available starting Sept. 1 and will have limited distribution within the front range in Colorado, with some distribution into Summit County and the Western Slope.
Seattle brewers look to Kickstart Douglas Lager
Seattle’s Chris Smith and John Marti, both with a long history of brewing, have announced the soon-to-be-released Douglas Lager, an uncomplicated and classic beer that’s brewed and bottled in the Pacific Northwest. With this announcement, the brewers have also kicked off a Kickstarter campaign to invite community members to help them launch the area’s next iconic everyday lager. Details for the Kickstarter are available here.
“The PNW has a long and rich heritage of creating great beers, but what has been missing is a locally produced, macro-style lager,” said Chris Smith, CEO at Douglas Lager. “Our new Douglas Lager recalls a time when beer was simple and delicious, and when everyday lagers were brewed here. We want to bring that tradition back. So, we created a Kickstarter campaign for the community to help us launch Douglas Lager and bring it to even more bars and restaurants.”
The Douglas Lager Kickstarter page features multiple options to back the launch with pledge options ranging from $50 to $1,000. Rewards are received for each pledge level. These include an exclusive, Kickstarter-only Dougie Bucket Hat, a Douglas Lager Care Package featuring branded swag, a Douglas Lager Jersey inspired by a famed PNW sports team, an old-school wooden beer crate, and the option to meet with the people behind the scenes and see the historic machinery in Tacoma, including some pieces from Olympia Beer’s old bottling line, that helps brings Douglas Lager to life.
“So far we’ve created the identity, landed a distributor, and are on the home stretch to get this beer into the greater Cascadia marketplace,” said John Marti, Head Brewer at Douglas Lager.
Arizona Wilderness commemorates 10 years with 10 beers
This week, Arizona Wilderness — a Cheers to 10 Years featured brewery — will be officially commemorating its 10th year with four days of beer-fueled festivities, during which the brewery will release 10 new beers. Here’s the whole schedule.
THROWBACK THURSDAY – Thursday, Aug. 31. On this day, AZ Wilderness will bring back some of its most legendary beers, chosen to come out of retirement by fans. The beers:
- Baboquivari Blonde Ale: A Belgian-style blonde ale brewed with Rango Honey.
- Big Guy Rye: A double rye IPA with Centennial, Nelson Sauvin, and Amarillo hops.
- Suit-N-Tie: A hazy IPA with Cascade, Simcoe, and Mosaic hops, fermented with Sacc. Trois yeast.
BLACK FRIDAY – Friday, Sept. 1. On the second day of festivities, the Wilderness brewers journey into the dark side of beer and release three imperial stouts. The beers:
- Battle Axe: A throwback beer selected by fans, this brutal imperial stout was aged many months in Scotch barrels for smooth, peaty smokiness.
- Evening Hymn: This is a special draft-only release of a beer packaged exclusively for Cellar Co-op members. It’s a blend of imperial stouts aged 12 months in cherry brandy barrels and bourbon barrels.
- German Chocolate American Presidential Stout: Once upon a time, three of our brewers crafted special batches of American Presidential, our annual President’s Day imperial stout, in a contest to see who could make the best-tasting beer using additional ingredients. This is the version that won. It’s brewed with cacao nibs, vanilla bean, and house-toasted coconut.
TRIPLE DREAMSICLE SATURDAY – Saturday, Sept. 2. Triple Dreamsicle is a version of AZ Wilderness’ incredibly popular (but very limited) Dreamsicle IPA brewed with even more Citra hops, even more milk sugar, and even more Agritopia oranges. It’s 10.2% ABV and a brilliant representation of how far the brewery’s fruit-based beers have come in a decade. Wilderness will also be releasing cans of Kernza Lager, a collaboration with Patagonia Provisions.
SUNDAY, WOODY SUNDAY – Sunday, Sept. 3. To wrap up the 10 year anniversary celebrations, Wilderness brewers are opening up the Woodnotes Cellar. It’s here that the brewery’s most complex beers are born: fruit-infused sours, mixed-culture saisons, and spontaneously fermented wild ales all resting in oaken foeders and wine barrels. The beers being released:
- Counoise Piquette: A mixed-culture sour ale rested on second-use Counoise grapes from Page Springs Cellars’ Colibri Vineyard.
- Through Endless Ages: A “Biere de Provision,” a Franco-Belgian inspired ale that’s typically higher in alcohol and cellared for longer periods of time than similar beers. It’s a strong, barrel aged mixed-culture saison dry-hopped with whole-cone Cascade hops that were aged four years at the Woodnotes Cellar.
Braxton Brewing brews tribute to BonBonerie Opera Cream Cake
Braxton Brewing Co., a local brewery with national recognition, announces the launch of what promises to be a Cincinnati favorite limited time offering this week, Braxton’s BonBonerie Opera Cream Ale. This specialty, limited-edition stout is a marriage between Braxton’s expertly brewed beer and Cincinnati’s own BonBonerie’s iconic Opera Cream Torte. Consumers will be able to find the ale in a six-pack of 12oz cans at the Braxton taproom and at Kroger stores throughout Cincinnati, Dayton and Northern Kentucky.
Braxton will celebrate the launch of this soon-to-be favorite LTO at the Covington’s “Opera Fest” on September 30, 2023 in the Covington Taproom.
“The BonBonerie Opera Cream Cake is such an iconic and nostalgic Cincinnati flavor, and we’re so excited to launch this beer as the first of our new Cincinnati Favorites line,” shares Jake Rouse, Co-Founder and CEO of Braxton Brewing Co. “The BonBonerie brand has been serving customers for over forty years and enjoys a robust history in Cincinnati. This beer represents such a unique flavor in Cincinnati Craft beer that we are honored to be working with The BonBonerie to launch the stout!”
Schlafly Biergarten variety pack
Schlafly Beer released its new Biergarten variety 12-pack, a canned beer variety pack with three exclusive brews – Dunkel Lager, Munich Helles Lager, Bavarian Weiss Ale – plus the seasonal fan-favorite, Oktoberfest Amber Lager. The pack is Schlafly’s celebration of the German tradition of Biergartens: an outdoor gathering spot to enjoy local beers located in villages and towns across Germany.
“Schlafly’s Oktoberfest is such a huge hit with our customers for the fall season that we wanted to create a full pack that embodies German seasonal beers,” says Schlafly CEO, Fran Caradonna. “This is our take on classic recipes and a nod to the rich history of that particular tradition.”
Two Roads Brewing collaborates with Vermont native Noah Kahan
Craft brewing meets musical artistry with Two Roads Brewing Co.’s new collaborative brewing project with Vermont native Noah Kahan: Northern Attitude IPA. New England through and through, Northern Attitude IPA is a piney, resinous, 7% ABV IPA inspired by the music that Noah’s fans have come to know and love.
“Noah, his music, and his values embody the same Road Less Traveled mindset we take to crafting beer,” said Collin Kennedy, Director of Marketing of Two Roads. “Noah and Two Roads are both from, and of, New England, wear their regional pride on their sleeves and draw upon that region to inspire their respective crafts. So, teaming up with Noah to create a beer that pays homage to our roots and benefits an important cause in The Busyhead Project was just a natural from the start. Not to mention we have a ton of employees that are huge fans of Noah’s music!”
Two Roads and Kahan worked closely together to create Northern Attitude IPA, from taste profile to package design – all while Kahan is on tour. The beer aims to drive awareness and funds for The Busyhead Project, an organization founded by Kahan that provides resources to mental health organizations dedicated to meeting the needs of marginalized communities with both crisis care and tools for sustainable resilience.
Northern Attitude IPA will first be available at Two Roads’ Stratford, Conn. brewery on September 3rd, but fans can also get a taste at Kahan’s upcoming concert at the Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater in Bridgeport, Conn. on September 5th and the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion on September 6th and 7th.
Crooked Stave teams with Lawson’s Finest to release Gumbo
Denver’s Crooked Stave announced the release of Lupulin Gumbo, a Juicy IPA brewed in collaboration with Vermont-based brewery Lawson’s Finest Liquids. Named in tribute to Phish’s “Gumbo”, this limited release combines the brewing techniques of both breweries, highlighting the tropical, citrus flavors of the unique hop combination and resulting in a juicy, 7% ABV IPA hopped with Talus, Vista and HBC 630.
“We are so excited to debut this collaboration beer with Crooked Stave in Colorado! With intense floral notes and some stone fruit notes as well, Talus hops have a truly unique character that is unlike any other hop I’ve brewed with,” said Sean Lawson, founding brewer of Lawson’s Finest Liquids. “Blending Talus into the hop varieties that make up this Lupulin Gumbo is reminiscent of Phish seamlessly blending the diverse elements of rock, funk, and jazz into every set.“
Kentucky’s West Sixth announces two Labor Day releases
West Sixth Brewing, one of Kentucky’s largest craft breweries, has announced two new strategically important beers that will both be available ahead of the Labor Day Weekend.
Sixer Light Lager is a new year-round easy drinking light lager that will be available in six packs – but West Sixth is banking on the early success of pre-sales of 12 packs into larger chain stores to serve as an indicator for how the beer will be widely received and marketed.
“From a strategic standpoint, it helps us considerably to offer a year-round light lager,” said Kelly Hieronymus, Marketing & Creative Director at West Sixth Brewing. “I won’t say lagers are going to unseat IPAs as the best-selling style of craft beer, but having something that almost takes less of a craft approach may be a way to re-introduce ourselves to a newer audience. We’re betting a lot of our current customers are going to be happy to see this one, as well – we’re even going to be kicking off a daily six o’clock happy hour at all of our taprooms in honor of Sixer.”
Burning Daylight is a big double IPA that officially joined the West Sixth lineup of flagship beers at the brewery’s annual IPA Fest, which this year was on August 12th. At 9.5% ABV, this Citra and Mosaic-dominated hop bomb brings big flavors but drinks smooth.
“If you know one thing about West Sixth Brewing, it’s that we love our IPAs,” said Andy Smith, head brewer at West Sixth. “Our original IPA is our best-seller and can be found on draft, in six packs, twelve packs, and 19.2 ounce cans in every corner of the state. But we’ve never had a year-round Double IPA and saw an opportunity to make something that would compete well in a market. Now they won’t have to wait for the next IPA Fest to get their hands on some Daylight.”
San Diego’s Original 40 releases two new IPAs
The Original 40 Brewing Company will release Small Worlds West Coast IPA and Way Up West Coast Cold IPA on Friday. Both beers will be available on draft and in four packs of 16-oz cans at the North Park brewpub. Head Brewer Zack Kaplan made the announcement.
Small Worlds is double hopped with El Dorado, Mosaic, and Simcoe hops. It has a 7.0% alcohol-by-volume (ABV) and tasting notes of peach and stone fruit. Way Up, which was fermented with lager yeast at a higher temperature, has a 6.6% ABV and aromas of pine and citrus.
“You can never have enough West Coast IPAs in The Capital of Craft,” Kaplan said. “After all, the local craft beer community is known for them. Small Worlds is nice and dry, as well as crisp. Way Up, meanwhile, showcases the holy trinity of Mosaic, Simcoe, and Citra hops. It is bursting with flavor and is truly crushable.”
With the addition of the two beers, Original 40’s on-tap menu includes seven different IPAs: Can We Kick It? (West Coast, 6.6% ABV), Disco Dove (Double Hazy, 8.5% ABV), Juice Maze (Hazy, 7.0% ABV), Space Metal Fantasy Vol. 2 (Double West Coast, 12.0% ABV), and Westerly Flow (West Coast, 7.0% ABV).
“It’s fun to just turn Zack loose and have him push the boundaries of all IPA styles,” said Original 40 founder Steve Billings. “We hope beer connoisseurs and casual beer drinkers alike will come by and try Zack’s creations in the heart of North Park.”
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