If a craft beer is brewed in the forest and no one is around to send me a press release, does anyone get to know about it? Probably not! And I should know, because I’ve been caught in this bear trap for weeks and no one can hear my screams. Forests, man. They are scary. Please, dear reader, heed this call to send us your beer news at [email protected]. Even if you aren’t distributing it, if it has a cool backstory or interesting ingredients or a great name — and especially if it was brewed in the forest, perhaps in some mystical witch’s cauldron — we want to know about it so that it may be included in this post each week. Pending my continued survival, of course. Here are this week’s craft beers and other adult beverages to know this week.
New Holland Brewing pairing limited-batch pumpkin ale with Tim Burton movie screening
One of fall’s most legendary pumpkin ales rides again this month with the limited-release batch of “Ichabod” by New Holland Brewing Co., a West Michigan-based craft brewer and distiller. Ichabod sets the mood for the season with the perfect blend of malted barley, real pumpkin and bewitching notes of cinnamon and nutmeg for a delicious and inviting brew. The result is an approachable and enjoyable beer with an alcohol content of 4.5 percent.
“We released Ichabod for the first time more than 20 years ago, and it was one of the first beers we ever brewed,” said Joel Petersen, vice president of beer sales. “The anticipation of this limited-batch ale remains one of our most anticipated releases every fall. For the second year, fans can find Ichabod in six-pack cans.”
To celebrate the Halloween season, New Holland Brewing will host two screenings of Tim Burton’s film, Sleepy Hollow, while tapping Ichabod at the events.
Oskar Blues concludes Can-O-Bliss series with some citrus
Oskar Blues Brewery is releasing its latest creation in the Can-O-Bliss IPA Series — the Can-O-Bliss Citrus IPA. Clocking in at 7.2 percent ABV, the Can-O-Bliss Citrus unites an international blend of hops including Motueka, Amarillo, Mandarina Bavaria, Citra, Azacca and Experimental Hop 06277. This juicy hop lineup expresses an exotic array of subtle citrus fruit flavors like kaffir lime, bergamot, tangerine and yuzu alongside more typical notes of grapefruit and orange. All citrus fruit flavors are a result of the hop profile, rather than the addition of fruit or fruit flavoring.
“This series seeks out unique hop combinations constructed with hops that we travel the world to hand select,” said Oskar Blues Head of Brewing Operations Tim Matthews. “Everything in Can-O-Bliss Citrus is driven by the hops. The plentiful addition makes the mouthfeel silky and well-rounded. Nuanced citrus flavors are expressed throughout, and the beer finishes with a saturation of hop flavors and effervescent bitterness that stacks each sip on previous sip.”
Can-O-Bliss Citrus IPA concludes the rotational Can-O-Bliss IPA series for 2019, having followed Can-O-Bliss Hazy IPA, which was released in May 2019, and Can-O-Bliss Tropical IPA, which debuted in late 2018. The series focuses on highlighting new and experimental hops and unusual hop combinations.
Ill Mannered celebrates four years with seven special tappings
Ill Mannered Brewing Co. is turning four and is blowing it out at the brewery once again on Saturday August 24 from 11:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. The brewery will release seven special tappings throughout the day along with other fan favorites from the last four years. The Frou Year lineup will include the following beers and be released progressively throughout the day:
- 1. Hazy Ohio New England Style Pale Ale
- 2. Passionfruit Infused Hazy Ohio New England Style Pale Ale
- 3. Blood Orange infused Pandora’s Juice Box New England Super Pale Ale
- 4. Subterfuge Imperial Stout (2019 Vintage)
- 5. Subterfuge Imperial Stout (2018 Vintage)
- 6. Barrel Aged Subterfuge Imperial Stout (2017 Vintage)
- 7. Old Man Groan Barrel Aged Strong Ale (Oldmanski Old Ale/Audible Groan Barleywine Blend)
In addition to it being the four-year anniversary of the brewery, it is also the one-year anniversary of the brewery moving into its new, expanded facility. The Ill Mannered Team retained its original space and has been using it to barrel age beers. The old Taproom dubbed “The Ill Mannered Barrel House” will be opening for viewing during the anniversary party for the nostalgic drinker. The Brewery will also begin using it to hold private events and as a meeting space.
New Realm with the best named beer of the week: Bless Your Little Tart
A tart gose brewed with a blue-ribbon combination of fruit, New Realm Brewing’s Bless Your Little Tart boasts blueberries and peaches with added blackberry, sea salt and coriander. This new sour ale offers that fresh taste of good-ole southern hospitality in a can or on draft.
“It’s a pretty well-known fact that Georgia produces peaches, but not many know that blueberries are the largest fruit crop in the state,” said Mitch Steele, cofounder and brewmaster of New Realm Brewing. “Turns out that blueberries are also widely grown in Virginia, so we thought why not combine the two great fruits from our two home states to create a kind of the perfect salute to summertime.”
The southern hospitality-inspired gose is now available for a limited time on draft and in 12-oz six-pack cans in New Realm’s Atlanta and Virginia Beach brewery to-go coolers, as well as your favorite retailers around Georgia and the Hampton Roads, northern and western areas of Virginia.
Bear Republic gets Uber Dank in its Challenge Series
#58 Uber Dank IPA is the fourth release of the Challenge Series from Bear Republic. This Uber Dank IPA is aggressive in its aromatic pleasure as Simcoe, Ella, Vic Secret, Sabro and Columbus hops contribute a piney, grape fruity, tropical and diesel dank aroma. Uber Dank IPA is an 7 percent ABV ale. Brewed with Bear Republic’s own house yeast with pale and biscuit malts lending a lightly toasted flavor that doesn’t get in the way of the massive late hop aroma rolling it all together.
“Each addition in the Challenge Series lineup is a fresh take on the IPA style, each beer tastes unique and is only brewed once. #58 is a personal favorite, like the name suggests its dank aroma pulls you in upon first pop, with pleasantly toasty malt and a sticky icky hop finish. Uber Dank IPA clocks in at 7 percent and for best results keep it on ice for your next adventure,” said Bear Republic Brewmaster Roger Herpst.
Cannabis, ciders, seltzers and spirits
Two Roots Brewing has two new seasonal cannabis-infused craft beers
Cannabiniers is expanding its pioneering brand of cannabis-infused craft beer, Two Roots Brewing Co., with the release of two new seasonal styles Mango Dango and Grapefruit Fight. Born and brewed in southern California, the new non-alcoholic, THC-infused craft beer flavors are available for purchase at dispensaries across Nevada and California.
Two Roots’ core product offering consists of three styles; lager, IPA and wheat, each holding the top three SKUs of infused beverages in Nevada according to Headset, and are rapidly capturing market share in California. Two Roots’ Mango Dango and Grapefruit Fight are the first seasonal THC-infused craft beers and offer a delicious alternative to its portfolio. For the IPA fan, Mango Dango is hoppy with mango infusion, while Grapefruit Fight is a true radler combining traditional lager and grapefruit.
Delivering a consistent dose of THC through patent-pending technology, Two Roots non-alcoholic, cannabis-infused craft beer replicate a traditional alcohol experience in each and every tinny. Two roots significantly speeds up the onset of effects for a controlled experience, while maintaining a true craft beer taste with lower calories, and no hangover.
The launch of the seasonal flavors comes on the heels of Two Roots release of a limited edition PRIDE themed tinny, available in select dispensaries with proceeds benefiting local chapters of the LGBT Community Center.
Blake’s Hard Cider now has a Lite Cider line
Now to be left out of the “healthier alcohol” craze, Blake’s Hard Cider, the Midwest’s largest craft cidery known for its farm-to-can process, is introducing Blake’s Lite Cider line, a variety of hard ciders crafted with Michigan apples with zero net sugar and only 100 calories. The dry, slightly tart light ciders are offered in three flavors — lime mojito, mixed berry and apple — and will hit store shelves in early September and is available now on draft at Blake’s Tasting Room in Armada.
Like Blake’s full line of hard ciders, its new Lite Ciders are all-natural and gluten-free made from a five-apple blend of fresh pressed Michigan apples grown and harvested on Blake’s 800-acre orchard with no artificial flavorings or sweeteners. The new line of light ciders is the first of its kind by an independently owned cidery in Michigan and an answer to the low-calorie, low-carb hard seltzer category craze that has taken the beverage industry country by storm.
“We’re able to keep the calories low and the sugar at zero by using real ingredients, fermenting out the natural apple sugars and carbonating with water,” said Andrew Blake, owner and founder of Blake’s Hard Cider. “It’s not a complex process when you have fresh fruit surrounding you.”
Spirits made of hemp seeds, anyone?
Former CEO of CuraLeaf and COO of Curio Wellness Ted Dumbauld saw an opportunity to create an entirely new category and flavor profile for liquors. His creation, Sono1420, is a line of small batch whiskeys and gins using hemp seeds and flowers. The name, 1420, is a nod to the state Senate’s 14-to-20 vote against alcohol prohibition in 1919. The spirits are produced in Norwalk, Conn., and currently available in liquor stores and restaurants throughout the state, with plans to expand.
2 Whiskeys are spirits distilled from grains and hemp seed and finished in oak barrels:
1420 BBN — Most people would call this bourbon, but the federal government won’t let them because it contains hemp seed. The mash bill, like many whiskeys, is comprised of 75 percent corn, 15 percent rye and 10 percent milled hemp seed. The nose on this spirit is unexpected, considering the mash bill — light and floral, suggestive of honeysuckle with hints of dried fruit, particularly cherries. On the palate, all the vanilla, cinnamon and honey expected of a bourbon whiskey are present but, instead of trailing off into the usual extended, syrupy butterscotch-caramel finish, the journey continues down towards some interesting, nutty-flavor characteristics — another contribution of the ground hemp seed.
1420 Hemped Rye Whisky — Made from 75 percent rye, 15 percent corn and 10 percent milled hemp seed, this spirit exhibits pepper on the nose, with a faint and elusive honey undertone. On the palate, the characteristic bite of rye has been softened to a nibble, allowing flavors of pepper and cinnamon-honey to spring forth pursued by marzipan and dried fruits in the finish. For all its intrigue, this is a rye-drinker’s rye — a day-in/day-out, easy sipping whiskey.
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