Texas’ Austin Beerworks and _OFCOLOR announced the release of its limited-edition WKND Gold brew, produced to amplify Black voices and celebrate Black culture across Austin, and released in conjunction with the city’s Black Art WKND, which just took place.
The beer is a refreshing lager brewed with Heirloom Carolina Gold rice, which is rooted in African lineage. The flavor encompasses overtones of honey, melon, citrus, and red berries. It finishes bright and crisp with a nice heirloom grain backbone.
Jonathan ‘Chaka’ Mahone designed the can’s label, which he hopes inspires a oneness, openness and mystery among event attendees.
“The design stems from the concept that the Black experience throughout time and space has produced such vibrant fruit from its abundant garden that never ends,” he said. “Both plants and the humans are connected, growing in unison.”
Also featured on the can are sparkling diamonds and gold. Mahone says those, along with oil, minerals and more all come from the rich, black soil of Alkebulan — the ancient name for Africa which means mother of mankind.
“The black figures emerge from this mystical garden as representations of all that richness and abundance – the all in all,” Mahone added.
This is the first collaboration between Austin Beerworks and _OFCOLOR, which is an emerging arts alliance that creates inclusive spaces for artists of color to showcase their craft and talents — but it’s not the first collaboration of its kind. The brewers continuously partner with the community and support local artists by giving them a blank beer can as their canvas.
“We’re excited to partner with the _OFCOLOR team to create a commemorative beer for Black Art WKND,” said Clinton Mack, Cellar Manager at Austin Beerworks. “_OFCOLOR’s organization champions communities of color building pipelines for creativity throughout Austin. We’re proud to feature the work of the emerging artists they support.”
Happening just before Juneteenth, _OFCOLOR’s 2nd Annual Black Art WKND will honor the people, places, and practices of the Black community in Austin and beyond. More than 40 emerging contemporary and urban artists will be featured in exhibits throughout Distribution Hall, along with live music, VIP, and dining experiences throughout the event.
“We are honored to join forces with Austin Beerworks in this meaningful collaboration,” RuDi Devino, Founding Member of _OFCOLOR said. “Their support amplifies our drive in bringing diverse creatives to the forefront of Austin’s thriving art scene.”
Virginia Beer Co. ensures freshness of Friends of Dorothy for Pride Month
While Virginia Beer Co.’s Pride IPA is released at different times throughout the year to celebrate beers for all, all the time, the brewery always likes to make sure there’s a fresh batch available at the start of June. And this year, for the first time ever, this release of 7.3% Hazy IPA brewed with Citra + El Dorado hops will be available across Virginia.
“This summer’s batch of Friends Of Dorothy is our biggest & brightest yet,” boldly proclaims Virginia Beer Co. Director of Sales Michael Rhodes.
And if that wasn’t enough: this version of Pride IPA also holds a special place in the VBC team’s hearts as it’s brewed in partnership with Equality Virginia.
“We’re proud to be supporting this non-profit whose mission is focused on building a fully inclusive Commonwealth by educating, empowering, and mobilizing Virginians to ensure all LGBTQ people are free to live, love, learn, and work,” comments Luci L.
Also new in 2022, The Virginia Beer Co. will be making a road trip to the Nation’s Capital for the Hop Culture X New Belgium Brewing Queer Beer 2022 festival.
“We’re thrilled to be popping up at The Wharf in DC with Hop Culture to join a group of 30 breweries who are dedicated to supporting the LGBTQIA+ community…and a portion of proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the Transgender Law Center“, remarks Virginia Beer Co. Operations Manager Luci Legaspi.
Blue Moon creator presents new look for alcohol-free, CBD and THC beers
Ceria Brewing Co., cofounded by Keith Villa, the brewmaster who created Blue Moon, recently announced a new look for its alcohol free (AF) and THC- and CBD-infused craft beers, offering an elevated experience in the moments that matter most. Ceria unveiled a new brand identity that pays homage to Ceres — the ancient Roman goddess of harvest. The new packaging reveals earthy purple, blue and green tones that are classically inspired, yet have a modern and abstract feel for a universal appeal. Read (and see!) more about it right here.
Exhibit A’s locally sourced low-ABV IPA
Mass.-based Exhibit ‘A’ produces several options that have a lower alcohol by volume content for easier drinking. Short Sell is 4.7% ABV, for example, and it’s an American IPA that hits all the selling points: refreshing, fruity, sessionable, a touch of bitterness, and a crisp clean finish that doesn’t sell itself short. Brewed with all locally grown and malted grains, each case of Short Sell supports 72 square feet of local farmland.
Goody Two Shoes, at 4.5% ABV, is another. It is a German-style Kölsch that’s crisp and clean, with light flavors of lemon, white flour and fresh baked crackers that flow into a dry finish. It is rated a perfect 100 by BeerAdvocate.
Barnett & Son Brewing takes reader’s choice (again), celebrates with Cheers to 7 Years!
Parker, Colo.’s Barnett & Son Brewing Co. has been voted the city’s Best Brewery by Parker Chronicle readers for seven years now and celebrated its 7th anniversary with special beers made for the occasion. The “Cheers to 7 Years!” weekend-long party was Barnett & Son’s ode to the start of summer— this year amplified with BBQ, an anniversary tapping of a Belgian-style White Ale (made with orange peel and coriander seed), specialty firkins, and custom glassware.
DC Brau’s summer seasonals are coming! (Turbo Boost Multiball is our fav)
DC Brau released its roundup of seasonal summer brews last week, including their Keller Pils, Turbo Boost Multiball, Stacked Vote Cold IPA, Total Victory German-style Weizenbock and Sea You At The Bottom. We shall spotlight Turbo Boost Multiball, which is an experimental Hazy IPA that packs a punch. Fermented at 95 degrees F with Norwegian Farmhouse yeast, it produces flavors that compliment fruit forward hops.
Turbo Boost pours a bright yet hazy orange hue with a thick, fluffy aromatic head. Tropical flavors of citrus, passionfruit, and mango blend harmoniously on the palate and finish with crispy, slightly bitter notes of pine and orange peel. This beer encapsulates all the bright flavors of summer and deserves a spot at all your summer gatherings.
Sea You at The Bottom is also cool: This pale farmhouse ale was brewed with the shells, meat, and liquor from 200 Harris Creek Oysters – raised locally in the Chesapeake Bay. Bright, clean, dry, and effervescent, Sea You At The Bottom is the perfect brew to pair with favorite raw bar selects.
Almanac Beer has a new year-round West Coast Pale Ale
Northern California’s Almanac Beer Co. expands its year-round fresh beer portfolio with a new West Coast pale ale, FLOW Pale Ale (5.5% ABV), that fits right into the Almanac family of fresh beers available 12 months of the year. FLOW Pale Ale takes a classic West Coast style and brews it for the modern drinker who loves to kick back a cold one (or three!) after a day of kayaking, lazy river rafting, or hitting the mountain biking trails.
“Nothing hits the spot quite like a refreshing West Coast pale ale,” says Damian Fagan, Founder & CEO. “As the beer style that originally captured my heart, I decided it was time to create a worthy Almanac version. It took over a year of R&D before we nailed the final recipe, but we couldn’t be more excited about the result. FLOW is all about balance. It’s got a huge hop aroma and is bursting with notes of juicy lemon, ripe melon, and fresh berries and pine. The bitterness is restrained, the finish is clean, and the body is light and crisp. FLOW is a simple beer, and it’s just plain delicious.”.
The Chevron mosaic label design of FLOW Pale Ale pops with just as much punch as when opening a 16 oz. can on the beach. The golden hour glow of a California sunset with hues of turquoise reflecting off of the ocean water composes the FLOW color palette. Dry-hopped with Simcoe and El Dorado, FLOW is full of character with a super light body.
Almanac beers can be enjoyed at their beautiful 30,000 square feet Alameda Island brewery and taproom (and their outdoor beer garden) located inside a refurbished former airplane hangar (originally built in 1942).
21st Amendment abducts X-14 from CLS Farms for limited-edition Imperial IPA
21st Amendment Brewery and lauded family-owned hop farm CLS Farms team up for a limited-edition Imperial IPA brewed with innovative hops grown in Yakima Valley in Washington State. Close Encounters of a Hop Kind (8.5% ABV) transports beer drinkers far beyond typical Double IPAs with CLS Farms’ extraterrestrial proprietary hop varieties: El Dorado®, Zappa®, and the brand new, never before used X-14. Handcrafted out of a love for experimental hops, Close Encounters of a Hop Kind is a deceptively easy-drinking DIPA.
“Close Encounters goes well beyond just a beer name,” says Shelley Desmarais, Co-Owner of CLS Farms. “Our communities of hop farmers and brewers are full of close connections, and we tell our stories best through exciting collaborations such as this one. Hops arrive in different ways either by a nursery, born in a field, or fallen from the sky. The composition of hops and how they affect beer are so unique that they seem out of this world. Close Encounters allows us to share the lure of hop mystery.”
CLS Farms offered 21st Amendment exclusive access to world-renowned hops so 21st Amendment Co-Founder and Brewmaster Shaun O’Sullivan can be inventive with how he approaches the hottest beer styles.
“Discovering new and experimental hops is a driving energy behind the excitement for craft beer. Our friends Eric and Shelley Desmarais at CLS Farms along with their family and crew are at the tip of the spear with hop innovation and exploring new varietals. That innovation brings our collaboration to a higher level. Close Encounters with its light haze and deep straw color has flavor and aroma bursts of tropical, stone fruit, lime, melon, and purple, that’s right purple. All those flavors wrapped and tucked into a double IPA in a 16 ounce can, well, we can all definitely dig that,” says O’Sullivan.
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