Gather round and I’ll tell you a tale. It’s about an ordinary fella who set out to write a short, mildly humorous introduction to a beer list years ago. Why, it was in a space just like this, come to think of it. He started it as a goof — an easy gimmick for sharing beer news — and it stayed that way … in the beginning. But soon the weeks became months and this easy task he assigned himself, well, it wasn’t so easy. But, he continued. He had to! It was his idea, after all. Until one day, he finally snapped. He buried his laptop in his backyard, refusing to be ruled by this prison of his own making anymore. He promised himself he’d start living right. Travel the world. Write a poem. Take up botany.
But the following Thursday, a week just before Halloween — on a day just like this, come to think of it — there it was, sitting on his dining room table. His laptop. It had nary a scratch or smudge and was open to a blank “Five Beers to Know” post. He screamed, noting he often screams. He ran out to his car, turned the key, looked in the rear view only to see that blank document cursor blinking behind him. There was no escape. No matter how far he traveled, no matter how hungover he was, no matter how time-consuming botany would be, he was doomed to write Five Beers to Know for eternity. He still drove away that night. Some say he’s still out there, and if you scroll down just a little further, you can still see the five beers he wanted you to know about this week. And if you send him your own beer news at [email protected], he may even respond.
Boo! Mr. Peanut finally has a beer to call his own
Despite the monocle and top hat, we always knew Mr. Peanut was just a regular legume like the rest of us, and this news affirms it. Planters is launching Mr. IPA-Nut, marking the brand’s first entry into the craft beer market. The brewing honors went to Noon Whistle Brewing of Lombard, Ill.
“It would have been easy to make a great stout or porter with nuts, but Planters wanted to prove that nuts go great with any style beer,” said Michael Condon, owner at Noon Whistle Brewing. “Therefore, we took their Honey Roasted Peanuts and made a great IPA that highlights both hops and peanuts.”
Mr. IPA-Nut is available in four-packs of 16-oz cans for $9.99 and is available exclusively in Illinois beginning October 27 at select stores and at Noon Whistle Brewery.
L.L. Bean celebrates the craftsmanship of small batches with Maine brewers
L.L.Bean has partnered with five Maine craft breweries on an exclusive release of outdoor-inspired, small batch craft beer to coincide with its latest Maine-made small batch L.L.Bean Boots. The collaboration is a celebration of Maine craftsmanship across industries and the quality of small batches. Over the course of several months, Fogtown Brewing Co., Rising Tide, Orono Brewing Co., Threshers Brewing Co. and Mast Landing Brewing Co. created five exclusive brews. Both brewers and boot makers met to learn about their chosen crafts and shared experiences and inspiration.
“Within our 106-year tradition, there’s room for creativity,” said Willie Lambert, corporate merchant manager for footwear at L.L.Bean. “Our Small Batch Bean Boots highlight our craftsmanship through limited edition colors and materials, as well as unique design features. Our hope is you’ll be the only kid on the block with these unique kicks.”
The newly released beer will be available at each brewery and in select retailers throughout Maine. The official beer list release includes:
- 100 Mile Wilderness Stout from Mast Landing Brewing Co., a trail mix stout with flavors of peanuts, chocolate and cranberries
- Knife’s Edge IPA from Thresher’s Brewing Co., a malty IPA with a woodsy profile and hints of caramel
- The Way Life Should Be IPA from Orono Brewing Co., a triple dry-hopped IPA with 100 percent Maine-grown grain
- Drift American Ale from Rising Tide Brewing Co., a tart ale with local sumac berries
- Wonderland Acadian Pale Ale from Fogtown Brewing Co., a herbal ale brewed with sea water and infused with sweet fern and bog myrtle
Dig these awesome LIC Beer Project cans at its Halloween party
This Saturday Long Island, N.Y.’s LIC Beer Project is throwing its first Halloween Costume Party and can release and, wow, these cans are awesome. The beer inside is Allegiance Beneath — an Imperial India Pale Ale brewed with three oat varieties then double dry hopped with several varieties of American hops that are LIC favorites. It clocks in at 8.5 percent ABV and a four-pack will sell for $22 at the party with a one-case limit, so these are limited as is the invite list. The can release is at noon, but bracelets will start being handed out at 10 a.m., and you must be in line and remain in line. After the first 200 people, can allotments may be subject to change. The Halloween party kicks off at 6 p.m. and includes a costumer contest, music by Lord Plek, food by Little Chef, Little Kitchen and A.J. Ruby.
Seedstock’s latest inspired by Prague’s U Fleku brewpub
Seedstock Brewery’s latest beer, Bohemian Dunkel is a throwback — a Czech-style dark lager — inspired by the Bohemian Dunkel at Prague’s U Fleku brewpub. This dark lager at 5.5 percent ABV has a great mouth feel, finishing crisp and clean. Old Prague is a Czech-style beer that was popular in Prague in the early 1800s. It’s a pre-lager beer light in color with a full body and smooth mouthfeel at 6.6-percent ABV. Old Prague has an earthy bitterness that results from a generous amount of Czech Saaz hops.
“We’re always working to expose people to old-world recipes that aren’t nearly as prevalent as they used to be, which is a shame” said Seedstock Owner Ron Abbott. “We want to ensure Czech-style lagers recipes continue to be players in the craft beer industry.”
Cascade Brewing wins best beer name of the week with Primordial Noir
Cascade Brewing has introduced Primordial Noir 2017 to its lineup of bottles projects. Primordial Noir is a blend of imperial red ales aged in bourbon and wine barrels for up to two years with Northwest-grown Bing cherries and spices. A concentrated precursor to Cascade’s Sang Noir project, Primordial Noir features a more robust bourbon and cherry presence with notes of roast malt, molasses and baking spices. The beer is 10.5 percent ABV and is available now in 500-ml bottles and on draft.
“To make our Sang Noir, we take red wine barrel-aged reds, blend them with bourbon barrel-aged reds, then add 150 pounds of Bing cherries to each barrel,” explained Tim Larrance, Cascade vice president of sales and marketing. “For Primordial Noir, we chose to skip the red wine aged reds and go straight with the bourbon barrel reds and cherries. The reds shine spectacularly with a balanced cherry flavor.”
This marks the fourth 500-ml bottle release for Cascade Brewing, on the heels of Kriek, Apricot and Framblanc. The brewery switched from 750-ml bottles to the new size with a commensurate price point earlier this year.
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