True story: It is Saturday and I planned on not having a beer. I know, I have no idea what I was thinking. Then I sat down to write this post and it was literally impossible to do. I couldn’t form words or move my fingers in a typing motion. What was I even doing? Where am I? Working on a Saturday? And not having a beer? WTF? And just like that, a Popeye style sequence ensued in which I crushed a Fresh Hop IPA from Wolf’s Ridge Brewing and got back to work. I was so hyped up, I doubled the usual amount of beers to know this week. But don’t thank me, thank beer.
Urban Artifact Landline is a delightful fruit smoothie of a beer
As communication devices developed, connected terminals required an infrastructure of wires and teamwork. A landline united people across the globe and sparked a technological boom. As a tribute to this human achievement, Urban Artifact’s Landline presents a delightful blend of both raspberry and banana flavors, using 2,000 lbs of banana, 1,000 lbs of raspberries, and 30 g of vanilla beans per 30 BBL batch. The aroma consists of notes of banana combined with tart raspberries and a subtle hint of a tropical flavor that brings everything together nicely. The flavor follows somewhat consistently starting with a strong taste of banana that is unmistakable. The raspberry adds a crisp acidity to the beer which prevents it from being too heavy or sweet. The finish is a lingering balance of fruit character and toasty malt.
Urban South debuts 19.2 ounce cans of select brands
Urban South Brewery knows that the only thing fans love more than their beer is more of it. Thanks to new canning equipment Urban South is expanding its offerings in larger, 19.2-ounce cans throughout the Louisiana market. Beginning with Holy Roller and Paradise Park available at the Superdome this year.
New Orleans is a neighborhood driven city with mom and pop convenience stores supplying locals with their needs. Single serve cans, many of them domestics fill these coolers. By introducing 19.2 ounce cans to the market Urban South digs deeper into the roots of the city. These larger cans are perfect for tailgating, concerts, sports arenas, and the French Quarter of New Orleans.
Following a successful release at the Great American Beer Festival this month, Urban South has released special 19.2-ounce cans of the new Jameson Caskmates: Irish Bayou Stout. They will be moving their barrel aged releases to this format. Upcoming taproom releases include the Belgian Quad Age Before Beauty, plus Botanical Gardens, their lime and cucumber Gose aged in gin barrels. The beers in this size are currently available only in the greater New Orleans area. Barrel Aged releases will start November 29, Black Friday, at the brewery.
Hi-Wire Brewing’s Strongman is our favorite label this week
Hi-Wire Brewing is bringing the heat in November with the return of their coveted 10W-40 Imperial Stout, a Jelly Donut 10W-40 variant, and a special edition Raspberry Mocha Strongman Coffee Milk Stout. Our favorite of the bunch is the Raspberry Mocha Strongman Coffee Milk Stout (5.3% ABV). It was brewed with raspberries and cocoa nibs from French Broad Chocolates to create a heavenly version of Hi-Wire Brewing’s favorite seasonal. Available in 4-packs of 16oz cans, this beer will see full distribution in Hi-Wire Brewing’s footprint.
2 Towns adds cranberries to latest Cosmic Currant
Just as the universe is infinitely expanding, 2 Towns Ciderhouse (shhhh, we snuck a cider in here, don’t tell) is expanding their seasonal line with their newest release of Cosmic Currant. Crafted with a transcendental blend of Oregon-grown cranberries, black currants, and fresh-pressed Northwest apples, Cosmic Currant elicits ingredients that soothes the senses in a harmonious way and leaves anyone who tries it awe-stuck. With colors that evoke the cosmos, you experience hues of dark ruby radiating from the cider. Then, a hint of can cane fruit sweetness and earthy cassis liqueur, finishing with a robust cranberry tannin. All of these earthy complex characteristics inspired us to name this ethereal cider after the mystic starry night. It truly utilizes all senses when enjoying this otherworldly cider.
“We are really pumped to release a cider made with Cranberries from Bandon, Oregon.” says head cidermaker Dave Takush “ They lend a lot of tannin and color to this cider, and the black currants add earthy notes of dark fruit, perfect for the upcoming winter season.”
Coronado Brewing reveals the fourth release in its awesome art series
Coronado Brewing Company is releasing Mango Sprinkles Hazy IPA, the fourth and final installment of its 2019 Art Series. Coronado is proud to support emerging artists by featuring a fan-submitted Instagram photo on each of its quarterly releases. The fourth winner of the 2019 contest is Wyland Szabo, an Oceanside-based aerial photographer. Szabo’s aerial photo of surfers in the water was reminiscent of colorful sprinkles and gave inspiration for the naming of Mango Sprinkles Hazy IPA.
Mango Sprinkles Hazy IPA is a playful twist on the haze craze. “I am stoked for people to try this beer,” says Mark Theisen, Head Brewer, Coronado Brewing Company. “It pours like a mango smoothie and is super fruit forward with just enough hop bitterness to balance everything out.”
The brewers started with a hazy IPA recipe and upped the ante with fresh mango puree and a hefty dose of Simcoe, Mosaic, Azacca, Amarillo and Chinook hops. The beer is then fermented with a centuries-old strain of Norwegian farmhouse ale yeast, called Kveik (Norwegian for “yeast”). This particular yeast strain imparts fruity esters of lime and citrus to perfectly complement the mango and hop character in the beer. Lastly, the beer is dry-hopped with almost two pounds per barrel of Mosaic, Azacca, Amarillo and Chinook hops, for an intensely dank and ripe fruit hop character.
Squatters celebrates Utah’s changing ABV regs with Brilliant Bier German Style Pilsner
Squatters Craft Beers announced the release of Brilliant Bier German Style Pilsner, a new addition to their year-round lineup of exceptional brews. Brilliant Bier is 5% alcohol by volume (ABV), a percentage that would previously have been prohibited at grocery and convenience stores; however, on November 1, Utah’s ABV limit will increase from 4% ABV to 5% ABV.
Brilliant Bier is a classic light bodied German-style Pilsner with sweet malt, Noble German hops that offer a spicy and floral aroma, and a bright flavor that will have craft beer lovers saying cheers to a few more biers. Crisp and approachable with a traditional appeal, it’s a brilliant choice any day of the year.
“We went back to the drawing board on this one,” said Squatters’ Chief Operating Officer, Adam Curfew. “Our goal was to make a beautiful German-style Pilsner and that’s exactly what we did. From the European hop aroma to the crisp clean finish, this beer will make your mouth water even when it’s still full of beer.”
Heavy Seas announces 24th Anniversary Ale: Quadruple IPA
Heavy Seas Beer is excited to announce the release of 24 Anniversary Ale, a Quadruple IPA to celebrate the brewery’s 24th year of brewing craft beer in Baltimore. This limited release will be available in December in the following states within its distribution footprint: Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, DC, and West Virginia.
The 24 Anniversary Ale label artwork was designed by, Chris Gipple, co-founder of Nightshift Creative and designer for Infinite Rot. Chris will be the new local Baltimore artist the brewery will begin working with in 2020. For 2019, local artist, Owen Murphy of One Drop Design Studio, designed both the 23rd Anniversary Ale label and all labels for the brewery’s 15 Barrel Brewhouse taproom exclusive can releases.
New Realm Brewing, 21st Amendment present Rice Cold IPA
Rice Cold IPA is a mash up of a Mexican Lager and an IPA created by brewmasters Mitch Steele at New Realm Brewing and Shaun O’Sullivan of 21st Amendment. The result is a crisp, pale gold ale with substantial hop character. The Cashmere hop is the star in this profile, providing flavors of melon, backed by peach, citrus and herbal notes. Idaho 7, Cascade and Galaxy hops are used to add tropical fruit and piney aromas.
“Shaun and I have been pals for a long time, so when he was visiting Atlanta for a beer festival we decided to brew something different together,” said Mitch Steele Co-Founder and Brewmaster of New Realm Brewing. “As we discussed the idea for this beer, we agreed on certain techniques that we believed would set this beer apart and make it extra tasty and unique.”
In order to craft this beer, Mitch and Shaun used a blend of malts from both coasts as well as rice. They then combined a “hop salad,” a term coined by 21st Amendment Head Brewer, Chris Sartori, as the “Mitch Steele hopping technique,” which translates to using several varieties of hops and finished with a Mexican lager yeast to add hints of spice.
Rice Cold IPA is now available for a limited time on draft and in 12oz. 6 pack cans. Grab it in New Realm’s Atlanta and Virginia Beach brewery to-go coolers, as well as your favorite retailers around Georgia and the Hampton Roads area of Virginia.
Able Seedhouse + Brewery is bringing back an improved Party Room
Able Seedhouse + Brewery in Northeast Minneapolis is proud to announce Party Room will return. The original recipe has been tweaked to tone down the bitterness just a touch while still pulling in a spicy, herbal and caramel flavor from the hazlet malt created in-house at Able Brewery. A generous heaping of hops is then added to compliment the malt.
“Party Room is heavy on the whirlpool and dry hop additions, which keep the bitterness lower and the hop flavor higher,” says Bobby Blasey, Able Head Brewer. “There’s lots of citrus flavor, some tropical flavor and a hint of berry in there. It’s just a super solid and tasty punch of hops with a gorgeous copper color to create a beer that plays really well this time of year.”
Party Room is a rye style IPA with a 5.5% ABV and 22 IBU. Grab a pint, crowler or growler in the Able taproom starting Thursday October 10th. You’ll find Party Room in local restaurants and retailers in cans starting Tuesday, October 15.
Hilltop Lager is back and trying to take over Ohio
When Hilltop Lager, a legacy lager beer brand, re-introduced itself to Columbus this summer, the local brew market rejoiced and responded with rewarding sales growth. As news of the “return of Hilltop” spread throughout the Mid-Ohio markets, the demand for more production and consumer consumption spread. Pleas for more retail and restaurant and bar distribution has become an outcry of social media engagers on the Hilltop Lager brand accounts. Well, fear not Northeast Ohio, Hilltop will now be distribute in a large Northeast Ohio footprint that is planned to reach markets from Cleveland, Akron, Canton, and Youngstown.
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