Heavy Seas Beer Set to Release TreasureFest in August

Posted on by mashingin

34916671304_eba8eaac85_zHeavy Seas Beer (Baltimore, Maryland) announced today that TreasureFest Oktoberfest Lager will return in August as the brewery’s late-summer/early fall Seasonal.

Oktoberfest season draws nigh, and TreasureFest is set to return as Heavy Seas Beer’s take on this internationally celebrated fall style.  Beginning with a traditional base of imported German malts and hops, the brewers at Heavy Seas then put an American twist on TreasureFest by dry-hopping the beer with a hearty dose of American hops.  At 6% ABV and 35 IBUs, TreasureFest promises to be “a fresh look at the old Oktober stand-by.”

“I am a huge fan of Oktoberfest-style beers,” says Heavy Seas Brewmaster, Christopher Leonard. “Their arrival portends the cool, colorful autumn season that is my favorite time of year. The distinct bready, biscuity malt profile that is their soul speaks to my barley-hearted sensibilities. I’m thrilled to be able to provide a Heavy Seas twist by dry-hopping our interpretation with floral American hops. It should be no surprise to those familiar with our beers that we’ve boosted the malt bill and ABV to help keep the robust hopping in balance. If you like Oktoberfest-style beers and enjoy American IPA’s, this beer just might be the love child hybrid you’ve been waiting for.”

TreasureFest will officially return in August and will be around through Fest Season.  You can expect to find this Seasonal release available in 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles and on draft at craft beer establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Maryland, and throughout the rest of Heavy Seas Beer’s distribution network.  Prost!

Vital Information for TreasureFest Oktoberfest Lager from Heavy Seas Beer

Release – Seasonal, arriving August 2017
Style – Oktoberfest Lager
ABV – 6%
IBUs – 35
Malts – German Pilsen Malt, Vienna Malt & Munich Malt
Hops – Perle, Hallertau Mittlefrue, Cascade, Palisade & Chinook
Suggested Glassware – Stein
Availability – 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles & draft
Beer Finder – http://www.hsbeer.com/beerfinder

Avondale Brewing Company Puts Miss Fancy’s Tripel in Cans

Posted on by mashingin

ABCMFTartAvondale Brewing Company (Birmingham, Alabama) has once again expanded their portfolio of canned offerings with the release of Miss Fancy’s Tripel in 4-packs of 12 oz. cans.

The Birmingham craft beer community has asked and Avondale Brewing Company has heard its pleas . . . Miss Fancy’s Triple is now officially available in 12 oz. cans.  Since this elephant-sized brew clocks in a hefty 9.2% ABV and is now Avondale’s biggest beer to be offered in cans, the brewery has decided to promote a sense of moderation by offering Miss Fancy’s in 4-packs.  Miss Fancy’s Tripel now joins Battlefield IPA, Mill City White, Spring Street Saison, and Vanillaphant Porter to comprise Avondale’s full line of canned beers.

If you happen to be unfamiliar with this Year-Round offering and the backstory on Miss Fancy herself, here is the beer’s full description from the brewery:

It all began when a circus owner’s misfortune at a game of cards bestowed the city of Avondale with a great gift. His prize attraction, Miss Fancy the Elephant, would inadvertently become the city’s greatest spokesperson. Known as the Queen of Avondale, Miss Fancy performed a wonder of tricks at her home in Avondale Zoo.

During prohibition, City Hall kept a special Miss Fancy reserve on hand at all time in order to treat her stomach ailment. When her stomach started acting up, Mr. Todd would call the prohibition officers down to the zoo for a little hooch action.

The use of malts, traditional hops, a proprietary yeast blend and Belgian candi sugar creates a very special beer named after a very special elephant. Miss Fancy’s Tripel is remarkably smooth and refreshing for such a high ABV beer. CAUTION! Miss Fancy’s Tripel is brewed for humans but strong enough for elephants.

Miss Fancy’s Tripel is hitting shelves now in 4-packs of 12 oz. cans.  You can expect to find this fan-favorite, Year-Round brew at craft beer retailers located throughout Avondale Brewing Company’s distribution area in Alabama.  Prost!

Vital Information for Miss Fancy’s Tripel from Avondale Brewing Company

Release – Year-Round, cans launch at the start of July 2017
Style – Belgian-style Tripel
ABV – 9.2%
IBUs – 20
Availability – 4-packs of 12 oz. cans & draft
Hashtag Action – #fancycans

Catawba Brewing Co. to Launch Friki Tiki IPA Series

Posted on by mashingin

CatawbalogoCatawba Brewing Co. (Asheville, North Carolina) recently announced plans to roll out their Friki Tiki Series, a new lineup of Seasonal fruited IPAs, with the release of Friki Tiki Pineapple IPA on July 14.

The idea for the Friki Tiki Series was originally conceived back in December when the folks at Catawba Brewing Co. brewed up a batch of Pineapple IPA for their Tropical Xmas Party.  Since that beer and several subsequent “fruit-forward hoppy beers” from the brewery’s Small Batch Series proved to be incredibly popular with fans, Catawba Brewing has now decided to fully commit to this concept by establishing Friki Tiki as a new series of rotating, seasonally-released fruit IPAs.

Each release in the Friki Tiki Series will start with a base India Pale Ale recipe that utilizes flaked wheat in the mash to impart “the soft mouthfeel and juicy character associated with New England IPAs.” The hop bill for each of these IPAs will consist of West Coast hops that have been “carefully chosen to complement a massive addition of real fruit.”  To “ensure optimal freshness,” the beers of the Friki Tiki Series will only feature seasonal fruit selections that properly complement each offering’s “tropical and citrus-forward character.”

The Friki Tiki Series will fittingly kick off with the revival and widespread release of Friki Tiki Pineapple IPA.  This Seasonal offering will officially launch at release events held at all four Catawba tasting room locations on Friday, July 14.  Shortly after launch, Friki Tiki Pineapple IPA will then be sent out as a draft-only release to select craft beer establishments located in Alabama, North Carolina, and throughout the rest of Catawba Brewing’s distribution footprint.  More detailed information concerning Friki Tiki Pineapple IPA is sure to be released soon, and we will update you with that info just as soon as we get it.  Prost!

Good Chit Pilsner Makes Limited Return for Rogue Ales

Posted on by mashingin

goodchi2016Rogue Ales (Newport, Oregon) recently announced that Good Chit Pilsner is officially back, and hitting shelves and taps now as a special, limited release brew.

To get the 2017 release of Good Chit Pilsner just right, it all started with “a 100-acre barley harvest . . . grown in Rogue Farm’s volcanic-rich soil at Tygh Valley, Oregon.”  Once collected, the barley was transported to the brewery’s on-site malt house so that it could be floor-malted, a process that sees “golden grain . . .  spread across a specialized floor, where it is hand-turned every 12 hours over the course of eight days.”  Once the barley sprouts, or “chits”, it is then delivered to Rogue’s brewery so that it can become Good Chit Pilsner and give fans the chance to truly “taste the terroir of Rogue Farms.”

“The floor-malting process is an ancient brewing practice that best represents our farm-grown pilsner,” said Rogue General Manager Dharma Tamm. “It creates a unique experience in every bottle of Good Chit.”

Good Chit Pilsner is available now and will be hanging around through the month of August.  You can expect to find this Limited Release is 22 oz. bottles and on draft at craft beer-focused establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Oregon and throughout the rest of the nationwide distribution network or Rogue Ales.  Prost!

Vital Information for Good Chit Pilsner from Rogue Ales

Release – Limited, June to August 2017
Style – Pilsner 
ABV – 5.3%
IBUs – 38
Malts – Rogue Farms Dare™ Floor Malt, & Aciduated Malt
Hops – Rogue Farms Liberty Hops™
Yeast – Czech Pils
Availability – 22 oz. bottles & draft
Beer Finder – https://www.rogue.com/finder/

Tasting Notes: d-Unkle Peanut Dunkle Weizen from Garage Brewing Co.

Posted on by mashingin

GarageDunkel1000Tasting Notes starts the week off in a bit of a nutty direction as we take a look at d-Unkle Peanut Dunkle Weizen from Garage Brewing Co. (Temecula, California).

Released as a part of the brewery’s line of Specialty Beers, d-Unkle Peanut Dunkle Weizen is Garage Brewing Co.’s riff on the traditional German Dunkelweizen.  “Dedicated to your favorite Uncle that might just be a bit nutty”, d-Unkle Peanut Dunkle Weizen combines the style’s trademark dark malt and wheat characteristics with the flavor of roasted peanuts.  Full-flavored but still easy drinking, this brew clocks in at just 4.8% ABV and 14 IBUs.  d-Unkle Peanut Dunkle Weizen is nearing the end of its limited run, but it can still be found in 22 oz. bottles and on draft at craft beer establishments located within Garage Brewing’s distribution area.

Alright, you wanna get nuts?  C’mon, let’s get nuts and get into some Tasting Notes!

Tasting Notes for d-Unkle Peanut Dunkle Weizen from Garage Brewing Co.

Appearance: d-Unkle Peanut fills the glass as a chestnut brown-colored brew that is capped with a creamy finger of light tan foam.  Held to the light, red and amber hues appear to give the brown an added pop of vibrancy.  Although the beer is a bit hazy, a healthy carbonation level can be seen coursing within.  The head shows good retention, eventually falling to a silken, half finger that lasts throughout.  Lines of lace draw across the glass after each sip, but most eventually slip slowly back down into the top cap.

Aroma: The first thing to hit the nose is straight up peanut butter.  This is definitely a surprise as I was expecting more of a roasted nut note, but this will do just fine.  That peanut buttery goodness is surrounded by the beer’s dark wheat malts to conjure up youthful memories of spreading unreasonably sized gobs of delicious peanut butter across really good wheat bread – no jelly necessary.

Taste: The flavor moves in more of a Dunkelweizen direction with dark, deep wheat tones leading the way.  The hops surface with a touch of bitterness before being pulled back under by notes of cereal, fresh baked bread, and just a bit of banana and clove.  Just as we near the finish, the peanuts show up to lock in with all other aspects of this beer.  This thing has tons of flavor, but it is not muddled at all.  Completely direct, clean and cohesive.

Mouthfeel: This Dunkel falls on the lighter side of medium in body with a medium carbonation level.  It is lightly sweet on the palate, but that is easily countered by the beer’s roasty character and balancing bitterness.  The fact that this beer is just 4.8% ABV is ridiculously awesome, and it keeps the experience delightfully easy-drinking.  As it should be, the aftertaste is all roasted peanut.

Final Thoughts:  To be completely honest, I was more than a little excited when I first laid eyes on d-Unkle Peanut Dunkle Weizen.  This is for two reasons:

  1. I am a devout lover of German styles and you really do not see many American breweries taking on the Dunkelweizen these days.
  2. It is creative take on the Dunkelweizen, and for some reason that is an incredibly rare occurrence in craft beer.

With that now disclosed, this beer had a lot of high hopes to live up to . . . and it more than met those expectations.  It all starts in the aroma as that peanut butter note is so spot on that it will easily stop anyone in their tracks to take notice.  More surprises await as you move into the arena of flavor and discover how effortlessly the roasted peanuts merge with the style’s defining characteristics of wheat, banana and clove.  Then you wrap all of that in a full-flavored package that is still somehow light and easy-drinking?  I mean, it is absolutely dumbfounding how well this beer came together, and it left the entire Mashing In crew wondering why more breweries are not experimenting with peanuts in Dunkelweizens?  It just works.  Seriously, why isn’t this a thing?  To the folks at Garage Brewing Co., good on you for making d-Unkle Peanut Dunkle Weizen a reality.  You’ve got a winner here.  Prost!