Harpoon Brewery Introduces UFO Leaf Peepin’! Mix Pack

Posted on by mashingin

UFOLeafPeep_editedHarpoon Brewery / UFO Beers (Boston, Massachusetts) recently announced that it is diving into fall with the launch of their UFO Leaf Peepin’! Mix Pack.

To recognize and welcome all the visitors that will soon be flooding the back roads of New England to “check out all the beautiful fall foliage” (a.k.a. Leaf Peepers), Harpoon Brewery has decided to release the UFO Leaf Peepin’! Mix Pack.  This variety 12-pack is comprised of 12 oz. cans of the following four UFO (UnFiltered Offering) brews:

  • UFO Hefeweizen – “Inspired by a 400-year tradition, our award-winning Hefeweizen features a cloudy golden color and is refreshing, smooth and light bodied. Perfect to quench your thirst while on a summer hike. Serve with a lemon wedge to complement the citrusy UFO Hefeweizen experience. Swirl, pour and enjoy!”  ABV – 4.8%
  • UFO White Ale – “Light, crisp, refreshing and brewed with orange peel and coriander, UFO White Ale follows in the tradition of spiced white beers that have been brewed in Belgium for well over 100 years. Cool down at a beachside bonanza with this brew. Serve with a slice of orange and enjoy!”  ABV – 4.8%
  • UFO Cranbeery – “This hefeweizen is infused with cranberries right from the bogs of Massachusetts. A little tart, a little sweet, and a lot delicious, this cranberry hefeweizen is a refreshing addition to leaf peepin’, hiking, or just hanging out around a camp fire (s’mores encouraged).”  ABV – 4.8%
  • UFO Raspberry – “Natural raspberry flavor is added to this delightfully sweet and slightly tart raspberry hefeweizen to give it a delicate fruit flavor. The raspberries are balanced by the clean, wheat beer taste making it a delicious blend of sweet and refreshing for any season. Drink it to cool down when your summer BBQ starts to heat up.”  ABV – 4.8%

The UFO Leaf Peepin’! Mix Pack is available now and will be hanging around through October.  You can expect to find this Seasonal Variety 12-pack of 12 oz. cans at craft beer-friendly retailers located in Alabama, Florida, Massachusetts, Vermont and throughout the rest of Harpoon Brewery’s distribution network.  Prost!

Full Sail Brewing Co. Set to Release 8 Pound Pale Fresh Hop Ale

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8lbPalePourShot-_252x577Fresh hop season is officially upon us, and the folks at Full Sail Brewing Co. (Hood River, Oregon) are celebrating this glorious time of year with the release 8 Pound Pale Fresh Hop Ale.

Arriving as the latest offering from Full Sail Brewing Co.’s Brewmaster Reserve series, 8 Pound Pale Fresh Hop Ale is a small-batch American Pale Ale that has been “brewed with eight pounds of local, freshly harvested Centennial hops per barrel.”  To make this beer go “from farm to tank in three hours”, Full Sail brewers Chris Davis and Greg Doss ventured out to “B&D Farms in Saint Paul, Oregon on harvest day last month to procure fresh, wet hops from the field” and then immediately returned to the brewery to begin the brewing process.  This offering – like all Wet Hop/Harvest Ales – proves to be a unique experience each year, so here’s what you can expect from this year’s 8 Pound Pale Fresh Hop Ale:

“This year’s 8 Pound Pale Fresh Hop Ale explodes with bright tropical notes,” says Full Sail brewer Greg Doss. “A blend of pale and wheat malts created a light golden base which we packed with Willamette Valley-grown Centennial Hops, only hours off the vine. Beautiful fresh-hop aromas of tropical fruit and citrus are complemented nicely with subtle malt notes. This refreshing beer is high on hop aromatics yet well balanced.”

8 Pound Pale Fresh Hop Ale will officially release in late-September and will be available as long as supplies last.  Once released, this Limited Release offering will be available in 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles and on draft at select craft beer establishments located in Florida, Georgia, Oregon, and throughout the rest of Full Sail Brewing Co.’s distribution footprint.  Prost!

Vital Information for 8 Pound Pale Fresh Hop Ale from Full Sail Brewing Co.

Release – Limited/Brewmaster Reserve, late-September 2017
Style – American Pale Ale/Harvest Ale
ABV – 5.6%
IBUs – 54
Featured Hops – Freshly harvested Centennial hops
Availability – 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles & draft
Beer Finder – https://fullsailbrewing.com/where-to-buy/

Highland Park Introduces MAGNUS Single Malt Scotch Whisky

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magnus-pack-768x1039Highland Park Distillery (Kirkwall, Scotland) has officially announced the North American release of MAGNUS, the distillery’s newest single malt offering.

Created to celebrate the name, 220-year legacy and ” relentless Viking spirit” of Highland Park founder Magnus Eunson, MAGNUS is a “bold” single malt whisky that has been matured in American oak first-fill sherry-seasoned and bourbon casks.  This treatment produces a 40% ABV Scotch Whisky that offers “notes of sweet vanilla, overlaid with [Highland Park’s] distinctive aromatic smokiness.”

Available exclusively in North America, MAGNUS is beginning to hit shelves now for the suggested retail price of $39.99 per 750ml bottle (price may vary by location).  You can expect to find this offering available at fine retailers, bars and restaurants in the US that normally carry Highland Park offerings.  Prost!

Vital Information for MAGNUS from Highland Park Distillery

Release – September 2017
Style – Single Malt Scotch Whisky 
ABV – 40% (80 Proof)
Treatment – Matured in American oak sherry-seasoned and bourbon casks
Flavors – “Lemon | Vanilla sponge cake | Caramelised pineapple | Aromatic peat smoke | Sweet violets”
Availability – 750ml bottles 
Distribution – North America only
Order Online – https://www.reservebar.com/highland-park-magnus

 

Breakfast Stout Returns as Fall Seasonal for Founders Brewing Co.

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BreakfastStout2017FeatureFounders Brewing Co. (Grand Rapids, Michigan) announced today that this year’s batch of Breakfast Stout is officially hitting distribution now.

Now considered to be “one of the top stouts in the world”, Breakfast Stout was originally conceptualized over a decade ago when Dave Engbers, co-founder of Founders Brewing Co., washed down a chocolate-covered espresso bean with a Founders Porter.  That experience inspired him to develop what later became “a proprietary process to combine two types of imported chocolate, oats and a Colombian and Sumatra blend from Grand Rapids artisanal roaster, Ferris Coffee and Nut.”  This combination yields an 8.3% ABV Breakfast Stout that is truly “the coffee lover’s consummate beer.”

Breakfast Stout is available now and will hanging around through December.  You can expect to find this fan-favorite Seasonal release available in 4-packs of 12 oz. bottles (suggested retail price of $10.99) and on draft at craft beer establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Michigan and throughout the rest of Founders Brewing Co.’s distribution area.  Prost!

Vital Information for Breakfast Stout from Founders Brewing Co.

Release – Seasonal/Specialty, September to December 2017
Style – American Stout
ABV – 8.3%
IBUs – 60
Featured Ingredients –  Two types of imported chocolate, oats & a Colombian and Sumatra blend from Ferris Coffee and Nut
Availability – 4-packs of 12 oz. bottles & draft
Beer Finder – https://foundersbrewing.com/find-our-beer/

Green Flash Treasure Chest IPA Returns to Raise Funds for Breast Cancer Research

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TC17_Beer2Green Flash Brewing Co. (San Diego, California) recently announced that Treasure Chest 2017, a Limited Release India Pale Ale brewed to benefit breast cancer research and prevention, is officially pouring now from coast to coast.

The Treasure Chest program was established in 2011 by Lisa Hinkley, Co-Founder of Green Flash Brewing Co. and breast cancer survivor, as an “annual fundraising program to raise money for breast cancer charities.”  Each year’s release is different, and Treasure Chest 2017 is a tropical India Pale Ale that “features Green Bullet, Warrior, Citra, Cascade, and Simcoe hops, and is infused with passion fruit tea.”

Treasure Chest 2017 is pouring now as a draft only offering.  You can find this Limited Release now at craft beer bars, restaurants and growler stations located in Alabama, Florida, California, Virginia, and throughout the rest of Green Flash Brewing Co.’s nationwide distribution footprint.  Prost!

Vital Information for Treasure Chest 2017 from Green Flash Brewing Co. 

Release – Limited, late-August/September 2017
Style – American India Pale Ale
ABV – 6.5%
IBUs – 50
Featured Hops – Green Bullet, Warrior, Citra, Cascade & Simcoe
Added Ingredients – Passion fruit tea
Availability – Draft-only
Beer Finder – http://www.greenflashbrew.com/find-beer/

Tasting Notes: Partner Ships IPL from Heavy Seas Beer and Cigar City Brewing

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CCBHSIPLPour_edited1000This week’s installment of Tasting Notes gets a double dose of styles and breweries as we have a look at Partner Ships IPL from Heavy Seas Beer (Baltimore, Maryland) and Cigar City Brewing (Tampa, Florida).

This very special IPL (India Pale Lager) comes to us as the latest installment in Heavy Seas Beer’s Partner Ships Series, a lineup of limited releases that “features beers produced in collaboration with other regionally and nationally recognized brewers in the spirit of friendship, creativity, and adventure.”  Heavy Seas teamed up with Cigar City Brewing this time around to brew a golden lager that combines “bready malt aromatics” with a sizable hop bill (Cascade, Centennial, Mosaic, Simcoe & Mandarina Bavaria) that one might associate with an American India Pale Ale.  Thanks to “late addition kettle hops followed by extensive dry-hopping”, the 7.8% ABV Partner Ships IPL comes together to provide “full citrus and tropical fruit flavors and aromas balancing a soft bitterness.”  Partner Ships IPL is available now in 22 oz. bottles and on draft at craft beer-friendly establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Maryland and throughout the rest of Heavy Sea Beer’s distribution area.

Now that we have worked our way through the details behind Partner Ships IPL, let’s dig a little deeper by pouring a glass and getting into some Tasting Notes!

Tasting Notes for Partner Ships IPL from Heavy Seas Beer & Cigar City Brewing

Appearance:  Partner Ships IPL pours a yellow-tinged copper in color and is wearing a solid two fingers of creamy white foam.  When held to direct light, the color brightens intensely to reveal a beautiful, deep golden.  Pristine in clarity, the beer displays an abundant carbonation presence plugging away within.  Head has good retention, but it does eventually reduce down to a lasting and lush half finger that leaves behind wide sheets of lace on the glass.

Aroma: The first note to hit the nose is a solid, spot-on lager maltiness that has a nice and comforting bready quality to it.  Starting with an earthy, floral character predominately comprised of piney and grassy notes, the hops creep forward, slowly build, and finish with a citrus flourish of lemon, grapefruit and tangerine.

Taste:  In this arena, the hops strike first with a bright pop of grapefruit, orange and lemon zest.  That initial citrus hop bite softens to expose floral, grassy and piney tones just before a second fruity wave rises to engulf the palate with notes of tangerine and tropical fruit.  The beer closes with a slightly sweet, pilsner malt breadiness and just a bit of booziness.

Mouthfeel:  Medium bodied with a soft carbonation, this IPL has a good amount of weight to it but still remains highly drinkable.  The expected bitterness is there, but it is subdued and nicely balanced by just the right amount of sweet malt character.  That 7.8% ABV brings a little heat, but it does not take away from the experience.  The aftertaste leaves behind some tangerine zest and a touch of alcohol.

Final Thoughts:  The greatest takeaway from our experience with Partner Ships IPL was the remarkable way that Heavy Seas and Cigar City retained the soul of a beautiful lager in a beer that had its hop bill pumped up to true American IPA levels.  In a hybrid style where the malts are often nothing more than an afterthought these days, this IPL’s Pilsen and Vienna malts are distinctly present and play just as much a role as the hops.  Sure, it causes the alcohol to intrude on the flavor a touch, but it does so in a way that does not damage a profile more abundantly filled with delightful floral, bready, earthy, fruity and crackery notes.  Even at that 7.8% ABV, Partner Ships IPL possesses a level of drinkability that allows for one person to easily crush a 22 oz. bomber in a sitting or sip on all day while in a cookout or get-together kind of atmosphere.  This is a beer drinker’s beer, and that’s something we all can get behind, right?  Be sure to check out Partner Ships IPL before its limited run comes to an end.  Prost!

Cascade Brewing and Bruery Terreux Set to Release One Way or Another Collaboration

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OWOAbottleCascade Brewing (Portland, Oregon) and Bruery Terreux (Anaheim, California) have officially announced plans to begin the release of One Way or Another, a collaboration Sour Ale, on Tuesday, September 12.

Back in the spring of 2016, folks from Bruery Terreux ventured up to Cascade Brewing’s facility in Portland to “discuss the blend and to brew the first batch of what was to become One Way or Another.”  What they came up with was “a blend of sour triple ales aged in oak wine barrels for up to 16 months with regional ingredients including Oregon marionberries and California Meyer lemons.”  The Bruery Terreux crew eventually returned home to replicate the recipe on their own system.  Both interpretations of One Way or Another are now ready for release, and “the two brewery projects feature different labels and graphics to delineate between the two.”

“We are so excited to finally release this project with Bruery Terreux,” exclaimed Tim Larrance, Cascade Brewing vice president of sales and marketing. “With each brewery crafting their own blend, this limited offering illustrates how a single recipe can be interpreted One Way or Another.”

Cascade Brewing’s version of One Way or Another will officially debut at a Release Party at its Barrel House in Portland on September 12.  This Tier One release will also be available in 750ml bottles and on draft at select craft beer establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Oregon and throughout the rest of Cascade’s distribution network.  The Bruery Terreux version will also be available in 750ml bottles and on draft during the same release time frame, and you can find it through that brewery’s own distribution channels.  Prost!

Vital Information for One Way or Another from Cascade Brewing & Bruery Terreux 

Release – Limited/Tier One, launching September 12, 2017
Style – Tripel/Sour Ale (blended)
ABV – 7.9%
Treatment – Blend of soured Tripel ales aged in oak wine barrels for up to 16 months with regional ingredients including Oregon marionberries and California Meyer lemons
Availability – 750ml bottles & draft
Distribution – Releasing in the distribution areas of both breweries.  Bruery Terreux’s version of One Way or Another will be adorned with the label pictured below

OneWayOrAnother_2017

The Dude’s Rug Makes Limited Time Return for B. Nektar Meadery

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unnamed (51)B. Nektar Meadery (Ferndale, Michigan) recently announced that The Dude’s Rug Hard Cider with Chai Spices will return to shelves and taps for a limited time beginning in September.

Returning for another limited run as B. Nektar Meadery’s tribute to The Big Lebowski, The Dude’s Rug is a tasteful Apple Cider that has been infused with tea and chai spices (cardamom, clove, cinnamon, ginger and vanilla).  This combination may seem complicated . . . “You know, a lotta ins, a lotta outs, lotta what-have-yous” . . . but you can totally expect a mellow, medium-bodied Cider experience filled with “sweet, baked apples followed by a vivid blend of clove and cardamom” that’s then rounded off by some black tea.

The Dude’s Rug begins its release in September and will hang around as long as supplies last.  You can expect to find this Limited Release offering at cider and mead lovin’ establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Michigan and throughout the rest of B. Nektar’s distribution area.  Prost!

Vital Information for The Dude’s Rug from B. Nektar Meadery 

Release – Limited, September 2017
Style – Hard Cider
ABV – 5.5%
Essential Elements – Apple cider, chai tea (tea with cardamom, clove, cinnamon, ginger and vanilla)
Suggested Food Pairings – “Bread pudding, cooked apples, dark rum, pumpkin or sweet potato pie, baked squash, samosas, Indian butter chicken.”
Availability – 500ml bottles & draft
Mead/Cider/Beer Finder – http://www.bnektar.com/find-us/

 

Winter Storm Imperial ESB in the Forecast for Heavy Seas Beer

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36922344101_28b8d65284_k_editedHeavy Seas Beer (Baltimore, Maryland) has announced that Winter Storm Imperial ESB will officially begin its Seasonal return in October.

Drawing on “hops from both the West Coast and the UK for its elegant bitterness”, Winter Storm is a “ruddy hued, richly flavored” Imperial Extra Special Bitter (ESB) that has “subtle aromas of nutty malts, earthy hops, and a trace of cocoa.”  Clocking in at 7.5% ABV, this Limited/Seasonal release “is a perfect beer for fall and winter, especially because of its warming qualities.”

“It was our first international gold medal winning beer,” says brewery Founder, Hugh Sisson. “And I’m not supposed to say it, but I think it may be my favorite beer!”

Winter Storm Imperial ESB will officially arrive in October and hang around through December.  Once it drops, you can expect to find this Limited Release available at select craft beer establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Maryland and throughout the rest of Heavy Seas Beer’s distribution area.  Prost!

Vital Information for Winter Storm Imperial ESB from Heavy Seas Beer

Release – Limited/Seasonal, October through December 2017
Style – Imperial ESB (Extra Special Bitter)
ABV – 7.5%
IBUs – 50
Hops – Warrior, UK Goldings, UK Fuggles, Cascade & Centennial
Malts – 2-row, Crystal, Caramalt & Chocolate Malt
Recommended Glassware – Imperial pint or snifter
Suggested Food Pairings – “Brie or Havarti cheese, pan-seared steak, barbecued pork”
Availability – 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles & draft
Beer Finder – http://hsbeer.com/beerfinder

SweetWater Brewing Co. Reclassifies TripleTail IPA as Year-Round offering

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product-image-brew_triple-tailAfter a wildly successful debut as the brewery’s Summer Seasonal, SweetWater Brewing Company (Atlanta, Georgia) has officially announced that TripleTail Tropical India Pale Ale has graduated to become a Year-Round offering.

Hop heads, your orders at the bar and purchases at bottle shops this summer have spoken volumes, and the shot-callers at SweetWater Brewing Company have taken notice.  That’s right, TripleTail IPA is officially here to stay as the latest addition to SweetWater’s Year-Round portfolio.

For those of you who have not yet tried this tasty brew, TripleTail is billed as a Tropical India Pale Ale that boasts “lush, tropical flavors and aroma” from five hop varietals (Bravo, Mosaic, Denali, Waimea & Citra). These hops were hand-selected by SweetWater’s Brewmaster Mark Medlin “during harvest time; with Denali standing out as the one that would provide the big juicy, tropical, citrus flavors, while the bittering hop (Bravo) would give it the nice orange flavor.”  At an incredibly reasonable 5.5% ABV, TripleTail Tropical IPA has quickly established itself as a go-to, everyday kind of brew for lupulin lovers.  **If you would like a more in-depth description of this beer, you can click here to check out our Tasting Notes on TripleTail Tropical IPA.** 

TripleTail Tropical IPA is available now.  You can find this Year-Round offering available in 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles, Variety 12-packs of 12 oz. bottles, Variety 12-packs of 12 oz. cans and on draft at craft beer establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and throughout the rest of SweetWater Brewing Company’s distribution network.  Prost!

Vital Information for TripleTail Tropical IPA from SweetWater Brewing Company

Release – Year-Round as of September 2017
Style – American India Pale Ale
ABV – 5.5%
IBUs – 57
Bittering hops – Bravo, Mosaic & Denali
Dry hops – Mosaic, Denali, Waimea & Citra
Malts – 2-Row, Pilsner, Carapils
Availability – 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles, Variety 12-packs (12 oz. cans and 12 oz. bottles) & draft
Beer Finder – http://sweetwaterbrew.com/vibe/find-sweetwater/