Cascade Brewing Set to Release Framblanc 2017

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CascadeFramblanc2017bottleCascade Brewing (Portland, Oregon) has officially announced that it will release its Framblanc 2017 project on Friday, August 17.

Fresh off a gold medal win in the “Wood + Barrel-aged Sour + Brett” category at the 2017 Oregon Beer Awards, Framblanc is back to supply sour beer fanatics with “a blend of sour blond ales aged for up to 14 months in oak wine barrels with more than 3,500 pounds of white raspberries.”  This treatment results in an 8.4% ABV Framblanc that offers “fresh flavors of raspberries, green grapes, white peaches and pears.”

“The warm 2017 growing season produced beautifully ripened raspberries that contributed lots of fresh fruit flavor in this blend, making this project year one of the most expressive we’ve ever released,” explained Kevin Martin, Head of Brewing Operations for Cascade Brewing.

Framblanc 2017 will officially debut in Cascade Brewing’s two Portland-area pubs – Cascade Brewing Barrel House and The Lodge at Cascade Brewing – on August 17 and will enter distribution at or around that date.  You can expect to find this Tier Two offering available in 500ml bottles and on draft at select craft beer establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Oregon and throughout the rest of the brewery’s national and worldwide distribution network.  Prost!

Vital Information for Framblanc 2017 from Cascade Brewing

Release – Limited/Tier Two; August 17, 2018
Style – American Sour Ale
ABV – 8.4%
Treatment –  Blend of sour blond ales aged for up to 14 months in oak wine barrels with more than 3,500 pounds of white raspberries
Fun Fact – “Framblanc is a tier two offering, with pricing based on the style of beer, the type of ingredients contained within, the time aged in the barrels, and types of barrels used.”
Availability – 500ml bottles & draft

 

Jester King Brewery Set to Release Blend 22 of Das Wunderkind! Saison

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das wunderkind 8-1 (1)Jester King Brewery (Austin, Texas) has officially announced that it will release its latest blend of Das Wunderkind! Blended Saison on Friday, August 10.

Back for its 22nd blend, Das Wunderkind! is “a blended saison which is made by blending old, barrel aged beer with young, dry hopped farmhouse ale.”  To set this year’s blend apart from previous releases, the brewery “decided to dry hop with Simcoe hops.”  Das Wunderkind! comes in at 4.5% ABV.

Das Wunderkind! – Batch 22 will officially debut in Jester King’s Tasting Room at 4 p.m. on August 10 and will enter distribution shortly after that date.  Once it is sent out into the wild, you can expect to find this Limited Release available in 750ml bottles at select craft beer retailers and bars located in Florida, Texas and throughout the rest of Jester King’s distribution network. Prost!

Vital Information for Das Wunderkind! – Blend 22 from Jester King Brewery

Release – Limited; August 10, 2018
Style – Saison
ABV – 4.5%
Treatment – A blend of “old, barrel aged beer with young, dry hopped farmhouse ale”
Featured Hops – Simcoe
Fun Fact – The story behind the name: “There are many among us who, in spite of their best efforts, just never quite fit in. It’s only a rare few, however, who, very early in life, develop the self-assurance and presence of mind to be neither conformists nor rebels, instead carving their own paths and following their own dreams, regardless of what anyone else might happen to think. Take flight, mein Wunderkind; don’t ever let gravity hold you back!”
Availability – 750ml bottles
Bottle Count – “around 5,400 bottles available”

 

Escape Brewing Company to Release Cans of No One Likes You & Scandalous DIPA

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EscapeLogo400sqEscape Brewing Company (Trinity, Florida) has officially announced that it will host a special can release for No One Likes You Berliner Weisse and Scandalous Double IPA on Monday, August 13.

Well, a Monday afternoon in the middle of August just got a bit more interesting now that Escape Brewing Company has decided to liven things up with a double can release for the following Limited Release brews (beer descriptions sourced from the brewery’s website & social media):

  • No One Likes You – Berliner Weisse with Passion Fruit, Dragon Fruit, Oranges and Lemons. Collaboration we brewed last year with our friends from 7venth Sun Brewery. This beer was so good, we wanted to brew it again and release it in cans…So, we did.  ABV – 3.9%
  • Scandalous Double India Pale Ale – scan·dal·ous | definition: causing general public outrage by a perceived offense against morality or law. | A big juicy Double IPA with loads of Citra and Simcoe hops for a dank, citrus hop bomb.  ABV – 9%  


Label artwork for No One Likes You and Scandalous Double IPA created by V. Steiner.

The beers above will officially release in Escape Brewing Company’s taproom at 4 p.m. on Monday, August 13.  Both offerings will be available for purchase in 4-packs of 16 oz. cans.  These Limited Release offerings are not expected to see distribution, so make sure you swing by Escape Brewing on August 13 if you wish to get your hands on No One Likes You and/or Scandalous DIPA.  Prost!

Tasting Notes: Marionberry Sour from Rogue Ales

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RogueMSpourFor this edition of Tasting Notes, our week takes a delightfully sour turn as we get into a pour of Marionberry Sour from Rogue Ales (Newport, Oregon).

Originally introduced back in July with the intent of being “the most Oregon of all Rogue Farms beers”, Marionberry Sour is a “vibrant violet-hued” American Sour Ale made with Rogue Farms-grown prickless marionberries – “a bigger, juicier and more flavorful variety of blackberry . . . originally developed by Oregon State University researchers in 1956.” Marionberry Sour (6.5% ABV) was specifically brewed “to highlight the tart side of the Marionberry while ensuring a pleasant balance through the fruit’s natural sweetness.”

Marionberry Sour is out now and will be available through October 2018.  You can find this Seasonal brew in 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles and on draft at craft beer establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Oregon and throughout the rest of Rogue’s nationwide distribution area.

Now that the introductions are out of the way, it seems this is the appropriate time to pucker up and lean in for some Tasting Notes!

Tasting Notes for Marionberry Sour from Rogue Ales

Appearance: A gentle pour fills the glass with a rose-kissed, cranberry-colored brew that is capped with over a finger of loose, pink-tinged foam.  When held to direct light, the beer glows brilliantly as its pink, purple and red tones all gain an intense vibrancy.  Despite having a slight cloudiness to it, a serious amount of tiny carbonation bubbles can be seen surging throughout.  The head dissipates quickly to a creamy ring that does what it can to leave a few spots of lace behind on the glass.

Aroma: Lush berry goodness abounds as massive notes of blackberry and raspberry billow from the glass.  A touch of dark fruit and sweet grape sneak in to add a bit more depth and complexity to the fruity character.  The profile closes with sweet grains that are quickly overcome by an earthy, musty and slightly funky presence.

Taste:  As one would expect, marionberry is the star here as it quickly grabs hold of the taste buds with tart notes of fresh blackberry and raspberry.  That said, there is also a mixed berry jam note that offers some balancing sweetness to the beer’s more tart and acetic qualities.  Bready, slightly sweet grain further reinforces that balance, creating a note that is similar to toast and jam.  The flavors close out with a soft touch of musty grape and earthy funk.

Mouthfeel:  Medium bodied with a medium carbonation, Marionberry Sour actually has a bit more weight than most sours out there these days.  Both tart and sweet on the palate, this thing is nicely balanced and dries out beautifully.  The 6.5% ABV is nowhere to be found.  Aftertaste is all berry.

Final Thoughts: There is no denying that this offering is an absolutely gorgeous representation of the marionberry, but the truly impressive thing about Marionberry Sour is its overall balance.  Sure, it leads with a sharp, attention-grabbing level of tartness, but that is quickly tempered with the perfect amount of sweetness from the grains and the marionberry’s more jam-like side. The experience is not jaw-clenching sour or overly sweet. It is a balancing act that is teetering confidently somewhere in the middle, resulting in an impossibly dry, incredibly refreshing, and supremely easy-drinking Sour Ale.  Around here, those marks earn this summer beer some space in the beer fridge.  Be sure to check out Marionberry Sour before its Seasonal run comes to an end in October.  Prost!

 

 

Dust Bunny IPA Makes Seasonal Return for Monday Night Brewing

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DustBunny_Can (1)
All images featured in this post are the property of Monday Night Brewing

Monday Night Brewing (Atlanta, Georgia) has officially announced that Dust Bunny IPA will be “hopping back” for an encore Seasonal Release on Friday, August 10.

“Named for its fuzzy, fluffy characteristics”, Dust Bunny is an unfiltered, hazy India Pale Ale that “is packed with aromatics of orange and lemon, dripping with notes of honey” and “hints of peach.”  Weighing in at 6.8% ABV and 60 IBUs, Dust Bunny IPA rocks a “soft and bright” body that is rounded off by a “moderate bitterness and a juicy mouthfeel.”

“Our West Midtown location has been cranking out stellar IPAs since we opened the Hop Hut. Dust Bunny was just the beginning of that journey. We’re excited for more craft beer fans to see what we can do with hops.”

– Peter Kiley, Head Brewer at Monday Night Brewing

The 2018 release of Dust Bunny IPA officially launches on August 10 at Monday Night’s West Midtown location and will then enter distribution on Monday, August 20.  You can expect to find this Seasonal Release available in 6-packs of 12 oz. cans and on draft at craft beer-friendly retailers, bars and restaurants located throughout Monday Night’s distribution footprint in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee.  Prost!

Vital Information for Dust Bunny IPA from Monday Night Brewing

Release – Seasonal, August 2018
Style – American IPA
ABV – 6.8%
IBUs – 60
Hops – Comet, Ekuanot, Citra & Mandarina Bavaria
Malts – Flaked Wheat, 2-row, Munich & Carapils
Fun Fact – Shortly after it was introduced last year, Dust Bunny IPA was named Best New Georgia IPA 2017 by Beer Guys Radio
Suggested Food Pairings – “Roasted chicken, spicy foods, strong cheeses”
Availability – 6-packs of 12 oz. cans & draft
Distribution – Alabama, Georgia & Tennessee 

Passion Grass Debuts as New Collaboration From Lagunitas & Short’s Brewing Company

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Lagunitas_Passion-Grass_12oz_v1_195x519Lagunitas Brewing Company (Petaluma, California) has officially announced the Limited Release of Passion Grass, a West By Midwest Ale brewed in collaboration with Short’s Brewing Company (Bellaire, Michigan).

Arriving as a special release, Joint Session brew that Lagunitas Brewing Company developed with their friends at Short’s Brewing Company, Passion Grass is a “smooth and slammable” West-by-Midwest Ale “with some passion fruit added for that pleasant summery tropical-ness, rounded off with a special zing of lemongrass.”  Clocking in at an easy-drinking 4.6% ABV and 54 IBUs, Passion Grass is “best imbibed with your ‘buds … it’s good to have friends.”

Passion Grass is rolling out now and will be available for a limited time.  You can expect to find this “HIIIIGHLY limited brew” available in 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles and on draft at select beer-focused establishments located in Alabama, Florida, California, Illinois, Washington and throughout the rest of Lagunitas Brewing Company’s vast distribution area.  Prost!

Vital Information for Passion Grass from Lagunitas Brewing Company & Short’s Brewing Company

Release – Limited/One Hitter Series, August 2018
Style – American Pale Ale
ABV – 4.6%
IBUs – 54
Added Ingredients – Lemongrass & Passion Fruit
Availability – 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles & draft
Beer Finder – https://lagunitas.com/beer-finder

 

Swamp Head Brewery Allows Morning Glow to Shine Once Again

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SHBMorningGlowSwamp Head Brewery (Gainesville, Florida) has announced that it will officially begin the Limited Release of Morning Glow Vanilla Coffee Blonde Ale on Tuesday, August 7.

Returning as a part of Swamp Head Brewery’s Spasmodic Series of occasional releases, Morning Glow (5.3% ABV) is an American Blonde Ale that has been “gently infused . . . with Madagascar vanilla beans and locally roasted blonde coffee.”   This comforting combination results in “a palatable work of art, reminiscent of a vanilla latte paired with a freshly baked scone.”

Morning Glow will officially release in Swamp Head’s Tasting Room at 4 p.m. on August 7 with availability in 4-packs of 12 oz. cans and on draft.  Shortly after the brewery release, a limited supply of Morning Glow will find its way to select craft beer establishments located within Swamp Head’s “local [distribution]” footprint.  Prost!

Vital Information for Morning Glow from Swamp Head Brewery

Release – Limited/Spasmodic Series; August 7, 2018
Style – American Blonde Ale
ABV – 5.3% 
IBUs – 18
Malts – Pilsner, Flaked Oats, Munich, Caramel & Vienna
Hops – Sterline
Added Ingredients – Vanilla, Blonde Coffee & Lactose
Availability – 4-packs of 12 oz. bottles & draft (limited distribution)

 

Straight to Ale Unveils New Artwork for Brother Joseph’s Dubbel

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StaBroJocan_editedStraight to Ale (Huntsville, Alabama) has officially sent its Year-Round Brother Joseph’s Belgian Style Dubbel Ale back into the market with a fresh new look in redesigned 12 oz. cans.

In an effort to update the appearance of the brewery’s long-standing packaged offerings so that they will match that of its more recently introduced Seasonals and Limited Releases, Straight to Ale has updated the label artwork for Brother Joseph’s with a cleaner, more streamlined look that is easier to read on shelves.  With Monkeynaut American IPA receiving the same update back in June, Brother Joseph’s is now the second Year-Round offering from Straight to Ale to undergo this packaging refresh.

For those who may be unfamiliar with this offering, Brother Joseph’s is a Belgian-style Dubbel brewed as a tribute to Brother Joseph Zoettl, the Benedictine monk of St. Bernard Abbey who built the “over 125 miniature shrines and buildings” on display in Cullman, Alabama’s world-renowned Ave Maria Grotto.  Coming in at a solid 8% ABV, Brother Joseph’s offers a full-flavored experience that is loaded with complex “dark fruit flavors, plum, raisin, and fig with brown sugar and molasses sweetness.”

Brother Joseph’s is available Year-Round in 6-packs of 12 oz. cans and on draft.  You can expect these newly redesigned cans to start hitting shelves this month at craft beer establishments located in Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and throughout the rest of Straight to Ale’s seven state distribution area.  Prost!

Vital Information for Brother Joseph’s Belgian Style Dubbel Ale from Straight to Ale

Release – Year-Round, updated label artwork rolls out in August 2018
Style – Dubbel
ABV – 8%
IBUs – 20
Malts – Belgian Pils & Munich
Hops – Tettnanger
Availability – 6-packs of 12 oz. cans & draft
Distribution – Alabama, Florida (Panhandle), Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina & Tennessee

Funky Buddha Brewery to Release Sticky Treats as Part of its Goodness Series

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stickytreats2Funky Buddha Brewery (Oakland Park, Florida) has announced that Sticky Treats Rice Blonde Ale with Vanilla will officially begin its Seasonal Release in early August.

Released in previous years as a limited release offering from Funky Buddha’s Little Buddha Small Batch Series, Sticky Treats is back in 2018 to claim a spot in the brewery’s newly-established Goodness Series of seasonally released beers.  Just as its name implies, Sticky Treats (5.1% ABV) is a Rice Blonde Ale that is “layered . . . with plenty of sticky vanilla” to mimic the flavors of “your favorite rice-cereal-and-marshmallow snack.”

This year’s stash of Sticky Treats will officially debut at a Launch Party in Funky Buddha’s Tap Room on August 11 and will enter distribution at or around that date.  You can expect to find this Seasonal offering available in 4-packs of 12 oz. bottles and on draft at select beer-friendly establishments located in Florida and throughout the rest of Funky Buddha’s steadily growing distribution area. Prost!

Vital Information for Sticky Treats from Funky Buddha Brewery

Release – Seasonal/Goodness Series, August – October 2018
Style – Blonde Ale
ABV – 5.1%
IBUs – 20
Added Ingredients – Rice & vanilla
Suggested Food Pairings – “Goat’s milk cheese, seared scallops, butternut squash ravioli, grilled lobster tails, rice pilaf, fried coconut shrimp, pineapple upside down cake with vanilla ice cream”
Availability – 4-packs of 12 oz. bottles & draft
Beer Finder – https://funkybuddhabrewery.com/beer-finder

Proof Brewing & For the Table Hospitality Announce 6th Annual Florida Tap Invitational

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image004Proof Brewing Company (Tallahassee, Florida) and For the Table Hospitality have officially announced that The 6th Annual Florida Tap Invitational will be held on Friday, November 2 and Saturday, November 3 in Tallahassee, Florida.

Back for its sixth year, The Florida Tap Invitational – presented by Proof Brewing Company and For the Table Hospitality and sponsored by Visit Tallahassee – is a two-day event that has “beer enthusiasts gather in the capital city to experience one of the largest North Florida . . . craft beer festivals.”  This event will feature a Block Party in Tallahassee’s CollegeTown District on Friday, November 2 and The Florida Tap Invitational Beer Festival – a.k.a. the main event – on Saturday, November 3.  Since this is a two-day event that has a lot of ins and outs, we are just going to break this whole thing down for the sake of clarity and ease of use. Let’s get to it:

The Basics

What – The 6th Annual Florida Tap Invitational
When – A Block Party in the CollegeTown District kicks things off at 7 p.m. on Friday, November 2; The Florida Tap Invitational beer festival will begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 3
Where – Friday’s Block Party: FSU CollegeTown | 815 West Madison Street | Tallahassee, Florida; Saturday’s 6th Annual Florida Tap Invitational: Proof Brewing Company | 644 McDonnell Street | Tallahassee, Florida

The Beers

The Florida Tap Invitational Beer Festival on Saturday will feature “over 40 amazing Florida craft breweries and over 100 new and rare beers.”  At the time of this post, event organizers were still in the process of compiling the official brewery and beer lists.  We will post those lists here just as soon as they are made available. Stay tuned.

**UPDATE – 08.15.18** Organizers of The Florida Tap Invitational released the official brewery list yesterday.  It is as follows:

**UPDATE – 11.02.18** The official beer list is now available. You can view it by clicking here.  

Ticket Info

Tickets for the 6th Annual Florida Tap Invitational are available now (click here to purchase) and can be purchased in the following tiers:

  • General Admission – $55 each: Ticket cost grants you admission into Friday night kick-off party in College Town, entrance into Saturday’s beer festival at 1 p.m., unlimited 3oz beer samples at Saturday’s Florida Tap Invitational, and a collectible tasting glass
  • VIP – $100 each: Ticket cost grants you admission into Friday night private dinner hosted by Publix and beer sampling, early admission on Saturday to Florida Tap Invitational (Noon), unlimited 3oz samples at Saturday’s Florida Tap Invitational, a collectible tasting glass, 750mL bottle of “Royal Blood Line” Imperial Stout (Released just at this event and VIP only), and one plate of food at the festival

Please take note that tickets will only be available online via Eventbrite. Tickets will not be sold at the brewery or anywhere else.  All ticket sales are final and no refunds will be allowed.

Rules/Useful Info

  • The Florida Tap Invitational is a rain or shine event
  • All festival attendees must be 21 years or older and must arrive with valid ID
  • The following items will not be permitted into the festival: no outside food or beverage, no glass or growlers, no pets (licensed service dogs are okay with proof), no illegal substances, no masks, no weapons, no chairs, no fireworks
  • Empty (non-glass) containers for water or sealed bottles of water are OK
  • Food will be available on-site for purchase. List of vendors coming soon

That should just about cover all the information that is currently available for The 6th Annual Florida Tap Invitational.  We will be posting the brewery list, beer list and any other additional details just as soon as we have them, so make sure to check back here for that info.

Fair warning: The Florida Tap Invitational is a can’t-miss event and you best believe that the Florida beer community is aware of that fact.  This event will sell out quickly, so be sure to lock down some tickets as soon as you possibly can.  Prost!