Beer News | Mashing In

New Belgium Brewing Celebrates Summer with Limited Release of Juicifer IPA

Posted on May 10, 2019 by mashingin

New Belgium Brewing (Fort Collins, Colorado) has officially announced that the next installment in its Voodoo Ranger Rotating IPA Series will be the summer release of Juicifer IPA.

Developed to be a slightly more bitter take on the Hazy IPA style, Juicifer (7.7% ABV, 50 IBUs) is a hybrid-ish India Pale Ale that “pours a hazy golden pale, with a sweet, slightly citrus-y start giving way to subtle sourness before finishing with a potent hop punch” sourced from Citra INCOGNITO™, Galaxy and Chinook hops. Hopheads can expect “aromas of guava and pineapple [to dominate] this medium-bodied beer.”

“Innovation and experimentation is the name of the game when it comes to our rotating IPA series,” said Ross Koenigs, Research and Development Brewer at New Belgium. “For Juicifer, we took our cues from hazy IPAs, but turned up the volume on the hop bitterness. It’s big hop flavor that is easy drinking.”

Juicifer IPA is rolling out now but will only be sticking around for a limited time. You can expect to find this Limited Release offering available in 6-packs of 12 oz. cans and on draft at select craft beer-friendly establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Colorado, North Carolina and throughout the rest of New Belgium’s nationwide distribution area. Prost!

Vital Information for Juicifer IPA from New Belgium Brewing

Release – Limited/Voodoo Ranger Rotating IPA Series; launching May 2019
Style – American India Pale Ale
ABV – 7.7%
IBUs – 50
Malts – Pale, Oats & Munich
Hops – Citra INCOGNITO™, Galaxy & Chinook
Fun Fact – On the Voodoo Ranger Rotating IPA Series: “This series was born out of New Belgium’s desire to further experiment with hop-forward flavors while highlighting the brewery’s ground-floor collaborations with hop producers to cultivate cutting-edge, experimental varieties.”
Availability – 6-packs of 12 oz. cans & draft
Beer Finder – https://www.newbelgium.com/beer/finder/

Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales Sends Rugged Lands IPA Out for a Limited Release

Posted on May 10, 2019May 10, 2019 by mashingin

Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales (Dexter, Michigan) has officially announced that it will begin the Limited Release of Rugged Lands India Pale Ale, a non-sour IPA, on May 11.

Arriving as the latest release in Jolly Pumpkin’s Non-Sour Collective and the brewery’s “first non-sour . . . beer to be sold outside the brewery’s pubs”, Rugged Lands is a “lush, hop forward” India Pale Ale “brewed with a variety of both Northwest and local Michigan grown hops.” Coming in at 7.3% ABV and 65 IBUs, Rugged Lands IPA promises to offer an experience filled with “tropical notes of tangerines, oranges, guavas, peaches and nectarines.”

Jolly Pumpkin founder and brew master, Ron Jeffries shares why he chose to brew a non-sour IPA. “IPAs are great, one of my favorite styles. Hop and yeast varieties create an infinite palate for delicious drinkable flavor explorations. Darker malts are just too heavy to allow these other beautiful flavors to shine through.” ‘That’s weird’ has always been a mantra of Jolly Pumpkin and they continue to brew unexpected beers even when they don’t adhere to the brewery’s ‘Stay Sour’ catchphrase.

Rugged Lands IPA will officially debut at Jolly Pumpkin’s pubs on Saturday, May 11 and will hit distribution at or around that date as well. You can expect to find this Limited Release offering available in 4-packs of 16 oz. cans and on draft at select craft beer-focused establishments located within Jolly Pumpkin’s distribution footprint in Michigan, Ohio and Canada. Prost!

Vital Information for Rugged Lands IPA from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

Release – Limited/Non-Sour Collective; May 11, 2019
Style – India Pale Ale
ABV – 7.3%
IBUs – 65
Grains – 2Row, Oat Malt, Flaked Oats, Vienna & LME – Golden Liquid Malt Extract
Hops – Northwest Chinook, Michigan Chinook, Falconer’s Flight & Mosaic
Availability – 4-packs of 16 oz. cans & draft
Distribution – Michigan, Ohio & Canada

Florida Avenue Brewing Co. Releases Latest Batch of Cucumber Berliner Weisse

Posted on May 9, 2019 by mashingin

Florida Avenue Brewing Co. (Tampa, Florida) has officially announced that it will begin the Seasonal Release of its fan-favorite Cucumber Berliner Weisse in early May 2019.

Serving as Florida Avenue Brewing Co.’s “interpretation of a centuries old beer style”, Cucumber Berliner Weisse is a kettle-soured Berliner Weisse “brewed with 50% German Pilsner malt, 50% malted wheat and made with fresh English cucumbers.” To harness all the cucumbery goodness possible, this year’s version of Cucumber Berliner Weisse (4% ABV) uses over 200 lbs. of cucumbers per batch.

Cucumber Berliner Weisse officially hit the Florida Avenue Brewing Co./Brew Bus Brewing Tasting Room on May 8 and is scheduled to hang around through August 2019. You can expect to find this Seasonal offering available in 4-packs of 12 oz. cans and on draft at select craft beer friendly-establishments located within Florida Avenue’s distribution footprint in Florida. Prost!

Vital Information for Cucumber Berliner Weisse from Florida Avenue Brewing Co.

Release – Seasonal/Berliner Series; May – August 2019
Style – Berliner Weisse
ABV – 4%
IBUs – 1
Malts – German Pilsner & Malted Wheat
Added Ingredients – 200 lbs. of English cucumbers per batch
Availability – 4-packs of 12 oz. cans & draft
Beer Finder – https://www.floridaavebrewing.com/where-to-find-us

Sierra Nevada Collaborates with Germany’s Bitburger Brewery on 2019 Oktoberfest Beer

Posted on May 8, 2019 by mashingin

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (Chico, California) has officially announced that it has partnered with Bitburger Brewery (Bitburg, Germany) to brew the 2019 edition of its Oktoberfest, an annually released German-American collaboration beer.

Continuing Sierra Nevada’s mission to better understand, appreciate and celebrate Germany’s many different takes on the Oktoberfest Bier style, the 2019 release of Oktoberfest is an incredibly special Festbier “brewed with Bitburger’s famed Siegelhopfen (meaning “sealed hops”)—a classified hop blend that has never been shared outside the German brewery walls. The beer will also feature Bitburger’s custom yeast, another house ingredient gifted for the first time ever.” Coming in at 6% ABV and 20 IBUs, the 2019 Oktoberfest “will feature a rich amber color, smooth malty flavor and balanced hop character sure to turn backyards into beer gardens.”

“Our breweries’ shared commitment to quality and family ownership made this an obvious fit,” said Sierra Nevada founder and owner Ken Grossman. “Together, our families have shared great times telling stories, enjoying food and drinking beer—the perfect conditions for a great Oktoberfest.”

“We are thrilled to be brewing together with our friends from the iconic Sierra Nevada Brewery,” said Jan Niewodniczanski, Managing Director of Bitburger representing the seventh Generation of the family business. “Not only are we united by our passion for exceptional beer and truly unique hop flavors, we also share a long history of transatlantic exchange, leading to this exciting collaboration.”

2019 Oktoberfest will officially release in late July and is scheduled to hang around throughout the Oktoberfest season. You can expect to find this Seasonal Release available in 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles and on draft at select craft beer-friendly establishments located in Alabama, Florida, California, North Carolina and throughout the rest of Sierra Nevada’s nationwide distribution footprint. Prost!

Vital Information for 2019 Oktoberfest from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. & Bitburger Brewery

Release – Seasonal; launching late July 2019
Style – Oktoberfest/Festbier
ABV – 6%
IBUs – 20
Malts – Caramelized malts, Munich & Pilsner
Hops – Bitburger Siegelhopfen, German Magnum & Loral
Yeast – Bitburger’s Custom Lager Yeast
Fun Fact – On Bitburger Brewery: “Founded in 1817, Bitburger has been family-owned for seven generations. The brewery is famous for its ‘perfect pilsner’ and its commitment to quality in brewing.”
Availability – 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles & draft
Beer Finder – https://sierranevada.com/beer-locator/

Heavy Seas Beer Adds Red Flag Barrel Aged Sour to Uncharted Waters Series

Posted on May 8, 2019 by mashingin

Heavy Seas Beer (Baltimore, Maryland) has officially announced that Red Flag Barrel Aged Sour Ale will debut in June 2019 as newest offering to come out of the brewery’s Uncharted Waters Series.

Surfacing as the “first sour offering in the Uncharted Waters series”, Red Flag is an American Sour Ale that was “brewed in the classic Flemish Red style” and “aged in stainless and then moved to bourbon and red wine barrels for further maturing.” When the beer was deemed properly aged and rested, the barrels were then “hand selected and blended to create the most complex and seductive sour ale possible.” Coming in at a smooth-sipping 8% ABV, Red Flag ” delights with sweet malt tones, complex fruit undertones, and a deliciously tart finish.”

“We are very excited about Red Flag, as it is the first barrel aged beer we’ve produced with wild yeast and bacteria,” says Heavy Seas Brewmaster, Christopher Leonard. “Red Flag is inspired by the tart, dry, Sour Red and Brown ales of Flanders. Ultimately, it will be a blend of six different batches of ‘sour’ beer aged in 4 different ‘styles’ of barrels. It’s been quite a complicated, but exciting process. Blending all of these similar but different barrels and ‘fresh beer’ to create one dynamic, complex, mysterious, funky, tart offering has been an amazing journey for us. And, as a bonus, we will be holding on to some of the beer in barrels to allow for some fun, interesting blending down the road. We don’t yet know when or how, but I have no doubt we’ll find a way to use these in more fascinating projects in the future!”

Red Flag is scheduled to roll out in June and will hang around as long as supplies last. You can expect to find this Limited Release offering available in 4-packs of 12 oz. bottles and on draft at select craft beer-friendly retailers, bars and restaurants located in Alabama, Florida, Maryland and throughout the rest of Heavy Seas Beer’s distribution footprint. Prost!

Vital Information for Red Flag Barrel Aged Sour Ale from Heavy Seas Beer

Release – Limited/Uncharted Waters Series, June 2019
Style – American Sour Ale
ABV – 8%
IBUs – 5
Malts – 2-Row, CaraMedium, CaraDark & CaraExtraDark
Hops – Strisselspalt
Treatment – “Aged in stainless and then moved to bourbon and red wine barrels for further maturing”
Availability – 4-packs of 12 oz. bottles & draft
Beer Finder – http://hsbeer.com/beerfinder

Bell’s Brewery Introduces ‘Leaves of Grass’ Series Inspired by the Work of Walt Whitman

Posted on May 7, 2019May 7, 2019 by mashingin

“I celebrate myself, and sing myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.”

– from “Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman

Bell’s Brewery (Comstock, Michigan) has officially announced that its Leaves of Grass Series, a seven-part series inspired by Walt Whitman’s literary classic of the same name, will launch in May 2019 with the release of Song of Myself – German-Inspired American IPA.

Timed so that its first release will coincide with Walt Whitman’s 200th birthday, Bell’s Leaves of Grass Series is both a celebration of Walt Whitman and the literary classic that is Leaves of Grass, an inspiring book of poetry that has established itself as “a hallmark of American literature . . . and one of Larry Bell’s favorites.” Launching in late May 2019 and concluding in May 2020, the Leaves of Grass Series will consist of seven Limited Release offerings that “will be named after and inspired by one of Whitman’s poems, while each recipe will complement the seasonality of when each beer is released.”

LEAVES OF GRASS SERIES AT A GLANCE

May 2019: Song of Myself – German-Inspired American IPA (6.5% ABV)
July 2019: The Prairie-Grass Dividing – Gose-Style Ale Brewed with Plum, Salt & Coriander (4.5% ABV)
September 2019: Oh Captain! My Captain! – TBA
November 2019: To a Locomotive in Winter – TBA
January 2020: Song of the Open Road – TBA
March 2020: Salut Au Monde! – TBA
May 2020: Spontaneous Me – TBA

“Over the years, we’ve drawn inspiration from a variety of different sources from music to literature to the Great Lakes,” said Larry Bell, President and Founder of Bell’s Brewery. “This series is just the latest example of how the arts have inspired us to create new and innovative recipes.”

Song of Myself – German-Inspired American IPA will roll out in late May 2019 and will be available as long as supplies last. Song of Myself – as well as all future Limited Release offerings in the Leaves of Grass Series – will have availability in 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles and on draft at select craft beer-focused establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Michigan and throughout the rest of Bell’s Brewery’s distribution area. A new offering from the Leaves of Grass Series will release every two months until May 2020. Prost!

Cascade Brewing & Mikkeller Collaborate on Bean-to-Barrel Triple

Posted on May 7, 2019 by mashingin

Cascade Brewing (Portland, Oregon) has officially announced that it will release Bean-to-Barrel Triple, a Limited Release collaboration with Mikkeller (Copenhagen, Denmark), on May 10.

Meant to celebrate the “‘bean-to-bar’ chocolate-making method” of Bean Geeks Craft Chocolate in Copenhagen, Bean-to-Barrel “features a blend of barrel and foudre aged sour triple ales with toasted Oregon and French oak and a late infusion of cocoa nibs sourced from Bean Geeks.” Coming in at 9.4% ABV, Bean-to-Barrel Triple supplies its drinker with “aromas of dark chocolate, vanilla and toasted oak sugars combined with the light pear and citrus fruit notes of the sour triple.”

“We’ve had the great privilege to work with many amazing, cutting edge breweries on collaborative efforts in the past. Needless to say we jumped at the opportunity to work with Mikkeller, long considered to be an innovative force that pushes the boundaries of existing beer styles with intense flavor and ingredient combinations,” explained Norm Stokes, Cascade Brewing Cellar Manager. “Bean-to-Barrel Triple was born of this collaboration, and it was a memorable experience to work together to come up with a beer that incorporates the complexity of Oregon oak with the rich flavor of cocoa nibs sourced from Bean Geeks chocolate.”

Bean-to-Barrel Triple will officially debut in Cascade’s two Portland pubs on May 10 and is expected to enter distribution at or around that date as well. You can expect to find this Limited Release offering available in 500ml bottles and on draft at select craft beer-focused establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Oregon and throughout the rest of Cascade Brewing’s distribution area. Bean-to-Barrel will also make its European debut on draft on May 10 at the Mikkeller Beer Celebration Copenhagen (MBCC) in Denmark. Prost!

Vital Information for Bean-to-Barrel Triple from Cascade Brewing & Mikkeller

Release – Limited; May 10, 2019
Style – American Sour Ale
ABV – 9.4%
Treatment – “A blend of barrel and foudre aged sour triple ales with toasted Oregon and French oak and a late infusion of cocoa nibs sourced from Bean Geeks Craft Chocolate in Copenhagen”
Fun Fact – On the collaboration: “The collaboration was conceived during a visit by Mikkeller in September 2018; Norm Stokes, Cascade Brewing Cellar Manager, and Kevin Martin, Cascade Brewing Director of Operations, met with Keith Shore, Jacob Gram Alsing, and Mikkel Borg Bjergsø of Mikkeller. Blended from triples aged on oak since 2017.”
Availability – 500ml bottles & draft

mikkeler 2 — *The creative team – representatives from both Cascade Brewing and Mikkeller – responsible for Bean-to-Barrel Triple. Photo Credit: Cascade Brewing*

Garage Brewing Co. Wins Three Medals at San Diego International Beer Competition

Posted on May 6, 2019June 6, 2019 by mashingin

Garage Brewing Co. (Temecula, California) has proudly announced that three of its craft beer offering have been awarded medals at the 2019 San Diego International Beer Competition.

Fresh off a six medal showing at the Los Angeles International Beer Competition, Garage Brewing Co. has now been notified that it will walk away from the San Diego International Beer Competition with the following three medals:

Gold Medal – Tangerine Deuce Coupe DIPA
Silver Medal – Hatch Chile IPA
Bronze Medal – Spiced Coconut Porter

“Our purpose is to make delicious beers of excellent quality and winning a medal(s) in such fierce competition, is awesome – mission accomplished.”

– Lou Kashmere, Garage Brewing Co’s Founder and CEO

Judging for the 2019 San Diego International Beer Competition took place on Friday, April 12 and Saturday, April 13. This year’s competition consisted of “nearly 1,500 entries from 260 breweries spanning the globe, competing in 57 style categories.” The submitted beers were “evaluated by select industry professionals and judges certified by the Beer Judge Certification Program in a closed, blind event.”

**UPDATE 5.20.19** The good news just keeps rolling in now that Garage Brewing Co. has also been awarded the following medals from the NorCal Brew Competition:

Gold Medal – Rancho Lager
Silver Medal – Classic Lager
Silver Medal – Toasted Marshmallow Milk Stout
Silver Medal – Sweet Orange Wit
Silver Medal – Garage Light Lager
Silver Medal – Naughty Scot
Honorable Mention – Blackcurrant Gose

These medals join the six medals Garage Brewing Co. recently earned at this year’s Los Angeles International Beer Competition and three at the San Diego International Beer Competition. Prost! **UPDATE 5.20.19**

Boulder Beer Co. Adds Perilous Prickly Pear Wheat to Seasonal Lineup

Posted on May 6, 2019 by mashingin

Boulder Beer Company (Boulder, Colorado) has officially announced that Perilous Prickly Pear Wheat will make its Seasonal debut in mid-May 2019.

Designed to be a “dangerously playful” option for summertime drinking, Perilous is a rose-colored American Wheat Ale “infused with the juice of the prickly pear cactus, imparting a light tart flavor and an uplifting finish.” Weighing in at just 5.1% ABV, the “light bodied and effervescent” Perilous is sure to get “your mouth watering at first glance.”

Perilous Prickly Pear Wheat will officially launch on May 10 with a release party at The Pub at Boulder Beer Company and distribution is expected to follow shortly after the on-site release. You can expect to find this Seasonal offering available in 6-packs of 12 oz. cans and on draft at select craft beer-friendly retailers, bars and restaurants located in Florida, Georgia, Colorado and throughout the rest of Boulder Beer Company’s distribution territory. Prost!

Vital Information for Perilous Prickly Pear Wheat from Boulder Beer Company

Release – Seasonal, May – September 2019
Style – American Wheat Ale
ABV – 5.1%
IBUs – 12
Malts – Pale Malt, Wheat Malt & Honey Malt
Hops – Tettnang
Added Ingredients – Prickly Pear Cactus Juice
Fun Fact – On the can design: “The colorful can illustration, created by Moxie Sozo in Boulder, Colorado, depicts a southwest scene of a cluster of prickly pear cacti in bloom, nestled in the midst of several sharp, spikey creatures. A desert wasp, a scorpion, a lizard, and even a cleverly hidden boot spur all pose a perilous situation and threaten the airy balloons floating overhead. The can design fits within Boulder Beer’s refreshed branding they launched last summer with new packaging designs for all of their beers and company logo.”
Availability – 6-packs of 12 oz. cans & draft
Beer Finder – https://boulderbeer.com/beer-finder

Tasting Notes – Cider Edition: Pineapple Rosé from Portland Cider Company

Posted on May 3, 2019 by mashingin

For this special edition of Tasting Notes, we ride a refreshing, tropical wave into the weekend thanks to a few cans of Pineapple Rosé from Portland Cider Company (Clackamas, Oregon).

Crafted to give cider fans the opportunity to “rosé all day” this summer, Pineapple Rosé is a Hard Cider “bursting with fresh juicy pineapples” and rocking “a pretty in pink hue from a splash of Northwest-grown blueberries.” This refreshing combo produces a “fruity, tropical cider [that comes] in at 5.2% ABV and, much like the rosé wine it’s modeled after, is versatile with a variety of foods.”

Pineapple Rosé is available now and scheduled to hang around through August 2019. You can expect to find this new Seasonal offering available in 6-packs of 12 oz. cans, 19.2 oz cans, and on draft at cider-friendly establishments located within Portland Cider Company’s distribution footprint in Oregon and Washington.

Now that we are all a bit more familiar with this cider’s background information, let’s crack open a can or two, raise a glass to the weekend and get into these Tasting Notes!

Tasting Notes for Pineapple Rosé from Portland Cider Company

Appearance: Pineapple Rosé pours a peach-hued, light pink in color and is capped with a 1/4 finger of quickly dissolving fizzy bubbles. When held to direct light, the peach color deepens and gains vibrancy, creating a natural sepia tone. The cider is absolutely pristine in clarity and displays a highly energetic carbonation presence coursing within.

Aroma: The top-billed pineapple opens the aromatic profile with a gentle breeze of tropical fruitiness. The apples then settle in to support with a clean, semi-sweet cider character. The profile closes with a musty, vinous note – which has to be the added blueberries – that does a fantastic job of selling the Rosé wine-like experience beyond just a pink appearance.

Taste: The apples really assert themselves at the jump, setting a solid and balanced cider base. The pineapple is subtle, rising out of the apple’s sweetness to add a bit of a tropical tanginess and sweetness. This tropical quality is furthered by a welcomed grace of banana esters from the yeast. The blueberries are quite muted here, but they do add just a touch of balancing tartness at the finish.

Mouthfeel: On the lighter side of medium in body with a spritzy carbonation level, this cider comes across as super light and easy-drinking. On the palate, its lightly sweet, tangy and tart character finds an elegant balance, allowing it to finish nice and dry. At just 5.2%, the ABV is well hidden and does not surface at all in the profile. Fittingly, the aftertaste is all apple and pineapple.

Final Thoughts: Beautifully composed, Pineapple Rosé is one of the few mock Rosé offerings that we have encountered that actually lives up to its inspiration. Sure, just like the wine, it has a soft pink color and is incredibly approachable, easy-drinking and refreshing. It then goes a step further by playing with the wine’s sweet and dry characteristics and even somehow mimics vinous notes in the aroma to create a complete package that is ridiculously fresh and natural. The overall experience basically reads as though you are chasing a bite of an apple slice soaked in pineapple juice with a sip of a drier Rosé to lift and cut that sweetness. It is just gorgeous.

All in all, Pineapple Rosé is a stellar summertime sipper that will fit in perfectly at the brunch table or at the poolside. If you happen to run across it this summer, be sure to check out this tasty Seasonal cider while you have the chance. Prost!