Due South Brewing Co. (Boynton Beach, Florida) has officially announced that it is getting on the Cinco de Mayo festivities with the Limited Release of its Mexican Standoff Porter.
Arriving each year as one of Due South’s most sought-after Limited Releases, Mexican Standoff is a mole-inspired American Porter brewed with vanilla, chocolate, cinnamon, and chili peppers. Clocking in at 8.5% ABV, Mexican Standoff promises to put your tastebuds at odds with “the perfect blend of sweet and heat.”
“This is a beer we get a lot of requests for on social media,” said Doug Fairall, the brewery’s Brand Marketing Manager. “So it’s always great to be able to release this porter. As part of the mole beer style, it resonates with people looking for a bit of heat in their beer!”
This year’s batch of Mexican Standoff Porter officially debuted at the brewery on April 27 and entered distribution this week. You can expect to find this Limited Release available in 4-packs of 16 oz. cans on draft in the Due South Brewing Co. Taproom and at select craft beer establishments located within the brewery’s distribution area across South Florida. Prost!
Vital Information for Mexican Standoff Porter from Due South Brewing Co.
Release – Limited, late April/early May 2018 Style – American Porter ABV – 8.5%
IBUs – 31 Added Ingredients – Vanilla, chocolate, cinnamon & chili peppers Availability – 4-packs of 16 oz. cans & draft Distribution – South Florida
Straight To Ale (Huntsville, Alabama) has announced plans to recognize its 8th Anniversary with a special Beer Release Event at The Nook on May 1 AND an Anniversary Party at the brewery on May 5.
Eight years ago, Straight To Ale began brewing beer in Huntsville at a time when Alabama’s craft beer community was more of a hopeful idea than a reality. Since then, Straight To Ale has outgrown two previous locations, moved to set up shop in the truly special Campus 805 facility, expanded distribution to seven states, and firmly established itself as one of the finest breweries producing in an exploding Alabama beer scene. Realizing that these many accomplishments call for a celebration, Straight To Ale has decided to recognize its 8th Anniversary by holding TWO parties this week.
Straight To Ale will kick off the festivities at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 1 at The Nook (3305 Bob Wallace Ave SW | Huntsville, Alabama), the Huntsville craft beer bar that has served as a second home and pillar of support over the years for both up-and-coming and long-standing Alabama craft breweries. In addition to providing Straight To Ale fans with their first opportunity to taste the brewery’s 8th Anniversary Quad, this Brew Release event will also feature other special releases, merch giveaways, and various specials on food items.
The second Anniversary Party will take place at the brewery (2610 Clinton Ave | Huntsville, Alabama) beginning at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 5. This event will feature the release of Straight To Ale’s8th Anniversary Quad, a whole mess of special brews, live music, brewery tours, educational classes and more. The official schedule for this party is as follows:
11 a.m. – Tapping of the 8th Anniversary Quad
Noon – Brewery Tour
1 p.m. – Class with Head Brewer, Bob Gile, more details TBA
2 p.m. – Brewery Tour
3 p.m. – Distilling Class, more details TBA
4 p.m. – Brewery Tour
7 p.m. – Live music from Me and My Knife
8 p.m. – Live music from BGH
9 p.m. – Live music from Property
Alright, that should just about cover all the details currently available for these events. If you are free this week and in the area, be sure to hit up one (or both) of these parties so that you can join the Straight To Ale crew in raising a glass to eight great years and the many more ahead. Prost!
Coppertail Brewing Co. (Tampa, Florida) recently introduced Winston Sheffield India Pale Ale as the third installment in its Alpha Hunt Series.
Also known as “The Big Game Hunter”, Winston Sheffield IPA has officially arrived as the newest and biggest member of Coppertail Brewing’s Alpha Hunt Series, a line of Limited Release “India Pale Ales dedicated to discovery of new hops and the constant hunt for innovative IPAs.” Characterized as an exploration of Cashmere, Ekuanot and Calista hops, Winston Sheffield (8% ABV) is an American India Pale Ale that supplies its drinker with notes of lemon, melon and papaya.
Each Alpha Hunt has a story to tell, and the following is the account of Winston Sheffield’s expedition:
SHEFFIELD DISPATCHES DESCEND INTO LUNACY
Coppertail Sighting? Malaria to blame?
The latest dispatches arriving from Sir Winston Sheffield’s Congo expedition may be the work of a fevered brain. In shaky handwriting on smudged and blackened pages Sheffield claims to have finally sighted the infamous cryptid, Coppertail – on dry land no less – only to suffer some strange misfortune as he raised his Willougby Mark 11 into firing position.
“Snakes! My firearm was infested with them. Elephants, zebras, Hyenas – every manner of wild beast swarmed upon me each time I took aim at my quarry. I squeezed off a shot – a tremendous flash of light, and I awoke on the ground, hair smoldering, face singed, weapon in pieces. There were snakes, I tell you.”
Winston Sheffield IPA is available now and has plans to hang around through June 2018. You can expect to find this Limited Release available in 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles and on draft at select craft beer establishments located within Coppertail Brewing Co.’s distribution area in Florida. Prost!
Vital Information for Winston Sheffield IPA from Coppertail Brewing Co.
Release – Limited/Alpha Hunt Series, April – June 2018 Style – American India Pale Ale ABV – 8% Featured Hops – Cashmere, Calista & Ekuanot Availability – 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles & draft Distribution – Florida
New Realm Brewing Company (Atlanta, Georgia) has officially announced that it will open a second brewery and taproom in the facility that formerly served as the Virginia Beach location of Green Flash Brewing Co.
“As we looked at ways to serve our growing base of New Realm fans, it was important to us that we remain a local brewer in the Southeast, expand capacity, increase innovation and stay true to our core values,” said Carey Falcone, CEO and co-founder of New Realm Brewing. “When the opportunity came up to partner with The Miller Group to lease the Virginia Beach facility, purchase newer, high-quality brewing equipment at a great value and create jobs in Virginia Beach, we knew we needed to seize it.”
“New Realm is proud to become part of the Virginia Beach community as we continue to serve our fans in Atlanta. We could not ask for better local partners than Jerry Miller and The Miller Group. We look forward to benefiting from their experience, support and advocacy as we serve the Virginia Beach community for many years to come.”
Jerry Miller, CEO and founder of The Miller Group, said, “We are thrilled to welcome New Realm to Virginia Beach. With the backing of a strong management team, world-class facility and premier location, New Realm’s brewery and taproom will support job creation and draw visitors to Virginia Beach year-round.”
New Realm plans to open its Virginia Beach brewery and taproom – located at 1209 Craft Lane, Virginia Beach, Virginia – just as soon as “it receives all applicable licenses and permits required for operation.” Once this facility is operational and staffed, craft beer fans can expect an experience that features “a tasting room with a wide variety of beers on tap, an outdoor beer garden, and private event space.”
Since this situation is still developing, we will be sure to provide you with opening dates and any other updates just as soon as they surface. Stay tuned. Prost!
Lord Hobo Brewing Co. (Woburn, Massachusetts) has officially announced that Angelica New England Wheat Beer will begin hitting shelves and taps this week as the brewery’s newest Year-Round offering.
Developed as means of applying “New England-style” characteristics to beers found outside the realm of Pale Ales, India Pale Ales and Double IPAs, Angelica has arrived as a Wheat Beer that employs the use of the incredibly popular “brewing techniques and ingredients used in ‘New England-Style’ or ‘Hazy IPAs’.” By uniting “the sought-after haze and juice-like qualities [with] the more traditional characteristics of wheat beer”, Angelica New England Wheat Beer (5.5% ABV) comes together to be “a highly quaffable beer that showcases the bready, tangy, and elegant sweetness of a wheat beer with the juicy, tropical fruit characteristics attributed from the highly acclaimed Mosaic hop varietal.”
“Angelica is our first new beer release in over a year,” says Daniel Lanigan, CEO and Founder of Lord Hobo Brewing Co. “We’ve been working hard at building our brand and business around a small core of offerings in order to better assess what products to add. With a growing, raving fan base comes a demand for a wide variety of products, and we’re extremely excited to be adding a wheat beer to the mix.”
Angelica New England Wheat Beer is rolling out now with availability in 6-packs of 12 oz. cans and on draft. You can expect to find this new Year-Round at craft beer establishments located in Florida, Massachusetts and throughout the rest of Lord Hobo’s distribution footprint. Prost!
Vital Information for Angelica New England Wheat Beer from Lord Hobo Brewing Co.
Release – Year-Round, launching late April/early May 2018 Style – American Wheat Beer ABV – 5.5% Featured Hops – Mosaic
Fun Fact – On Angelica’s packaging: “Similar to the beer, Angelica’s packaging is a shift from [Lord Hobo Brewing Co’s] current offerings. Dressed in white, Angelica boldly contrasts Lord Hobo’s hoppy offerings. A well-known Boston-based tattoo artist, Brian Hemmings (of The Ghost in the Machine tattoo shop) was commissioned to sketch Angelica’s hop and wheat-encircled wings.” Availability – 6-packs of 12 oz. cans & draft Beer Finder – https://lordhobobrewing.com/get-some/
Great Divide Brewing Company (Denver, Colorado) has announced that it will officially begin the Limited Release of Vanilla Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout in May 2018.
Surfacing as “the next flavor evolution” in Great Divide’sYeti Clan, Vanilla Oak Aged Yeti is an Imperial Stout that expresses itself by allowing “sweet vanilla tones [to meld] into the oak characteristics” that it picked up while aging. Acting as effortless complements to one another, the vanilla and oak notes go on to be “uplifted by the bold and roasty character we all know and love from Yeti.” With Vanilla Oak Aged Yeti weighing in at a sizable 9.5% ABV, Great Divide promises that “this elusive beast will comfort you by the campfire all summer long, if you can find it.”
Vanilla Oak Aged Yeti will officially release at the start of May and has plans to hang around through August 2018. You can expect to find this new Limited Release Yeti available in 22 oz. bottles and on draft at select craft beer establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Colorado and throughout the rest of Great Divide’s distribution network. Prost!
Vital Information for Vanilla Oak Aged Yeti from Great Divide Brewing Co.
Release – Limited, May – August 2018 Style – Imperial Stout ABV – 9.5% Added Ingredients – Vanilla Availability – 22 oz. bottles & draft Beer Finder – https://greatdivide.com/beer-finder/
Written and compiled to act as “the ultimate listening party guide”, Booze and Vinyl was born from André and Tenaya Darlington’s memories of time spent “[flipping] records on their father’s Thorens turntable, surrounded by jovial guests and the warm glow of the amp.” The siblings – now food and drinks journalists – have recreated those feelings and experiences in this book by using eye-catching colors, striking photography, and gorgeous graphic design to showcase 70 iconic albums from the 1930’s through 2000’s alongside delicious cocktail recipes that properly convey the mood of the music.
The chapters of Booze and Vinyl are broken down into four genres/moods: “Rock”, “Dance”, “Chill” and “Seduce”. Each album then goes on to serve as its own mini-chapter with informative areas such as “Liner Notes”, trivia-laden background info on each artist/album (did you know Led Zeppelin’s IV “was recorded in a Victorian mansion where the band took breaks to roam the grounds with cups of tea in hand”?), and the “When to Spin” and “Before You Drop the Needle” sections that help you plan the perfect get-together.
Each album is then matched with two cocktail recipes, cleverly dubbed Side A and Side B. These cocktail pairings range from the more-than-obvious – such as Gin and Juice with Snoop Doggy Dogg’s Doggystyle or a Brass Monkey with the Beastie Boys’ License to Ill – to the imaginative yet wildly appropriate – think a lavender-colored Fallen Angel with Prince’s Purple Rain or a Long Happiness to pair with Björk’s “Violently Happy” from Debut. Whether it was a band member’s favorite drink, references or originated in the band’s hometown, or just speaks to the overall soul of the band/album/song, it is quite clear that each cocktail pairing was laboriously thought out to ensure that it would enhance the drinker’s experience while enjoying the featured album.
Once you get beyond the beautifully arranged album and cocktail pairings that make up the bulk of the book, you begin to notice some subtly placed how-to and instructional sections meant to help you hone your skills as a host and at-home bartender. The authors throw in a handful of food recipes to enhance a few of the featured albums and corresponding cocktails – like Punk Rock Tea Party Sandwiches that you can put together while listening to Blondie’s Parallel Lines. Readers can also find a separate index that helps them easily track down two and three ingredient drinks, tips on “How to Host a Boozy Listening Party”, advice on “How to Host a Whiskey Tasting”, and a short final chapter that helps novice bartenders better understand things like working with eggs in cocktails, making simple syrup, and creating large batches of cocktails for a crowd. To put it simply, if a reader is left confused or has a question about a recipe in Booze and Vinyl, the book is set up so that he or she can find the needed answers somewhere in those pages. Every consideration has been made and there is no googling required.
All of that is well and good, but you do not really know much about a book of this sort until you put it to the test. Since everyone in this office tends to be in the mood for “Rock”, we thumbed over to that chapter, broke out our copy of Appetite for Destruction by Guns N’ Roses, mixed up some Rattle Skulls and held an impromptu listening party to do just that (recipe below is quoted directly from Booze and Vinyl):
Rattle Skull
A popular colonial drink that packs a wallop, this cocktail comes straight at you from revolutionary times to help woo that sweet child. Why chase your beer with a shot when you can just have them together? That’s the early-American logic of this drink that is hard to refute. Try it over ice or without — the taste is similar to a Cuba Libre (rum and Coke).
1 1/2 ounces rum or brandy (We went with some Dogfish Head Brown Honey Rum)
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce brown sugar syrup (1:1 sugar to water)
Add ingredients to a chilled beer mug and stir.
The often shunned combination of beer and liquor nicely parallels the reckless reputation that Guns N’ Roses earned in the late ’80s, but the Rattle Skull comes together to produce a cohesive, nuanced experience that has stood the test of time . . . just like Appetite for Destruction. The added lime juice brings out Night Swim Porter’s citrusy hops while the Brown Honey Rum accentuates the beer’s more malty and roasty notes. Just as the recipe mentioned, the Rattle Skull comes across as a more balanced and dynamic Cuba Libre. This cocktail makes for the perfect drink to enjoy as you scream the lyrics to “My Michelle” (Track 7) or groove along to “You’re Crazy” (Track 10).
With that incredibly fun experience under our belts, we can now confidently declare that Booze and Vinyl is a cocktail guide that goes well beyond any previous experiences you may have had with cocktail recipe books. It takes the sometimes intimidating art of bartending and makes it incredibly accessible by relating it to something we all love: music. If a recipe proves challenging, the music – because you know it will be playing in the background – is always there to either draw out that calming, centering breath or pump you up with the confidence needed to totally crush one hell of a cocktail party. This unique attribute makes Booze and Vinyl much more than just another coffee table book. It can be read cover to cover or used as a quick reference guide for bartenders of varying experience levels. Beyond that, this book arms its reader with a wealth of cocktail/listening party ideas that can be employed during a casual Friday night in with friends or in planning full-blown theme parties. Just pick a genre or artist, stock the bar and fridge, fire up the turntable, and you are set. Above all, this book mirrors the joy that music provides by putting a smile on your face, conjuring up memories of the past, and offering you the fuel to make some new ones. It doesn’t get much better than that. Prost!
Boulevard Brewing Co. (Kansas City, Missouri) has officially announced that it will begin the Limited Release of its iconic Saison Brett on Monday, April 30.
Annually brewed since 2008 and one of the “most coveted beers” to come out of Boulevard’s Smokestack Series, Saison Brett starts life as an “assertively dry-hopped” version of the brewery’s Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale. To set it apart from its cousin, the brewers then inoculate Saison Brett with Champagne yeast and “brettanomyces bruxellensis in a bottling tank designated to holding funky/sour beers.” After it is bottled and spends “12+ weeks in the bottle conditioning area”, the finished Saison Brett (8.5% ABV) emerges to treat its drinker to “suggestions of forest floor, earthy funk and tropical fruit that mingle with fruity Belgian yeast esters, peppery phenolic notes and citrusy hops.” Saison Brett can be enjoyed fresh or it can be cellared to “allow the brettanomyces character to develop and intensify.”
This year’s batch of Saison Brett will officially debut in the Greater Kansas City Area on April 30 and expanded distribution will follow “in the coming weeks.” You can expect to find this Limited Release available in 750ml bottles and on draft at select craft beer establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Missouri and other areas in Boulevard Brewing Co.’s distribution footprint “that typically see Smokestack Series Limited Release beers like Rye on Rye on Rye and Love Child blends.” Prost!
Vital Information for Saison Brett from Boulevard Brewing Co.
Release – Limited; April 30, 2018 Style – Saison ABV – 8.5% IBUs – 38 Malts – Pale Malt & Malted Wheat Hops – Magnum, Cascade, Amarillo, Calypso & Citra Yeast – Primary fermentation with a house Belgian yeast strain; later inoculated with Brettanomyces Bruxellensis & Champagne yeast in a bottling tank Suggested Food Pairings – “Washed rind cheeses; pasta with creamy mushroom sauce; spicy crab cakes with mango puree; saison steamed mussels with fennel, saffron & lemon; ginger lemon sorbet” Availability – 750ml bottles & draft Beer Finder – https://www.boulevard.com/beer/beer-finder/
Sixpoint Brewery (Brooklyn, New York) recently announced that it is tackling the summer heat with two Seasonal releases this year: Jammer Gose and Citrus Jammer Gose.
First brewed back in 2011, Jammer is a Gose-style ale that has seen its sea salt and coriander additions constantly tweaked by Sixpoint’s brewers ever since so that they could get the “pH level, the salinity, and that coriander aroma just right.” The goal is to make Jammer “tart enough to tingle the tastebuds, but not so sour that you can’t throw a few back.” Mission accomplished, and Jammer is back for another year to act as the brewery’s “refreshing, spritzy, tangy” summer formulation.
Well . . . we should probably say half of Sixpoint’s “refreshing, spritzy, tangy” summer lineup because Jammer has some company this year. Citrus Jammer takes that OG Jammer and hits it with a twist of “just the right amount of lemon and lime juice.” Rockin’ a “little more tang” than the original, Citrus Jammer is here to ensure that you get your recommended dose of Vitamin J this summer.
Jammer and Citrus Jammer are both available now and are scheduled to hang around through the summer months. You can expect to find these Seasonal brews available in 6-packs of 12 oz. cans and on draft at select craft beer establishments located in Alabama, Florida, New York and throughout the rest of Sixpoint’s distribution area. Prost!
Vital Information for Jammer Gose from Sixpoint Brewery
Release – Seasonal (Summer), arriving late April 2018 Style – Gose ABV – 4% IBUs – 16 Added Ingredients – Coriander & sea salt Availability – 6-packs of 12 oz. cans & draft
Vital Information for Citrus Jammer Gose from Sixpoint Brewery
Release – Seasonal (Summer), debuting late April 2018 Style – Gose ABV – 4% IBUs – N/A Added Ingredients – Coriander, sea salt, lemon & lime juice Availability – 6-packs of 12 oz. cans & draft
Einstök Ölgerð (Akureyri, Iceland) has officially announced the limited release of its wildly popular Summer Seasonal: Arctic Berry Ale.
Developed as a summer-themed take on Einstök’s award-winning Icelandic White Ale, Arctic Berry Ale (5% ABV) uses that beer as a base and then ups the refreshment level with the addition of “Icelandic bilberries hand-picked just 40 miles south of the Arctic Circle.” This combination yields “a unique small-batch witbier” that proves to be “the perfect complement for summer outdoor events such as cookouts and beach/pool parties.”
“In Iceland, Sumardagurinn fyrsti is a phrase we use to signal the arrival of summer and warmer temperatures,” says Einstök’s Managing Director Gudjon Gudmundsson. “And the Arctic Berry Ale is one way locals like to relax and enjoy the fleeting warm outdoors with friends and family. We encourage all beer-lovers to try the unique Arctic Berry Ale before, like the warm weather in Iceland, it disappears until next summer.”
Arctic Berry Ale is rolling out now and will be available for a limited time in 6-packs of 11.2 oz. cans and on draft. This Seasonal release will see limited distribution in the following 11 states located within Einstök’s U.S. distribution footprint: Alabama, Florida, California, Colorado, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. Prost!
Vital Information for Arctic Berry Ale from Einstök Ölgerð
Release – Seasonal (Summer), arriving late April 2018 Style – Witbier ABV – 5% Malts – Wheat, Pilsner & Oats Hops – Bavarian hops Added Ingredients – Icelandic bilberries Suggested Food Pairings – “Warm weather fare, cookouts, fish and poultry, sushi, spicy food, Asian food, Latin food, Greek food, citrus salads and desserts.” Availability – 6-packs of 11.2 oz. cans & draft Distribution – Alabama, Florida, California, Colorado, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas & Wisconsin Beer Finder – https://einstokbeer.com/ale-locator/
Due South Brewing Co. (Boynton Beach, Florida) has officially announced that it is getting on the Cinco de Mayo festivities with the Limited Release of its Mexican Standoff Porter.
Mashing In 