Beer News | Mashing In

TrimTab Brewing & Southern Prohibition Brewing Collaborate on Astronaut Ice Cream Imperial Stout

Posted on January 16, 2020 by mashingin

TrimTab Brewing (Birmingham, Alabama) has officially announced that it will hold a Limited Can Release for Astronaut Ice Cream, an Imperial Milk Stout brewed in collaboration with Southern Prohibition Brewing (Hattiesburg, Mississippi), at noon on Saturday, January 18.

Created to capture all of our youthful dreams of space and never-ending desire to get our hands on freeze-dried ice cream, Astronaut Ice Cream is an Imperial Milk Stout brewed with lactose and actual astronaut ice cream sandwiches. Clocking in at 9% ABV, Astronaut Ice Cream is here to take the Dessert Stout experience to another world.

Astronaut Ice Cream is scheduled to release in in the Tasting Gallery at TrimTab Brewing at noon on January 18. This Limited Release offering will be available in 16 oz. cans during the release (while supplies last). Astronaut Ice Cream is a brewery exclusive release and will not see distribution. Prost!

Vital Information for Astronaut Ice Cream from TrimTab Brewing & Southern Prohibition Brewing

Release – Limited; January 18, 2020
Style – Imperial Milk Stout
ABV – 9%
Added Ingredients – Astronaut ice cream sandwiches & lactose
Availability – 16 oz. cans
Distribution – None. Brewery exclusive release

J. Wakefield Brewing Begins Distributing to Publix Super Markets in Florida

Posted on January 15, 2020 by mashingin

J. Wakefield Brewing (Miami, Florida) has officially announced that it will begin distributing El Hefe and Hops 4 Teacher IPA to 40 Publix Super Markets in South Florida, from Broward County to Key West, in January 2020.

After hearing from countless fans requesting the ability to turn Publix grocery runs into J. Wakefield Brewing (JWB) beer runs, the brewery is finally ready to make those requests a reality now that they know that they can meet the demand and ensure that all the beer will be “brewed and packaged exclusively at JWB’s brewery on 24th Street in Wynwood by the JWB brew team.” J. Wakefield Brewing will enter select Publix Super Markets with the following two Core offerings (descriptions sourced directly from the brewery’s press release and website):

El Hefe – A traditional German Hefeweizen in its core, but with the addition of fresh coconut flakes for a taste of South Florida and its beautiful surrounding beaches. ABV – 5% IBUs – 13
Hops 4 Teacher IPA – A generously Citra hopped India Pale Ale with notes of grapefruit and passionfruit. ABV – 6.5% IBUs – 67

“We couldn’t be happier to make our beer available through Publix. It seems like people have been asking us about Publix distribution, since we opened the brewery. We really wanted to make sure that we could adequately meet the demand, without contracting out the brewing. It was important to us that the beer be brewed here, by our team” said JWB owner/founder/brewmaster, Johnathan Wakefield. “It’s the first of several major announcements that we’ll be making in 2020.”

El Hefe and Hops 4 Teacher IPA will begin hitting Publix store shelves in January 2020. You can expect to find both offerings available in 4-packs of 16 oz. cans in the craft beer sections at 40 Publix Super Markets located in the South Florida area that spans from Broward County to Key West. Prost!

Heavy Seas Beer’s Blackbeard’s Breakfast Returns in 2020 with Tiramisu Variant

Posted on January 15, 2020 by mashingin

Heavy Seas Beer (Baltimore, Maryland) has officially announced that it will release the 2020 edition of its Blackbeard’s Breakfast Bourbon Barrel-aged Porter alongside a draft-only tiramisu variant in February.

Crafted to be a “new world twist” on the Robust Porter, Blackbeard’s Breakfast is an Imperial Porter brewed with Dark Sumatra coffee sourced from Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company and aged in Bourbon barrels. The beer’s English malts provide “strong notes of caramel and a slight nut character” that pair beautifully with the “bourbon notes and the sumptuous Sumatran Coffee.” Extremely “flavorful and complex”, Blackbeard’s Breakfast (10% ABV) is guaranteed to “please coffee and beer connoisseurs alike.”

To put a decadent spin on Blackbeard’s Breakfast in 2020, the Heavy Seas brewing team approached Tiramisu Blackbeard’s Breakfast by “[playing] up the coffee flavor already present, and used a special chocolate-forward espresso roasted just for this beer.” Lactose was then added to the recipe to impart a “luxurious mouthfeel and sweetness you’d expect from a delectable slice of tiramisu, and imported cocoa nibs and cocoa powder punch up the chocolate aroma and flavor.” Coming in at smooth-sipping 10% ABV, Tiramisu Blackbeard’s Breakfast is here to remind us all that “there’s always room for dessert.”

Blackbeard’s Breakfast and Tiramisu Blackbeard’s Breakfast are both scheduled to release in February and will hang around for as long as supplies last. The original Blackbeard’s Breakfast will be available in 4-packs of 12 oz. bottles and on draft at craft beer-focused establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Maryland and throughout the rest of Heavy Seas Beer’s distribution footprint. Tiramisu Blackbeard’s Breakfast is a draft-only release that will only be available in select markets. Prost!

Vital Information for Blackbeard’s Breakfast from Heavy Seas Beer

Release – Limited/Uncharted Waters Series; February 2020
Style – Imperial Porter
ABV – 10%
IBUs – 40
Malts – 2-Row, UK Amber, Vienna, Light Crystal, Dark Crystal, Chocolate Malt & Black Malt
Hops – Target & UK Goldings
Added Ingredients – Dark Sumatra coffee from Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company
Treatment – Aged in Bourbon barrels
Availability – 4-packs of 12 oz. bottles & draft
Beer Finder – http://hsbeer.com/beerfinder

Oskar Blues Brewery Sends Death By King Cake Out for Limited Release

Posted on January 14, 2020 by mashingin

Oskar Blues Brewery (Longmont, Colorado) has officially announced that it will continue its Death By Series with the January release of Death By King Cake.

Developed to be a liquid representation of the “traditional Mardi Gras treat,” Death By King Cake is a White Porter brewed with vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cacao nibs, orange peel and pecans. Coming in at a smooth 6.5% ABV, Death By King Cake makes it so “anyone can be King for a day.”

Death By King Cake is available now and will hang around for a limited time. You can expect to find this Limited Release available in 4-packs of 12 oz. cans and on draft at select craft beer-focused retailers, bars and restaurants located in Alabama, Florida, Colorado, North Carolina, Texas and throughout the rest of Oskar Blues Brewery’s nationwide distribution network. Prost!

Vital Information for Death By King Cake from Oskar Blues Brewery

Release – Limited/Death By Series; launching January 2020
Style – White Porter
ABV – 6.5%
Added Ingredients – Vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cacao nibs, orange peel & pecans
Availability – 4-packs of 12 oz. cans & draft
Beer Finder – https://www.oskarblues.com/beer-finder/

Cascade Brewing Releases Tropical Grasslands Gose as its First Canned Sour

Posted on January 14, 2020 by mashingin

Cascade Brewing (Portland, Oregon) has officially announced that it will begin the Limited Release of Tropical Grasslands, a Barrel-aged Gose available exclusively in cans, on January 13.

Arriving as the first offering in a new series of canned Sour Ales that are “meant to be consumed fresh, not aged,” Tropical Grasslands is a Gose-style Ale “aged in oak barrels for up to 10 months then infused with fresh orange zest, fresh lemongrass, ground coriander and Oregon Coast sea salt.” Coming in at an easy drinking 5% ABV, Tropical Grasslands is the approachable yet full-flavored Sour Ale you have been longing for.

“Tropical Grasslands is the first in a new series of canned sours that are designed to be crisp, easy-drinking sours with clean and complex flavors,” explained Kevin Martin, director of brewery operations for Cascade Brewing. “With soft acidity and fresh flavors, this canned series will be a great gateway sour for those new to sour beer, and will also appeal to the sour beer connoisseur looking for a softer approach to the style.”

Tropical Grasslands hit Cascade’s two Portland pubs – Cascade Brewing Barrel House and Lodge at Cascade Brewing – on January 13 and will enter limited distribution shortly after the on-site releases. You can expect to find this Limited Release available in 12 oz. cans at select craft beer-friendly establishments located in Oregon, California, Washington and Idaho. Tropical Grasslands will not be available on draft. Prost!

Vital Information for Tropical Grasslands from Cascade Brewing

Release – Limited; January 13, 2020
Style – Gose
ABV – 5%
Treatment – Aged in oak barrels for up to 10 months then infused with fresh orange zest, fresh lemongrass, ground coriander & Oregon Coast sea salt
Availability – 12 oz. cans
Distribution – Oregon, California, Washington & Idaho

Southern Tier Brewing Co. Introduces Nitro Hot Cocoa Imperial Stout

Posted on January 13, 2020 by mashingin

Southern Tier Brewing Company (Lakewood, New York) has officially announced that Nitro Hot Cocoa will join the brewery’s Blackwater NITRO Series in January 2020.

Here to tackle the cold weather with a whole new kind of hot cocoa experience, Nitro Hot Cocoa is a nitrogenated Imperial Milk Stout featuring cocoa powder, “rich natural chocolate and hints of marshmallow.” Weighing in at a comforting 10% ABV, Nitro Hot Cocoa “offers a cascading, creamy richness” that is “the perfect pairing to stay warm during a cozy night.”

Nitro Hot Cocoa is rolling out now and will hang around through April 2020. You can expect to find this new Blackwater NITRO Series offering available in 4-packs of 12 oz. cans and on draft at select craft beer-friendly establishments located in Alabama, Florida, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and throughout the rest of Southern Tier’s distribution area. Prost!

Vital Information for Nitro Hot Cocoa from Southern Tier Brewing Company

Release – Limited/Blackwater NITRO Series; January – April 2020
Style – Imperial Milk Stout
ABV – 10%
IBUs – 25
Added Ingredients – Cocoa powder, chocolate, marshmallow & milk sugar
Fun Fact – On the Blackwater NITRO Series: “Each can releases nitro into the stouts, creating cascading foam and delicious, creamy flavor. It is a fully sensational drinking experience that you can hear, see and taste.”
Availability – 4-packs of 12 oz. cans (Note: 12 oz. cans contain 9.6 oz. of liquid due to the integrated nitro technology in each can) & draft
Beer Finder – https://stbcbeer.com/finder/?item=all

The Bruery Begins Nationwide Launch of Ruekeller Helles

Posted on January 13, 2020 by mashingin

The Bruery (Orange County, California) has officially announced that it will introduce Ruekeller Helles, the brewery’s first distributed lager, in late January 2020.

Developed through a challenge that had the team at The Bruery innovate and experiment in a new way by “getting back to tradition,” Ruekeller Helles is German-style Helles Lager “brewed with premium imported malts and hops . . . sourced from Germany, including Magnum, Saaz Hops, and German Pilsner malt.” Coming in at 5.2% ABV, Ruekeller Helles is “an extraordinary lager— easy-drinking full-bodied, with light bitterness, a touch of sweetness, and a clean and crisp finish.”

“Ruekeller Helles is a great example of our world-class production team, led by our VP of Brewing Operations, Darren Moser, tapping into the innovative spirit of The Bruery to create a beer that’s easy to love for both the sophisticated palate and the craft-curious drinker.”

– Barry Holmes, CEO of The Bruery

Ruekeller Helles is available now at both of The Bruery’s Tasting Room locations and is scheduled to enter full distribution in late January 2020. You can expect to find this new Core offering available in 4-packs of 16 oz. cans and on draft at craft beer-friendly establishments located in Florida, California, Washington, D.C. and throughout the rest of The Bruery’s distribution area. Prost!

Vital Information for Ruekeller Helles from The Bruery

Release – Year-Round/Core; launching late January 2020
Style – German-style Helles Lager
ABV – 5.2%
Malts – German Pilsner
Hops – Magnum & Saaz
Fun Fact – “The name Ruekeller is a play on words, paying homage to both the traditional Krausen method of brewing fine lagers, and The Bruery’s namesake. In German, ‘ruh’ literally translates to ‘quiet’ or ‘peace,’ while in brewing, it refers to the step where almost finished beer rests in a secondary fermentation so that it can mellow and develop. The Ruhkeller, or ‘Rest Cellar,’ is where the beer will be krausened. Krausening is a traditional German method for carbonating beers without using sugars or other adjuncts. Instead, actively fermenting malt wort is added to the fermented beer to provide the malted sugars needed for carbonation. During this step, the beer is crash cooled into what is referred to as lagering, lager meaning ‘to store.’ This method is difficult in nature, meticulous in process, but the end product is an extraordinary craft lager.”
Availability – 4-packs of 16 oz. cans & draft
Beer Finder – https://www.thebruery.com/find

Tasting Notes: Crabbie’s Original Alcoholic Ginger Beer

Posted on January 11, 2020January 11, 2020 by mashingin

For this edition of Tasting Notes, we spice up the weekend by getting into some Crabbie’s Original Alcoholic Ginger Beer from Halewood International (Liverpool, United Kingdom).

The result of “pioneer John Crabbie’s search for the finest ingredients from the Far East,” Crabbie’s Original Alcoholic Ginger Beer is crafted with a “closely guarded secret recipe” that dates back to 1801. Featuring only the finest Asian ginger and exotic spices, Crabbie’s is a “deliciously refreshing beverage . . . made with purely natural flavors – none of those artificial and hard-to-pronounce sweeteners.” Crabbie’s Original Alcoholic Ginger Beer (4% ABV) can be easily enjoyed on its own (straight or over ice with a slice of lime), as an ingredient in cocktails such as the Moscow Mule and Dark & Stormy, or as the perfect palate cleansing pairing for fine Asian cuisine.

Crabbie’s Original Alcoholic Ginger Beer is available Year-Round, and you can expect to find it available in 4-packs of 330ml (11.2 oz) bottles at fine beverage retailers located in Alabama, Florida and throughout the rest of the U.S.

Now that we all know a little of the history behind this offering, let’s crack open a few bottles and let the spice carry us through these Tasting Notes!

Tasting Notes for Crabbie’s Original Alcoholic Ginger Beer from Halewood International

Appearance: A steady pour produces a brassy, light golden yellow Ginger Beer that is topped with right at a finger of fizzy, bright white foam. When held to direct light, the darker brassy tones diminish a bit to allow the brighter golden yellows to push through. The beer is perfectly clear, displaying a rather vibrant carbonation presence bouncing about within. Head retention is decent, quickly falling to a frothy, lasting top cap that has some good stick to it as it sheets the glass with a solid coat of lace.

Aroma: As expected, the ginger is quick to command all aspects of the aroma. This is a powerful presence of freshly chopped ginger root that fills the air the moment the cap is pried from the bottle. Lemongrass and lime zest eventually join in, but the aromatic profile is pretty much dominated by the featured ingredient: ginger.

Taste: Spicy ginger is quick to grab the palate with a pleasant, refreshing bite. The ginger notes then pull back a bit, allowing notes of lemongrass, coriander and lime leaf and zest to surface. All of this is balanced by a solid backbone of brown sugar and caramel-like sweetness.

Mouthfeel: Light in body with an effervescent level of carbonation, this brew is bright, crisp and easy drinking. Mostly spicy on the palate, it does find some level of cool balance thanks its lightly sweet malt character. The 4% ABV is obviously light in presence and is almost completely masked by the ginger spice. The aftertaste is a bit of caramel-kissed ginger.

Final Thoughts: Crabbie’s Original Alcoholic Ginger Beer pulls absolutely no punches as it asserts itself with a true, potent representation of what ginger is all about. The ginger character – in both flavor and aroma – is fresh, clean, incredibly pronounced and downright delightful. With that said, this Ginger Beer still has depth as it allows the malts and other spices to add to and accentuate the overall experience. This dynamic quality made quite the impression on us as we were able to thoroughly enjoy Crabbie’s straight from the bottle and also in a round of Dark & Stormy cocktails (and yes, the ginger held up beautifully against the sweet nature of the dark rum). If you are a fan of bold flavors and ginger in particular, Crabbie’s Original Alcoholic Ginger Beer needs to be on the shopping list for your next beer run. Prost!

New Realm Brewing Kicks Off 2020 with Return of Radegast Triple IPA

Posted on January 10, 2020 by mashingin

New Realm Brewing Company (Atlanta, Georgia) has officially announced that it will begin the Limited Release of Radegast Triple IPA on January 14.

Released each year in January to commemorate the opening of New Realm’s first brewery, Radegast – named after the fabled Slavic god of hospitality – is a Triple India Pale Ale that is “wonderfully aromatic and massive in fruity hop flavor.” Boasting “huge citrus, resin and peach flavors plus mild malt character in both nose and taste,” the “full flavored and assertively hopped” Radegast (11.5% ABV) has been expertly crafted to be a “perfect cool weather sipper,”

“We really look forward to brewing this beer every year, it’s definitely a favorite of the brewing team. This is the third year we’ve brewed Radegast Triple IPA, and this is my favorite version so far. This hop bomb hits you with loads of citrus, peach and pineapple.”

– Mitch Steele, Brewmaster and Co-Founder of New Realm Brewing

Radegast Triple IPA will officially release at New Realm’s Atlanta and Virginia Beach locations on January 14 (a limited amount of Radegast is available for pre-sale on CraftCellr, and you can secure your cans now by clicking here) and distribution is scheduled to follow shortly after the on-site releases. 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 in New Realm’s distribution footprint in Georgia and the Hampton Roads, Northern and Western areas of Virginia. Prost!

Vital Information for Radegast Triple IPA from New Realm Brewing Company

Release – Limited; January 14, 2020
Style – Imperial/Triple India Pale Ale
ABV – 11.5%
IBUs – 100
Hops – Citra, Mosaic & El Dorado
Fun Fact – “Radegast Triple IPA was the first beer released by [New Realm Brewing Company], and one of its most highly rated.”
Availability – 4-packs of 16 oz. cans & draft
Distribution – Georgia and the Hampton Roads, Northern and Western areas of Virginia

Sixpoint Brewery Adds Three New IPAs to its Year-Round Portfolio

Posted on January 10, 2020 by mashingin

Sixpoint Brewery (Brooklyn, New York) has officially announced that Hootie Hazy IPA, Meltdown IIPA and Trail Haze Hazy Adventure IPA will join the brewery’s Year-Round lineup in January 2020.

After spending the last 25 months developing and releasing over 65 beers as a part of their Small Batch innovation program, the fine folks at Sixpoint Brewery have decided to promote three top formulations to Year-Round status. Hootie Hazy IPA, Meltdown IIPA and Trail Haze Hazy Adventure IPA have all been tested by the brewery “at small scale extensively through multiple releases, incorporating feedback, and even going so far as to survey a group of ‘Super Fans’ on their opinions of the beers across several iterations.” After a few tweaks and adjustments, this is how Sixpoint describes the Year-Round versions of these three offerings (descriptions sourced directly from the brewery’s press release):

Hootie Hazy IPA – A 6.2% ABV, 5 IBU IPA gratuitously dry-hopped with three hops directly-sourced from farms in the Pacific Northwest and Idaho—Idaho 7, El Dorado, and Amarillo—with Australian Galaxy hops as well to boost the overall potency. It’s an everyday Hazy IPA that’s designed to be incredibly juicy and aromatic, and also very easy to drink with low bitterness.
The hop strains for Hootie were selected to leverage the direct-to-farmer hop relationships that Sixpoint has cultivated over the years. The beer features the Idaho 7 hop sourced directly from Nate Jackson of Jackson Farms, the breeder of the varietal. Sixpoint also uses El Dorado hops directly sourced from Graham Gamache at Cornerstone Ranches, and the Amarillo variety comes from Double R farms, both in Washington’s Yakima Valley.
Hootie was one of the first releases from Sixpoint’s Product Development team and has been worked on for over two years. Sixpoint released the beer in 16 oz cans for limited distribution in mid-2019, and the final update to the beer is raising the ABV slightly, from 5.4 to 6.2, to precisely dial in the formulation.
Meltdown IIPA – An 8.0% ABV, 20 IBU, Double IPA intensely hopped with Mosaic and Mandarina Bavaria. This beer has a smooth, soft, hazy body meant to be extremely lush and juicy.
Meltdown is Sixpoint’s expression of the New England Double IPA experience at scale— complete with all the rich texture, extreme hopping rate, and ripe juiciness the style is beloved for— and available on shelves consistently.
Meltdown was released through Sixpoint’s Infinite Loop rotating IPA series and became an instant favorite, with tasters lauding the smooth and soft body of the beer, plus the complex aroma of both ripe tropical fruit and bright orange peel.
Trail Haze Hazy Adventure IPA – A 4% ABV, 99 calorie Hazy “Adventure” IPA, hopped with Southern Hemisphere favorites Vic Secret and Enigma, as well as Mosaic, and produced without any sweeteners or flavorings. The beer is a collaboration with the outdoor recreational co-op REI.
Sixpoint and REI’s relationship began through event partnership and Sixpoint’s support of REI adventures in the NY metro area. The two teams then developed Trail Haze in the summer of 2019 and released it through Sixpoint’s Small Batch events, as well as at major events at REI’s NYC location, including the announcement of their #opttoact campaign, which presented people with a 52 week plan to take action to reduce their impact on the environment in partnership with the NYC Mayors Office of Sustainability, and “Pray for Snow” Party.
Trail Haze is an innovative formula using rice and highly attenuative brewing techniques to create a light, crisp, low calorie beer that drinks with the texture and quality of real hazy IPA but doesn’t slow you down. The beer is aggressively dry-hopped with a blend of American and Australian hops to be extremely aromatic and expressive.

Hootie Hazy IPA, Meltdown IIPA and Trail Haze Hazy Adventure IPA are all launching in January 2020. You can expect to find these new Year-Round offerings available in 6-packs of 12 oz. cans and on draft at craft beer-focused establishments located in Alabama, Florida, New York and throughout the rest of Sixpoint Brewery’s distribution area. Prost!