Green Man Brewery (Asheville, North Carolina) has officially announced that Hop Hustler Exbeerimental Pale Ale will join its Year-Round portfolio in Spring 2019.
Crafted to serve as “the perfect canvas to showcase Green Man’s love of hops”, Hop Hustler is a “bright and clean bodied” American Pale Ale that will keep things fresh from batch to batch thanks to an “ever-changing and evolving” hop profile. Weighing in at a light 4.8% ABV, Hop Hustler aspires to be the “ultra-hoppy, easy to drink” Pale Ale you have been looking for.
Hop Hustler Exbeerimental Pale Ale will officially launch in early 2019 with availability in 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles and on draft. You can expect to find this new Year-Round at craft beer-friendly retailers, bars and restaurants located in Florida, North Carolina and throughout the rest of Green Man’s six state distribution footprint. Prost!
Vital Information for Hop Hustler Exbeerimental Pale Ale from Green Man Brewery
Release – Year-Round, launching Spring 2019 Style – American Pale Ale ABV – 4.8% Featured Hops – Hop profile changes from batch to batch Availability – 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles & draft Distribution – North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee & Virginia
Oskar Blues Brewery (Longmont, Colorado) and Cigar City Brewing (Tampa, Florida) have officially announced plans to make Bamburana, an innovative new collaboration beer, available for national distribution in mid-January.
When Wayne Wambles, Brewmaster at Cigar City Brewing, and Tim Matthews, Head of Brewing Operations at Oskar Blues Brewery, put their heads together to develop the recipe for Bamburana, their overall intent was to “craft a brew that would marry the flavors of double-barrel aged imperial stout and Amburana wood, . . . an indigenous South American wood that imparts unique warm and savory flavors and aroma.” To pull this off, these “two giant craft beer personalities” brewed an Imperial Stout with figs and dates, and then double barrel-aged it in whiskey and brandy barrels. After a lengthy maturation period in those barrels, the beer was then “aged once more in tanks with Amburana wood spirals.” Now that its treatment has been deemed complete, Bamburana (12.2% ABV) has risen from its rest boasting “forward-facing roasted malt flavors that branch out against a dark fruit backdrop of figs and dates” while “brandy and whiskey accents make themselves known with complex boozy-and-sweet flavors, complementing the warmth and spice of Amburana wood.”
“We were excited to see the results of infusing Amburana wood into a big, barrel-aged imperial stout,” said Wayne Wambles, Brewmaster at Cigar City Brewing. “We were pleasantly surprised with the vanilla and gingerbread spice nuances this South American wood contributed into the finished beer and look forward to putting this delicious beer in front of folks!”
“We’re both known for barrel-aging big, malty, dark beers,” added Tim Matthews, Head of Brewing Operations at Oskar Blues Brewery. “The culinary goal of this project was to match the flavors of a rich candy cookie with fig filling and gingerbread spice. We spent a bunch of time selecting the right figs and dates to hit exactly the right flavor notes, lend a slight stickiness and cut into the rowdiness of the Amburana wood.”
Bamburana is slated to hit shelves in mid-January 2019 and will hang around as long as supplies last. You can expect to find this Limited Release available in 4-packs of 12 oz. cans at select craft beer-focused establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Colorado, North Carolina, Texas and throughout the rest of Oskar Blues Brewery’s/CANarchy’s nationwide distribution area. Prost!
Vital Information for Bamburana from Oskar Blues Brewery & Cigar City Brewing
Release – Limited, mid-January 2019 Style – Imperial Stout ABV – 12.2% Added Ingredients – Figs & dates Treatment – Double barrel-aged – in both whiskey and brandy barrels – and aged once more in tanks with Amburana wood spirals
Fun Fact – Bamburana is the first nationally distributed collaboration between Oskar Blues Brewery & Cigar City Brewing Availability – 4-packs of 12 oz. cans
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Milton, Delaware) has officially announced that The Perfect Disguise Double IPA will debut in early January as the newest offering to come out of the brewery’s Off-Centered Art Series.
The Perfect Disguise might be a Double India Pale Ale on paper, but a quick glance at this golden brew will make your brain believe that it is about to enjoy “a straightforward Kolsch with a crisp Kolsch yeast and traditional German malts and hops.” Confusion continues to grow as you take a sip and discover that this beer has been double dry-hopped with “nearly 4lbs of German and American hops per barrel, bringing tropical flavors of citrus, tangerine, mango, gooseberries and peach.” With German chit malt rounding everything off with a “luscious body and creamy mouthfeel”, The Perfect Disguise (8% ABV, 70 IBUs) circles back to its Bavarian influences one last time and leaves you questioning everything you once thought you knew about craft beer and beer styles.
“Our raison d’être at Dogfish is to innovate and not follow, so on this exploration of goodness in the world of IPAs we’ve chosen to chase the creative white space in the sphere of beer recipes, concepts and ideas and I think we nailed it with our adventurous take on a Double IPA with The Perfect Disguise,” said Sam Calagione, CEO and founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. “We punched up the creativity by layering in two different yeasts which bring forth the most delicious flavor profiles from both a Kolsch and an IPA – a delicious experiment.”
The Perfect Disguise will launch in early January 2019 and is scheduled to hang around through April. You can expect to find this new Limited Release brew available in 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles at craft beer-friendly establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Delaware, and throughout the rest of Dogfish Head’s distribution territory. Prost!
Vital Information for The Perfect Disguise from Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Release – Limited/Off-Centered Art Series; January – April 2019 Style – Double India Pale Ale ABV – 8% IBUs – 70 Fun Fact – On the label artwork: “The artwork for The Perfect Disguise was brought to life and designed by highly acclaimed artist, Michael Hacker, who partnered with Dogfish Head for the 2019 Off-Centered Art Series. The name “The Perfect Disguise” was the inspiration for the illustration design as it’s a play on words with whether or not the beer is actually a Kolsch or an American IPA. Hacker artfully portrayed that mystery by creating a German waiter dressed in lederhosen as a nod to the Kolsch style and added a hop popping out from his neck and controlling the robot, which represents the American IPA. The bright yellow and orange packaging is a nod to the golden color of the beer.” Availability – 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles Beer Finder – https://www.dogfish.com/brewery/fishfinder
Cascade Brewing (Portland, Oregon) has officially announced that the Limited Release of the 2017 vintage of Valley Flora will begin on Friday, January 11.
Developed to serve as a celebration of “Northwest regional offerings of craft beer and wine”, Valley Flora 2017 is an American Sour Ale that “combines Cascade’s sour red ale with Willamette Valley-grown Pinot Noir grapes using traditional brewing and winemaking techniques.” Thanks to “native fruit fermentation and extended oak maturation”, the finished Valley Flora (10% ABV) is able to express “notes of dark bramble fruit, plum, cherry, earth and oak supported by a balanced tannic structure and lively acidity.”
“This project is an off-shoot of Cascade Sang Royal, featuring a higher concentration of fruit and a greater presence of new oak,” explained Kevin Martin, Cascade Brewing Director of Brewery Operations. “The resulting Valley Flora blend has more wine-forward flavor characteristics than the Sang Royal, as well as more pronounced toasted oak/vanilla aroma and increased tannic structure.”
Valley Flora 2017 will officially release at Cascade’s two Portland-area pubs on January 11 and enter full distribution at or around that date as well. You can expect to find this Tier Two offering available for a limited time in 500ml bottles and on draft at select craft beer-friendly establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Oregon and throughout the rest of Cascade Brewing’s distribution area. Prost!
Vital Information for Valley Flora 2017 from Cascade Brewing
Release – Limited/Tier Two; January 11, 2019 Style – American Sour Ale ABV – 10% Featured Ingredient – Willamette Valley-grown Pinot Noir grapes Fun Fact #1 – On the beer’s name: “With “flora” defined as “plants of a particular region,” the name Valley Flora references the Pinot Noir grape as one of the most well-known plantings throughout the Willamette Valley.” Fun Fact #2 – “Valley Flora is a Tier Two offering; Cascade’s bottles have distinct label styles for each of the three Cascade Brewing pricing tiers, with each label within the tier utilizing distinctive colors to clearly differentiate each beer. The tiers differ by the style of beer used in the product, the type ingredients contained within, the time aged in the barrels and types of barrels used.” Availability – 500ml bottles & draft
Heavy Seas Beer (Baltimore, Maryland) has officially announced that it will begin the Limited Release of Citra Cannon IPA in February.
Originally released as a part of Heavy Seas’ Single Cannon Series, Citra Cannon is a single hop American India Pale Ale brewed with 100% Citra hops. Coming in at 6% ABV and 50 IBUs, Citra Cannon offers an “intense hop experience” that is “hazy, juicy, and packed full of dank aroma and Citra hop flavor.”
Citra Cannon IPA will officially release in February 2019 and stick around as long as supplies last. You can expect to find this new Limited Release available in 6-packs of 12 oz. cans and on draft at craft beer-friendly retailers, bars and restaurants located in Alabama, Florida, Maryland and throughout the rest of Heavy Seas Beer’s distribution area. Prost!
Vital Information for Citra Cannon IPA from Heavy Seas Beer
Release – Limited, February 2019 Style – American India Pale Ale ABV – 6% IBUs – 50 Hops – Citra Malts – 2-Row, Munich & Caramalt Availability – 6-packs of 12 oz. cans & draft Beer Finder – http://hsbeer.com/beerfinder
Boulevard Brewing Co. (Kansas City, Missouri) has announced that Space Camper Cosmic IPA will officially release on January 7 as the brewery’s newest Year-Round offering.
Developed to represent “the culmination of over a year of creative exploration of a relatively new take on India Pale Ales”, Space Camper Cosmic IPA – or what regulars of Boulevard Brewing Co.’s Tours & Recreation Center Beer Hall might recognize as TEST– El Dorado IPA – utilizes “massive hop additions at the end of the boil, and during fermentation, to minimize upfront bitterness and create a juicy IPA bursting with tropical fruit flavors and aromas of nectar and citrus.” Clocking in at 5.9% ABV and 50 IBUs, Space Camper Cosmic IPA is guaranteed to jettison its drinker “into a mind-bending alternate universe of India Pale Ales.”
Space Camper Cosmic IPA will officially launch in the Greater Kansas City Area on Monday, January 7 and is scheduled to enter nationwide distribution shortly after that date. You can expect to find this new Year-Round offering available in 6-packs of 12 oz. cans and on draft at craft beer-focused establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Missouri and throughout the rest of Boulevard’s expansive distribution territory. Prost!
Vital Information for Space Camper Cosmic IPA from Boulevard Brewing Co.
Release – Year-Round, launching January 2019 Style – American India Pale Ale ABV – 5.9% IBUs – 50 Hops – Ekuanot, Amarillo, Citra, El Dorado & Galaxy Malts – Pale, CaraPils & Malted Wheat Suggested Food Pairings – “Chicken biryani, ginger tuna poke, gorgonzola cheese, carnitas, key lime pie” Availability – 6-packs of 12 oz. cans & draft Beer Finder – https://www.boulevard.com/beer/beer-finder/
The Alabama Brewers Guild has announced that it will recognize the 10th anniversary of the passage of the Gourmet Beer Bill – along with all members of Free the Hops, the homebrewers of Right to Brew, and the multitude of other advocates who made a true craft beer experience possible in Alabama – with the release of their fifth collaboration beer, Bitter Constituent, on January 12.
Not too long ago, the idea of craft beer in the state of Alabama seemed like more of a dream than anything else. Local breweries were almost non-existent, beer was restricted to 6% ABV, large format bottles were illegal, and homebrewing was outlawed.
After several years of attempts, hope finally arrived in 2009 when the members of Free the Hops – a grassroots non-profit consumer advocacy organization focused on changing the hostile laws restricting the beer community in Alabama – rallied enough legislative support to pass the Gourmet Beer Bill and raise the ABV limit to 13.9%. This change was just the spark the area needed as it inspired local brewers to step out of the shadows to open their own breweries in Alabama and enticed respected breweries from all over the world to seek distribution in the state. As beer shelves and taps quickly filled across the state, that spark caught fire and shined a bright light on those willing to raise their voices for change. At long last those cries were being taken seriously and led to a rapid succession of legislative accomplishments: the Brewery Modernization Act in 2011, allowed for “breweries to sell on-premises like a brewpub, or to wholesalers, or to both, and removed the crippling restrictions which prevented new breweries and brewpubs from opening”; the Gourmet Bottle Bill in 2012, legalized the sale of bottles up to 25.4 oz./750ml and opened the door for the acceptance of growlers in Alabama; and the Alabama Homebrew Legalization Bill in 2013, Right to Brew – a grassroots homebrew legalization organization – sees their efforts come to fruition as homebrewing in Alabama is legalized. With these new laws in place, the Alabama craft beer community has since grown to become one of the most welcoming in the country.
“Over the last decade, groups like Free the Hops and Right to Brew have pushed for legal changes to make the craft beer industry possible and viable in Alabama. They showed how ordinary people can come together to enact real change.”
– Dan Roberts, Alabama Brewers Guild Executive Director
Recognizing that the work of Free the Hops, Right to Brew and throngs of other passionate beer lovers in Alabama should never be forgotten, the Alabama Brewers Guild has decided to use these groups as the inspiration behind their upcoming collaboration beer. Arriving as the fifth release in the Guild’s Capital Series, Bitter Constituent (7.5% ABV) is an American India Pale Ale brewed with “a one-time, special recipe developed by Guild members and made with five different hop varietals.” This recipe was executed by several brewers in the Alabama Brewers Guild on December 4, 2018, at the recently-opened Common Bond Brewers in downtown Montgomery. Bitter Constituent was made possible with the help of the following sponsors: Baker Street Digital, Country Malt Group, Crowler Nation, Resource Label Group, White Labs, and Yakima Chief Hops.
Developed in cooperation with the Alabama Bicentennial Commission, the Alabama Brewers Guild Capital Series is a series of limited release collaborations that “celebrates each one of Alabama’s five historic capitals, culminating with Montgomery in 2019, the 200th anniversary of Alabama’s statehood.” Previous releases in the Capital Series acted as tributes to St. Stephens | St. Stephens Stout (2015); Huntsville | Badlun Brothers Imperial Porter (2016); Old Cahaba | Mulberry Road Belgian-Style Dubbel (2017); and Tuscaloosa | Duffie’s Tavern Strong Ale (2018).
“Ten years ago, my dream of bringing craft beer to Montgomery wouldn’t have been possible and, thanks to others paving the way, here I am today, the Alabama Brewers Guild collaboration producer. It’s amazing and humbling.
“We have the best fans in the world. Not only are they loyal customers and evangelists for craft beer, they are also dedicated advocates. We owe them everything.”
– Andrew McNally, President & Co-founder of Common Bond Brewers
Bitter Constituent will debut at 3 p.m. on Saturday, January 12 with a release party at Common Bond Brewers that “will include the opportunity to meet craft brewers from around the state and to win brewery gear in a door prize raffle.” This event is free to attend, and Bitter Constituent will be available for purchase “in the taproom and in on-demand, to go packaging” (a.k.a. crowlers). Bitter Constituent will also see limited availability at select craft beer-friendly establishments in Alabama shortly after the launch party. Prost!
Members of the Alabama Brewers Guild participating in the annual collaboration beer brew day, held on December 4, 2018, at the recently-opened Common Bond Brewers in downtown Montgomery. (Photo credit: Holly Rainey)
Straight to Ale (Huntsville, Alabama) has announced that the Seasonal Release of Paramecium, a Sour Red Ale with pink guava added, will officially begin on Friday, January 4.
Built upon a base of “caramel malts for color and fruity American hops for flavor”, Paramecium is a funky, mildly tart Sour Red Ale that employs the use of pink guava to impart “a bright flavorful taste that’s prickly on the tongue.” Wonderfully balanced and incredibly crisp, Paramecium is at its best when paired with seafood or an elaborate cheese board.
Paramecium will make its 2019 debut in Straight to Ale’s tap room on January 4 and is scheduled to enter distribution shortly after the on-site release. You can expect to find this Seasonal brew available in 6-packs of 12 oz. cans and on draft at select craft beer-friendly establishments located in Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and throughout the rest of Straight to Ale’s seven state distribution footprint. Prost!
Vital Information for Paramecium from Straight to Ale
Release – Seasonal; January 2019 – March 2019 Style – American Sour Ale ABV – 5.1% IBUs – 25 Added Ingredients – Pink Guava Suggested Food Pairings – Seafood, cheese board Availability – 6-packs of 12 oz. cans & draft Distribution – Alabama, Florida (Panhandle), Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina & Tennessee
Founders Brewing Co. (Grand Rapids, Michigan) has officially announced that Blushing Monk will return as a Limited Series release on January 4.
Originally created by the brewers at Founders to serve as “a nod to the ancient monastic art of brewing”, the occasionally released, fan-favorite Blushing Monk is a Belgian-style Ale brewed with “a ridiculous amount of raspberries” and fermented with a Belgian yeast strain. These two featured ingredients beautifully unite as “fruit-forward ferment aromas and spice esters combine with . . . a tart and luscious, raspberry-jam character.” Coming in at 9.2% ABV, you can consider Blushing Monk to be “Rubaeus’ older sibling – more intense, slightly larger and just a little bit more mature.”
Blushing Monk will officially release on January 4 and is scheduled to hang around through March 2019. You can expect to find this Limited Release available in 4-packs of 12 oz. bottles and on draft at select craft beer establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Michigan and throughout the rest of Founders Brewing Co.’s distribution territory. Prost!
Vital Information for Blushing Monk from Founders Brewing Co.
Release – Limited; January 2019 – March 2019 Style – Fruit Beer ABV – 9.2% IBUs – 20 Added Ingredients – Raspberries Availability – 4-packs of 12 oz. bottles & draft Beer Finder – https://foundersbrewing.com/beer/find-our-beer/
Monday Night Brewing (Atlanta, Georgia) has officially announced that All Y’all Pale Ale will make its Seasonal debut on Saturday, January 5.
All Y’all is a “citrusy, tropical, easy drinking, low ABV” American Pale Ale that has been brewed with accessibility in mind. Coming in at a “just hoppy enough” 40 IBUs, All Y’all promises to be a “bright beer that pairs with almost everything.”
Scheduled to officially launch on January 5, All Y’all will be available for a limited time in 6-packs of 12 oz. cans and on draft. You can expect to find this new Seasonal offering at select craft beer-focused retailers, bars and restaurants located within Monday Night’s distribution footprint in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. Prost!
Vital Information for All Y’all from Monday Night Brewing
Release – Seasonal; launching January 5, 2019 Style – American Pale Ale ABV – 4.9% IBUs – 40 Hops – Citra & Simcoe Malts – Pilsner, Spelt & Carapils Fun Fact – The label artwork was designed by Atlanta’s own BlackCatTips Availability – 6-packs of 12 oz. cans & draft Distribution – Alabama, Georgia & Tennessee
Green Man Brewery (Asheville, North Carolina) has officially announced that Hop Hustler Exbeerimental Pale Ale will join its Year-Round portfolio in Spring 2019.
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