Brewery Ommegang Plans to Release Game of Thrones Royal Reserve Collection

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Hand-of-the-Queen-445x1024Brewery Ommegang (Cooperstown, New York) and HBO Global Licensing have announced that they will commemorate the final season of Game of Thrones with the release of Hand of the Queen Barleywine Ale in April as the first installment in the Royal Reserve Collection.

To ensure that you experience the final episodes of HBO’s Game of Thrones series with the perfect beers in hand, Brewery Ommegang has established the Royal Reserve Collection to be “a collectible series of four special, limited release beers, each designed and brewed as an homage to one of four epic figures in the battle for the Seven Kingdoms.”  Each of these beers “will be brewed and blended with ingredients selected to match the character and temperament of the chosen hero, designed and brewed as Brewery Ommegang’s interpretation of what a royal brewer might brew for his or her noble master.”

The first release in the Royal Reserve Collection will be Hand of the Queen, a beer brewed for Tyrion Lannister.  Widely respected for his ability to “drink and know things”, the wine-loving Tyrion will be properly honored with a “a big, bold barleywine, a beer fit for those who seek knowledge and truth, both great and small.”  Clocking in at 11% ABV, the malt-forward Hand of the Queen Barleywine Ale is “an old-world example of the style” that is characterized by notes of brandy-soaked raisins, dark fruit, apricots, molasses and toffee.

“While technically not royalty at all, Tyrion certainly qualifies as a nobleman in our esteem,” says Doug Campbell, President of Brewery Ommegang. “We’ve wanted to brew for Tyrion for six seasons, and we believe his time has come. Knowing his preferences, our beer for Tyrion could only be a barleywine.”

As noted above, Hand of the Queen will be the first of four releases in the Royal Reserve Collection.  The remaining three releases will arrive in July, October, and December of 2018.  The names and details for those future beers will be made available as their release dates draw closer.

Hand of the Queen will officially release in April with availability in 750ml bottles (suggested retail price of $12.99 each) and on draft.  A list of distribution states will be made available in March of 2018, and we will update you with that information just as soon as we have it.  Prost!

Vital Information for Hand of the Queen from Brewery Ommegang

Release – Limited/Royal Reserve Collection, April 2018
Style – English-style Barleywine 
ABV – 11%
Availability – 750ml bottles & draft
Beer Finder – http://ommegang.com/blog/beer-finder/

Lagunitas Brewing Adds Sumpin’ Easy to Year-Round Lineup

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LagunitasSumpinEasytapLagunitas Brewing Company (Petaluma, California) has announced that it will soon introduce Sumpin’ Easy Ale as the newest addition to its line of Unlimited Releases.

Arriving as a smaller sibling to Lagunita’s A Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale, Sumpin’ Easy Ale is meant to “dip beneath the flotsam of categories.”  It doesn’t really matter whether you call it an American Pale Ale or a Pale Wheat Ale or whatever. This offering just wants to be a “hop-forward beer expressed in a moderate voice.” With a soul made up of “a healthy dose of 2-row malted barley, a bit of wheaty-esque-ish-ness and loads of Ekuanot hops”, Sumpin’ Easy reaches its goals by rocking the quiet confidence of “a super smooth and velvety ale [that has] a fruit and resin-y- finish like biting into a freshly picked peach.”  All in all, you can expect the 5.7% ABV Sumpin’ Easy to be “pale, cold, slightly alcoholic, and bitter.”

Lagunitas Brewing Company claims that Sumpin’ Easy Ale will officially release “soon-ish”, but check-ins on Untappd and other beer reviewing sites seem to indicate that this brew has at least started a soft rollout.  Once it does fully release, you can expect to find this Year-Round available in 12-packs of 12 oz. cans and on draft at beer-friendly establishments located in Alabama, Florida, California, Illinois, Washington and throughout the rest of Lagunitas Brewing’s distribution network.  Prost!

Vital Information for Sumpin’ Easy Ale from Lagunitas Brewing Company

Release – Year-Round/Unlimited, launching somewhere around late December 2017 and January 2018
Style – American Pale Ale/Pale Wheat Ale
ABV – 5.7%
IBUs – 50.8
Featured Hops – Ekuanot
Availability – 12-packs of 12 oz. cans & draft

New Belgium Brewing Introduces Voodoo Ranger Juicy Haze IPA

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Voodoo_Ranger_Juicy_Haze_16_oz_can_New Belgium Brewing (Fort Collins, Colorado) has announced that Juicy Haze IPA is available now as the newest Year-Round member of the Voodoo Ranger family.

The Hazy IPA craze has officially found its way to New Belgium, and it only seems fitting that Juicy Haze IPA should fall under the umbrella of the brewery’s mischievous, hop-lovin’ Voodoo Ranger mascot.  For their take on the style, the brewers at New Belgium created a “medium bodied, unfiltered IPA” loaded with a Citra, Cascade, Centennial, Simcoe and Nugget hops.  Pale orange in color with an opaque haze, Voodoo Ranger Juicy Haze IPA ultimately comes together to possess a “soft, velvety mouthfeel” that carries with it “vibrant lemon, orange, guava and pineapple notes [that are] balanced with a light grassy and caramel-like malt aroma giving the beer a sweet start that transitions into a smooth, bitter flavor.”

“It’s no secret that hazy IPAs are incredibly popular right now and New Belgium is the perfect brewery to roll this out on a national scale without compromising quality,” said New Belgium Brewer, Cody Reif. “With more than 10 years brewing unfiltered beers and the ongoing success of our hoppy portfolio, Juicy Haze continues our tradition of pushing boundaries while making creative and innovative beers.”

Voodoo Ranger Juicy Haze IPA now joins Voodoo Ranger IPA, Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA and Voodoo Ranger 8 Hop Pale Ale to round out New Belgium’s full Year-Round lineup of Voodoo Ranger offerings.

Juicy Haze IPA is available now in 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles and on draft.  4-packs of 16 oz. cans will hit shelves in March.  This new Year-Round offering can be found at craft beer establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Colorado, North Carolina and throughout the rest of New Belgium’s expansive distribution area.  Prost!

Vital Information for Voodoo Ranger Juicy Haze IPA from New Belgium Brewing

Release – Year-Round, launching January 2018
Style – New England-style India Pale Ale
ABV – 7.5%
IBUs – 42
Hops – Citra, Cascade, Centennial, Simcoe & Nugget
Malts – Pale, Wheat, C-80 & Oats
Yeast – American Hefeweizen
Availability – 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles & draft. 4-packs of 16 oz. cans arrive in March 2018
Beer Finder – https://www.newbelgium.com/beer/finder

7venth Sun Brewery Announces Plans for 6th Anniversary Party

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7venthSunlogo7venth Sun Brewery (Dunedin & Tampa, Florida) will celebrate its 6th Anniversary on Sunday, January 7 with parties to be held at both brewery locations.

Devon Kreps and Justin Stange established 7venth Sun Brewery in Dunedin back in 2012.  Although they originally intended to open a large production facility at that time, the country’s housing and economic problems made it nearly impossible for them to secure funding.  The two ultimately decided to start small, and this “proved serendipitous as it allowed the creation of a wide variety of styles” and an opportunity to be at the forefront of the “Florida Weisse” movement.  This approach quickly endeared them to the area’s craft beer community and gave the brewery the chance to grow at its own pace.  And grow it did.  In August of 2017, Kreps and Stange opened a beautiful facility in the Seminole Heights area of Tampa to give 7venth Sun two locations that each have their own independent charm and personality.  They have since installed and refurbished some foeders, shifted focus to barrel-aged beers (both sour and spirit-aged), started canning, and remain dedicated to “[pushing] the limits of style descriptions and categories” through innovation and creativity.

With all of that said, it is obvious that everything leading up to the brewery’s 6th anniversary has given the folks at 7venth Sun Brewery plenty to celebrate with their fans.  Since this 6th Anniversary Party will take place simultaneously at two locations, we have a good amount of details to go over.  So . . . let’s break it all down:

The Basics

What – 7venth Sun Brewery 6th Anniversary Party
Where – 7venth Sun Brewery – Dunedin: 1012 Broadway, Dunedin, Florida; and 7venth Sun Brewery – Tampa: 6809 N Nebraska Ave, Tampa, Florida
When – Sunday, January 7 from noon to 10 p.m. at 7venth Sun Brewery – Dunedin; noon to 11 p.m. at 7venth Sun Brewery – Tampa

The Beer

You simply cannot have a brewery anniversary party without a killer tap list, and it is quite clear that the good people at 7venth Sun are more than aware of this requirement.  Here’s what they have in store for those attending the festivities:

  • Real Men Wear Skirts Scotch Ale, collaboration with Terrapin Beer Co.
  • Partners In Crime: Pineapple Mango Foedre Aged Beer
  • Bank’s Closed: Saison fermented with Chardonnay grape must
  • Just A Phase: Foedre Aged Farmhouse Saison blend
  • I’ll Show you Mine Belgian Quadruple, collaboration with Hidden Springs Ale Works
  • Sakura Obscura: Pomegranate Cherry Berliner
  • Electric Wizard: Strawberry Citra IPA
  • First Date: Salted Caramel and Espresso Imperial Sweet Stout
  • Welcome to the Galaxy: Citrus Session IPA
  • Tropical Chronical: Mango, Passionfruit, Guava, Coconut Berliner
  • Barrel Aged Farmhouse Blend #2: Blended Barrel Aged Farmhouse
  • Chain Mail Dessert: Peanut Butter Fudge Imperial Sweet Stout
  • Saison in Paradise: Saison brewed with Grains of Paradise
  • I’m Positively Loopy IPL
  • Ocean Front Property: Hoppy Amarillo Wheat
  • Vanilla Wizard: Vanilla Strawberry Citra IPA
  • Made in the 7un: Barleywine aged on whole bean coffee by Made
  • Pseudo Basic: Coffee Vanilla Imperial Sweet Stout
  • Saison Caribe: Brett Saison brewed with Hibiscus and Lime zest
  • Intergalactic: Galaxy Session IPA
  • Stange Beer: Kolsch
  • Brewers Lager
  • Pandora’s Punch: Lemon, lime, pineapple Berliner
  • Under the Lights: Guava Saison
  • Vultures from the Past Bourbon Barrel Aged Barleywine
  • The Klaw Imperial Stout
  • Barrel Aged Farmhouse Blend #1: Blended Barrel Aged Farmhouse
  • Sugar Britches Imperial Sweet Stout
  • Graffiti Orange Creamsicle Wheat
  • Headbanger IPA
  • Time Bomb Session IPA with Citra and Nelson
  • Mangrove Double IPA

Other Fun Stuff

  • The party at the Tampa location will also have food trucks on site throughout the day and feature live musical entertainment from Ramblegrass Band (2 p.m. to 6 p.m.).
  • The party at the Dunedin location will be focused more on the tap list and serving as a chance to have a “Sunday Funday” with all those in attendance.

Admission

The 7venth Sun 6th Anniversary Party is free to attend at both locations.  This is a come as you are and pay as you go event.

That should just about cover all the information that is currently available.  More details are sure to surface as we get closer to Sunday’s 7venth Sun 6th Anniversary Party, and we will be sure to update this post with that information just as soon as we have it.  Stay tuned.

We hope to see you all on Sunday as we raise a glass with crew at 7venth Sun to six great years and the many more ahead.  Prost!

Irish Ale Makes Seasonal Return for Boulevard Brewing Co.

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Irish-Ale-Diamond-BadgeBoulevard Brewing Co. (Kansas City, Missouri) has announced that Irish Ale will begin its Seasonal release on January 2.

Returning as Boulevard Brewing’s “longest tenured seasonal beer”, Irish Ale is the brewery’s “homage to the legendary Irish red ales” that we all know and love. Brewed as a “variation on the early English and Irish pale ales”, this offering begins with a base of 2-row Malted Barley and then picks up “toffee, caramel and biscuity notes contributed by Munich, Amber 50, Cara 120, Cara 300 and just a touch of chocolate malt.”  Those sweet tones are carefully balanced with Magnum and Bravo hops while a late addition of Saaz imparts a “slightly spicy/floral punctuation.”  Irish Ale’s profile is finally rounded off with “subtle, fruity esters” sourced from Boulevard’s house strain of English ale yeast.

Officially launching in the Greater Kansas City Area on January 2, Irish Ale will hit regions that normally see Boulevard Seasonal releases shortly after that date with plans to hang around through Saint Patrick’s Day and the month of March.  This Seasonal release will be available in 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles and on draft.  Prost!

Vital Information for Irish Ale from Boulevard Brewing Co.

Release – Seasonal, January through March 2018
Style – Irish Red Ale
ABV – 5.8%
IBUs – 30
Malts – 2-row Malted Barley, Munich, Amber 50, Cara 120, Cara 300 & Chocolate
Hops – Magnum, Bravo & Saaz
Yeast – English Ale Yeast
Suggested Food Pairings – “French onion soup, Shepherd’s Pie, BBQ chicken pizza, grilled portabella mushroom sandwiches, aged cheddar, bangers & mash”
Availability – 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles & draft
Beer Finder – https://www.boulevard.com/beer/beer-finder/

Heavy Seas Beer Sets Upon Uncharted Waters to Welcome Back Siren Noire

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38479885265_380b78f7f8_kHeavy Seas Beer (Baltimore, Maryland) has announced that Siren Noire will return to shelves in January and bring with it a packaging change to 4-packs of 12 oz. bottles.

To create this Uncharted Waters Series offering, the brewers at Heavy Seas first approach Siren Noire by crafting a “velvety, rich chocolate stout” loaded with nearly three pounds of Belgian cocoa nibs per barrel. Once the brewing is completed, the beer is then “aged for five weeks in bourbon barrels with vanilla beans added.” This process allows the beer to mature and finish as a 9.5% ABV Imperial Stout with a “well-rounded body that is decidedly chocolatey—but without being extraordinarily sweet or cloying.”

Heavy Seas has decided to shift the packaging for all Uncharted Waters releases to 4-packs of 12 oz. bottles in 2018, and Siren Noire will be the first to experience this change.  As a result, offerings from the Uncharted Waters Series will no longer be available in 22 oz. bottles.

Siren Noire will officially release in January and hang around while supplies last.  You can expect to find this Limited Release offering in those new 4-packs of 12 oz. bottles and on draft at craft beer establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Maryland and throughout the rest of Heavy Seas Beer’s distribution area. Prost!

Vital Information for Siren Noire from Heavy Seas Beer

Release – Limited/Uncharted Waters Series, January 2018
Style – Imperial Stout
ABV – 9.5%
Malts – 2-Row, Crystal, Chocolate & Roasted Barley
Hops – Brewers Gold
Added Ingredients – Cocoa nibs
Treatment – Aged for five weeks in Bourbon barrels with vanilla beans added
Suggested Food Pairings – “Fresh berries and whipped cream, ice cream sandwiches”
Recommended Glassware – Snifter or English pint
Availability – 4-packs of 12 oz. bottles & draft
Beer Finder – http://hsbeer.com/beerfinder

Bell’s Brewery Releases the 2018 Distribution Schedule for Hopslam DIPA

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**NOTE** This post covers the 2018 release of Hopslam. Click here if you wish to be redirected to Hopslam’s 2019 Distribution Schedule. **NOTE**

hopslamblanksBell’s Brewery (Comstock, Michigan) will kick off the New Year by officially launching the staggered release of Hopslam Ale on January 2.

When you consider that Hopslam boasts “the most complex hopping schedule in the Bell’s repertoire”, it suddenly becomes quite obvious why hopheads all over the country make a mad scramble to secure this limited, annually-released brew each year.  This sizable Double India Pale Ale first receives six different hop varietals in the brew kettle, and it is then dry-hopped with a “massive” addition of Simcoe hops.  For added complexity, body and balance, all of that hoppy goodness rests atop a foundation built with “a generous malt bill and a solid dollop of honey.” At 10% ABV, Hopslam Ale is a surprisingly easy-drinking DIPA that possesses “a pungent blend of grapefruit, stone fruit and floral notes.”

Since this beer is best enjoyed as fresh as possible, Bell’s “will be shipping to different areas (multiple batches) over the next few weeks.”  The 2018 shipping dates and affected areas are as follows:

  • Week of January 2 – Counties in lower Michigan: Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Clare, Clinton, Gratiot, Ingham, Ionia, Isabella, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Kent, Lake, Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Manistee, Mason, Mecosta, Monroe, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oakland, Oceana, Osceola, Ottawa, St. Joseph, Shiawassee, Van Buren, Washtenaw & Wayne.  Hopslam will also be available at the Eccentric Cafe and Bell’s General Store on January 3
  • Week of January 8 – Remaining counties in Michigan (including the U.P.), Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Wisconsin & West Virginia
  • Week of January 15 – Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Southern California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, New York, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas & Virginia

Once it arrives in your area, you can expect to find Hopslam available in 6-packs of 12 oz. cans, 5L mini-kegs (extremely limited), and on draft at select craft beer establishments.  As is the case with every release of Hopslam, this beer will disappear with a quickness once it hits shelves and taps.  If you wish to seek some out, be sure to act quickly and do not be surprised if retailers establish per-person limits.  Good luck and happy hunting out there.  Prost!

Vital Information for Hopslam Ale from Bell’s Brewery

Release – Limited/Specialty, January 2018
Style – Double India Pale Ale
ABV – 10%
Hops – Six Pacific Northwest varieties, dry-hopped with Simcoe
Added Ingredients – Honey
Shelf Life – 3 months
Suggested Glassware – Snifter 
Availability – 6-packs of 12 oz. cans, 5L mini-kegs & draft
Distribution – See schedule above for shipping dates & affected areas

Cascade Brewing Unveils 2018 Product Release Calendar

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CascadepourCascade Brewing (Portland, Oregon) came forward today to present a Product Release Calendar that boasts a streamlined lineup of eleven beers scheduled for release in both bottle and draft in 2018.

To keep with our usual approach to beer calendars, we have posted Cascade Brewing’s full 2018 Product Release Calendar below so that you can look it over at your own pace.  That said, we probably should go over a few highlights before turning you over directly to the calendar.  Let’s get to it:

  • The brewery will begin 2018 with the return of Sang Rouge in January.  This offering “is a blend of sour red ales aged in select red wine barrels and fresh oak puncheons for up to 24 months.”
  • After selling out in record time in 2017, Cascade “has more than doubled the batch size” for the 2018 return of Kentucky Peach.  It will hit in March.
  • The brewery will tackle summer with the mid-July launch of Peche Fume, Cascade’s second peach offering.
  • A new version of Cuvee du Jongleur – “a blend of select reds, triples and quads” – will be released in October.  Often referred to as Cascade’s “White Whale”, this offering was last released in 2009.
  • Debuting in March as the brewery’s first “Limited Release” of 2018, Melonious Blond “is a blend of sour wheat and blondes aged up to 14 months with fresh Oregon Cantaloupe and Summer Kiss melons.” Melonious Blond is “Cascade’s first melon sour.”
  • An unnamed collaboration with Indiana’s Upland Brewing Co. will arrive in April.  For this Limited Release, “Cascade will provide locally grown fresh pears from Oregon; while Upland will supply fresh Paw Paw fruit (a cross between a mango and a banana).”  More details to come.

“In the coming year, we’re taking a slightly different approach to our annual release schedule,” stated Tim Larrance, vice president of sales and marketing. “We will be offering fewer releases, but making a greater quantity of cases and kegs available to our wholesalers worldwide, meaning more beer for everyone!”

Added lead blender Kevin Martin, “Narrowing our scope on fewer releases throughout the year will enable our production team to focus on the finer aspects of each blend, which we’re confident will result in some of the best beers ever to come out of our cellar.”

That should just about cover everything that we wanted to go over, but there are still a few old favorites and soon-to-be favorites left for you to find on the calendar below.  Give it a good look, take some notes, and get ready for another outstanding year of Sour Ales from Cascade Brewing in 2018.  Prost!

PowerPoint Presentation

Terrapin Beer Co. Adds Beyond the Galaxy IPA to Seasonal Lineup

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unnamed (76)Terrapin Beer Co. (Athens, Georgia) has officially announced that Beyond the Galaxy IPA will make its Seasonal debut in early January 2018.

Stepping in to replace Mosaic IPA as Terrapin’s Spring Seasonal, Beyond the Galaxy is a single hop India Pale Ale featuring . . . wait for it . . . “an astronomical amount of Galaxy hops.”  “Deep gold in color with a soft, juicy bitterness”, this new offering showcases a “stellar flavor and . . . aroma of candied pineapple and tropical fruit.”  Beyond the Galaxy IPA weighs in at 6.3% ABV and 69 IBUs.

Beyond the Galaxy IPA will make its first appearance on January 4 at an exclusive release event in Terrapin’s Tasting Room.  Distribution will follow in early January, and this offering will hang around through the spring months of 2018.  Once fully released, you can expect to find this Seasonal offering in 6-packs of 12 oz. cans and on draft at beer-friendly establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and throughout the rest of Terrapin Beer Co.’s distribution area.  Prost!

Vital Information for Beyond the Galaxy IPA from Terrapin Beer Co.

Release – Spring Seasonal, launches January 2018
Style – American India Pale Ale
ABV – 6.3%
IBUs – 69
Hops – Galaxy
Malts – 2-row, Malted Wheat, Flaked Oats & CaraPils
Suggested Food Pairings – “Cheddar & Colby, or Thai Green Curry with Chicken, and Cosmic Brownies for dessert!”
Availability – 6-packs of 12 oz. cans & draft
Beer Finder – https://terrapinbeer.com/beer-finder/

 

MadTree Brewing Expands Distribution to Nashville

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MadTreeLunaLuxMadTree Brewing Company (Cincinnati, Ohio) has announced that it has officially signed with Ajax Turner Company and will begin distribution in the Nashville, Tennessee metropolitan area in late January 2018.

Established in 2013, MadTree Brewing was “founded . . . on the notion that beer builds community and community builds beer.”  Recognizing their commitment to “methodically bring quality beer to life”, MadTree’s community has since shown its support and voiced a demand that keeps everyone at the brewery “motivated and moving.”  Community is everything to MadTree Brewing Company, and their community just got a little bigger now that they have expanded their reach to the Nashville area.

“Ajax Turner was an easy choice for us as we align on all the same goals of bringing great beer to and supporting the community of middle Tennessee,” says Brady Duncan, Co-Founder of MadTree Brewing. “We are really looking forward to hanging out and having a beer with Nashville.”

With Ajax Turner Company handling all distribution responsibilities, MadTree Brewing will officially begin hitting Nashville shelves and taps in late January.  They plan to enter the market with “draft and package versions of [their] core lineup of beers including PsycHOPathy IPA and Lift Kölsch, along with seasonal offerings, Luna Lux White IPA and Rubus Cacao Chocolate Raspberry Stout.”  Launch events are still in the planning stage, but we will update this post with event details just as soon as we have them.  Be sure to stay tuned for that information so that you will know when and where you can give MadTree Brewing Company a proper welcome to Nashville.  Prost!

MadTreeCore