Heavy Seas and Cigar City Brewing Collaborate on Partner Ships IPL

Posted on by mashingin

35031085885_4e10682b3e_kHeavy Seas Beer (Baltimore, Maryland) has announced that IPL, a special collaboration beer with Cigar City Brewing (Tampa, Florida), will release in July as the next installment in the brewery’s Partner Ships Series.

The brewers at Heavy Seas and Cigar City Brewing recently got together to create India Pale Lager (IPL) as the second release of 2017 in the Partner Ships Series, a lineup of limited releases from Heavy Seas Beer that “features beers produced in collaboration with other regionally and nationally recognized brewers in the spirit of friendship, creativity, and adventure.”  IPL is a golden lager that showcases the characteristics of a sizable hop bill –  Cascade, Centennial, Mosaic, Simcoe and Mandarina Bavaria – alongside “bready malt aromatics.”  Thanks to “late addition kettle hops followed by extensive dry-hopping”, the 7.8% IPL provides “full citrus and tropical fruit flavors and aromas balancing a soft bitterness.”

IPL is a limited release that will officially launch in July.  You can expect to find this offering in 22 oz. bottles at select craft beer establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Maryland and throughout the rest of Heavy Seas Beer’s distribution footprint.  Like all releases from the Partner Ships series, the supply of IPL will be incredibly limited.  Keep that in mind when this brew releases next month and get it while you can.  Prost!

Vital Information for Partner Ships Series: IPL from Heavy Seas Beer & Cigar City Brewing

Release – Limited/Partner Ships Series, July 2017
Style – India Pale Lager
ABV – 7.8%
IBUs – 48
Hops – Cascade, Centennial, Mosaic, Simcoe & Mandarina Bavaria
Malts – Pilsen, Vienna & MFB Special Aromatic Malt
Availability – 22 oz. bottles
Beer Finder – http://hsbeer.com/beerfinder

 

 

Cigar City Brewing Adds Colorado to Distribution Network

Posted on by mashingin

ccb-logo-2colorCigar City Brewing (Tampa, Florida) has officially announced plans to begin distribution in the state of Colorado effective immediately.

Distribution was obviously on Cigar City Brewing’s agenda this year as Colorado now marks the fourth new state to receive deliveries from the brewery in 2017.  To ensure that this new market launch is a success, the brewery has partnered with the following distributors to cover the state of Colorado: RMC Distributors, Coors Distributing Company, High Country Beverage and Mountain Beverage Co.  Craft beer fans in Colorado will be happy to find 12 oz. cans of Jai Alai IPA, Maduro Brown Ale, Florida Cracker Belgian-style White Ale, Invasion Pale Ale and Tampa-style Lager available on shelves now. During the launch, the brewery will also be sending several specialty draft releases such as Marshal Zhukov’s Penultimate Push and Margarita Gose.

Speaking of the launch, the brewery will be hosting several market launch events across Colorado from May 15 through May 18.  In addition to the distributor reps, quite a few Cigar City Brewing representatives are making the trip to be in attendance – Brewmaster Wayne Wambles, COO Justin Clark, El Lector Neil Callaghan, and Brand Manager Lucas Widrick – so the Colorado craft beer community can receive a proper introduction to the brewery’s “brand and its award-winning beer from the people who know it best.”  The Colorado launch events currently scheduled are as follows:

Monday, May 15 – Denver

Tuesday, May 16 – Fort Collins

Wednesday, May 17 –  Vail, Colorado Springs & Longmont

  • 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. – Launch Party at Vail Ale House (2161 N Frontage Rd W, Vail, CO 81657)
  • 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. – Launch Event at Brass Tap (13271 Bass Pro Dr #110, Colorado Springs, CO 80921)
  • 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. – Pint Night at Parry’s Pizza Longmont (1232 S Hover Rd #100, Longmont, CO 80501)

Thursday, May 18 – Denver, Northglenn & Highlands Ranch

If you happen to be a craft beer lover in the Colorado area, now is the time to start getting excited.  Make sure you hit up one or several of these launch event to raise a glass with the Cigar City crew and give them a proper welcome to the great state of Colorado.  Prost!

 

LOKO Cuisine to Host Oeste Cubano Q Dinner at Cigar City Brewing

Posted on by mashingin

CUBANO-FRONTAt 7 p.m. on Friday, June 2, LOKO Cuisine will set up once again in the Fermentorium at Cigar City Brewing (3924 W. Spruce St, Tampa, Florida) to host the second installment in their Oeste Dinner Series, Cubano Q.

Chef John LoScalzo of LOKO Cuisine developed the Oeste Dinner series as a means of celebrating the culinary history and traditions of West Tampa.  Since Cigar City Brewing also draws a good amount of inspiration from this region, LoScalzo made the very easy decision to partner with the brewery so that he may pair his dishes with the most appropriate beers available.  For Round 2 of Oeste, LOKO Cuisine’s Cubano Q will be “a Cuban infused BBQ spread that will tantalize your taste buds with sweet, salty, sour and spicy flavors.”  This seated, family-style dinner event will feature the following menu of six dishes:

CUBANO-BACK

As attendees enjoy the elaborate meal above, they will have the option to pair it with Cigar City’s Margarita Gose, Guava Grove Sour Ale, Guayabera Pale Ale or Pilsner.  One pint or snifter of equal value is included in cost of the dinner, but attendees will have the option to purchase additional pours throughout the event.

Tickets for Oeste Cubano Q are $50 (plus tax) each, and you can purchase yours now through the LOKO Cuisine website (click here).  The cost of the ticket allows you to enjoy the full menu and one pint or snifter of beer.  Like all LOKO Cuisine events, seating is extremely limited.  With that in mind, lock in those tickets as soon as possible to ensure that you do not miss out on what is sure to be an amazing dining experience.  Prost!

Cigar City Brewing and LOKO Cuisine to Host Jai Life Eggs and Kegs Event

Posted on by mashingin

lokocuisinelogoOn Sunday, May 21 at 11 a.m., Cigar City Brewing (3924 W. Spruce St, Tampa, Florida) and LOKO Cuisine will join forces once again to bring their fans Jai Life Eggs and Kegs, a Jamaican-inspired brunch that showcases the culinary versatility of Jai Alai India Pale Ale.

Eggs and Kegs is an ongoing series of food and beer pairings where Chef Loscalzo of LOKO Cuisine designs an imaginative themed menu centered around the flavor and aromatic profiles of a chosen beer or beers.  Taking place in the Fermentorium at Cigar City Brewing, Jai Life Eggs and Kegs will feature “a Jamaican inspired 4-course spread made to complement the hoppy goodness of Jai Alai IPA.”  For this event, Cigar City Brewing will be offering two variants of Jai Alai, White Oak Jai Alai and Jai Alai treated with Fresh Grapefruit Zest, as options to enjoy with the following menu:

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In addition to all of the amazing food and beer, Jai Life Eggs and Kegs will also feature Citra Hopped nitro infused cold brew coffee from Ginger Beard Coffee and an ambiance properly set by the music of Bob Marley and other artists of the reggae genre.

Tickets for this event are $32.10 each, and you can purchase yours now through the LOKO Cuisine website (click here).  The cost of the ticket allows you to enjoy the menu items above and also includes “one (1) pint or snifter of beer of equal value.”  Seating is limited for this event, so be sure to secure your tickets before they sell out.  Prost!

Cigar City Brewing Expands Distribution to North Carolina

Posted on by mashingin

CCBJaiCigar City Brewing (Tampa, Florida) has officially announced that it will begin shipping 12 oz. cans of Jai Alai IPA and several other offerings to North Carolina effective immediately.

Ever since Cigar City Brewing was founded in 2009, the brewery has always taken a very cautious and selective approach when it has come to expansion of distribution.  Considering that the brewers have crafted their award-winning beers with priorities set on quality, fine ingredients and freshness, the folks at Cigar City certainly do their due diligence to ensure that their offerings can be properly represented in any prospective market.

With that said, the news that North Carolina has now been officially chosen as the eighth state – and only the second new state in over four years – to see distribution from Cigar City Brewing should be that much sweeter to the craft beer community of the Tar Heel State.  The brewery has signed with numerous distribution partners (Skyland Distributing Co., United Beverages of North Carolina, R.H. Barringer Distributing Company, Long Beverage Inc., Carolina Distributing LLC, Healy Wholesale Co Inc., Atlantic Shores Distributors, Coastal Beverage Co. and City Beverage Co Inc.) to supply the state of North Carolina with the following five beer offerings:

  • Florida Cracker Belgian-style White Ale – Citrus aromas of oranges and lime leaves mingle with bubblegum and dried flowers on the nose of this hazy and refreshing Belgian-style White Ale. High carbonation and herbaceous bitterness quench the thirst while lemon-lime esters and flavors of Valencia orange add unique depth of flavor and complexity.  ABV – 5.5%  IBUs – 18
  • Invasion Pale Ale – Tropical aromas dominate the nose of this approachable, low alcohol pale ale with distinct notes of mango, tangerine and soursop. On the palate, a moderate bitterness is tempered by flavors of navel orange and clementine and a dry, bread-like malt quality that makes this Pale Ale at once approachable and incredibly flavorful.  IBUs – 5%  IBUs – 36
  • Jai Alai IPA – An intense bouquet of tangerine and candied orange peel entice the nose while flavors of clementines, Valencia orange and subtle caramel provide counterpoint to an assertive bitterness and rich malt character. Bold hop flavor and aroma from six different hop varietals is front and center in this flavorful American IPA.   ABV – 7.5%  IBUs – 70
  • Maduro Brown Ale – Maduro is a Northern English-style Brown Ale with some American affectations. Maduro is higher in alcohol than the common English Brown Ale and features flaked oats in the malt bill which imparts a silky body and works to mesh the roasted, toasted and chocolate components together in Maduro’s complex malt profile. The end result is a remarkably full-flavored yet approachable Brown Ale that pairs well with mild to medium cigars.  ABV – 5.5%  IBUs – 25
  • Tampa-style Lager – Inspired by traditional German lagers, our Tampa-style Lager is brewed with German malted barley, Hallertauer hops and an authentic Bavarian lager yeast. We combine these ingredients to create a style that’s quite unique to our hometown of Tampa, Florida but will find admirers wherever a crisp, dry and flavorful lager is called for. Familiar to generations, it’s truly a beer that’s made for drinkin’.  ABV – 4.5%  IBUs – 22

The beers listed above will be available in 12 oz. cans at launch with draft beer expected to follow shortly behind.

To properly introduce themselves to craft beer fans in North Carolina, “numerous Cigar City Brewing representatives . . ., including Cigar City Brewing’s El Lector Neil Callaghan and Brand Manager Lucas Widrick,” will attend a series of launch events beginning the week of March 20 (apologies for being a bit late, but full list of event dates and locations available below).  Be sure to check out one of the many events over the next week or so to give Cigar City Brewing a hearty welcome to North Carolina.  Prost!

Cigar City Brewing’s North Carolina Launch Events

Raleigh, North Carolina

Brevard, North Carolina

Asheville, North Carolina

Charlotte, North Carolina

 

 

Coronado Brewing and Cigar City Brewing Release Conquista IPA Collaboration

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conquistabeachCoronado Brewing Company (Coronado, California) recently announced that they have joined forces with Cigar City Brewing (Tampa, Florida) to combine their award-winning skills in the creation of Conquista IPA.

In an act of unity that brings the East Coast and West Coast IPA together, Wayne Wambles – Brewmaster at Cigar City Brewing – partnered with Ryan Brooks – Brewmaster at Coronado Brewing – “to brew a west coast-inspired IPA featuring Polaris, a new German varietal prized for its complex pineapple and herb notes.”  To ensure that these hops were nothing but quality, Brooks ventured to Germany “to hand-select the Polaris hops used for this beer.” Equinox and Simcoe hops were then added to Conquista IPA’s recipe to yield a hop-forward beer full of “earthy, resiny, ripe mango, and herbaceous notes.”

“Wayne and I both love IPA’s and we wanted to brew something we’d enjoy drinking,” says Ryan Brooks, Brewmaster, Coronado Brewing Company. “We knew we wanted the beer to be dank and juicy, and we definitely achieved that with Conquista.”

Conquista IPA is available now in 22 oz. bottles and on draft.  This limited, collaboration release can be found at select craft beer-friendly establishments in Florida, California and throughout the rest of Coronado Brewing’s distribution network.  Track down a bottle of Conquista IPA and enjoy the best of both coasts thanks to the talents of Coronado Brewing Company and Cigar City Brewing.  Prost!

Vital Information for Conquista IPA from Coronado Brewing Company & Cigar City Brewing 

Release – Limited/Collaboration, launches late February 2017
Style – American India Pale Ale
ABV – 6.5%
IBUs – 55
Featured Hops – Polaris, Equinox & Simcoe
Availability – 22 oz. bottles & draft
Distribution – Coronado Brewing’s distribution area
Beer Finder – https://coronadobrewing.com/brew-finder-2/

Cigar City Brewing Releases 2017 Distribution Calendar

Posted on by mashingin

ccbbrickCigar City Brewing (Tampa, Florida) recently announced the release timeline for their 2017 portfolio of distributed beers.

In true Cigar City Brewing fashion, the always interesting and innovative brewery has more than a few intriguing beers in their 2017 distribution portfolio to grab your attention.  The full 2017 Distribution Calendar from the brewery is available below, but we really should go over a handful of highlights first:

Confident that our job is completed, we will now turn it over to Cigar City Brewing’s 2017 Distribution Calendar.  Check it out below.  Prost!

ccbdistro2017

 

Perrin Brewing Expands Distribution to Florida, Collaborates with Cigar City and Oskar Blues

Posted on by mashingin

Triangulation_12oz_Ball_CanPerrin Brewing Company (Comstock Park, Michigan) recently announced that they will soon launch distribution in Florida with the limited release of a special collaboration brew.

Ever since the brewery officially partnered with Oskar Blues Brewery in early 2015, Perrin Brewing Company has experienced “exponential growth among packaged offerings, out-of-state distribution and an increase in barrel production.”  Perrin estimates that they will have brewed over 26,000 barrels by the end of the year, “a 70% increase over 2015.”  With Tampa’s Cigar City Brewing joining the ownership team earlier this year, Perrin Brewing has decided to expand their reach to Florida now that they have a good friend in the area.

Perrin Brewing will officially begin Florida distribution in February of 2017 with the launch of a special collaboration beer.  On December 1, brewers from Oskar Blues and Cigar City visited Perrin to brew up “a one-time batch of an Imperial Oatmeal Stout, Triangulation.”  Brewed with malts sourced from all over the world and a London ale yeast strain, Triangulation is a “a big bodied, robust Oatmeal Stout” that remains “rich but approachable.”  To add a unique twist to the beer’s complexity, HBC 472 – an experimental hop – was used to lend the beer “vanilla, macaroon, and even barrel notes.”  The finished Triangulation Imperial Oatmeal Stout weighs in at an impressive 9% ABV and 60 IBUs.

John Stewart, Director of Brewing Operations at Perrin Brewing stated, “This opportunity is a great privilege to deliberately push the boundaries with this collaboration brew by layering numerous specialty malts and a multitude of experimental hops from all over the world with the specific intention of creating a complex and nuanced twist on the style.”

Triangulation Imperial Oatmeal Stout will officially release in February of 2017 when Perrin Brewing Company launches in the Florida market.  This limited release offering will be available in 4-packs of 12 oz. bottles in the brewery’s Florida and Michigan markets only.  Details about the other Perrin offerings that will be available at launch are coming soon.

Information concerning official Florida launch events for Perrin Brewing should begin to surface soon.  To ensure that we are all able to raise a glass of Triangulation in celebration of the brewery’s arrival in the Sunshine State, we will update this post with those details once we have them.  Stay tuned. Prost!

perrin-logo

Cigar City Brewing Continues Journey Into The Dark Woods Series

Posted on by mashingin

dark-woods-web-1Cigar City Brewing (Tampa, Florida) recently announced the arrival of The Dark Woods Double Wood-aged Strong Brown Ale (2016) as the latest offering in a series devoted to exploring the world of wood-aged beers.

Over the years, Cigar City Brewmaster Wayne Wambles has become quite fond of aging beer in wooden vessels and using wood in his recipes.  Through constant experimentation, his curiosity has grown into a passion that has ultimately made him an authority within the craft beer community on wood and barrel aging (“so much so that he was asked to write the introduction to Peter Bouckaert and Dick Cantwell’s recent book Wood & Beer: A Brewer’s Guide”).  To further explore the realm of wood-aged beers, Wambles has created The Dark Woods Series, “a succession of beers dark in color and aged on wood of various origins and formats.”  Previous releases in the series have used woods from the United States, France and Hungary, and have “explored the use of the same wood toasted to different levels of color and flavor to enhance different flavors and qualities of the oak.”

Arriving as the third release in this series, The Dark Woods 2016 starts with a base of a Strong Brown Ale brewed with “Golden Promise, a complex base malt from the United Kingdom, and five other special malt varieties for a depth of flavor not commonly found in the style.”  This ale was hopped and dry-hopped with HBC 472, an experimental hop varietal that provides notes of coconut and “rustic woodiness.”  Once the beer completed primary fermentation and was ready for the aging process, the brewers introduced padauk wood from Central Africa and sugar maple sourced from the northeastern United States “to impart woody, rustic notes and subtle hints of brown sugar as well as wood tannins for texture.”  The finished beer produces “rich aromas of molasses, bread crust and toffee . . .  complemented by more subtle notes of vanilla and coconut on the nose, while a formidable maltiness on the tongue hints at bitter chocolate and black licorice.”

The Dark Woods 2016 is available now as a limited release offering and will hang around while supplies last.  You can find this brew in 22 oz. bottles and on draft at select craft beer establishments within Cigar City Brewing’s distribution area.  Be sure to pick up your bottle of The Dark Woods to experience a meticulously crafted offering from a brewmaster at the height of his skills.  Prost!

Vital Information for The Dark Woods Double Wood-aged Strong Brown Ale (2016) from Cigar City Brewing

Release – Limited, November 2016
Style – Strong Brown Ale (Wood-aged)
ABV – 7.3%
IBUs – 49
Featured Woods – African Padauk wood & Sugar Maple
Availability – 22 oz. bottles & draft
Beer Finder – https://cigarcitybrewing.com/find-ccb-beer/
Fun Fact: The Cigar City’s Wood-aging Process – “The process for adding wood to The Dark Woods beers is as unique as the beers themselves. Rather than age the beer in wooden vessels, a process that is fraught with the dangers of oxidation and infection, we instead use wooden spirals. Measuring in at 48” long, these spirals are made from the same wood that is used for barrel staves. The spirals go into a unique vessel called a Spinbot fashioned at Cigar City from an old beer serving tank. Our team fitted the tank with inlets and outlets to create a vessel capable of continual beer re-circulation. After the spirals are put into the tank, a pump moves the beer from the fermenter and into the tank where it’s spun at 50 cycles per second over the spirals before being sent back into the fermentation vessel. This continual re-circulation of beer over the spirals allows us to use fewer spirals and complete the wood-ageing process in a significantly shorter period of time.”

Tasting Notes: Oktoberfest German-style Festbier from Cigar City Brewing

Posted on by mashingin

CCBOfestThese Florida breezes carrying fleeting cooler temperatures certainly call out for the flavors and styles of fall.  I will wisely heed this call by taking a look at Oktoberfest German-style Festbier from Cigar City Brewing (Tampa, Florida) in this week’s edition of Tasting Notes.

Back in September, I gave you all the lowdown on the seasonal return of Cigar City Brewing’s Oktoberfest German-style Festbier (click here to view that post).  Brewed with Hallertauer Mittlefruh hops, Munich malt and five other varieties of German malts, the brewery describes this Festbier as a nod “firmly toward the style’s history with its amber color.”  The news of a more traditional, heartier, locally-produced Oktoberfest lager certainly piqued the interest of my German side, and I just had to go out and grab a few cans to experience this one for myself.  So, here we are . . . can in hand . . . stein at the ready . . . I guess the only thing left to do is get to some Tasting Notes!

Tasting Notes for Oktoberfest German-style Festbier from Cigar City Brewing

Appearance: Oktoberfest fills the stein with an amber colored liquid popping with brown, garnet and sunny orange hues.  Held to direct light, the body brightens and bursts with lighter browns and burnt oranges.  The beer is quite clear with an ample carbonation presence darting throughout.  The pour produced two fingers of off-white to light tan foam.  The head is loose and bubbly, falling to a thin ring that leaves minimal lacing.  This brew certainly makes this stein look good and feel at home.

Aroma:  Each time the stein’s cap is raised, the air is filled with a comforting presence that is as gentle and subdued as a fall day.  Grains . . . so much grain presence pushes forward to produce notes of the beautifully baked, hearty breads of Europe.  Real bread.  This fantastic grain note and a bit of nuttiness comprises the majority of the profile, but there is a muted and restrained hop presence kicking around in here to lend complementing earthy and herbaceous tones.  If these aromatics could fill my house each and everyday, I would not be upset at all.

Taste: Cereal grains and rich breadiness lead the way once again.  A touch of caramel is woven in along with just a kiss of floral honey.  Although this brew is malt driven, it is by no means overly sweet thanks to a deft and balancing infusion of hops.  Herbal in character, these hops supply a wisp of complementing flavor and just enough bitterness to pull everything together.  Delicious and incredibly satisfying.

Mouthfeel: This one is medium in body with a bright carbonation that carries the beer gracefully across the palate.  Sweet on the tongue, but it clears out with haste to achieve a wonderful level of crispness and drinkability.  The ABV shows itself as quite light in presence with just the slightest tinge of heat prickling the throat at times.  The aftertaste is all bready malt.

Final Thoughts: When my mind wanders to ideas of what makes a good Oktoberfestbier, the characteristics residing within Cigar City’s Oktoberfest German-style Festbier are pretty much what always come to mind: comforting, bready malt qualities possessing just enough sweetness to meld seamlessly with floral and herbal hop notes that supply balance and added depth.  Malt is the unrivaled yet careful wheel-man for this ride, and the hops know that their place is in the backseat.  Through cunning and a non-obtrusive nature, this Oktoberfest proves that malty beers can also be easy drinking and quenching.  If my notes have led you astray, please do not be mistaken because there is nothing simple about this beer. No, sir . . . this is artful complexity disguised as simplicity.  Without a doubt, this is a beautifully executed, respectful homage to the Festbier . . . and to that, I can always raise a glass.  Prost!