Breweries

New Year Round: Hi-Wire Mountain Wheat

Hi-Wire Mountain Wheat Ale launches this month, a new year-round beer by the Asheville, North Carolina-based brewery.

Wheat beers had a strong 2022 in sales across the industry, so Hi-Wire figures it’s time through one of their own out there Continue Reading →

Orpheus Brewing to close Atlanta location

Orpheus Brewing’s founder and brewmaster Jason Pellett announced today on social media that the brewery will close their current facility on Dutch Valley Road in Atlanta on April 23rd.

As the brewery closes down its current taproom and brewery, brewing Continue Reading →

Posted in Brewery Acquisitions, Full Circle Brewing, Headlines, Sonoma Cider, Speakeasy Ales & Lagers

Full Circle Brewing Acquires Speakeasy Ales & Lagers

Full Circle Brewing has merged with San Francisco-based Speakeasy Ales and Lagers. Together the two, along with Sonoma Cider Full Circle acquired in 2020, combine to be the largest and most distributed black-owned brewery in the United States.

In 2017, Speakeasy Ales & Lagers ceased operations citing “outstanding debt & difficulty securing capital investment.” By May of that year, Speakeasy announced a sale to Hunters Point Brewery, a company founded by former beverage distributor Ces Butner.

Butner will remain on the advisory board going forward as the brands grow together. “I am excited for the passing of the baton to the next generation of Black Entrepreneurs in the craft beer space. I will continue to sit on the advisory board, and look forward to seeing the Speakeasy brand grow and evolve,” Butner says.

All three brands will be run under the leadership of Full Circle Brewing’s CEO Arthur Moye. Altogether, the group has an annual production capacity of 20,000 barrels annually.

“We are excited to apply what we learned from revitalizing Full Circle and increasing sales by 5,000%, to San Francisco’s longest running Independent Brewery. We plan to breathe new life into current brands, and expand its range of products”

Arthur Moye, Full Circle CEO

The three entities will continue distribution through their current networks. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Anheuser-Busch, Headlines

Bud Light makes headlines with trans activist Dylan Mulvaney

Anheuser-Busch might be the sworn enemy of craft beer, but this week they managed to ruffle the feathers of some of their own drinking base.

Cans to Dylan, Go Sports.

Dylan Mulvaney, an actress and transgender rights activist, has gained popularity over the last year as she detailed her gender transition in daily videos to her 10 million followers on TikTok. In a video this week, Mulvaney, dressed as Audrey Hepburn’s character in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” announced that Bud Light has released cans with her image on them. “This month I celebrated my 365 days of womanhood and Bud Light sent me possibly the best gift ever — a can with my face on it.” Additionally, Mulvaney was giving away $15,000 dollars as a part of a March Madness sweepstakes, which she admits- had no idea March Madness was related to basketball or sports.

Without context, many viewers of the video assumed Mulvaney was the new face of Bud Light, prompting condemnation from some on social media, and boycotts. A simple social media search on this topic yields users dumping cans of Bud Light, while supporters of Bud Light’s move calling would be boycotters as “bigots.”

Singer Kid Rock’s stance on the issue was not so subtle.

It was a gift, Budweiser says.

In a general statement to news outlets “Budweiser works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics. From time to time we produce unique commemorative cans for fans and for brand influencers, like Dylan Mulvaney.” The cans were created for Mulvaney celebrating her first 365 days of being a girl, and not publically for sale.

Not the first time.

This isn’t Budweiser’s first connection with the LGBTQ+ community. According to the brewery, the Budweiser brand has contributed more than $13 million dollars to various LGBTQ+ organizations over the past 20 years.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Hi Wire Brewing, New Releases

New Year Round: Hi-Wire Mountain Wheat

Hi-Wire Mountain Wheat Ale launches this month, a new year-round beer by the Asheville, North Carolina-based brewery.

Wheat beers had a strong 2022 in sales across the industry, so Hi-Wire figures it’s time through one of their own out there to kick off spring. Mountain Wheat is brewed with lemon peel and coriander, and per the brewery is “bright and refreshing,” with hints of lemon shandy and citrus.

with few options brewed in the Carolinas, we feel this is the perfect time to throw our hat in the ring for this extremely approachable style.”

Hi-Wire co-owner Chris Frosaker

Hi-Wire Mountain Wheat Ale is available in 6-packs of 16-ounce cans and across the brewery’s 9-state distribution area.

Style: Wheat Ale (w/ Lemon Peel. Coriander.)
Availability: 16oz Cans, Draft. Year-Round.

Debut: Late March 2023

5.3% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Don't Miss This, New Realm Brewing, New Releases

New Realm Psychedelic Rabbit jumps in on the thiol craze

Let’s talk about thiols. If you crave tropical flavors in your beer or IPA, listen up. This bit of fermentation science is for you.

Thiols are aroma compounds and they come in two forms – free form and precursor. The free form are volatile and pungent thiols found in tropical fruits, grapes, and hops. Those thoils boast flavors of passion fruit and guava and fresh grapefruit. When a beer is more “thiol expressive” it is far bolder and big-time tropical.

Sounds good right? Eventually, but some fermentation science has to happen first.

Chicago-based Omega Yeast Labs introduced “Cosmic Punch,” a thiolized version of their British Ale yeast in 2021. This engineered yeast strain biotransforms the massive amount of thiol precursors in malt and hops to free form (expressive) thiols. Ultimately, the thiol output is far greater using this yeast than found in the traditional brewing process.

How? Omega’s goal was to make freeing these thiols more efficient. It’s about the IRC7, a gene in yeast that creates an enzyme that frees thiols from their precursor form. The challenge was that many brewing strains have mutations in the IRC7 gene that disable the enzyme, resulting in low thoil output.

Extremely simplified – Omega developed a yeast that keeps the gene active, and thus the enzyme. The final beer – which so many are IPAs or hoppy lagers are bright, snappy, and quite expressive.

It’s that bit of science behind New Realm Brewing’s new Psychedelic Rabbit Transcendent IPA. While the brewing team had created a few test batches of an IPA with Cosmic Punch, Kane Wille, brewer at New Realm says it was Omega’s Star Party yeast that really made a difference. “We did a 20-barrel batch in Atlanta and loved it, so it became Psyche Rabbit,” Wille says.

Azacca, Cashmere, Citra, and Mosaic hops headline this beer, and with the help of Star Party, you really find out what thiols are all about. The result is truly a burst of passionfruit, pineapple, and citrus flavors, in a beer that looks so much more of a west coast IPA, with a lighter mouthfeel, without having to be overly dry-hopped. “We wanted to bring something innovative to the market this year, and have been overwhemed by the success of this IPA already,” Jeff Chassner, Chief Sales Officer tells Beer Street Journal. “We are very fortunate to have such a talented brewmaster in Mitch Steele and an amazing team of brewers”

The India pale ale has always dominated craft beer, always going through a plethora of identities as the years pass. By the taste of it, the days of quadruple dry-hopping an IPA might be fading, with the rise of these yeasts.

Style: IPA
Hops: Azacca, Cashmere, Citra, Mosaic

Availability: 12oz Cans, Draft. Year-Round.

6.5%

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Orpheus Brewing, Brewery Closures, Don't Miss This

Orpheus Brewing to close Atlanta location

Orpheus Brewing’s founder and brewmaster Jason Pellett announced today on social media that the brewery will close their current facility on Dutch Valley Road in Atlanta on April 23rd.

As the brewery closes down its current taproom and brewery, brewing operations will shift into the hands of Bevana, a third-party beverage company based in North Carolina. Bevana has already partnered with notable breweries like Unknown Brewing, D9, and Fatty’s Beer Works. Orpheus Brewing’s beers will continue to be available in-market with no disruptions.

Additionally, Pellett stated it is his intention to eventually find a smaller space for a brewery/taproom in the future.

Orpheus Brewing opened its doors in May 2014.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Creature Comforts, Seasonal Return

Creature Comforts Athena Paradiso with Cherry, Raspberry, & Cranberry back in lineup

Creature Comforts Athena Paradiso returns to cans as 2023 gets in full swing.

Athena Paradiso is a spin on the brewery’s year-round Athena Berliner Weisse. This release features tart cherry, raspberry, and cranberry, which complements a Guava & Passionfruit edition the brewery also releases seasonally.

David Stein, Co-Founder, says “We love how fruit plays with the acidity in Athena. Also, depending on the fruit used the beer will often take on its color – this version in particular will be a dark pink.”  The “Paradiso” is meant to instill a vision of paradise and prepare consumers that they are on the verge of going on a beautiful fruit journey.

Creature Comforts Athena Paradiso will be available in both 12-ounce cans and draft again starting in mid-January.

Style: Berliner Weisse (w/ Tart Cherries, Raspberries, Cranberries)
Availability: 12oz Cans, Draft.
Initial Release: February 2016
Latest Return: February 2023

4.5% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Beer News, Headlines, New Releases, NoDa Brewing

Cheerwine is now officially a beer, thanks to Noda Brewing

NoDa Brewing Company and Cheerwine have debuted a new beer collaboration this week – Noda Cheerwine Ale.

Folks in the southeast are already familiar with Cheerwine, a cherry-flavored soda invented in Salisbury, North Carolina in 1917 during a sugar shortage. For the last 106 years, Cheerwine has gained a cult following, all while still being run by the same family. Cheerwine has been integrated into everything from barbeque sauces to cocktails, and starting this week – beer.

NoDa Cheerwine Ale, a year-round wheat ale not only carries the Cheerwine name but also uses Cheerwine in the brewing process.

“Cheerwine Ale can be enjoyed year-round – it’s an approachable craft beer perfect for all occasions. We’re excited to bring fans the perfect marriage of these two North Carolina staples.”

Jacob Virgil, director of strategic development for NoDa Brewing Company

NoDa Cheerwine Ale ships this week to select bars and retailers across North Carolina, and South Carolina in the coming weeks.

Style: Wheat Ale (w/ Cheerwine)
Availability: 16oz Cans, Draft. Year-Round

Debut: Mid-February, 2023

5.2% ABV, 18 IBUs

by Reid Ramsay