Cool Stuff

Cigar City’s Hotter Than Helles

Cigar City Brewing adds Hotter than Helles to their draft lineup.  Helles is a lighter offering, a Munich Style Lager.  From the name, I would expect it to have a big malty character, & filled with some spicy noble hops.

Helles Continue Reading →

Untappd Adds Beer Finder

Untappd has added new capability to their application.  Beer Finder.  There is an icon at the top of all the individual beer pages.  Tap that icon, and it will tell you a list of local venues where Untappd users have Continue Reading →

Victory’s Brewer For A Day

Victory Brewing is offering it’s fans an opportunity to be a brewer at Victory for a day.  Proceeds to the “raffle” go to a great cause.  Check out the details.

Brewer for a Day Raffle: Enter as many times as you’d Continue Reading →

Tocobaga In June

No, not an exotic land.  It’s Cigar City Brewing’s beer arriving in bottles for the first time June 3rd.  Tocobaga is a hoppy red ale dry hopped with citra, and the brainchild of assistant brewer Tim Ogden.  Tocobaga disappears on Continue Reading →

Sierra’s Cans

Announced recently is Sierra Nevada Brewing’s intention to start canning some of their beers.  Looks like CraftCans has gotten the low down on what’s coming first with SN’s communications coordinator, Bill  Manly.  Pale Ale will be first – in 12oz/12pks, Continue Reading →

Posted in Beer News, Brooklyn Brewing, Cool Stuff

Brooklyn Brewing Goes Barreling In Sweden

This is more on the side of – Ain’t It Cool News, then a piece on a beer you will see in the United States.  Recently Garrett Oliver, brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewery traveled to Sweden with his entire brewing team.  In tow was 150 Heaven Hill bourbon barrels.  The team was there to celebrate the 175 Anniversary of Carnegie Porter, first brewed in 1836.  Heaven Hill Distillery is based in Bardstown, Kentucky and their barrels are frequently being used in barrel aged beers.

While in Sweden, Oliver completed in a friendly Beer vs. Wine competition (in which the brewery’s blog says he won!) & was interviewed by local media.  Check out more at <BrooklynBlog>

Image: Brooklyn Brewing’s Flickr

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Cigar City Brewing, Cool Stuff, New Releases

Cigar City’s Hotter Than Helles

Cigar City Brewing adds Hotter than Helles to their draft lineup.  Helles is a lighter offering, a Munich Style Lager.  From the name, I would expect it to have a big malty character, & filled with some spicy noble hops.

Helles in German means “light” or “bright”

Arrival: Late Spring, 2011

?? ABV

 

 

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Cool Stuff

Untappd Adds Beer Finder

Untappd has added new capability to their application.  Beer Finder.  There is an icon at the top of all the individual beer pages.  Tap that icon, and it will tell you a list of local venues where Untappd users have had that beer.  It even gives you the users and the dates they last had it. <Untapped>

This will most definitely help you find great new venues and all of those beer you’ve been wanting to try! This feature is not available on BB5 as of yet, so our apologies to our BlackBerry users.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Cool Stuff, Great Cause, Victory Brewing Company

Victory’s Brewer For A Day

Victory Brewing is offering it’s fans an opportunity to be a brewer at Victory for a day.  Proceeds to the “raffle” go to a great cause.  Check out the details.

  • Brewer for a Day Raffle: Enter as many times as you’d like. Each entry is $20.00
  • Support a great cause! 100% of the proceeds go directly to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
  • You and a friend spend a day in the brewhouse
  • Learn every step of the brewing process
  • Help the brewers make a batch of Victory Beer
  • End your day with a beer dinner for 6 people
  • Winners will be notified on or before May 10th

<Tickets>

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Cigar City Brewing, Coming Soon, Cool Stuff

Tocobaga In June

No, not an exotic land.  It’s Cigar City Brewing’s beer arriving in bottles for the first time June 3rd.  Tocobaga is a hoppy red ale dry hopped with citra, and the brainchild of assistant brewer Tim Ogden.  Tocobaga disappears on tap at the Cigar City tap room as fast as it arrives.

June will see the release of 750ml bottles.  The brewery has been holding a contest for bottle artwork through Hampton Arts Mgmt.  There were more than 60 submissions, narrowed down to just 10.  The release party on June 3rd will feature prints of  the 10 finalists, and the announcement of the winner.  To the left is a small mashup of 6 of the finalists. Be sure to check out all 10.  <HamptonArtsMgmt>

Style: Red Ale
Hops: Citra
Arrival: Rare draft (Tap Room), Bottles: June, 2011.
7.2% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Beer News, Brewdog, Cool Stuff

Brewdog Looks To Keep Things “UP” For Royal Wedding

All the buzz in the UK is about the upcoming royal wedding. So exciting that England based Castle Rock is releasing “Kiss Me Kate” to honor the occasion. Brewdog Brewing is getting into the spirit too with a special release for the happy couple dubbed “Royal Virility Performance.”  Limited to just 1,000 bottles, Virility is claiming to be full of plenty of performance enhancing additions.  If you get what I mean.  Brewdog’s take on the wedding hype:

A limited-edition beer containing Viagra to mark the forthcoming royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on April 29th. Brewed using various well known aphrodisiacs, the limited edition artisanal beer will only be available to buy from the BrewDog.com website. According to the specially commissioned label, the Royal Virility Performance contains Viagra, chocolate, Horny Goat Weed and ‘a healthy dose of sarcasm’. The beer is a 7.5% ABV India Pale Ale and has been brewed at BrewDog’s brewery in Fraserburgh.

With this beer we want to take the wheels off the royal wedding bandwagon being jumped on by dozens of breweries; The Royal Virility Performance is the perfect antidote to all the hype. A beer should be brewed with a purpose, not just because some toffs are getting married, so we created something at our brewery that will undermine those special edition beers and other assorted seaside tat, whilst at the same time actually give the happy couple something extra on their big day.

Bottles are about $16 U.S. dollars and ship on April 28th, the day before the blessed event. <Brewdog>

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Coming Soon, Cool Stuff, Sierra Nevada

Sierra’s Cans

Announced recently is Sierra Nevada Brewing’s intention to start canning some of their beers.  Looks like CraftCans has gotten the low down on what’s coming first with SN’s communications coordinator, Bill  Manly.  Pale Ale will be first – in 12oz/12pks, followed by Torpedo in 16oz/4pks.

Furthermore, most markets will enjoy the opportunity to have the can vs. bottle choice.  Sierra mentioned the full marketing strategy isn’t in place.  Small beer (Micro beer, craft beer) is falling in love with cans, and it’s big with Sierra Nevada, Oskar Blues, Bell’s & 21st Amendment leading the charge.  As mentioned in the post, cans can go where bottles can’t.  First cans roll off the line late 2011. <CraftCans>

Pic Credit: CraftCans.com

by Reid Ramsay