Don’t Miss This

Posted in Don't Miss This, Revolution Brewing

Great American Beer Festival partners with Jameson Whiskey on a new barrel-aged pavilion 

When The Great American Beer Festival returns to Denver, Colorado this fall, there will be a new pavilion – the Jameson Caskmates Barrel-Aged Beer Garden.

The Jameson Caskmates Series was created by the Irish distillery a few years ago. Inspired by various craft brewers aging their beers in Jameson Whiskey barrels, the distillery started a new ale finished whiskey program. The Caskmates Series is now home to both a stout and India pale ale finished whiskeys.

The Brewers Association has announced the addition of the Jameson Caskmates Barrel-Aged Beer Garden to GABF this fall. The garden will feature 17 different Jameson craft brewery partners that have aged beers in Jameson barrels. Participation breweries include 8th Wonder, Bale Breaker, Big Dog’s Brewing Co, Black Abbey, Captain Lawrence, Cigar City, DC Brau, Fat Heads, Foolproof, Fulton, Great Divide, Green Flash, Harpoon, Heavy Seas, Parish, Revolution and River Horse Brewing.

The Brewers Association mentions sales of Barrel Aged beers have increased 20% over the last three years alone.

The Jameson Caskmates Barrel-Aged Beer Garden will take up 12,600 square feet of the 100,000 square foot addition to the festival in 2018. Tickets to the festival go on sale August 1st.

Image: Jameson

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Allagash Brewing, Don't Miss This

Mosaic & Wild: Allagash Little Brett is back in action

 Allagash Little Brett being released again today,  Allagash Brewing’s first ever 12-ounce bottled Brettanomyces yeast beer.

Little Brett was born into the brewery’s pilot program a few years ago. Besides the Mosaic hops used in this newbie, the house strain of Brettanomyces really the star here. If you ask us, this Allagash house strain is legendary. When you combine that yeast flavor with the tropical, fruity, Mosaic hops, you’ve really created a wild beer perfect for the coming warmer weather.

Allagash Little Brett is both hopped and dry hopped with 100% Mosaic hops and is completely fermented in stainless with our house strain of Brettanomyces yeast. Little Brett is a hazy, straw-colored beer featuring an aroma bursting with pineapple and notes of bread crust. Pineapple continues through the flavor with additional notes of fresh cut grass. A mild tartness in the finish is nicely balanced with a pleasant hop-bitterness.

Allagash Little Brett is a draft and 12-ounce bottle offering, in limited distribution starting June 1st.

Style: American Wild Ale
Hops: Mosaic
Malts:  2 Row

Availability: 12oz Bottles, Draft. Limited.
Debut: May 2016
Latest Return: June 2018

4.8% ABV

Image: Beer Street Journal

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in The Unknown Brewing Co., Don't Miss This

Catnip beer? Unknown Brewing Kitten Snuggles might drive your cat crazy

Like a little catnip in your beer? Unknown Brewing Kitten Snuggles is back for a second time.

Two years ago, Charlotte, North Carolina based Unknown Brewing debuted ‘Kitten Snuggles‘ a farmhouse ale brewed with “fuzzy” apricots, lactose milk sugar, and catnip flowers.

Catnip has the most notable influence on felines, thanks to nepetalactone, an organic compound found in the plant. A little over 60% of cats are affected by the compounds in catnip.

Lesser known uses include making herbal tea or culinary dishes with catnip. In this case, the off-the-wall folks at Unknown Brewing created cat themed Kitten Snuggles with what some call “kitty crack”. (The brewery once made a beer with food grade scorpions.)

By now you might be wondering what catnip tastes like. Catnip tea is slightly minty and grassy. It’s been two years since trying Kitten Snuggles at the brewery in Charlotte, but as we recall – it’s apricot fruit heavy and creamy, with just a touch of grassy flavor. Cats followed us around the rest of the day. It was as cute as it was weird.

Unknown Brewing Kitten Snuggles is available for the first time in 16-ounce cans at the brewery on May 25th.

Style: Farmhouse Ale (w/ Apricots. Catnip. Lactose.)
Availability: 16oz Cans, Draft. Limited Release.
Latest Release: 5/25/18

?? ABV

Image: Beer Street Journal

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

SweetWater Twisted Fish is a beautiful, hoppy, water saving pilsner

SweetWater Twisted Fish is hitting shelves this week – brewed with and for Building Conservation Trust. The Trust is the Coastal Conservation Association’s National Habitat Program.

Water is the biggest component of every beer, and Atlanta based SweetWater Brewing Co. is dedicated to protecting the Earth’s precious liquid. In 2006, the brewery launched the “Save Our Water” initiative in conjunction with local Chattahoochee Riverkeeper. Every summer since, SweetWater has donated $100,000 dollars to clean water and natural habitat protection initiatives around the nation.

In honor of those hard-working freshwater protectors, SweetWater created Twisted Fish. This new pilsner is brewed with traditional Czech yeast, Hallertau hops, pilsner malts while breaking tradition Citra and Mandarina Bavaria hop varieties.

Lagers and pilsners are being seen more frequently on beer shelves, and for most this is a very welcomed sight. SweetWater’s new pilsner is built on a traditional recipe, with an American hoppy twist. The crisp and clean pilsner most certainly has a traditional start with each sip, finishing with a juicier, more citrus hop aroma and flavor. It’s almost a pilsner that finishes with a lingering “hazy IPA” aroma and flavor.

A little bit of the old world and a little bit of the new world make for a truly a unique, pilsner that does some good in the process.

SweetWater Twisted Fish is available in 16-ounce cans and draft across the brewery’s entire 22-state distribution while supplies last. According to the brewery, they have already sold through every keg they have in the taproom.

Style: Pilsner
Hops: Hallertau Mittelfruh, Citra, Mandarina Bavaria, Crystal
Malts:  Pilsner, Carapils, Vienna

Availability: 16oz Cans, Draft.
Debut: Late May 2018

5.3% ABV

PIC: Beer Street Journal

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Founders Brewing, Don't Miss This

The 4th Barrel-Aged release from Founders arrives in June: ‘Barrel Runner’

Founders Barrel Runner will join the brewery’s Barrel-Aged Series in June.

The weather is finally warmer, perfect for sipping this pirate-themed, rum ladened offering – Founders Barrel Runner. The base beer is an imperial India pale ale brewed with mosaic hops, that has been aged in rum barrels.

This is the 4th release in the Michigan-based brewery’s Barrel-Aged Series lineup this year. Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS), Backwoods Bastard and brand new Founders Dankwood (bourbon barrel-aged red ale) have hit shelves ahead of this release.

“I drink tiki cocktails probably more than I should and looked to them for inspiration when creating Barrel Runner. You get a lot of bright, tropical character from the abundance of Mosaic hops plus a nice kick of oak and rum from the barrels. Add a tiny umbrella and you got yourself a beer perfect for enjoying poolside.” – Brewmaster Jeremy Kosmicki.

Founders Barrel Runner will be available in 12-ounce and 22-ounce bottles and draft, starting in June 2018.

Style: Imperial IPA (Barrel Aged. Rum.)
Hops: Mosaic

Availability: 12oz Bottles, 22oz Bottles, Draft. June-August
Debut: June 2018

11.1% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Don't Miss This

Han Solo Cups are very real & might be the most genius Star Wars branding ever

Since Disney purchased Star Wars, you might have noticed a massive jump in movie-related branding.

Some make perfect sense. Columbia recently released the “Echo Base Collection” of jackets inspired by the heroes of the rebellion on Planet Hoth. Other more expensive partnerships include the Nissan Rogue collection. At the L.A. Car Show last year, as many as 7 Star Wars inspired vehicles were shown, but much to the chagrin of fans, they weren’t for sale. (We really wanted to drive in traffic in a Nissan Rogue with X-Wing wings & a BB-8 unit poking out the top.)

The Dole bananas and oranges emblazoned with Star Wars related stickers were just plain stupid. The Dark Side doesn’t need any potassium.

You might overlook something as simple as plastic cups on the shelf at Target or Walmart. But take a second a look at Solo’s new Han Solo Cup branding. Yes, it’s very real and as much as you want to hate it, it’s both simple and brilliant. Honestly, a perfect way to promote the May 25th release of Solo: A Star Wars Story.

There is even a contest on the company’s website, where entrants can win a Solo Party Pack, which includes a t-shirt, cups, and movie tickets for your “Solobration”.

As much as we want to hi-five Solo’s marketing department, we humbly ask if next time you will put our favorite scoundrel on the cup itself. Please.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Pontoon Brewing, Coming Soon, Don't Miss This

Find out what Roald Dahl really meant, plus Pontoon Snozzberries Taste Like Snozzberries

This one is for Willy Wonka fans. Pontoon Snozzberries Taste Like Snozzberries debuts this weekend.

In real life, snozzberries aren’t real. You’d be surprised how many people didn’t know that. There’s more to snozzberries though. Sure, they are fictitious, but there’s an ongoing debate running around the internet that Dahl’s snozzberries were actually penises, thanks to a reference from this 1979 novel My Uncle Oswald. How he used “snozzberry” in that book was years after defining it differently.

In 1948, Roald Dahl published Some Time Never: A Fable for Supermen. In the book, Dahl defines snozzberries as the main source of food for displaced gremlins that humans drove underground. 16 years later, Wonka himself in references it again with his lickable, fruit-laden wallpaper.

As for the beer, the brewery has envisioned what a snozzberry might actually taste like, and it doesn’t require licking wallpaper.

Pontoon Snozzberries Taste Like Snozzberries is a Berliner Weisse brewed with 2 pounds of boysenberries and black currants per gallon, as well as vanilla and lactose milk sugar. The end result is basically an alcoholic fruit smoothy that finishes with a touch of tartness and lingering vanilla. If fruit/dessert beers are your thing, don’t pass this release up.

Pontoon Snozzberries Taste Like Snozzberries will be available at the brewery in 16-ounce cans on May 12th.

Style: Berliner Weisse (w/ Boysenberries. Black Currants. Vanilla. Lactose.)
Availability: 16oz cans, Draft.
Debut: 5/12/18

?? ABV

PIC: Beer Street Journal

by Reid Ramsay