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Posted in Brewery Expansions, Galleries, Headlines, Wild Heaven Craft Beers

Wild Heaven builds out their 2nd Atlanta location

More than 10 years ago, I got a call out of the blue from a guy called Nick Purdy who was starting a brewery in Atlanta. Always eager to try new beer, I met him at Brick Store where he handed me to un-labeled brown bottles that contained the first batches of Invocation Belgian-style Golden Ale, and Ode to Mercy, a coffee brown ale. By late 2014, the brewery broke ground on their production facility in Avondale Estates, Georgia.

It was over a decade ago and honestly felt like a badass for having bottles from a brewery that wasn’t even open yet. Production breweries opening in Atlanta were far more rare a decade ago in the Peach State.

Later that year, Purdy invited me over to show me the new construction, and it’s there I met Eric Johnson, the co-founder and creative genius behind Wild Heaven’s beers. Folks in Athens, Georgia, might know him by his first beer overture – Trappeze Pub. Within hours, in the mild Georgia cold, Eric and I were drinking beers and laying out the where the sloped floors would be cut. (Side note after the fact, that wasn’t a simple task.)

Fast forward a few years to Atlanta’s West End in 2017. Wild Heaven signs a long-term lease in the 23 acres of “warehouse row” owned by Lee & White, adjacent to the future piece of the city’s Beltline. Notably home to Monday Night’s Sour and Wild facility, The Garage.

The 21,600 square foot freestanding building is Wild Heaven’s second home, a bigger, bolder expansion for this Georgia craft brewer. The facility will feature 80 taps, multiple private event spaces, a patio overlooking the beltline, and a full-service restaurant.

Wild Heaven West End  is just feet from American Spirit Distillery’s second location, as well as Hop City’s new bottleshop and restaurant.

The expected opening date has shifted, pending approvals, but an August opening has now been confirmed.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Firestone Walker Brewing, Headlines

Firestone Walker takes beer & wine hybrid beers to a new level with “Rosalie”

Inspired by the wine country that surrounds the brewery, Firestone Walker Rosalie debuts year-round this month. 

Paso Robles, California, the home of Firestone Walker Brewing Company is known to the rest of the world as a premier wine region. The brewery was even constructed on the Firestone family winery. If that influence isn’t enough, local winemakers are always asked to assist in creating Firestone’s annual Anniversary blend.

The path to Rosalie started in September of 2018 when Castoro Winery harvested 200 tons of wine grapes for Firestone Walker. Grape varieties included Chardonnay, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Muscat Canelli, and Orange Muscat. Chardonnay grapes were tapped to take the flavor profile lead, but brewmaster Matt Brynildson wanted other varieties. “The Chardonnay provides these crowd-pleasing textures and flavors. But we also wanted to weave in the other grape varieties to lift the aromas and add complexity,” he says.

The goal with Firestone Walker Rosalie is to create a beer with the body of rosé wine. A cross-over creation, that blurs the line between beer and wine. The acid profile of a rosé can’t be achieved with normal yeast and malts, so the brewery used some souring techniques to achieve this.

A lightly hopped, pilsner malt heavy wort was created, and blended with pressed grape juice. By co-fermenting the wort with the grape juice, the brewery is essentially making beer and wine at the same time.

Where hops would have been added whirlpool step of the brewing process, Firestone Walker opted to use hibiscus petals. This gives Rosalie it’s pink, rosé wine style coloring, with an extra touch of citric acid which brightens up the palate beer. The result of this complicated brewing process? It would seem like one of the most cutting edge beer and wine hybrids created yet.

Look for Firestone Walker Rosalie in 12-ounce cans year-round this month. Draft will launch in April 2019.

Style: Hybrid Beer (w/ Grapes. Hibiscus.)
Availability: 12oz Cans, Draft. Year-Round.
Debut: January 2019

5% ABV

Image: Firestone Walker

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Creature Comforts, Coming Soon, Headlines

More Run the Jewels: Creature Comforts STAY G-O-L-D returns at month’s end

Creature Comforts STAY G-O-L-D, a collaboration with rap duo Run the Jewels will be available again on January 29th. 

Chicago based Pipeworks, New York’s Interboro and Asheville, North Carolina’s Burial Beer Co. have all created their own versions of Stay G-O-L-D in the past.

Athens, Georgia has their own edition of these hit beer collaborations – Creature Comforts STAY G-O-L-D returns again at the end of January. STAY G-O-L-D is brewed with Citra, Mosaic, Chinook, and Strata hops.

“Stay G-O-L-D is a high impact, yet very drinkable IPA, We’re all big fans of Run the Jewels here at Creature Comforts so we were thrilled to have another opportunity to collaborate with them.” – said Co-Founder and Head Brewer David Stein.

Creature Comforts STAY G-O-L-D will be available on-site at the brewery in Athens, Georgia on January 29th. A limited amount will be available in distribution in both Athens and Atlanta after launch day.

Style: IPA
Hops: Citra, Mosaic, Chinook, Strata.

Availablity: 16oz Cans
Debut: 10/26/17
Latest Return: 1/29/19

6% ABV

Images: Beer Street Journal

Creature Comforts Stay GOLD IPA 2017

PIC: Beer Street Journal

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Atlas Brew Works, Headlines

Atlas Brew Works sues federal government over shutdown delays

The government shutdown is not only taking its toll on the government workers not receiving a paycheck, but on America’s beer industry as well.

Washington D.C. based Atlas Brew Works is opting to do something about it. This week, the brewery filed a lawsuit against the government citing free speech issues dealing with federal label approvals. Without label approvals, Atlas, as well as the nation’s brewers cannot ship new beers out of state. No certificate of label approval, no beer across state lines.

The lawsuit frames the brewery’s labels as a form of free speech, protected by the First Amendment. By extension, the need for a “license” in order to practice free speech is unconstitutional.

Atlas Brew Works is asking the court to step in, in order to get their new seasonal releases into the market on time. Right now the clock is ticking on the brewery’s Precious One, a new apricot IPA. The lack of label approval is keeping this beer in the tanks, unable to be sold.

As of the date of this article, the government shutdown is headed into the 27th day making it the longest in U.S. history.  Democrats and the White House remain at odds over granting Trump $5 billion for a wall on the southern border of the country.

Image: Atlas Brew Works (Facebook)

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Allagash Brewing, Headlines

Rejoice! Allagash White is finally in cans

The best news you’ll read today comes from Portland, Maine. For the first time in 24 years, Allagash White is finally available in cans.

Early last year, Allagash released their first canned offering, Hoppy Table Beer. Yes, the fact that it wasn’t White shocked pretty much everyone. We needed to know why.

When the brewery opened in 1995, founder Rob Tod only had one beer in his arsenal – White. In the years since, Allagash White has become an icon in craft beer, in more than just the 17 states you can find the brewery’s beers.

Allagash has very stringent quality standards for their success. Almost daily, the employees take sensory tests in order to judge and maintain their beer’s quality. So much of that process surrounds White. Sure, it would have been easy to hook up a brite tank of one of America’s best witbiers to the canning line and let it run. But for Rod Tod and team, they decided to take their time with transitioning White to cans. Per Jeff Pillet-Shore, marketing director for Allagash, “That beer defines us. When we were ready to release the cans, we would simply know”. “We had to get it right,” he adds.

Initially, 16-ounce cans of White will be available at the brewery and then surrounding areas, like New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Western/Upstate New York – eventually becoming available in all 17 states where Allagash is found.

If you ask our opinion, Allagash White is absolutely one of the best offerings in American craft beer. White belongs in aluminum. Now it can now truly go every you go.

It’s a great day.

Images: Beer Street Journal

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Ballast Point Brewing, Headlines

Ballast Point is now Disneyland’s first on-site brewery

Ballast Point Brewing is now a part of the “The Happiest Place on Earth”. The brewery has opened a new location in the Downtown Disney District in Anaheim California.

While Anaheim’s Disneyland Park is dry, keeping in line with founder Walt Disney’s vision, the Downtown Disney District started serving alcohol since 2001. Ballast Point is now the first brewery in that district.

According to Ballast Point, it was Disney that approached them first about this opportunity.

Today is an exciting day as we officially welcome Ballast Point to the Downtown Disney® District family. We strive to consistently bring fresh and innovative concepts to the Downtown Disney District that we know our guests will enjoy, and Ballast Point is the perfect Southern California brand to bring its unique blend of great beer, good food, and a family-friendly atmosphere.” – Patrick Finnegan, VP of Disney California Adventure and Downtown Disney.

On January 16th, Ballast Point will open a 7,000 square foot tasting room, brewery, and kitchen. The brewery has hired Executive Sous Chef, Joey Lerma to oversee the culinary arm of the brewpub. The menu will offer a mix of Southern California staples, like Baja-style fish tacos, house-made pretzels with beer mustard, and (because it’s Disney) an extensive children’s menu. $1 dollar will be donated for every kid’s meal ordered at the new location to No Kid Hungry, a national organization providing children with nutritious food options in an effort to end child hunger.

The brewhouse is a 3 barrel R&D brewery (about 90 gallons per brew), but boast 100 taps for the 220-seat restaurant. Expect their flagship Sculpin IPA always on tap, as well as a plethora of limited edition, small batch beers.

Ballast Point Brewing was started in 1996 by Jack White in San Diego, California. In 2015, Constellation Brands purchased the brewery for $1 billion dollars.

In 2015, Ballast Point sold to Constellation Brands for a record-breaking $1 Billion dollars. The brewery currently operates locations in the Miramar, Scripps Ranch and Little Italy areas of San Diego as well as Long Beach, California, and Daleville, Virginia.

Ballast-Point-Disney-Location

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Headlines

Goose Island challenges “armchair kickers” to kick field goal for free beer

If you don’t watch sports, you’ve at least heard of the epic last-second field goal miss by Cody Parkey of the Chicago Bears on Sunday – now dubbed “Doink, Doink.” (Watch the kick and see why.)

Bears fans were less than forgiving. Parkey was booed off the field and was met with some pretty heavy social media vitriol and death threats.

Goose Island Beer Co. is doubling down on their backing of the kicker, who incidentally scored more points than the entire Bears offense, by the way. In a series of tweets, the folks at Goose called out the “armchair kickers” of the world for destroying Parkey. The brewery is even going as far as building a field goal post out front of their Chicago production facility, offering free beer for a year to anyone that can kick a 43-year field goal.

The event takes place on January 12th. The brewery has posted a set of rules you’ll find below.

Guess it’s time for Chicago Bears fans put their kicking foot where their Twitter handle is.

FLY EAGLES FLY ?

by Reid Ramsay