Headlines

Scofflaw Brewing partners with Brewdog

Atlanta based Scofflaw Brewing has formed a one-year partnership with BrewDog Ohio.

Scofflaw Brewing opened on Atlanta’s Westside in July of 2016. The fan demand hasn’t let up since. Co-founder Matt Shirah & Travis Herman make beer for Georgia, and as Continue Reading →

Posted in Ommegang, Coming Soon, Headlines

Ommegang Hand of the Queen will expand the Game of Thrones Series this spring

Ommegang Hand of the Queen will expand the brewery’s Game of Thrones Series again this spring.

The next four Game of Thrones releases will be known as The Royal Reserve, inspired by the royals of Westeros. In this case, the Hand of the Queen Tyrion Lannister, hand to Danaerys Targaryen (rightful queen of Westeros).

Tyrion Lannister might be small in stature, but his personality and character are quite large.  Given his love of wine (I drink, and I know things), Ommegang chose a big, bold barleywine to embody this well known Lannister.

“We’ve wanted to brew for Tyrion for six seasons, and we believe his time has come. Knowing his preferences, our beer for Tyrion could only be a barleywine.” – Doug Campbell, President of Brewery Ommegang

This 11% alcohol by volume barleywine is described as “malt-forward and multifaceted”. Expect hints of brandy soaked raisins, dark fruit, and apricots. Expect 750-milliliter bottles to hit shelves in April 2018.

Very apropos for the coming of the winter solstice this week, Ommegang Winter is Here is currently on shelves, featuring the Night King who leads the freaky army of Nightwalkers.

Style: Barleywine
Availability: 750ml Bottles
Debut: April 2018

11% ABV

Game Of Thrones GOT GIF from Gameofthrones GIFs

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Headlines

Scofflaw Brewing partners with Brewdog

Atlanta based Scofflaw Brewing has formed a one-year partnership with BrewDog Ohio.

Scofflaw Brewing opened on Atlanta’s Westside in July of 2016. The fan demand hasn’t let up since. Co-founder Matt Shirah & Travis Herman make beer for Georgia, and as they have learned, keep up has been tough. Luckily, there’s a Scottish brewery that has just settled stateside that has offered to help.

Scofflaw has signed a one-year deal with Ohio-based BrewDog, acquired exclusive access to some of the new brewery’s excess brewery and canning capacity. These cans are destined for one place – their Georgia home.

“James and Tim have offered us a bridge, one that will allow us to radically improve our canning capacity and capabilities. We can, no pun intended, continue to produce beer and simultaneously build out our third expansion.  We are also working to develop our own, more sophisticated Atlanta-based canning operation. Our current draft production facility and tasting room will stay in place and where it belongs, on Atlanta’s Westside.”- Scofflaw co-founder Matt Shirah

Since opening, Scofflaw has undergone “three expansions” says Jonathan Ingram, Media Relations for the brewery. The first added three 60-barrel fermentation tanks and one bright tank in late spring. The second added three 90-barrel fermentation tanks + one bright tank in July, and the third is a new 50-barrel brewhouse, eight 100-barrel tanks and bright tanks for build-out by March 1st, 2018. This expansion will increase Scofflaw’s annual capacity to 30,000 barrels (nearly a million gallons of beer annually).

This partnership will include a new collaboration beer between Brewdog and Scofflaw, as well as Scoffaw’s beer being poured in Brewdog’s restaurant in Ohio.

Scofflaw’s first Brewdog produced cans will hit the Atlanta market in late January, early February 2018.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Modist Brewing, Headlines

Dilly Dilly. Budweiser sends medieval cease & desist letter

Anheuser Busch is notorious for their litigious nature. The brewing giant has served numerous cease and desist letters to everyone from wineries, coffee roasteries, to craft breweries. This week, AB served a new cease & desist letter, this time to Modist Brewery in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Instead of the usual legal correspondence, Anheuser Busch had a little fun with it.

Dilly, Dilly! The nonsensical catchphrase that has swept the nation thanks to the latest Bud Light commercial, spoken by a king in a medieval setting. (Think of it like the WAZZZZUP commercials that started airing in 1999.)

Modist Brewing Company saw “Dilly Dilly” as a name for their Mosaic imperial IPA. That caught the eye of Budweiser’s attorneys. Instead of a simple c&d letter, Bud got creative. As the beer tapped on December 1st, enter a “medieval scribe who read the desist letter from an actual scroll, asking that Dilly Dilly be a limited edition release. Then, offered two tickets to the 2018 Super Bowl. The letter reads:

Dear Friend of the Crown, Modest Brewing Company

Congratulations on the launch of your new brew, “Dilly Dilly” Mosaic Double IPA. Let it be known that we believe that any beer that is shared between friends is a fine beer indeed and we are truly flattered by your loyal tribute. However, “Dilly Dilly” is the motto of our realm, so we humbly ask that you keep this to a limited edition, one-time only run. This is by order of the King, disobedience will result with additional scrolls. Then, a formal warning. And finally, a private tour of the pit of misery. Please send a raven, letter or electronic mail to let us know that you agree to this request. Also, we will be in your citadel of Minneapolis for the Super Bowl nd would love to offer two thrones to said game for two of your finest employees to watch the festivities and enjoy a few Bud Lights on us.

Yours Truthfully, Bud Light

That’s a hell of a way to take the high road if you ask us.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Headlines

Avery sells minority stake of brewery to Mahou San Miguel

Spain based Mahou San Miguel has acquired a minority stake in Avery Brewing Co. 

You might remember Mahou San Miguel from their minority acquisition of Founders Brewing Co. nearly 3 years ago next month. Today they announce another minority acquisition, this time with Boulder, Colorado’s Avery Brewing Co. According to Adam Avery in press release, Adam and his father started searching for a partner two years ago. The criteria included “Minority Investor, Privately Held and Family-Owned Entity, Long-Term Investment, Strategic Advantages, and Good People with Shared Values.”

Avery says Mahou San Miguel checked all the boxes.

First Beverage Group is serving as the financial adviser for the transaction, slated to close in January 2018. The amount of the deal and percentage of the acquisition have not been disclosed.

Developing… 

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Monday Night Brewing, Headlines, Three Taverns Brewery

Joran Van Ginderachter departs Three Taverns for Monday Night; future brewery

Joran Van Ginderachter, brewmaster of Three Taverns Craft Brewery, has parted ways his first American brewery home. He will now assume a brewer role with Atlanta’s Monday Night Brewing.

‘Van Ginderachter studied Chemistry at the University of Ghent before interning with his uncle Peter Bouckaert, a legend at U.S. based New Belgium, and now Purpose Brewing and Cellars in Fort Collins, Colorado. At the close of his internship, Joran returned to Belgium, ultimately co-founding Brouwers Verzet in 2011. The creativity and passion in the American industry brought Joran to Three Taverns, where he has been overseeing the day to day operations, as well as creating the brewery’s wild ale program.

Unfortunately, not everything goes as planned. For reasons not immediately disclosed, Joran Van Ginderachter has departed Three Taverns. Just a few miles away, Monday Night Brewing has stepped in to help.

Peter Kiley, head brewer at Monday Night tells Beer Street Journal that this move is intended to keep extraordinary talent in Georgia. “We know business can be complicated sometimes. Joran is a good friend to us, and an integral part of the brewing community in Georgia,” Kiley said.

This move over to Monday Night is a temporary one. Joran and close friends Shawn Bainbridge and Tim Kilic
will open Halfway Crooks Brewing and Blending in Atlanta in 2018. Expect everything from pilsners to saisons and wild ales from the trio.

In the meantime, don’t be surprised if you see Van Ginderachter brewing at Monday Night or running around the brewery’s new “Garage” location.

“Thanks to a must needed change in Georgia beer laws, the state is poised for growth. We want to keep talent like Joran’s here with us, and we are extremely excited. Even if it’s just for a little while,” said Kiley.

In an interesting, and unrelated twist, brewer Adam Bishop has parted ways with Monday Night. Co-founder Jonathan Baker tells Beer Street Journal that his departure is unrelated to the arrival of Joran.

“It’s just really weird timing,” said Baker.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in New Belgium, Headlines

Future Special Release: New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Guava Spruce DIPA

New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Guava Spruce DIPA is a future potential in the brewery’s Voodoo Ranger Series.

In late 2016, New Belgium announced the addition of the Voodoo Ranger Series. IPA, Imperial IPA, 8 Hop joined the series year-round. Earlier this year, Voodoo Ranger added a few “Special Releases” in 22-ounce bottles – Passionfruit Imperial IPA, Red IPA, and Juicy Mandarina IPA.

It looks like New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Guava Spruce DIPA is on the way soon. The India pale ale is brewed with guava and spruce.

This forthcoming release is slated for 16-ounce cans and draft. The brewery has not yet announced this release.

Style: IPA (w/ Guava. Spruce.)
Availability: 16oz Cans, Draft.
Debut: TBA

7.6% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Stone Brewing Co., Headlines

Stone Brewing will release their first wild ale in December

Stone Brewing will debut their first sour/wild ale in December.

For the last two years Stone Brewing – known worldwide for their love of hoppy beers, has been quietly designing a wild ale program. As many breweries across the United States are debuting sour ale programs, Stone seemed content with what they do best. IPAs. As you can imagine, this announcement takes the brewery’s fan base by surprise.

Stone’s Mission Warehouse production facility has been churning out barrel-aged and small-batch beers for some time now. The brewery decided that Mission is home base for future “arrogant” sour ales.

Stone Mission Warehouse Apricot is the inaugural release. The base beer was soured, then blended with barrel-aged barleywine and a strong, highly-hopped tripel. Those two threads were aged on three different strains of Brettanomyces yeast. To top it all off, Stone shoved 500 pounds of peaches into the 4 oak barrels used to age this new release. The process took 18 months to complete.

Stone Mission Warehouse Sour is on sale now through Eventbrite. 4-packs of Apricot must be picked up at Stone’s company store in Escondido, Liberty Station or Pasadena from December 3 through 31st.

Style: American Wild Ale (w/ Apricots. Oak Aged.)
Availability: 11.2oz Bottles
Debut: December 2017

8.7% ABV

Image: Stone Brewing

by Reid Ramsay