Headlines

Posted in Tree House Brewing Company, Headlines, Sierra Nevada

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp East Meets West IPA, featuring Tree House Brewing

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp East Meets West IPA will be a part of this years “Beer Camp Around the World” when it debuts later this year.

In 2017, Sierra Nevada is taking their famed Beer Camp internationally, collaborating with both selected American brewers, and some of the world’s best. Stateside, Massachusetts based Tree House Brewing Company has been  selected.

RELATED: Sierra Nevada teams up with Surly Brewing 

Sierra Nevada is famous for the west coast IPA. If you wanted to point fingers at breweries responsible for the hazy, “New England Style” IPA, at least one finger would be pointed at Tree House. Perhaps that’s what makes this future collaboration so interesting. Clarity meets hazy. East Coast meets West Coast. Think of it like turning on a humidifier and dehumidifier at the same time. You’d think it would cause a rip in the space-time continuum.

In just a few short years, Tree House has made made a big impact on the beer scene with their approach to the IPA – low bitterness, intense juicy hop flavor and unfiltered haze. As fellow lovers of the IPA, we combined our styles – the classic American IPA malt body and the New England approach to hopping- resulting in lightly bitter, unfiltered beer with huge hop flavor.

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp East Meets West IPA will be a part of both the Beer Camp Variety Pack, and pouring at various Beer Camp festivals later this year.

Style: IPA
Availability: 16oz Cans, Draft.
Debut: TBA

7% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Second Self Brewing Company, Coming Soon, Headlines

It’s more than just beer. It’s art. Second Self Manic Pixie Dream

It’s hard not to judge a book by it’s cover. The same goes for beer. As beer gets infinitely more creative, so has the artwork that goes along with it. Atlanta’s Second Self Beer didn’t just brew a great beer and slap a label on it. Manic Pixie Dream is a “next level” kind of collaboration.

This story starts a bit before the beer was brewed. Brewery co-founder Jason Santamaria has been a fan of Keith P. Rein’s artwork for a while. The guy is best known for the Slaughterhouse Starlets Series. Basically, he takes famous females like Winona Ryder or Taylor Swift and juxtaposes them into a murdery, Dexter-like composition. When Santamaria married his wife Liz, he noticed Keith P. Rein to be the dominant in each other’s art collection.

All Santamaria needed was a good reason to reach out to is favorite artist. As it turns out, Rein has always wanted to do a piece for a beer can. Manic Pixie Dream was born.

The Second Self team went big when it comes to the beer. The base is an 11% alcohol by volume Russian imperial stout, that has been aged in Blis barrels. The mere mention of Blis will make a beer fan salivate. Blis Gourment is a Michigan based company that ages maple syrup in bourbon barrels. After the maple syrup is drained, what you have left is a playground for one hell of an awesome beer. As an added bonus, Second Self infused locally roasted Batdorf & Bronson coffee.

Santamaria and Rein weren’t satisfied with just creating one label. Especially with a beer as complex as this one. Blis barrels are hard to come by, and recipes like this one are expensive. Ultimately, this beer is in short supply. Created simply for your own happiness. A bit like the Manic Pixie Dream Girl movie trope.

Coined in 2005 by film critic Nathan Rabin after watching Kirsten Dunst’s character in Elizabethtown, MPDG is a  “bubbly, shallow cinematic creature that exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures.” Other examples include Kate Hudson’s character in Almost Famous, Natalie Portman in Garden State, or Marilyn Monroe in Some Like it Hot.

With Manic Pixie Dream in mind, Rein drew four different iterations of Pixie. Each label breaks out a component of the beer – Coffee, Maple Syrup, Bourbon, and Grains. Besides the incredible artwork, the beer is fantastic. Truly a sipper, where the each of the components starts to pop as the beer warms. After the barrel-aging, you’re drinking at near 14% alcohol by volume beer.

Second Self is holding a special release event on February 26th where attendees can purchase all four cans. The brewery is planning on making Manic Pixie Dream a series going forward, with an evolving list of styles (including a sour/wild ale).

This is one of the few times we have found ourselves torn between the beer or the artwork that’s more exciting. A few more sips and we might just decide.

Style: Imperial Stout (w/ Coffee. Barrel Aged. Maple Syrup Bourbon.)
Availability: 16oz Cans. Brewery Only.
Debut: 2/26/17

13.9% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Alpine Beer Company, Headlines

Alpine Beer debuts their first cans this summer

Alpine Beer Company is adding cans to their lineup this summer, a first for the brand.

In 2014, Green Flash Brewing acquired Alpine Beer, and have taken the brand national. Once Green Flash added cans to their lineup, it was only a matter of time before Alpine Beer’s lineup would be found in aluminum. By the time temperatures start to soar, you will have a few of the brewery’s beloved recipes in your hands.

Two beers have initially been tapped for aluminum:

Truck Trail,  a pale ale named for the Anderson Truck Trail in Alpine, California. Brewed with a blend of Cascade and Centennial hops. 5.5% ABV.

Willy, referred to as an “old school” recipe by Alpine, is an American wheat ale brewed with a healthy dose of Amarillo hops.

Both offerings will be available in 12 ounce cans, in 6-packs in early summer, 2017.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Victory Brewing Company, Headlines

Victory Tank to Table Series headed to cans

Pennsylvania’s Victory Brewing Company will debut Tank to Table Series, a new lineup of small batch beers in the near future.

Almost every brewery in the U.S. has some sort of pilot system where the full scale recipes are born. From there, a delicate balance is maintained between the year-round offerings, seasonals, and great small batch recipes the brewers dream up. Those tasty experiments are where Victory Tank to Table Series comes to fruition.

Victory plans on releasing the brewers creations in 16 ounce cans, every other month. The only downside to this experiment is that initially, these releases are brewpub only.

Expect Tank to Table Series to include a Double IPA, Pilsner, and a Sour.

First release date has not be announced.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Terrapin Beer Company, Headlines

Zombies not included. Terrapin The Walking Dead Beer, now in cans

Terrapin The Walking Dead Blood Orange IPA is headed back to shelves once again in February, 2017. This edition finds the hops a bit brighter, with more pronounced blood orange flavor. Pairs well with apocalyptic zombie carnage.

12 ounce cans and draft are shipping the week of Valentine’s Day, 2017.

Below, Beer Street Journal’s original coverage of the beer’s release in fall, 2015

Terrapin The Walking Dead is coming this fall, to help soothe the nerves as the zombie hoards approach. The tv show, The Walking Dead is filmed in Terrapin’s home of Georgia. In past episodes, local craft breweries have made screen appearances in the show.

To create Terrapin The Walking Dead, the brewery partnered with series creator Robert Kirkman, and Skybound Entertainment to create a beer fans will love.

Terrapin Beer Company and The Walking Dead have teamed up to brew the official beer of the undead. Made with blood orange peel, and a horrific amount of hops, this bloodthirsty red IPA will have you prepared for the upcoming Zombie Apocalypse.

Beer Street Journal isn’t about beer reviews. Hopefully this doesn’t read that way. Last night we tried the Terrapin The Walking Dead, ahead of the release. Those wondering, yes – there is a good bit of blood orange flavor, and a hoppy finish. That’s a given. Also, that’s all the beer is supposed to be.

Honestly, I feel there are going to be interpretations of this beer. Those who will probably hate it because it won’t live up to their impossibly high standards for beer. Ok, IPAs. Half the time it’s the same folks that never have anything good to say about anything beer related. (Most likely everything else as well.)

On the other side of the tracks, are those people excited that The Walking Dead has a beer, that’s not brewed by a mega brewery, and will buy it because for just that reason, and crack it open during the show. Simple as that.. The response to the article announcing this beer has been insane. Simple as that.

At the end of the day, it’s a crazy amazing show, awesome partnership, and tasty liquid. Have fun with it.

Terrapin The Walking Dead Blood Orange IPA will be available in cans for the first time in February, 2017.

Style: IPA (w/ Blood Orange)
Availability: 12oz Cans, Draft
Next Release: February, 2017

6.7% ABV

Terrapin The Walking Dead Blood

PIC: Beer Street Journal

 

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Rodenbach Brewery, Headlines

Rodenbach Fruitage marks the brewery’s first cans in the U.S.

Rodenbach Fruitage the first cans in the United States by the Belgian brewery, debuts in March.

This new innovation by the world renown sour maker is blend of old and young beer. 25% of the final beer is 2 year old traditional Rodenbach foeder beer, and 75% young ale.

The blend was then aged on cherries and elderberries.

Rodenbach Fruitage is a sessionable 4.2% alcohol by volume, and be available in 8.5 ounce “slim” cans, in 4 packs. The price looks to be quite tempting as well, expected to retail around $6.99 per 4-pack.

Distributors are welcome to make orders in the U.S. ahead of the March, 2017 debut.

Style: Flanders Red Ale (w/ Elderberries, Cherries)
Availability: 8.5oz Cans
Debut: March, 2017

4.2% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Dogfish Head, Headlines

Next Level: Dogfish Head creates draft system straight from the barrel

Barrel-aged beer in a keg is so 2016. You can now drink barrel-aged beer tapped straight from the barrel. The future is now.

Delaware’s most “off-centered” brewery, Dogfish Head has teamed up with Annapolis, Maryland based AC Beverage in order to create a draft system you’ve never seen before. The system is called AeriAle, an innovative nitrogen-based draft system. We’re talking barrel to glass.

Rack AeriAle uses a Nitrogenator mixed gas system that provides a continuous supply of N2 gas, that feeds the oak barrels. A customized barrel extractor allows the beer to pumped under low N2 pressure to a heat exchanger which chills the beer to the desired temperature. From there, the beer is fed to a CellarStream inline liquid & gas infuser that pressurizes the beer to the set pounds per square inch. The CellarStream settings can be changed to match the style of beer being served.

The Rack AeriAle finished product is then integrated into a typical draft system using a slow pour style faucet (tap) with a restrictor disk which strips the gas while being poured.

“The process is like watching a theatrical performance in a glass as it creates a unique, cascading effect resulting in a thick creamy head that looks as appealing as it tastes. The retention of the head is achieved by the amount of gas infusion that can only be accomplished using a CellarStream and Nitrogenator as they are the heart and lungs of the Rack AeriAle system. –  Charles Kleinrichert, president of AC Beverage.

AC Beverage has been working with Dogfish Head since 1995. After working with Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione on various brewery projects, the team eventually arrived at this idea. The first system has been sold to Eataly Boston’s Terra Restaurant. The second will find a home at Dogfish Head’s Milton brewery.

by Reid Ramsay