New Releases

Posted in Headlines, New Releases, Sierra Nevada

Sierra Nevada reveals “Proper Pilsner Cans” for Premium PILS

Back in April, Sierra Nevada unveiled a project more than a year in the making—Premium PILS, available on draft in select markets nationwide. At the time, the brewery teased unique packaging for the pilsner in late summer. Today, the brewery has revealed the answer: Proper Pilsner cans.

The key to this packaging is the smaller can format—specifically, 8.4 ounces—to maintain temperature and flavor from beginning to end. According to Brian Grossman, head brewer at Sierra Nevada, crafting a traditional European-style pilsner was half the challenge. When the beer transitioned to packaging, the standard 12- or 16-ounce can wouldn’t suffice. “I’ve enjoyed beers all over the world, but there’s something special about a proper pilsner at a European pub—crisp, refreshing, and served in a smaller glass to keep it at the ideal temperature and flavor. That’s how PILS is meant to be enjoyed,” Grossman says.

We tried Premium PILS back in April at The Ramspeck in Decatur, Georgia, and it’s fantastic, truly setting a new standard for American craft breweries producing European-style beers. At 4.7% alcohol by volume and 25 IBUs, it’s crisp and pairs with nearly everything.

Proper Pilsner cans, filled with Premium PILS, debut in 8.4-ounce 12-packs in select markets in August 2025, with plans for full national distribution in early 2026.

Below are photos from the media launch party in April at The Ramspeck.

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

New Holland teams up with Dungeons & Dragons again

New Holland Brewing drops a new edition in Dungeons & Dragons beer series this month.

New Holland Brewing has teamed up once again with Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast for another beer in their ongoing Dungeons & Dragons beer lineup: Dragon’s Milk Coconut Rum Barrel Reserve.

Last year, New Holland announced the start of a partnership with Dungeons & Dragons with Dragon’s Milk x Dungeons & Dragons Coconut Rum Barrel Reserve in August and the high-octane “beast” of a beer, D20 Brew Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout (20% ABV), in November. While the 2024 coconut stout kicked off the partnership to celebrate D&D’s 50th anniversary, the 2025 iteration introduces a narrative twist inspired by the mythical Dragon Turtle, a massive dragon-like creature with a turtle-like shell.

This release finds New Holland’s Dragon’s Milk, one of America’s best-selling stouts, aged in rum barrels with coconut.

“This collaboration is all about celebrating the power of storytelling through flavor. With the Dragon Turtle as our muse, we created a rich, coconut stout aged in rum barrels that’s as deep and complex as the world of D&D itself,” said Brett Vanderkamp, CEO and Founder.

Dragon’s Milk Coconut Rum Barrel Reserve, also known as the Dragon Turtle release, features an image of the mythical creature on the label with nods to both Dragon’s Milk and Dungeons & Dragons. It’s an instant must-have for D&D players.

While the creature may be mythical, the beer is very real, hitting shelves at select retailers and New Holland taprooms.

Style: Imperial Stout (with Coconut. Barrel-Aged. Rum.)
Availability: 12oz Bottles, Draft, Limited Release
Debut: August 2025
ABV: 11%

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

Founders KBS Iced Latte goes golden instead of stout

Founders KBS Iced Latte expands the Michigan-based brewery’s ongoing KBS series this July.

Founders KBS Iced Latte is a cold coffee departure from the the traditional Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS), has joined the Barrel-Aged Series in summer 2025.

Crafted with coffee, cocoa nibs, milk sugar, and vanilla extract, this variant delivers a creamy, café-inspired experience with prominent coffee and vanilla flavors, complemented by oak and a silky latte-like sweetness from bourbon barrel aging. Expect a rich coffee aroma with hints of vanilla and toasted malt, paired with a smooth, medium-bodied mouthfeel. A refreshing yet indulgent twist for KBS fans, especially dropping a beer so big during the current “Heat Dome” that most of America is dealing with currently.

MORE: FOUNDERS KBS SERIES

Get ready to chill with KBS Iced Latte, a barrel-aged imperial golden ale that’s as smooth as your favorite café creation. Crafted with a blend of coffee and vanilla for a creamy, utterly indulgent experience. Aged to perfection in bourbon barrels, every sip consists of oak notes and a silky latte-like sweetness that’s impossible to resist.

Founders KBS Iced Latte is available in 12-ounce bottles and draft for a limited time.

Style: Imperial Golden Ale (w/ Coffee. Cocoa Nibs. Lactose. Vanilla. Barrel-Aged. Bourbon)
Availability: 12oz Bottles, Draft. Limited Release.
Debut: Summer 2025

11% ABV

Complete List of KBS Variants

Going back from the beginning, a list of all the variants to up until summer 2025.

  1. KBS (Original) – Release: 2011
  2. KBS Espresso – Release: 2019
  3. KBS Maple Mackinac Fudge – Release: 2020
  4. KBS Nitro – Release: 2020 (Draft-only)
  5. KBS Cinnamon Vanilla Cocoa – Release: 2021
  6. KBS Hazelnut – Release: 2021
  7. KBS Chocolate Cherry – Release: 2022
  8. KBS Blueberry – Release: 2023
  9. KBS Spicy Chocolate – Release: 2023
  10. KBS Chocolate Espresso – Release: 2024
  11. KBS Double Oaked – Release: 2024
  12. KBS Hazelnut Fudge – Release: 2024
  13. KBS Iced Latte – Release: 2025
by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Badger State Brewing, New Releases

Badger State Phoenix Rising collab with UW Green Bay returns

Badger State Phoenix Rising Citrus Wheat Ale is available at the brewery starting in mid-June.

Badger State Brewing – in the heart of Green Bay, Wisconsin, has a new collaboration beer available starting this week – Phoenix Rising. The beer is a collaboration with University of Wisconsin Green Bay, whose mascot should be obvious by now – a phoenix. There was a previous version of this beer released as a red lager starting back in 2023.

The 5.2% alcohol by volume wheat ale is lightly hopped with El Dorado, and finished with orange and tangerine peel. Citrus is big in the nose with this beer, as well as the flavor, and very smooth thanks to the wheat.

Badger State Phoenix Rising is available in 16-ounce cans and draft throughout northeast Wisconsin starting in June 2025.

Style: American Wheat Ale
Hops: El Dorado

Availability: 16oz cans, Draft.
Debut: June 2025

5% ABV

PIC: Beer Street Journal

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Beer News, Don't Miss This, New Releases, Schlafly Brewing

Schlafly releases passionfruit spin on ‘Tasmanian IPA’

Schlafly Imperial Passionfruit Tasmanian IPA debuts as April winds down.

St. Louis, Missouri-based Schlafly Beer has released a passionfruit-infused version of their Tasmanian IPA to kick off summer 2025.

By our best recollections, Tasmanian IPA was first released back in 2010 using Galaxy hops after brewery members to a trip to Tasmania. According to David Schlafly, brewery CEO, “this release builds on the legacy of our ground-breaking Tasmanian IPA, which is one of the first in the nation to showcase Australian-grown Galaxy hops, by adding vibrant passionfruit for a tropical twist, he says.

Schlafly Imperial Passionfruit Tasmanian IPA is 9% alcohol by volume, available in 12-ounce cans and draft through the end of the summer

Style: Imperial IPA (w/ Passionfruit.)
Hops: Galaxy, Topaz

Availability: 12oz Cans, Draft. Seasonal Release.
Debut: April 2025

9% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Don't Miss This, Galleries, New Releases, Sierra Nevada

Sierra Nevada Premium PILS launches in select markets

Sierra Nevada Premium PILS Lager is debuting across select markets across this U.S. this week.

In Atlanta last evening, a team from Sierra Nevada as assembled at The Ramspeck (Brick Store Pub’s private event space) to debut a new beer. While the brewery is most known for whole-cone hop forward offerings, this beer you could say is a departure from the hops- a Premium PILS Lager.

A year in the making.

For more than a year, Sierra Nevada VP Brian Grossman, Brewery supervisor Seth Hewitt, Innovation brewer Matt Ruzich and team have been developing a new pilsner – a future national offering that Sierra Nevada hopes mays set a standard for the style in U.S. In the past, Sierra has released a pilsner here and there – Nooner Pilsner back in 2014, and seasonal Summerfest. Good beers in their own right, but the grander vision was a more “elevated” pilsner. Hence why “premium” is a part of the branding.

History + Quality.

The team focused heavily on the brewing history on pilsners, especially water chemistry, hops and yeast. Premium PILS is features Weihenstephaner yeast, and newer hop variety Saphir (German bred), and Pilsner malts with a touch of Carapils malt. Throughout Sierra’s presentation, the brewers focused on quality. Something the brewery is well-known for, and it definitely shows in Premium PILS. It’s soft, and crisp, with just a tinge of underlying hoppiness, and only 4.7% alcohol by volume. Whether or not the brewery intended it, they are setting a new standard for craft pilsners going forward.

Markets.

For now, Sierra Nevada Premium PILS is available on draft in 30 markets: Orlando,Jacksonville, Atlanta, Chicago, Portland, Maine, Las Vegas, Reno, NYC, Rhode Island, Denver, Boise, New Orleans, Grand Rapids, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Cleveland, Portland/Eugene/Medford, Dallas/Ft.Worth, Milwaukee & Madison, Wisconsin, Bay Area/Sacramento/Chico, California, St. Louis, Charlotte/Asheville/Winston-Salem/Wilmington/Raleigh, North Carolina, South Carolina (All), Washington D.C.

For now, PILS is a year-round beer, expanding to more markets over the summer. Expect it to hit a very unique package in late-summer 2025.

Below, scenes from the media release party in Atlanta.

Ed note: Article was updated 4/21 to mention PILS is a year-round beer at launch.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Mad River Brewing, New Releases

Mad River Steelhead Pale launches in 12 packs

Mad River Steelhead Extra Pale Ale – first launched in 1989, ships in new packaging this month.

Mad River Steelhead Extra Pale Ale has been around for 35 years, a craft brewing milestone. The brewery announced this week the beer will soon be available in 12-packs for the first time.

While our brand has evolved, Steelhead remains a quintessential part with a huge platform. This new package exemplifies our dedication to quality while expanding our reach, spotlighting tribal self-determination and resilience with a product people have loved for decades,” says CEO Linda Cooley.

Nearly a year ago, Mad River Brewery was acquired by the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians.

Mad River is also upgrading brewery equipment, including the canning line that currently runs around 35 cans per minute. The brewery hopes to triple that capacity by the end of 2025.

Mad River Steelhead Extra Pale Ale is available in 12/6-packs, and 12oz bottle 12-packs, in addition to the new 12oz, 12 pack offerings.

by Reid Ramsay