Search Results for: canned craft beer

Posted in Press Releases

21st Amendment’s Monk’s Blood Going On Hiatus

SAN FRANCISCO – After nearly a year in seclusion, 21st Amendment Brewery’s acclaimed beer Monk’s Blood is now available for a limited time. Monk’s Blood’s most ardent worshippers may want to drink one now and cellar one for later, as whispers around the monastery have indicated that the beer will go into extended seclusion after 2012.

Brother Shaun (Brewmaster and co-founder Shaun O’Sullivan) said, “We have so many things happening in the brewery right now, it’s time to let Monk’s Blood take a break so we can play a little more with some other really special brews.”

Monk’s Blood is an 8.3 percent alcohol, dark Beligan-style ale brewed with eight malts, Belgian candi sugar, cinnamon, vanilla bean, dried local black mission figs and aged on oak for a flavor unlike anything you’ve ever had from a can. It is part of 21st Amendment’s Insurrection Series, a limited edition, once-in-a-while, four-pack release of a very special beer that rises up in revolt against common notions of what canned beer can be. How special? Monk’s Blood was voted the best local microbrew in 2011 by the SF Weekly, and top 25 Beers of 2010 by Draft magazine.

Brothers Nicolas (co-founder Nico Freccia) and Shaun developed the beer as an homage to the monks of Belgium’s monasteries who have been brewing some of the world’s great beer for centuries.

“During times of fasting, the monks subsist solely on beer, which they refer to as ‘liquid bread’,” notes Brother Nicolas. “Beer, quite literally, is in their blood.”

Freccia and O’Sullivan traveled to Belgium to develop the recipe for this special beer, visiting small traditional breweries in the hop fields of west Flanders, not far from the famous Trappist abbey of Westvleteren.

Monk’s Blood is available in cans starting this week at quality bars and stores in all 17 of 21st Amendment’s current distribution territories, including CA, OR, WA, AK, ID, MN, OH, MA, NY, NJ, DC, DE, MD, PA, VA, GA and NC. For up-to-date availability, events and promotions, visit http://www.21st-Amendment.com

About 21st Amendment Brewery:

Who the heck are these guys? Hey, we’re Nico and Shaun. We live for great beer. In 1920, there were thousands of breweries across American making unique handcrafted beer. The passage of Prohibition wiped out this great culture. After thirteen years without beer, the states ratified the 21st Amendment, ending Prohibition in America. At the 21stAmendment Brewery, we celebrate the right to brew beer, the freedom to be innovative, and the obligation to have fun.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Finch's Beer Co, New Beers

Finch’s Threadless IPA

Finch’s Beer Co Threadless IPA.

Our Threadless/Finch collaboration IPA is a balanced experience of both perceived hoppiness and true bitterness. It pours a darker amber color and finishes with a citrus flavor, and when combined, will require this to be the last IPA you ever drink! Well, maybe, we realize you will probably drink more, but the result of this recipe clearly evolves into a very balanced IPA. The grain bill on this big pale includes melanoidin and Victory malts. We hop it up before the boil starts with some Columbus first wort hopping, then add a bunch more for bittering.

Style: IPA
Availability: 16 oz cans
Arrival: April 2012

6% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Beer News

Karbach Brewing Co Joins Canning Trend

Karbach Brewing Company has been successfully selling their beer (draft only) in Houston bars and restaurants since last fall, but now they are taking the next step: canning.  This week they were able to put their new $100k canning system to work.  The canning system was made by Cask Brewing System who also made the first craft beer canning line for Oskar Blues.

Karbach’s  first brew to be canned was Sympathy for Lager which will be sold at local retail locations and some restaurants and bars starting on March 5th.  Weisee Versa, Hopadillo IPA, (six-packs) and Rodeo Clown Imperial IPA (four-packs) will also be canned and sold at current and additional locations.

Brewmaster Eric Warner has this to say about his reasons for wanting to can their beer:

Cans protect beer more completely from sunlight and provide a better seal from oxygen; cans weigh less and thus reduce transportation costs; cans are recycled in much higher numbers than glass; cans fit an active, outdoor lifestyle.

As well as canning, Karbach Brewing Company is also expanding.  They will be installing nine new fermentation tanks taking them from 10,000 barrels annually to 15,000 barrels.

[Karbach Brewing Company]

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Press Releases

21st Amendment Lower Da Boom Barleywine Returns In 2012

February 2012 – San Francisco, CA – Nationally recognized for its canned craft creations, San Francisco’s 21st Amendment Brewery is filling up its biggest cans – kegs – and bringing back its beloved “Big Can Draft Series.” Three times a year, 21st Amendment showcases a new small batch, hand-crafted, draft-only selection. The beers selected for the series are favorites at its San Francisco brewpub and many are award-winning brews. This year’s first offering is its strongest beer in the lineup, Lower DeBoom Barleywine.

Belgian-born ship owner Cornelius DeBoom set sail for San Francisco in the fall of 1848 when the news of the discovery of gold in California arrived. He quickly set up an office in the South of Market neighborhood where he began to speculate on local real estate. Today, the 21st Amendment Brewpub sits on that historic corner of Second and DeBoom streets.

Lower DeBoom is a powerfully balanced American-Style barleywine packed with citrusy Pacific Northwest hops. Chestnut brown in the glass, the nose is a beautiful mélange of toffee malt, fruitcake, tropical fruit, toast, piney hops and a hint of alcohol that would make the Belgian DeBoom proud. But at 10.5% alcohol by volume, better enjoy it sipped from a snifter or you might feel like the boom has been lowered on you.

The term “barleywine” itself, notes co-founder and Brewmaster Shaun O’Sullivan, refers to an English style, dating back to 1870, that describes a beer that approaches the strength of wine.”Barleywine is big in every way,” O’Sullivan said. “It features a huge volume of malt, higher alcohol content, and massive amounts of hops. It’s a style that was often reserved for special occasions and special people. You can drink Lower DeBoom with your close friends or your not-so-close friends, and this beer, with all its warming qualities and complex flavors, will make us all mates in the end.”

Co-founder Nico Freccia added, “We often win awards at beer festivals for beers we feature only in our pub, on draft. Creating the ‘Big Can Draft Series’ is our way of sharing some of these brews with our loyal, beer loving 21A friends across the country.”

21st Amendment is excited to share this local favorite, available in limited supply in half and sixth barrels starting this week at quality bars in all 17 of 21st Amendment’s current distribution territories, including CA, OR, WA, AK, ID, MN, OH, MA, NY, NJ, DE, DC, MD, PA, VA, GA and NC.

About 21st Amendment Brewery
Who the heck are these guys? Hey, we’re Nico & Shaun. We live for great beer. In 1920, there were thousands of breweries across America making unique hand-crafted beer. The passage of Prohibition wiped out this great culture. After thirteen years without beer, the states ratified the 21st Amendment, ending Prohibition in America. At the 21st Amendment Brewery, we celebrate the right to brew beer, the freedom to be innovative, and the obligation to have fun.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in New Releases, Sixpoint Craft Ales

Sixpoint “Slim Can” Resin Debuts Today

Sixpoint Brewery is debuting Resin today, in a unique can.  The 12oz package is as tall as a 16oz tallboy, but much slimmer.  It’s one for hop lovers. I took a few liberties with the press release:

Often enjoyed on draft and served in smaller glasses, double IPA beers are naturally strong and strikingly hoppy. They are brewed with roughly twice the amount of hops in the average IPA, and have a considerably higher alcohol content. The hops’ essence is produced within hop cones at peak maturity, when their cores swell up with a sticky golden secretion – or resin. This bounty of natural fresh flavor is the simple inspiration for Resin. To conjure the green petals of the cones, Resin cans are designed with a lush green background and golden-bronze accents to symbolize the precious resin inside each cone.

The can is as tall as a tallboy, but skinny:

For such a distinct beer, Sixpoint Brewery has chosen to offer them in unique 12-ounce can four-packs as well as on draft. The cans are identical in height to the rest of the year-round canned offerings from the brewery (Sweet Action, Bengali Tiger, Righteous Ale and The Crisp) as well as seasonal releases (Diesel and Autumnation thus far). However, their “sleek” shape contributes to smaller four-can packages. Resin will be sold at the same retail price as its other canned offerings, delivering value for fans of specialty craft beers.

Shane Welch, Founder & Prez:

“Sixpoint Resin was one of the most exciting projects we’ve undertaken recently, and I’m thrilled to share it with our customers,” r. “People are quickly waking up to the wonders of IPA and the pleasant taste sensation of bitterness. We wanted to deliver a story about the organic chemical responsible for these flavor sensations everyone is enjoying. This was a very extensive project where we anatomically analyzed the various features of the hop cone, and explored the botanical feature that makes it all happen – sticky resin oozing from the interior!”

Don’t forget Jan, he was in on Resin too:

Sixpoint Braumeister Jan Matysiak, who joined the brewery as of late last year, was instrumental in the recipe and brewing procedures for Resin. “Brewing a ‘big beer’ is always a lot of fun, and an opportunity to push one’s own creativity to the next level,” said Jan. “I am very happy with the outcome of Resin and look forward to sharing this extraordinary beer with Sixpoint fans and all beer connoisseurs.”

Style: Imperial IPA
Availability: 12oz slim cans, Draft. All Sixpoint markets

9.1% ABV, 103 IBUs

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Abita Brewing

Here Are The First Abita Cans

The first cans Abita Brewing has ever made have just started rolling off the canning line.  The brewery announced last year their intentions to start canning in 2012.

The canning has officially begun, with Abita Purple Haze and Amber being first up.  You’ll see them hit shelves first in Louisiana, and other markets mid to late February.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Beer News

Bitter American Is Back, And Now Year Round

Those thirsty for 21st Amendment in Atlanta have something to be excited about.  It’s back, and now year round.  Look for it in cans, and on draft.  You want a low abv session beer tailgate with, beach it up with, or just drink the crap out of,  21st Amendment’s Bitter American is where it’s at.  It’s just 4.4% (don’t even leave a comment about 4% vs 5% session debate.)   Bitter has a lot of hops without all the booze.  It’s flavor packed.  And now, won’t be going away so easily.  

Press Release:

(San Francisco, CA) — 21st Amendment Brewery rings in the New Year with great news for craft beer lovers everywhere. Days after it was named one of the “Top 10 Beers of 2011″ by the Washington Post, the popular winter seasonal Bitter American is being brought back, but this time as a year-round offering.

“People were “Bitter” when we ran out last year. Yep I said it, Bitter!,” said 21st Amendment Brewery co-founder Nico Freccia. “We got so many emails and tweets asking us to make this a year-round beer, we just couldn’t ignore them. It’s the perfect antidote to the big beers of winter and also the perfect summer brew.”

“Bitter American is a great beer during colder times when strong beers seem to be pretty prevalent,” added founder and Brewmaster Shaun. “When we first brewed this beer it really scratched the lower-alcohol-session-beer-itch that I would get when I was tired of drinking barley wines, imperial stouts and other stronger hoppy beers. I wanted and I think a lot of good beer drinkers want a session beer where you can enjoy a few pints of a beer with huge flavor but without all the alcohol. Bitter American is a mere 4.4% ABV. It’s got all the flavor & you can keep moving.”

If you’d been rocketed into space against your will, you might be a little bitter too. Bitter American is our long-overdue tribute to unsung, unwitting heroes everywhere. This American session ale packs a lot of hop and malt flavor into a refreshingly lower-alcohol brew, making it the perfect beer to have on hand when you have history to make.

“The amazing thing about brewing Bitter American is achieving a balance between malt flavor and hops,” says O’Sullivan. “Our secret is the use of a special, imported English heirloom malt called Golden Promise. This malt has a rich, full body and distinctive flavor that gives the beer a complex, light caramel and toasty flavor. It sets up a nice firm malt backbone allowing us to hop up the beer for incredible aromas and flavors without over bittering the beer.”

Availability: 12oz cans, Draft.   CA, OR, WA, AK, ID, MN, OH, MA, NY, NJ, DC, MD, PA, VA, GA and NC.

About 21st Amendment Brewery
Who the heck are these guys? Hey, we’re Nico and Shaun. We live for great beer. In 1920, there were thousands of breweries across America making unique handcrafted beer. The passage of Prohibition wiped out this great culture. After thirteen years without beer, the states ratified the 21st Amendment, ending Prohibition in America. At the 21st Amendment Brewery, we celebrate the right to brew beer, the freedom to be innovative, and the obligation to have fun. www.21st-Amendment.com

by Reid Ramsay