Cardamom

Three Taverns Feest Noel returns November 3rd

Three Taverns Feest Noel, the Decatur, Georgia based brewery’s Christmas offering, returns this week.

Brewery founder Brian Purcell always had a vision for this beer – family. Something that echoed the flavor of this (coming) time of the year, meant to be Continue Reading →

Dogfish Head Beer to Drink Music To debuts

Dogfish Head Beer to Drink Music To is a new seasonal joining the Delaware based brewery’s today. A special party is planning at the Milton, Delaware brewery.

Dogfish Head is no stranger to beer and music collaborations – (see Positive Contact, American Continue Reading →

Posted in NoDa Brewing, Seasonal Return

NoDa Gordgeous Pumpkin Ale gold medal winner returns

NoDa Gordgeous Pumpkin Ale has made another seasonal appearance. This North Carolina brewed pumpkin ale touts 100+ pounds of organic sugar and caramelized brown sugar, freshly cracked spices, and 42 pounds of pumpkin.

The recipe started as head brewer Chad Henderson’s homebrew recipe more than a decade ago. (At one point he told Beer Street Journal a giant pumpkin was involved in the process, either in brewing or tapping. Never did get clarity.) NoDa Gordgeous has been a fall offering each year since debuting in 2013.

The beer has won gold at the Great American Beer Festival in both 2018 and 2020, which is quite the accomplishment for that particular beer style.

NoDa Gordgeous is available in 16-ounce cans (4 packs) and draft as an early fall seasonal.

Style: Pumpkin Beer (w/ Brown Sugar, Cardamom, Cloves, Ginger Root, Allspice)
Availability: 16oz Cans, Draft
Latest Return: Late August 2025

6.4% ABV, 29 IBUs

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Seasonal Return, Three Taverns Brewery

Three Taverns Feest Noel returns November 3rd

Three Taverns Feest Noel, the Decatur, Georgia based brewery’s Christmas offering, returns this week.

Brewery founder Brian Purcell always had a vision for this beer – family. Something that echoed the flavor of this (coming) time of the year, meant to be drank with family and friends. After a few dozen bottles of this big seasonal, we think Purcell and his team have done it.

This Belgian-style quadrupel uses dark roasted malts, imported Belgian dark candy sugar, and spiced accents of cardamom, allspice and cloves. Make this rich ale a part of your holiday celebration.

Three Taverns Feest Noel is available in 750 milliliter bottles, and draft.

Style: Quadrupel (w/ Cardamom, Allspice, Clove)
Availability: 750ml Bottles, Draft. Seasonal Release.
Latest Return: November, 2016

10% ABV, 30 IBUs

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Sixpoint Craft Ales, Don't Miss This

Sixpoint 5 Beans, an exotic spin on the imperial porter

Sixpoint 5 Beans, the next iteration of the brewery’s “bean” nomenclature, is headed to shelves.

The New York based brewery started the “beans” series with 3 Beans back in 2013, a Baltic porter brewed Stumptown Coffee Beans, Mast Brothers cacao beans, and Romano beans in the beer’s mash. The final beer was aged on toasted oak.

Then came 4 Beans, which brought vanilla beans into the fold as bean number 4.

Sixpoint 5 Beans has joined the family lineup, featuring cacao, coffee, romano, and vanilla beans, plus one more – black cardamom. The oily, smokey pod adds an exotic flair to this already strong ale.

We gathered 5 BEANS from the bazaar to create a cultural phenomenon; a melting pot of cacao, vanilla, coffee, and cardamom creates our original Turkish inspired porter. It’s Mad Science.

Sixpoint 5 Beans is available in 12 ounce cans starting in late October, 2016.

Style: Baltic Porter (w/ Romano Beans, Vanilla Beans, Cacao Nibs, Coffee, Black Cardamom.)
Availability: 12oz Cans
Debut: Late-October, 2016

10% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in The Lost Abbey, Don't Miss This, Seasonal Return

Lost Abbey My Black Parade returns nationally

Lost Abbey My Black Parade, a Mexican chocolate laden strong ale, is back in the brewery’s lineup.

Lost Abbey My Black Parade is a strong ale, brewed with cocoa nibs, vanilla beans, cinnamon, cardamon, smoked chilies and of course bourbon oak. The label tells the story of unrequited love remembers on Dia De Los Muertos, where people make a pilgrimage to an unmarked grave. Hoping their true love shows up.

Pouring darker than a moonless night, My Black Parade begins with a deep bouquet of rich chocolate and layered hints of cinnamon and oak. Huge flavors of cocoa on the palate with notes of vanilla, bourbon, and tobacco, finishing with crisp bite from the smoked chili’s and cardamom.

Lost Abbey My Black Parade is a 375 milliliter bottel release in 2016. Distribution starts in mid-October, 2016.

Style: American Strong Ale (w/ Cocoa Nibs, Vanilla Beans, Chilies, Cardamom, Cinnamon. Barrel Aged. Bourbon.)
Availability: 375ml Bottles

Latest Return: Mid-October, 2016

12.5% ABV

Image: Beer Street Journal

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Boulevard Brewing, New Releases

Boulevard Rye on Rye “Sazerac” debuts for beer/cocktail lovers

Boulevard Brewing’s Smokestack Series, a collection of big, unique, beers, has grown considerably over the past year or two. The venerable Smokestack Imperial Stout has recently been joined by Raspberry and Coconut variants. Now, Rye-on-Rye, the barrel aged rye beer, has its own variant – Rye-on-Rye Sazerac.

Variations of the classic sazerac cocktail includes cognac, whiskey or absinthe. The brewing team at Boulevard nuanced this edition with lemon peel, cinnamon, cardamom, and star anise in order to mimic the liquor and flavors of the bitters in the cocktail.

As a special treat for fans of our popular Rye-on-Rye ale, Boulevard Brewign Company offers the 2016 Rye-on-Rye “X” series. The “X” factor stands for key ingredients added to the special release, giving it a unique character. Inspired by the classic Sazerac cocktail, we included lemon peel, cinnamon, cardamom, and star anise in this edition before allowing it to ge in Templeton rye barrels.

Boulevard Rye-on-Rye X “Sazerac” is now available in 750 milliliter bottles for a limited time.

Style: Rye Beer (w/ Lemon Peel, Star Anise, Cardamom. Barrel Aged. Bourbon.)
Availability: 750ml Bottles
Debut: August,  2016

11% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Headlines, Dogfish Head, New Releases

Dogfish Head Beer to Drink Music To debuts

Dogfish Head Beer to Drink Music To is a new seasonal joining the Delaware based brewery’s today. A special party is planning at the Milton, Delaware brewery.

Dogfish Head is no stranger to beer and music collaborations – (see Positive Contact, American Beauty, Beer Thousand, etc.) This time, the beer be will be for whatever you want to listen to. Meet the official beer of Record Store Day – Dogfish Head Beer to Drink Music To.

In case you vinyl isn’t your thing, Record Store Day is the third Saturday in April, that celebrates independently owned record stores worldwide.

As for Dogfish Head Beer to Drink Music To, the base beer is a Belgian-style tripel, brewed with Sweet Orange Peel, Green Cardamon, Peppercorns, Vanilla.

While the beer debuts today at the brewery, markets should see 12 ounce bottles and draft in the weeks to come.

Style: Belgian-style Tripel (w/ Sweet Orange Peel, Green Cardamon, Peppercorns, Vanilla Beans)
Availability: 12oz Bottles, Draft.
Released: February, 2016

9% ABV

Image: Beer Street Journal

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Don't Miss This, New Releases, Three Taverns Brewery

Three Taverns Bourbon Barrel-Aged Feest Noel debuts

Three Taverns Bourbon Barrel-Aged Feest Noel debuts this Sunday at the brewery in Decatur, Georgia. This is the first time a barrel-aged edition of this beer has been bottled.

Feest Noel, the brewery’s festival Belgian-style quadrupel, was first bottled in time for Christmas 2014. The beer is brewed with cardamom, allspice and clove, bolstered by the Belgian yeast nice warming of the 10% ABV.

Three Taverns Bourbon Barrel-Aged Feest Noel came out of the barrel strong. In your face, bourbon flavor strong. Additionally, the spices had faded after a year of barrel rest as well. So brewery founder Brian Purcell opted to blend the barreled Feest with the fresh, 2015 batch. Trust us when we say, the barrel isn’t hidden at all by the blend. Purcell and the brewing team have found a great balance in the blend, making this a great seasonal treat.

Three Taverns Bourbon Barrel-Aged Feest Noel is available in 750ml bottles as tour souvenir. Limited distribution to follow the first week of December.

Style: Quadrupel (w/ Cardamom, Allspice, Clove. Barrel Aged. Bourbon.)
Availability: 750ml Bottles, Draft.
Arrival: December, 2015

10% ABV, 30 IBUs

Three Taverns founder Brian Purcell shows off Bourbon Feest Noel in the brewery's barrel room.

Three Taverns founder Brian Purcell shows off Bourbon Feest Noel in the brewery’s barrel room.

by Reid Ramsay