Collaborations

New Belgium Ann-Francoise, a collab with Orval

New Belgium Ann-Francoise will officially round out the brewery’s Belgian collaboration series.

This final edition of a year-long Belgian-American collaborative series with Trappist brewery Orval. Specifically, Orval’s first female brewmaster Anne-Francoise Pypaert. The result – a Belgian strong dark ale, brewed Continue Reading →

Posted in Maui Brewing Company, Seasonal Return, The Lost Abbey

Maui Brewing Lemongrass Saison, brewed with Lost Abbey

What started as a collaboration in 2013 with Lost Abbey is head to shelves again this month – Maui Brewing Lemongrass Saison.

Lost Abbey’s Tomme Arthur mentions that a simple saison with lemongrass was a recipe he always wanted to create, but honestly, never got around to making. Hawaii’s Maui Brewing stepped in and helped make this beer a reality.

RELATED: Maui releases POG IPA

Simple recipe it may be, but neither of these breweries skimp on flavor. The Belgian-style saison uses 200 pounds of locally grown lemongrass.

Our original batch of this beer was the culmination of that vision; and Maui Brewing’s skillful use of this amazing flavor makes me truly wish it was available more often. In revisiting this recipe, my wishes are coming true,”

Maui Brewing Lemongrass Saison is back in action starting Friday, January 6th, in 12 ounce cans and draft.

Style: Saison (w/ Lemongrass)
Hops: El Dorado, Cascade
Malts: Oats, Pilsner

Availability: 12oz Cans, Draft.
Latest Return: January, 2017

5.2% ABV 

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Mikkeller, Don't Miss This, Mikkeller Brewing San Diego

Never gonna give you up. Rick Astley is creating his own beer

Even if you are too young to have experienced Rick Astley’s hit, “Never Gonna Give You Up”, the chances you haven’t heard the song are slim. The 1987 single rocketed him to fame, topping the charts in 25 countries. The internet brought the the song back into popularity again in 2008, thanks to the now infamous “rickrolling” prank. Google that.

His next hit? Beer.

Danish brewer Mikkeller has reportedly partnered with Rick Astley, on a new lager. The beer has yet to be named.

No word on if the U.S. will see Rick Astley’s beer, however it is important to note that Mikkeller started brewing stateside in 2016 at their new San Diego facility.

Prediction. Rickrolling will soon evolve to be chugging this beer. Think Smirnoff Ice and “icing” someone. Singing will have to be involved.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Evil Twin Brewing, Don't Miss This, New Releases, Westbrook Brewing Co

Ultimately pretty epic. Evil Twin Imperial Mexican Biscotti Cake Break

Evil Twin Imperial Mexican Biscotti Cake Break. Meet the mashup of two highly sought after beers that is sure to instill panic in the beer geeks. Let the sweating commence.

Evil Twin, who is building a brewery on their own in New York, has been contract brewing for years at Westbrook Brewing in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina – the birthplace of Westbrook’s Mexican Cake. “Cake” started out as a way to mark the brewery’s anniversary. Morgan and Edward Westbrook brewed an imperial stout with cocoa nibs, vanilla beans, cinnamon sticks, and fresh habanero peppers. Since then, the beer has become a hot commodity, selling in the secondary market for hundreds of dollars. Don’t even ask how much beer traders are asking for barrel-aged variants.

Then there’s Evil Twin Biscotti Break. As the name suggests, this imperial stout mimics the coffee shop dessert, brewed with vanilla and almond, and coffee.

Evil Twin Imperial Mexican Biscotti Cake Break slams together the best of both those beers. An imperial stout brewed with coffee, cinnamon, almonds, cocoa nibs, vanilla and habanero peppers. Both beers are awesome treats.

The result? An even bigger beer. Two dessert beers meeting in one glass could be overwhelming. Not in this case. As the beer warms, cinnamon chocolate and vanilla start to pop. Subtle elements of the two beer threads are far from a challenge to find in each sip. The only thing subtle here are the peppers. Two epic beers in one bottle. We thought only shampoo and conditioner could pull that off.

Evil Twin Imperial Mexican Biscotti Cake Break is a 22 ounce limited release.

Style: Imperial Stout (Coffee, Cinnamon, Almonds, Cocoa Nibs, Habanero Peppers.)
Availability: 22oz Bottles
Debut: Late November/December, 2016

10.5% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Madtree Brewing Co., Cigar City Brewing, Headlines, Heavy Seas, Union Craft Brewing

Heavy Seas announces 2017 “Partner Ships” collaborations

In 2016, Baltimore, Maryland’s Heavy Seas Beer announced a new collaborative series they call “Partner Ships.”

The series kicked off in February with a red India pale ale, brewed with Maine Beer Company. That release was followed with an “aggressively hopped” doppelbock, aka Hoppelbock in May.

August saw A Rye Wit brewed with Athens, Georgia based Terrapin Beer Company, followed by this winter’s Imperial Brown IPA brewed with Stone Brewing.

That was 2016. 

Coming in 2017 are three more collaborations coming to the Heavy Seas Partner Ships Series. This first is in February with neighboring Union Craft Brewing.

In July, the Floridians of Cigar City Brewing (Gulf of Mexico waters) will collaborate with the brewery on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

Rounding out the year will be Madtree Brewing out of Cincinnati, Ohio. (To keep them from feeling left out of the waterway association theme we arbitrarily started, their closest body of water is the Ohio River.)

Heavy Seas tells Beer Street Journal that the first release’s style  (with Union Craft Brewing) has been decided. The beer will be an 8.5% alcohol by volume old ale, brewed with locally based Domino Brown Sugar.

Hints of nuts, cocoa, molasses and dried fruits oat over a chewy, luscious body of English malt goodness. Inspired by the rich, warming brews of a bygone era, the addition of local Domino Brown Sugar and neighborly camaraderie helped us produce a true comfort ale that should kindle its own Baltimore nostalgia.

 

Each release will be available again in 22 ounce bottles.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Stone Brewing Co., Headlines, Marble Brewing, Odell Brewing

Odell & Marble Brewing team up in Stone Megawheat Double IPA

Stone Megawheat Double IPA is a future collaborative release by the California based brewery.

This riff teams up Colorado’s Odell Brewing, Stone, and New Mexico’s Marble Brewing. The trio created a wheat laden,  “M” hop heavy, imperial IPA. “M” hops like Mandarina Bavaria, Motueka, and Mosaic. All that talk means a soft-on-your-palate beer with a ton of tangerine, orange, and citrus flavors.

Kick back and crank it up as we’ve done all the brewing.. the we being us and the special guest appearances of two heavy hitters in the indie craft beer industry: Colorado’s Odell and New Mexico’s Marble. Credited with 50 years of brewing chops, our trio built their wheat ale foundation on the classic “C” hops. Then, they rocked a pure hop triad of “M” hops to achieve a supercharged succession of orange, tangerine, lemon, lime, spice and dankness. The undulating riffs of Motueka, Mosaic, and Mandarina Bavaria hops slash through the wheat haze with equal footing, never playing over one another. The cacophony of flavor is what fans would expect ahead of a path that directly leads to the main stage… and then off the front of it, into the crowd!

Stone Megawheat Double IPA will be a 22 ounce bottle release, most likely in 2017. The brewery has not yet announced this beer.

Style: Imperial IPA
Hops: Mandarina Bavaria, Motueka, Mosaic

Availability: 22oz Bottles, Draft.
Debut: TBA

9% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Wicked Weed Brewing Co, Jester King Brewery

Wicked Weed Red Atrial, a Jester King collaboration sells out

Wicked Weed Red Atrial sounds like a legendary collaboration. It’s took about an hour to sell out.

Jester King Atrial Rubicite is one of the brewery’s most sought after fruited sour ales. Jester King adds Washington raspberries to the oak matured sour beer, and allowed to re-ferment to boast dryness.

Wicked Weed Red Angel is a red sour ale – the red coming from 1.5 pounds of raspberries per gallon. Easily one of the best in the series.

Wicked Weed Red Atrial is a 50/50 blend of Red Angel and Atrial Rubicite, taken a step further. Each brewery independently aged their base beer on 5 pounds per gallon of raspberries, then combined the two beers onto 4 pounds per gallon of fresh raspberries to re-ferment in puncheons for an additional two months.

Blenders and cellarmen from Wicked Weed and Jester King were tasting their most prestigious raspberry sour ales side by side, and the inevitable idea of a blend quickly emerged. Red Angel was combined in a snifter with Atrial Rubicite and the stunned silence of each taster confirm that this is a beer to bring to the people. This combination is more than the sum of its beautiful parts. Experience raspberry sour alchemy in Red Atrial.

Wicked Weed Red Atrial was a 500 milliliter bottle release, available at the Funkatorium in Asheville on November 26th.

Style: American Sour/Wild Ale (w/ Raspberries. Oak Aged)
Availability: 500ml Bottles

Debut: 11/26/16

6.4% ABV

 

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in New Belgium, Orval Brewery

New Belgium Ann-Francoise, a collab with Orval

New Belgium Ann-Francoise will officially round out the brewery’s Belgian collaboration series.

This final edition of a year-long Belgian-American collaborative series with Trappist brewery Orval. Specifically, Orval’s first female brewmaster Anne-Francoise Pypaert. The result – a Belgian strong dark ale, brewed with a few spices and specialty malt.

Spruce tips and Grains of Paradise highlight the base beer, that has been dry-hopped with French Sprisselspalt hops. The finishing flourish is a two week engagement with American toasted oak spirals.

New Belgium Ann-Francoise Spiced Dark Strong Ale is available in 12 ounce bottles and draft for a limited time.

Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale (w/ Grains of Paradise, Spruce Tips. Oak Aged.)
Availabilty: 12oz Bottles, Draft.
Debut: November, 2016

9.5% ABV

 

by Reid Ramsay