Collaborations

Posted in Heavy Seas, New Releases, Stone Brewing Co.

Heavy Seas Partner Ships Imperial Brown Ale, brewed with Stone debuts

Heavy Seas Partner Ships Imperial Brown Ale, the fourth in the brewery’s Partner Ships Series, has officially debuted.

Thus far there have been three collaborative releases. The first – a red IPA brewed with Maine Beer Company. That ode to hops was followed up by a collaboration with Hershey, Pennsylvania’s Troegs Brewing, and most recently, a rye witbier brewed with Terrapin.

The fourth release is brewed with one of California’s most well-known breweries, Stone. Brew day was back in October for this imperial brown IPA brewed with blackstrap molasses.

Brewed with Blackstrap Molasses in the kettle, chewy malt character supports layers of American hop mayhem (we are playing with Stone after all) – a burly, palate obliterating Imperial Brown IPA!

Heavy Seas Partner Ships Imperial Brown IPA will be available in 22 ounce bottles. Estimated release – November, 2016.

Style: Imperial IPA (w/ Blackstrap Molasses)
Hops: Centennial, Palisade, Citra, Chinook, Simcoe
Malts: 2-Row, UK Amber Malt, Brown Malt, Crystal

Availability: 22oz Bottles, Draft.
Debut: November, 2016

9% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Aeronaut Brewing Co., Don't Miss This

Aeronaut Brewing & indie band release a “beer can album”

Somerville, Massachusetts based Aeronaut Brewing has teamed up with indie band The Lights Out, on a different kind of collaboration.

The music-meets-light combo band has opted to not just collaborate on a beer with a brewery, but release a full studio album “on” the can. Let’s start with the beer and work backwards.

Aeronaut T.R.I.P. is the name of the beer – an imperial session India pale ale. Paradoxical? Yes. That’s exactly how the team wanted it. The Lights Out is really into the multiverse theory of the universe. It may sound a bit insane, but scientists postulate that shortly after the Big Bang formed the universe, space-time expanded at variable rates in different places. That gave rise to “bubble universes” that may/could function with their own separate laws of physics. The band’s philosophy is built off this idea.

The album explores the idea that our observable universe is one of many — a multiverse — where everything possible exists somewhere. It was inspired by the theory that each of us has infinite reflections of ourselves, living alternate lives. Each song on the album was written as a report back from another reality visited by The Lights Out.

Aeronaut T.R.I.P. is not session a session beer at all, but a 7.5% alcohol by volume IPA brewed with a hop perfect for this kind of collaboration – Galaxy.

As cool and trippy as all this sounds, the only way to get the album is to buy the beer. Apparently there are instructions printed on the can telling you how to obtain it. (We are assuming it’s not an iTunes link.) Aeronaut Brewing’s lineup is available around the Boston area.

Style: IPA
Hops: Galaxy

Availability: 16oz Cans
Debut: November, 2016

7.5% ABV

The Lights Out its all about light shows. Check their performance below.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Firestone Walker Brewing, Coming Soon, Headlines

Firestone Walker XX Anniversary blends 5 beers, 250 barrels

Firestone Walker XX, the brewery’s coveted anniversary release, debuts in November, 2016.

The anniversary series started in 2005. Firestone Walker’s brewmaster Matt Brynildson already making a special beer for the brewery’s 10th anniversary, aka X, when a barrel broker named Tom Griffin tracked down Brynildson. You know how the rest turned out.

Now, 10 years later, the Firestone Walker Anniversary Series has become an more than just a beer, but a session of friends creating a one of kind celebration blend.

The brewery’s home of Paso Robles, California known for Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel producers, so Bryndilson invites dozens of local winemakers to help blend the final release. The 2016 blend is thanks to 17 winemakers, blending 5 different component beers that have been aging in over 250 oak barrels.

“There is just so much going on in this beer. It’s big and complex, with all of these different facets from our barrel-aged program that are so seamlessly integrated. We wanted to produce something really special for our 20th anniversary, and I think we did it.” – Brynildson

The final blend: 

Parabola – Russian imperial Stout, aged in new oak & bourbon barrels. 40% of Blend
Stickee Monkee – Belgian-style Quadrupel, aged in new oak & bourbon barrels. 20% of Blend
Velvet Merkin – Oatmeal Stout, aged in bourbon barrels. 17.5% of Blend
Bravo – Brown Ale aged in bourbon. 12.5% of Blend
Helldorado – Blonde barleywine aged in bourbon. 10% of blend

Firestone Walker XX Anniversary will be available in 22 ounce bottles across the brewery’s entire distribution network in November, 2016.

Style: American Strong Ale (Oak Aged. Barrel Aged. Bourbon.)
Availability: 22oz Bottles. Limited.
Debut: November, 2016

Ed note: The team for the final blend included these wineries

Scott Hawley – Torrin (Winning Blend)
Sherman Thacher and Daniel Callan – Thacher Winery
Matt Trevisan – Linne Calodo
Connor McMahon and Kyle Jury  – Booker
Terry and Natalie Hoage –TH Estate Wines
Russell From and Philip Muzzy – Herman Story
Molly Lonborg and Kevin Sass– Halter Ranch
Brock Waterman – Brochelle Vineyards
Justin Smith – Saxum Vineyards
Mark Adams – Ledge Vineyards
Neil Collins and Chelsea Franchi – Tablas Creek Vineyard

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in New Belgium, Headlines

Meet New Belgium Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, the next ice cream inspired beer

New Belgium Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough hits shelves by month’s end. This is the second ice cream inspired beer, and collaboration with the ubiquitous Ben & Jerry’s.

This time last year, New Belgium released the very first Ben & Jerry’s partnership release – Caramel Brownie Brown Ale. The beer was paired with a Ben & Jerry’s special release ice cream by the same name to pair along with it. The beer was good. So was the ice cream, if you could find it. We never did unfortunately.

Things are different in 2016 with New Belgium Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ale. If you didn’t know, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough is B&J’s number one selling ice cream flavor. It is also the most readily available flavor. See where we are going with this? Unless you live on your own island, there is a beer and ice cream pairing in your future.

Now, about this beer. Please never expect a beer to taste exactly like the food that inspired it. Most are flavor interpretations. Go in with that expection, and you’ll have so much more fun with beer.  The base for this Cookie Dough is a blonde ale, brewed with cocoa nibs, brown sugar and vanilla beans. The flavor dotes more on the “dough” aspect of the ice cream, rather than the full-on richness of the dessert. Great by itself, and even better if you calorically spluge on the ice cream as well. Go ahead. No judgement here.

A portion of the proceeds from the New Belgium Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ale will be donated to Protect Our Winters, a non-profit organization that raises awareness of climate change.

The brewery’s Folly Packs will see the beer first, followed by 6-packs going into November, 2016.

Style: Blonde Ale (w/ Cocoa Nibs, Vanilla Beans, Brown Sugar.)
Availability: 12oz Bottles, Draft. One-Time Release
Debut: Late October, 2016

6% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Wicked Weed Brewing Co, Don't Miss This, New Releases

Wicked Weed Metatropics a collaboration with Trois Dames debuts

Wicked Weed Metatropics, a collaboration with Switzerland based Trois Dames, debuts in bottles.

Collaborations have been frequent from Wicked Weed lately. The brewery released “Juiceless” a collaboration with Georgia’s Creature Comforts (an IPA brewed with zero fruit). Additionally, a beer geek panic inducing collaboration with Jester King is on the horizon.

Wicked Weed Metatropics might be the complete opposite of everything that the Juiceless collaboration actually is. Why? this India pale ale boasts a healthy dose of tropical fruits – pineapple, grapefruit, passionfruit, and mango. Wicked Weed throws out words like meta, and deconstructed, in the description.

Wicked Weed Metatropics is a collaboration beer that flips current IPA methodology on it’s head. Wicked Weed and Trois Dames love using hops to produce an equatorial, citrusy character, but decided to deconstruct this process to forge something new. This beer employs real pineapple, passionfruit, mango and grapefruit to emulate tropical hop flavors. The addition of Brettanomyces wild yeast takes this beer to new heights of meta refreshment.

Wicked Weed Metatropics is a 500 milliliter bottle release, as well as draft. Limited distribution starts the week of October 17th.

Style: American Wild Ale (w/ Mango, Grapefruit, Passionfruit, Pineapple.)
Availability: 500ml Bottles

Debut: Mid-October, 2016

6.2% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Deschutes Brewing, Headlines

Deschutes and Hair of the Dog team up again in Collage 2

Hair of the Dog finds themselves in the collaborative spirit since again in Deschutes Collage 2.

The first edition – Collage #1, debuted in May of 2012. The result of the two pacific northwest powerhouse breweries was incredible. Hair of the Dog blended their Fred and Adam beers, while Deschutes contributed Stoic and The Dissident. So much character packed in a 12 ounce bottle.

The brewing world will soon see the second in the series, another 100% barrel-aged ale. This second edition blends Deschutes The Abyss (100% aged in Pinot Noir barrels) and The Stoic (100% Pinot Noir Barrel-Aged) and Hair of the Dog Fred (aged in American oak and rye whiskey barrels) and Doggie Claws (100% aged in cognac barrels).

Deschutes Brewery and Hair of the Dog Brewing Company bring you another artistic collage of cask-aging alchemy. This encore collaboration delivers notes of vanilla, caramel and molasses with roasted accents and complex malt character.

Deschutes Collage #2 will be a 22 ounce bottle release in October in very, very limited quantities.

Style: American Strong Ale (Barrel Aged)
Availability: 22oz Bottles.
Debut: October, 2016

14.3% ABV, 19 IBUs

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Creature Comforts, Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co., Coming Soon

Creature Comforts Transmission, a collaboration with Arizona Wilderness

Creature Comforts Transmission is a new collaboration debuts later this month, brewed with Gilbert, Arizona based Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co.

The base beer is a saison, brewed with ingredients local to each brewery. Lisbon lemons and Arizona sweet oranges were grown locally by The Farm at Agritopia, and provided by Arizona Wilderness.

Creature Comforts added honey from Booger Hill Bee Company, based in Danielsville, Georgia. The bottle has been condtioning for the past four months with Creature’s mixed culture blend of yeast and bacteria.

Those interested in bottles will find them on a special Creature Comforts Transmission tour at the brewery in Athens, Georgia on September 29th, 2016.

Style: Saison (w/ Lemons, Oranges, Honey.)
Hops: Lemondrop, Mandarin Bavaria
Availability: 750ml Bottles

Debut: 9/29/16

5.6% ABV

by Reid Ramsay