Topic Archives: Collaborations

Posted in Second Self Brewing Company, New Releases

Second Self Totally Twobular Beermosa Sour is coming 2/22 at 2:22pm

Second Self Totally Twobular

Second Self Totally Twobular, the brewery’s 7th Anniversary beer debuts on February 22nd. 

The Atlanta-based brewery created a Beermosa-style (juice and beer) sour India pale ale and added fresh peaches. The release is a collaboration with BottleShare, a non-profit organization supporting the craft beer industry. 

Second Self hosts their 7th Anniversary party on February 26th

Style: IPA (w/ Peaches)
Availability: 16oz Cans, Draft. Limited Release. 

Debut: 2/22/22, at 2:22pm

6.22% ABV

Posted in Beer News, New Releases
Posted in Champion Brewing, Headlines, New Releases

Champion Brewing creates a beer to pair with Duke’s Mayo

Champion Family Recipe Vienna Lager

I grew up on Duke’s Mayo, which was highly unlikely considering I lived in state that was completely devoid of Duke’s. To this day I couldn’t tell you what mayo my friends ate growing up, but I’m sure it was something with a tangy zip, or some crap like that. We would vacation to see family a few times of year, whether upstate South Carolina, or Charleston and my father would stock up on Duke’s. We’d drive back north with a trunk full of mayo, and Beanie Weenies to get through another few months.(The pimento cheese was always a short term delicacy.) Later he would have family members ship it.

Either way. My southern born and raised family however, was and still is – a Duke’s Mayonnaise family. 

Charlottesville, Virginia based Champion Brewing Company has just introduced a new lager, meant to be paired with a southern sandwich favorite – A Duke’s heavy BLT.

The beer is a 5.1% ABV vienna lager perfectly named Family Recipe, brewed with Vienna malt, Magnum and Saaz hops. While I haven’t had the beer, I can tell you a BLT, with crispy bacon, lettuce as cold as the fridge, topped with Duke’s on white bread washed down with a crisp lager is a thing of beauty in the humid southern summer heat. Champion Brewing only uses Duke’s Mayonnaise in their restaurants for a reason. 

When I told my father about this collaboration he literally stopped speaking mid conversation and wanted to know where to get it. The irony now is that he can get all the Duke’s he wants, but not the beer. Life can be so cruel. 

READ MORE: COLLABORATIONS

Champion Family Recipe debuts this week Champion’s Tap House, Champion Grill, and Champion Ice House. The brewery will also be pouring Family Recipe at the Duke’s Mayo Classic games this year in Charlotte, North Carolina.  The  Doubleheader features East Carolina University versus Appalachian State University and UGA opening against Clemson.

Additionally, Family Recipe is shipping 16-ounce cans across Virginia and North Carolina for a limited time.

Style: Vienna Lager
Hops: Saaz, Magnum
Malts: Vienna

Availability: 16oz Cans, Draft. Limited Release
Debut: 8/20/21

5.1% ABV

Posted in Guinness, Headlines

Nick Offerman & Lagavulin unveil a Guinness cask finished whisky

Actor Nick Offerman, Lagavulin Whiskey, and Guinness are debuting a new partnership ahead of Father’s Day 2021. A combination of single malt whisky and beer – Meet Lagavulin Offerman Edition: Guinness Cask Finish.

Offerman and Lagavulin began a partnership back in 2014. Offerman, probably most famously known as Ron Swanson on the tv show Parks and Rec, was often seen drinking Lagavulin Whisky and rare steaks throughout the show. Swanson (Offerman) even visited the distillery in Scotland in Season 6.

Created with Offerman’s father Ric in mind, Lagavulin took an 11 year Islay Single Malt and aged it for 4 months in Guinness casks from the brewery’s Open Gate Brewery in Maryland. The resulting flavor is describing as  ‘sweet peat’ – combining the intense peat and charred wood notes of the Lagavulin with the roasted coffee, dark chocolate, and sweet caramel notes from the Guinness casks.

Offerman’s entire Lagavulin: My Tales of Whisky, including a new episode for this new collaboration is available on YouTube.

Lagavulin Offerman Edition: Guinness Cask Finish will be available in 750-milliliter bottles at select retailers starting in May, $79.99 each.

 

Posted in Ecliptic Brewing, Chuckanut Brewery, New Beers
Posted in Wild Heaven Craft Beers, Headlines

Wild Heaven & Bulleit’s first collaboration was worth the wait

The sun is setting over Wild Heaven brewery in Avondale Estates. It’s finally turning cooler in the south, which is perfect “beer and bourbon” weather. But then again, what weather isn’t.

This beer collaboration wasn’t easy to come by. Bulleit Bourbon barrels have never really been available to the broker market. You couldn’t broker a few barrels to age your beer of choice. The whole project exists thanks to industry networking, planning, discussions with the distillery, and of course, your PR push. Remember, beer is as much sales as it is an art form.

There’s Bulleit/Beer cocktails and food from Chef Shay Lavi cooking outside, but I’m here for the beer.

Drawing on something I said in part one of this series. Years ago, possessing a bourbon barrel-aged beer in your cellar meant you were winning. Being good at brewing barrel-aged beer meant understanding where the beer and barrel came together in a unity of amazing flavor. That means making sure it and doesn’t fall flat with no barrel notes, or worse the barrel overruns it. “Not enough barrel aging” was the “too hoppy” 1-Star rating on Untappd of a decade ago.

WILD HEAVEN & BULLEIT COLLABORATE: PART ONE

That’s not the case with Wild Heaven 95 Shilling. It’s the balance of toasty caramel, and rich vanilla oak that blend together in a greater sum of the parts of the process. Exactly what it should be. This beer is an instant reminder of the well-made classics that got so many addicted to craft beer in the first place. Beer meets barrel extremely well with fresh Bulleit barrels for the win.

Josh Franks has been brewing at Wild Heaven for years. In my head, I’ve always thought of him as a quiet creative. A talented brewer that has neither a beard nor a cocky attitude. Franks worked hard creating 95 Shilling, and you can just see the pride beaming through his persistent humility as we talk about this new beer. “I can’t believe how this turned out,” he tells me, trying not to smile mid-sentence. “I was just shooting for it to be good.”

“For me, this is one of the more rewarding parts of what we do,” says Executive Vice President Sarah Young. “The more we can spread Wild Heaven around in front of more than just beer people, is always something we look for.” The list of local partnerships nearly doubled in just 2020 alone. To date, they have worked with Atlanta icons like Giving Kitchen, Mercedes Benz Stadium, The Fox Theater, 680 TheFan radio station, Atlanta Botanical Garden, Big Peach Running Co, CURE Childhood Cancer, Stuckey’s Corporation, and more. Basically, Young has been busy.

One thing I can tell you for certain. Not every bourbon barrel makes great barrel-aged beer, but after trying Wild Heaven’s and Bulleit barrel collaboration, Bulleit definitely does.

Standing here drinking this beer at the brewery’s bar, campfire smoke heavy cold fall air whips through the open garage doors. For a second it feels like a fun dream after the year we’ve all had. The excitement about beer releases has returned to me. I’ve missed this. 

Wild Heaven and Bulleit created a great beer here, with a second creation just a week away. Not everything in 2020 is terrible.

Posted in Yuengling, Headlines

Yuengling Hershey’s Chocolate Porter is chocolate perfection

Yuengling Hersheys Chocolate Porter Bottle

A year ago, two famous Pennsylvania companies – Yuengling and Hershey’s Chocolate announced a one of a kind beer collaboration – Yuengling Hershey’s Chocolate Porter. Much to the chagrin of fans of either, it was limited to draft-only, in a handful of locations.

Because 2020 needed good news, this month Yuengling unveiled bottles, destined for wide distribution.

The base beer is Yuengling’s nearly 200-year-old Porter recipe, plus “the world-famous taste of Hershey’s chocolate. Sadly for yet another year we still don’t have answers on the brewing process, but this year – we finally tasted it.

Once you crack open a bottle of Hershey’s Porter, you’re hit with the undeniable smell of Hershey’s chocolate. If you’ve ever toured the factory, or in my case – grew up going to Hershey Park on marching band trips, you’ll never forget that sweet and unique smell. (Yes.. marching band. Keep reading.)

The flavor is equally as real and rich as the smell. The roasty flavor of Yuengling Porter (one of the two beers first introduced by the brewery in 1829) blends beautifully with the Hershey Chocolate flavor. The success of this beer lies in the instantly addictive burst of Hershey’s aroma and flavor. It’s really uncanny.

Chocolate beers in the brewing world are abundant, so when one stands out like this, it’s a gift. Yuengling Porter and Hershey’s are equal partners in flavor. For that reason, it’s a collaboration that truly works.

Yuengling Hershey’s Chocolate Porter is a limited release in 12-ounce bottles and draft.

Style: Porter (w/ Chocolate.)
Availability: 12oz Bottles, Draft. Limited Release.
Debut: Mid October 2019
Bottling: October 2020

4.7% ABV

Image: Beer Street Journal