Collaborations

Sierra Nevada Collaborates with Russian River

Sierra Nevada’s Beer Camp mixed pack arrives in July, featuring twelve different collaborations with breweries coast to coast.

One of the bottles is a collaboration with another very well known California brewery, Russian River. Yvan, refers to Belgian brewing great Yvan De Baets, of Continue Reading →

Boulevard & Ommegang Team Up

Boulevard Brewing Company (Kansas City, MO) is prepping a fourth release in their collaborative series.  This edition features a another brewery in Boulevard Brewing’s new Duvel Moortgat family, Ommegang.

Boulevard Collaboration No. 4 Spiced Saison was brewed at Boulevard Brewing, featuring Continue Reading →

Burnside Brewing Honors Legendary Skatepark

Burnside Brewing (Portland, OR) has a new collaboration beer dropping today, Skatepark Project Ale.

Burnside Skatepark Project Ale is a tribute to the legendary Burnside Skatepark in Portland. The park started as a 3-ft x 3-ft bank under the Burnside Bridge, and is now Continue Reading →

Newcastle’s Newest: Caledonian Scotch Ale

Newcastle’s special release series continues in 2014 with the addition of Newcastle Caledonian Scotch Ale.  The scotch ale style got its start in Edinburgh, Scotland in the 18th century. “Scotch Ale” was a terminology for strong ales that were exported Continue Reading →

Posted in Headlines, Russian River Brewing, Sierra Nevada

Sierra Nevada Collaborates with Russian River

Sierra Nevada’s Beer Camp mixed pack arrives in July, featuring twelve different collaborations with breweries coast to coast.

One of the bottles is a collaboration with another very well known California brewery, Russian River. Yvan, refers to Belgian brewing great Yvan De Baets, of Brasserie De la Senne.

This genre-bending beer has the bright, resinous hop profile of an American IPA blended with the dry and complex yeast character of a Belgian farmhouse ale. Yvan the Great is a perfect combination of the two brewing styles—hoppy, dry, spicy, and impressive.

Sierra  Nevada Yvan the Great joins eleven other offerings coming this July in the Beer Camp Across America Mixed Pack.

Style: Blonde Ale
Hops: Brewer’s Gold, Strisselspalt, Celeia
Malts: Two Row Pale, Golden Promise, Acidulated
Yeast: Belgian Ale

Availability: 12oz bottles, Draft. Beer Camp 12-pack.

Arrival: July, 2014

6.3% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Don't Miss This, Jester King Brewery

Jester King & Fantome Collaborate. Sorry, Texas.

Jester King Brewery (Austin, TX) recently collaborated with world famous Belgian brewer Fantome in Soy, Belgium. The brewery travelled abroad for the opportunity to create a farmhouse ale (much like they do in the Lone Star State.)

This story doesn’t have a happy ending for the folks in Texas. Jester King Fantome Del Rey will not make it shelves there. The state’s licensing fees to distribute there is way too high. In addition beers must be subjected to laboratory testing. Faced with these hurdles, many small breweries, stateside and beyond, don’t sell in the state.

Some of the Jester King Fantome Del Rey will ship stateside in small quantities, to those that receive Fantome currently.

Style: Farmhouse Ale
Availability: 750ml Bottles

8% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Boulevard Brewing, Headlines, Ommegang

Boulevard & Ommegang Team Up

Boulevard Brewing Company (Kansas City, MO) is prepping a fourth release in their collaborative series.  This edition features a another brewery in Boulevard Brewing’s new Duvel Moortgat family, Ommegang.

Boulevard Collaboration No. 4 Spiced Saison was brewed at Boulevard Brewing, featuring their house yeasts. Spiced Saison was split into two fermentation tanks, one with Boulevard’s Belgian yeast, and one with Ommegang’s house yeast. The two were blended together during filtration.

Boulevard/Ommegang Collaboration No. 4 Spiced Saison will be bottled in 750ml bottles and draft for a limited time.

Style: Saison (w/ Sweet Orange Peel, Lemon Peel, Coriander, Grains of Paradise)
Availability: 750ml Bottles, Draft (1/6 kegs)
Arrival: Late September, 2014

7.3% ABV 

Previous Collaborations:

No. 1 – Imperial Pilsner, with Belgian brewer Jean-Marie Rock
No. 2 – White India Pale Ale, with Deschutes Brewery
No. 3 – Stingo, with Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Burnside Brewing, Don't Miss This, New Releases

Burnside Brewing Honors Legendary Skatepark

Burnside Brewing (Portland, OR) has a new collaboration beer dropping today, Skatepark Project Ale.

Burnside Skatepark Project Ale is a tribute to the legendary Burnside Skatepark in Portland. The park started as a 3-ft x 3-ft bank under the Burnside Bridge, and is now one of the premiere skateparks in the world. It was even featured in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater video game series.

Skateboard Project Ale is a hoppy, imperial IPA tribute to the park, that got its start at Alter Ego in the Burnside pub.  Available year round in Oregon in 22oz bombers, and draft.

Style: Imperial IPA
Availability: 22oz Bombers, Draft.
Arrival: June, 2014

8% ABV, 99.5 IBUs

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

Wicked Weed Launches Hipster Nouveau & New Series

Wicked Weed Brewing (Asheville, NC) is launching a new beer, and a new series on Friday. The series? – Terra Locale. The beer? Hipster Nouveau.

The brettanomyces forward saison, Hipster Nouveau, is finished with 75 pounds of rhubarb. Hipster is also brewed with River Bend Malt as collaborative effort between Wicked Weed and Fonta Flora Breweries. Walt Dickinson on the new series:

“We wanted to take a style (saison) that is super important to who we are as a brewery and take it back to its agrarian roots. We used grains that are less modified and more controlled because they are grown in our area. We used local produce because it’s in season and readily available just down the road. In keeping with tradition we untallied wild yeast and only brewed small batches…” 

Wicked Weed Hipster Nouveau releases on Friday, June 20th at the brewery in Asheville.

Style: American Wild Ale (w/ Rhubarb)
Availability: 500ml bottles, Draft.
Release: 6/20/14

6% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Coming Soon, Headlines, Newcastle

Newcastle’s Newest: Caledonian Scotch Ale

Newcastle’s special release series continues in 2014 with the addition of Newcastle Caledonian Scotch Ale.  The scotch ale style got its start in Edinburgh, Scotland in the 18th century. “Scotch Ale” was a terminology for strong ales that were exported out of the city. Strong Scotch ales are sometimes called “wee heavy.”

Scotch Ale is a classic brew that originated in Edinburgh, Scotland in the 18th century. Rich, full-flavoured and fulfilling, our Scotch Ale is a blend of malts with toffee notes and a mellow hop.The beauty of this style is its fulsome malt character that is simply mouth-watering.

Caledonian Brewery opened in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1869. It is the only surviving brewery built in the 19th century. Heineken purchased the Caledonian Brewery in 2004. It is fitting, the oldest Scottish brewery would brew this historical offering.

Style: Scotch Ale
Availability: 12oz Bottles, Draft.
Arrival: TBA

6.4% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in 3 Floyds Brewing, Don't Miss This, New Belgium, New Releases

New Belgium & Three Floyds Create “Gratzer”

Hitting shelves now is a new Lips of Faith release from New Belgium. For this offering, the brewery teamed up with Three Floyds to make hard to come by , smokey Polish style offering. The beer is gratzer, featured oak-smoked wheat.

It’s not dead, but Gratzer is definitely a long-buried style from Poland. And together with 3Floyds we have unearthed the best of beer zombies. Full of bold flavors from oak-smoked wheat, and along with Midnight Wheat, this beer presents a pure black pour. A subtle, spicy note from the Polish Lublin hops hides in the aroma, just below the dark and smoky surface. Despite all appearances, the Gratzer is very drinkable at 4.5% ABV, and walks itself with a nice, light body. Cheers to drinking smoky, undead beers. Prost!

Style: Gratzer
Hops: Target, Polish Lublin
Malts: Pale, Midnight Wheat, Oak-Smoked Wheat
Availability: 22oz Bombers, Draft. June, 2014

4.5% ABV

by Reid Ramsay