Imperial IPA

Spotlight: Founders Project PAM

Founders Project PAM is available now; the 14th edition to the brewery’s Backstage Series.

Founders Project PAM is a black IPA, aged in maple syrup bourbon barrels. (Sound familiar? Looking at you, Sweet Repute.)

In development under a shroud of secrecy for years, Project Continue Reading →

Duclaw Hop Continuum 3, November 25th

Duclaw Hop Continuum 3 debuts on November 25th, 2015.

The Hop Continuum series is inspired by the Baltimore, Maryland brewery’s imperial iPA, Serum. Each edition is a hoppier spin off the original.

Duclaw Hop Continuum 3 will be available in 12 ounce Continue Reading →

Grayton Redneck Rye-viera Returns. New hop bill

Grayton Beer Company’s Redneck Rye-viera, had made a limited return. This year’s edition features 200 pounds of fresh whole leaf Nugget and Glacier hops and an additional 276 pounds of pelletized hops from Empire Hop Farms in Empire, Michigan.

“We’re excited to bring Continue Reading →

Posted in 3 Daughters Brewing, New Beers

3 Daughters Summitennial Double IPA

3 Daughters Summitennial Double IPA

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Don't Miss This, Founders Brewing

Spotlight: Founders Project PAM

Founders Project PAM is available now; the 14th edition to the brewery’s Backstage Series.

Founders Project PAM is a black IPA, aged in maple syrup bourbon barrels. (Sound familiar? Looking at you, Sweet Repute.)

In development under a shroud of secrecy for years, Project PAM is brewed with an abundance of hops including, Chinook, Nugget, Centennial, Amarillo, El Dorado and Mosaic. It’s balanced with Crystal and Midnight Wheat malts and finally aged in maple syrup bourbon barrels to add complex oaky bourbon notes and the sweetness of maple syrup. Project PAM clocks in at 10.8% ABV.

What’s in a name? The brewery maintains it’s a mystery, but it has to do with the cellar barrel coding. The label features Jason Heystek, the head of Founders’ barrel program.

Taste. Founders Project PAM is bold, perhaps even a a battle between the black IPA and the maple syrup bourbon barrels this beer is aged in. We’ve already been asked a few times after posting this above pic to our social media – should they drink it, or age it. Our answer is always, drink now. This beer as you can buy in in December, 2015 is how the brewery intended it. drink it now.

Founders Project PAM is available in 750 milliliter bottles, and draft.

Style: Imperial Black IPA (w/ Maple Syrup. Barrel Aged. Bourbon.)
Hops: Chinook, Nugget, Centennial, Amarillo, El Dorado, Mosaic
Availability: 750ml Bottles, Draft. Limited.
Release: 11/20/15 (Distribution shortly after)

10.8% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Coming Soon, Don't Miss This, Southern Tier Brewing

Southern Tier 2XSmash joins single hop series in January

Southern Tier 2XSMaSH, a new release in the brewery’s single malt/single hop India pale ale series, arrives in January, 2016.

Taking beer ingredients down to the simplest form, Southern Tier 2XSMaSH uses special pale malt, and hopped it with only Mosaic hops. The simplified recipe partners the two ingredients, so both flavors pop. (Plus yeast and water, if you want to get technical.)

 2XSMaSH is the newest in our line of single malt and single hop India Pale Ales brewed with Mosaic hops and Special pale malt. Even simplified to one variety of hop and one type of malt it is amazing how complex the flavor is. Mosaic hops are known for their luxurious tropical citrus notes like passionfruit and work absolutely brilliantly with the richness of Special Pale malt.

Southern Tier 2XSMaSH will be available in 12 ounce bottles and draft starting in January, through spring, 2016.

Style: Imperial IPA
Hops: Mosaic
Malts: Special Pale Malt

Availability: 12oz Bottles, Draft.
Release: January, 2016

8.1% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Coming Soon, Duclaw Brewing

Duclaw Hop Continuum 3, November 25th

Duclaw Hop Continuum 3 debuts on November 25th, 2015.

The Hop Continuum series is inspired by the Baltimore, Maryland brewery’s imperial iPA, Serum. Each edition is a hoppier spin off the original.

Duclaw Hop Continuum 3 will be available in 12 ounce bottles and draft for a limited time.

Style: Imperial IPA
Availability: 12oz Bottles, Draft
Release: 11/25/15

9% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Grayton Beer Company, Seasonal Return

Grayton Redneck Rye-viera Returns. New hop bill

Grayton Beer Company’s Redneck Rye-viera, had made a limited return. This year’s edition features 200 pounds of fresh whole leaf Nugget and Glacier hops and an additional 276 pounds of pelletized hops from Empire Hop Farms in Empire, Michigan.

“We’re excited to bring back Redneck Rye-viera in 2015,” says Brewer Tyler White. “The opportunity to showcase fresh hops is one that we highly anticipate every year.  The flavor and aroma compounds that we experience from these extraordinary flowers, fresh from the field, are inspiring to us as brewers and allow us to make the unique and complex drinking experience that is Redneck Rye-viera.”

Grayton Redneck Rye-viera is available in 12 ounce bottles and draft for a limited time. The beer is also a part of Grayton’s Artist Series, where a portion of the proceeds will go toward art-based initiatives and charities in the Panhandle.

Style: Imperial IPA
Availability: 12oz bottles, Draft. Seasonal release.
Return: November, 2015

8.1% ABV

 

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in 4 Hands Brewing, Bale Breaker Brewing Company, New Releases, Stone Brewing Co.

Stone Sorry Not Sorry, brewed with 4 Hands & Bale Breaker [Released]

Stone Sorry Not Sorry, a new imperial IPA brewed with peaches, has been released by the Escondido, California based brewery.

Stone Sorry Not Sorry is a part of the brewery’s ongoing collaboration series, brewed with Saint Louis, Missouri’s 4 Hands Brewing and Yakima, Washington’s Bale Breaker. On the annual pilgrimage to Washington for hop selection, Stone brewmaster suggested this collaboration needed to happen. Since it’s Stone, of course it did.

This very hop forward offering has one more important element – pureed peaches. Chosen to work well the with experimental hop varieties found in Stone Sorry not Sorry.

The idea for this bright and bitter beer was born during Stone Brewmaster Mitch Steele’s annual hop-selection pilgrimage to Yakima, Washington. While touring Loftus Ranches (a farm owned and operated by the same family for generations which recently expanded to Include on-property craft brewery Bale Breaker Brewing Co.), Steele felt inspired…while power-huffing hops no doubt…to suggest a brewing collaboration with Stone and our good friends from St. Louis.4 Hands Brewing Co. A powerhouse within the midwest brewing sect, 4 Hands has been on our official “awesome brewers we gotta collaborate with” list for some time. When considering the direction they’d take, it was decided that since Loftus Ranches was the first hop farm to commercially grow beloved Simcoe variety, leading with that piney, stone fruit-like hop was a must. But collaborations are about uncharted territory. Thus, the trio decided that pureed peaches hold be added to ‘up’ the fruit factor, while experimental HBC 342 and HBC 344 hops were selected to introduce notes of berries, citrus, tropical fruit and grassiness to this IPA. Yes, we made another IPA. We’ll concede that it’s not surprising. Our love of hoppy beers runs like a deeply entrenched mutherlode (yes, we meant to spell it that way) of humulus lupulus coursing through our veins. Ditto 4 Hands and Bale Breaker. So for those who’d have preferred to see us craft a milk stout, ancient ale or barrel-aged offering, that’s okay…we’ve made all of those in the past few months too. But we are who we are: an unapologetic band of hopheads psyched to explore the ever-expanding network of nooks and crannies within the IPA universe. So happy to have you join us!

Stone Sorry Not Sorry is available in 22 ounce bottles and draft for a limited time.

Style: Imperial IPA (w/ Peaches)
Hops: Warrior, Simcoe, Mosaic, HBC 342 and HBC 344
Availability: 22oz Bottles, Draft.
Release: 11/9/15

9.3% ABV, 70 IBUS

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Don't Miss This, The Hop Concept Brewing

The Hop Concept IPA Hull Melon & Blanc kicks off new dry-hopping series

The Hop Concept IPA Hull Melon & Blanc is coming in December, rounding out a year hop forward releases.

The Hop Freshener series debuted this year, devoted to exploring the flavor spectrum of hops, while educating the drinker on flavors and characteristics. The name is simplify the beer’s dominant trait.

The Hop Concept IPAs will focus more on the dry-hopping influences, meant to be a deeper dive into the hop experience.

The Hop Concept IPA Hull Melon & Blanc places these two hops into focus to start the new hop chapter.

“It’s a great way for the brew team to continue delve into new hop varietals. It’s an ingredient they’re very passionate about ”, said Lead Brewer Steve Burchill. “It’s also possible some of these new combinations could work their way in to more established brands in the future.”

The Hop Concept IPA Hull Melon & Blanc is a 22 ounce bottle offering and draft. Limited release.

Style: Imperial IPA
Hops: Hull Melon, Blanc

Flavor: Huge aromas of bright passion fruit, pineapple and grapefruit will lead the charge from the Hallertau Blanc hops, while the Hull Melon hops will yield balancing floral honeydew melon and strawberry notes.
Availability: 22oz Bottles, Draft

Release: December, 2015

8% ABV

by Reid Ramsay