Vanilla Beans

Stone Vanilla Bean Porter debuts

Stone Vanilla Bean Porter has joined the Escondido, California brewery’s fall lineup.

In the past, Stone has released a vanilla bean based beer – Smoked Porter with Vanilla Bean. Those that don’t mind a touch of smoke in their beer, loved it.

Stone Vanilla Continue Reading →

Posted in Rogue Brewing, Don't Miss This, New Releases

One of the most labor intensive beers out there has to be Rogue Rolling Thunder

Rogue Rolling Thunder, is a barrel aged imperial stout. Think that’s not very unique in the beer industry these days? When it comes to this beer, think again.

For the barrel-aged beers you’ve had in the past, the process looks like this – buy wet bourbon whiskey barrels, brew a big imperial stout. Place in barrels. Wait. Bottle.

For Rogue to do the same thing… they just wouldn’t be Rogue. This is the “Rogue” way to release a barrel-aged imperial stout. Grow your own hops and malts in nearby Independence and Hood River, Oregon. Mash in on a new brew at your brewhouse in Newport, Oregon. Take some of that beer mash and distill in into white whiskey. Cooper your own barrels. Char those barrels. Age your whiskey those barrels. Take the whiskey out, and put your homegrown, imperial stout in those barrels. Age, and bottle.

Absolute insanity. Also, a way to take “craft” to the next level.

Rogue Rolling Thunder Imperial Stout is a culmination of their own farmers, brewers, coopers, distillers, and by-hand swing top packaging team. Brewed with eight different grains, Rogue Liberty and Freedom hops, plus brown sugar, dark cherries, vanilla and chocolate. Then aged for six months in Dead Guy Whiskey barrels.

Rolling Thunder is on shelves now, but limited. A big, luscious beer with dessert-like qualities, full of chocolate, vanilla and of course, whiskey flavors. Rogue wasn’t stingy on the size either. Drink this beer with friends. Keep in mind the homegrown ingredients and talents spanning hundreds of miles across Oregon it took to make this beer.

Rogue Rolling Thunder is available in 1 liter swing top bottles, in limited quantities starting July 15th. and if you are lucky, still waiting for you on a shelf near you.

Style: Imperial Stout (w/ Brown Sugar, Dark Cherries, Vanilla Beans, Chocolate. Barrel Aged. Whiskey.)
Availability: 1 Liter Swing-Top Bottles
Debut: 7/15/16

11.8% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in The Bruery, Headlines

The Bruery Share This Mole is the next “Share This” beer

The Bruery Share This Mole will be the next chapter in the brewery’s “Share This” series.

Back in June, The Bruery released the first beer in the lineup of collaborative and charitable stouts – Share This Coffee Imperial Stout. Not only is the beer great for sharing with friends, but it also gives back.  From each bottle purchased, one dollar is donated to  Free Wheelchair Mission’s efforts in the Philippines. The non-profit organization provides wheelchairs at no cost to people with disabilities living in developing nations. The partnership with The Bruery will provide 550 people in the Philippines with new mobility. That beer generated some $50,000 dollars for the non-profit.

The Bruery Share This Mole Imperial Stout is brewed in collaboration with Chef Anne Conness, whose creative dishes can be found at the local restaurant  Sausal. Being surrounded by some amazing Mexican food as well as Chef Conness, a mole stout was and easy choicee.

Mole Imperial Stout is brewed with a blend of ancho and chipotle peppers, plus vanilla, cinnamon, and cacao nibs.

To help The Bruery develop an authentic flavor profile they worked with Chef Anne Conness, herself a Certified Cicerone®. After a lot of hard work (and some delicious tamale pie), Share This: Mole was born; an Imperial Stout with ancho chilies, chipotle peppers, cinnamon, vanilla and cacao nibs.

The Bruery Share This Mole Imperial Stout will be available in 750 milliliter bottles for a limited time on November 11th. 

Style: Imperial Stout (w/ Cinnamon, Vanilla Beans, Cacao Nibs, Chili Peppers.)
Availability: 750ml Bottles
Debut: 11/11/2016

11.1% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Sixpoint Craft Ales, Don't Miss This

Sixpoint 5 Beans, an exotic spin on the imperial porter

Sixpoint 5 Beans, the next iteration of the brewery’s “bean” nomenclature, is headed to shelves.

The New York based brewery started the “beans” series with 3 Beans back in 2013, a Baltic porter brewed Stumptown Coffee Beans, Mast Brothers cacao beans, and Romano beans in the beer’s mash. The final beer was aged on toasted oak.

Then came 4 Beans, which brought vanilla beans into the fold as bean number 4.

Sixpoint 5 Beans has joined the family lineup, featuring cacao, coffee, romano, and vanilla beans, plus one more – black cardamom. The oily, smokey pod adds an exotic flair to this already strong ale.

We gathered 5 BEANS from the bazaar to create a cultural phenomenon; a melting pot of cacao, vanilla, coffee, and cardamom creates our original Turkish inspired porter. It’s Mad Science.

Sixpoint 5 Beans is available in 12 ounce cans starting in late October, 2016.

Style: Baltic Porter (w/ Romano Beans, Vanilla Beans, Cacao Nibs, Coffee, Black Cardamom.)
Availability: 12oz Cans
Debut: Late-October, 2016

10% ABV

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 The Lost Abbey, Don't Miss This, Seasonal Return

Lost Abbey My Black Parade returns nationally

Lost Abbey My Black Parade, a Mexican chocolate laden strong ale, is back in the brewery’s lineup.

Lost Abbey My Black Parade is a strong ale, brewed with cocoa nibs, vanilla beans, cinnamon, cardamon, smoked chilies and of course bourbon oak. The label tells the story of unrequited love remembers on Dia De Los Muertos, where people make a pilgrimage to an unmarked grave. Hoping their true love shows up.

Pouring darker than a moonless night, My Black Parade begins with a deep bouquet of rich chocolate and layered hints of cinnamon and oak. Huge flavors of cocoa on the palate with notes of vanilla, bourbon, and tobacco, finishing with crisp bite from the smoked chili’s and cardamom.

Lost Abbey My Black Parade is a 375 milliliter bottel release in 2016. Distribution starts in mid-October, 2016.

Style: American Strong Ale (w/ Cocoa Nibs, Vanilla Beans, Chilies, Cardamom, Cinnamon. Barrel Aged. Bourbon.)
Availability: 375ml Bottles

Latest Return: Mid-October, 2016

12.5% ABV

Image: Beer Street Journal

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

Stone Vanilla Bean Porter debuts

Stone Vanilla Bean Porter has joined the Escondido, California brewery’s fall lineup.

In the past, Stone has released a vanilla bean based beer – Smoked Porter with Vanilla Bean. Those that don’t mind a touch of smoke in their beer, loved it.

Stone Vanilla Bean Porter combines the flavors of a chocolate malt porter, with the world renown Madagascar Vanilla Bean. The brewery describes this beer as having a light creaminess, thanks to the world’s second most expensive spice, with chocolate and coffee undertones from the chocolate malt.

There’s nothing simple or run of the mill about this “little pod” cultivated from the finicky vines of the Indian Ocean islands vanilla orchids. The thousands of richly aromatic seeds buried inside each of these plump vanilla fruit pods became our beer-making muse for this vanilla bean chocolate malt porter recipe. Distinguished by the Madagascar vanilla bean, this lux ingredient imparts a delicate creaminess and palate-seducing softness. Additionally, its presence heightens the roundness of the chocolate undertones and hints of coffee typically associated with beers this style. Dripping in the world’s second-most expensive spice, this porter is extremely drinkable with just the right amount of vanilla bean richness and deepness.

Stone Vanilla Bean Porter is available on draft, and in 12 ounce bottles; part of the brewery’s Cabin Fever Mixed Pack.

Style: Porter (w/ Vanilla Beans)
Hops: Chinook, Magnum, Idaho 7, Motueka and Azacca
Availability: 12oz Bottles, Draft.
Distribution: AK, AR, AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA WI

Debut: Late September, 2016

5.9% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Small Town Brewery, Headlines

Pie Beer: Not Your Mom’s Strawberry Rhubarb

Not Your Mom’s Strawberry Rhubarb is another future “flavored” addition to Small Town Brewery’s lineup.

This is actually the second in a line split. The brewery made industry news with the release of Not Your Father’s Root Beer – an alcoholic root beer. Shortly thereafter came Not Your Father’s Ginger Ale. In June, Not Your Father’s Cream Ale expanded the lineup.

The line split we are referring to is the addition of a “motherly” line of beers titled “Not Your Mom’s” that will begin with Not Your Mom’s Apple Pie.

Soon – Not Your Mom’s Strawberry Rhubarb, another pie flavored beer brewed with strawberry, rhubarb, cinnamon and madagascar vanilla beans will join the lineup.

This beer is the perfect balance of sweet and tart with strawberry and rhubarb juices, Madagascar vanilla and a touch of cinnamon. Just like Mom’s fresh pie, every sip takes you home.

Not Your Mom’s Strawberry Rhubarb will be a 12 ounce bottle and draft release. Small Town has not announced this release.

Style: Fruit/Vegetable Beer (w/ Strawberry, Rhubarb, Cinnamon, Vanilla Beans.)
Availability: 12oz Bottles, Draft.
Debut: TBA

5.9% ABV

by Reid Ramsay