Vanilla Beans

Bell’s Planetary Spotlight: Venus

Bell’s Brewery (Comstock, MI) celebrates Gustav Holst’s classical masterpiece “The Planets”, with a specialty beer series that starts this year.

Each offering is a different interpretation of the composer’s movements, like the above Venus, The Bringer of Peace. This edition is Continue Reading →

Posted in Coming Soon, Goose Island Brewing, Headlines

First Look: Goose Island Bourbon County Vanilla Rye

Goose Island Brewing (Chicago, IL ) preparing for the 2014 round of Bourbon County offerings. This year will see the release of a previous offering (or, at least a bit of a rendition of) Bourbon County Vanilla- Goose Island Bourbon County Vanilla Rye.

It was 2010 when Goose Island released Bourbon County Vanilla. While that edition featured the base imperial stout, aged in Heaven Hill barrels with vanilla beans, this coming edition features the use of rye whiskey barrels. Two pounds of Mexican vanilla beans are in each barrel, sourced from four different distilleries.

We first bottled this beer at the countless requests of festival-goers who first tasted it. However, when that last bottle of Vanilla BCBS was was grabbed off the shelves four years ago, you needed more. We heard you in the brewery, at festivals, and where there was an open ear. Well, you weren’t alone. To be honest, we needed more too. We couldn’t be happier to make this beer again, and most of all, drink it with you once more. 

The full Bourbon County line will include:

Barleywine

Bourbon County Brand Stout

Proprietor’s Reserve

Coffee 

Style: Imperial Stout (w/ Vanilla Beans. Barrel Aged. Rye Bourbon)
Availability: 22oz bombers
Arrival: November 28th, 2014

13% ABV

 

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

Goose Island Vanilla Rye Bourbon County This Year

Goose Island Brewing (Chicago, IL ) preparing for the 2014 round of Bourbon County offerings. This year will see the re-release of one offering (or, at least a bit of a rendition of) a highly touted Bourbon County edition, Bourbon County Vanilla Rye.

It was 2010 when Goose Island released Bourbon County Vanilla. While that edition featured the base imperial stout, aged in Heaven Hill barrels with vanilla beans, this coming edition features the use of rye whiskey barrels. Two pounds of Mexican vanilla beans are in each barrel, sourced from four different distilleries.

The full Bourbon County line will include:

Barleywine

Bourbon County Brand Stout

Proprietor’s Reserve

Coffee 

Typically, the brewery releases these offerings on Black Friday. To save you some time, that’s November 28th, 2014

More to follow closer to release date…

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Coming Soon, Shock Top

Shock Top Shockolate Wheat To Join Winter Lineup

Shock Top’s pursuit of the perfect seasonal continues this winter with the addition of Shockolate Wheat. For this addition, the base Belgian-style wheat is aged on vanilla and chocolate.

Belgian-style wheat ale brewed with spice, aged on cocoa and vanilla beans and with natural flavors and artificial sweeteners. 

Shock Top Shockolate Wheat will be available in 12oz bottles and draft.

Style: Belgian-style Witbier (w/ Vanilla, Cocoa NIbs)
Availability: 12oz Bottles, Draft. Seasonal

4.3% ABV

 

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

Sneak Peek: Westbrook Chocolate Bourbon Mexican Cake

July sees the release of Westbrook Brewing’s (Mt. Pleasant, SC) Barrel Aged Mexican Cake. While the release date for the 2014 stock hasn’t been announced yet, the brewery is already putting Cake into barrels for 2015

One of the barrels coming next summer is Westbrook Mexican Cake aged in Pritchard’s Double Chocolate Bourbon barrels. The Kelso, Tennesee distillery uses cocoa nibs from Nashville’s Olive & Sinclair to create a small batch, highly sought after, chocolate bourbon.

Westbrook Double Chocolate Bourbon Barrel Mexican Cake should arrive in July, 2015.

Olive & Sinclair also provides cocoa nibs for recent Terrapin Beer Company releases, like Guano Loco, White Chocolate Moo Hoo, and Liquid Bliss.

Style: Imperial Stout (w/ Cocoa Nibs, Vanilla Beans, Cinnamon, Habanero. Barrel Aged.)
Availability: 22oz Bombers, Draft. Limited Release, May.

10.5% ABV, 50 IBUs

pic via Westbrook

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Bell's Brewing, Headlines

Bell’s Planetary Spotlight: Venus

Bell’s Brewery (Comstock, MI) celebrates Gustav Holst’s classical masterpiece “The Planets”, with a specialty beer series that starts this year.

Each offering is a different interpretation of the composer’s movements, like the above Venus, The Bringer of Peace. This edition is first and foremost a blonde ale, brewed with apricot juice, honey, cardamom, and vanilla beans.

Expect Bell’s Venus sometime in October, 2014.

Style: Blonde Ale (w/ Vanilla Beans, Cardamom, Honey, Apricot Juice)
Availability: 12oz Bottles
Arrival: Mid-October, 2014

7.5% ABV

Read more: Bell’s Planetary Series

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Cigar City Brewing, Coming Soon, Headlines

Drool Worthy: Cigar City Caffe Americano Double Stout

Cigar City Caffe Americano Double Stout appeared earlier this year on draft at the brewery. The imperial stout is decadent, brewed with coffee, vanilla, and chocolate. Oh, and aged in rum barrels. Let the fight for it begin…

Traditional Caffe American is made by adding water to espresso. We break all the rules with this Double Stout. We refuse to add water to our beer after fermentation, but have noissues adding beer to our espresso. This deep, dark stout exhibits rich espresso and coffee notes, which are contributed by the generous use of roasted barley and locally roasted espresso. That simply is not enough for us. We also add roasted, raw chocolate and a hint of vanilla to this big bodied stout. Then, just for fun, we age it in rum barrels. Dodge the red eye and take a shot of the dark.

Cigar City Caffe Americano Double Stout will be released in 750ml bottles.

Style: Imperial Stout (w/ Coffee, Chocolate, Vanilla. Barrel Aged. Rum.)
Availability: 750ml Bottles, Draft. Limited
Arrival: TBA

 

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, New Beers

Half Moon Mavericks Chocolate Porter

by Reid Ramsay