Vanilla Beans

Abita Bourbon Barrel 25th

Abita Brewing is now shipping a bourbon barrel edition of their 25th Anniversary Ale.  Released a little over 4 months ago, 25th is a double edition of Turbodog, brewed with vanilla beans.  The bourbon edition has spent over 5 months Continue Reading →

Next Cigar City Hunahpu Day: March 10, 2012

Cigar City Brewing has announced the next Hunahpu Imperial Stout release will be March 1o, 2012.   The brewery is currently brewing sought after imperial stout, brewed with chilies, vanilla beans, cinnamon and cocoa nibs.  Release details and bottle limits Continue Reading →

Abita Celebrates 25 Years With Vanilla Doubledog

After a short delay (due to bottle producer) Abita Brewing’s 25 Anniversary beer Vanilla Double Dog is upon us.  Per the press release:

Introducing 25th Anniversary Vanilla Doubledog

To mark this wonderful milestone, Abita Brewing Company has created a special commemorative brew, Continue Reading →

Posted in Beer News, Clown Shoes Brewing, Distribution Expansion

Clown Shoes: Chocolate Sombrero, Philly, Georgia

Clown Shoes Chocolate SombreroToday, Clown Shoes is brewing Chocolate Sombrero (previously known as cocoa powder.)   The brewery dubs it their Mexican imperial stout, because it uses ancho chile powder, cinnamon, and organic vanilla extract.   This brew day marks the last stout they are brewing for the season.

Starting next week, Clown Shoes expands into Philadelphia.  Georgia will see expanded distribution soon (as right now the beers are only sold in Total Wines in the state, which has raised legality questions.)

Mercury Brewing in Ipswich, Massachusetts is expanding their facility, which will allow for more Clown Shoes.

As for Mexican Sombrero:

Style: Imperial Stout
Adjuncts: Vanilla extract, Ancho chili powder, cinnamon.

Availability: 22oz bombers

9% ABV

 

 

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Abita Brewing

Abita Bourbon Barrel 25th

Abita Brewing is now shipping a bourbon barrel edition of their 25th Anniversary Ale.  Released a little over 4 months ago, 25th is a double edition of Turbodog, brewed with vanilla beans.  The bourbon edition has spent over 5 months in barrels.

About 25th:
The robust dark ale has flavors of chocolate, toffee and vanilla. It’s brewed with generous amounts of pale, caramel and chocolate malts and Willamette hops. Whole natural vanilla beans are added during the aging process. 25th Anniversary Vanilla Doubledog is packaged in a commemorative, 22-ounce bottle illustrated with a design inspired by classic New Orleans wrought iron. This Doubledog brew is a tribute to Abita’s Turbodog, which was originally created as an anniversary beer in 1989. Today, Turbodog is an Abita Flagship brew and sold year-round.
Abita produced around 10 barrels (310 gallons) of this beer.  Sold in 7.75 gallon kegs, thats around 40 purported floating around in the wild.

Style: American Strong Ale (Barrel Aged)
Additions: Vanilla Beans
Availability: Draft only. One time brewed.

7% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Bootlegger's, Coming Soon, The Bruery

The Bruery & Bootleggers Create Chocosaurus Rye

The Bruery (Placienta, CA) and Bootlegger’s Brewery (Fullerton, CA) are collaborating on a new brew destined for the Provisions Series.  The world will soon know Chocosaurus Rye, a chocolate rye lager.  Choco uses midnight wheat malt, rye malt, and oats with vanilla beans and cocoa nibs.  Of course, don’t forget the German lager yeast.  No release date yet.  This is the first of a few collaborations with The Bruery this year, so be on the look out for more.

The Bruery & Bootleggers Brewery Collaborate from The Bruery on Vimeo.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Cigar City Brewing, Coming Soon

Next Cigar City Hunahpu Day: March 10, 2012

Cigar City Hunaphu Cigar City Brewing has announced the next Hunahpu Imperial Stout release will be March 1o, 2012.   The brewery is currently brewing sought after imperial stout, brewed with chilies, vanilla beans, cinnamon and cocoa nibs.  Release details and bottle limits will announced closer to the release date – pending total yield.

Style: Imperial Stout
Availability: 750ml bottles, Draft

11% ABV

 

UPDATE:  Bottle limit cut to 2 per

 

 

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Abita Brewing, Beer News, New Releases

Abita Celebrates 25 Years With Vanilla Doubledog

After a short delay (due to bottle producer) Abita Brewing’s 25 Anniversary beer Vanilla Double Dog is upon us.  Per the press release:

Introducing 25th Anniversary Vanilla Doubledog

To mark this wonderful milestone, Abita Brewing Company has created a special commemorative brew, 25th Anniversary Vanilla Doubledog. The robust dark ale has flavors of chocolate, toffee and vanilla. It’s brewed with generous amounts of pale, caramel and chocolate malts and Willamette hops. Whole natural vanilla beans are added during the aging process. 25th Anniversary Vanilla Doubledog is packaged in a commemorative, 22-ounce bottle illustrated with a design inspired by classic New Orleans wrought iron. This Doubledog brew is a tribute to Abita’s Turbodog, which was originally created as an anniversary beer in 1989. Today, Turbodog is an Abita Flagship brew and sold year-round.

This year will be a big year for Abita.  The brewery is on track to ship more than 130,000 barrels (just over 4 million gallons)

From a humble beginning of just 1,500 barrels of beer in 1986, brewing for Abita should exceed 130,000 barrels in 2011. Abita Golden and Amber were the original beers produced by Louisiana’s first craft brewery. Now the Abita Brewing Company produces seven year-round flagship brews, five seasonal beers, three Harvest brews, four Big Beers, a draft-only series of Select beers and a root beer all from a state-of-the-art brewing complex.

[Abita25th]

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Red Brick Brewing

Red Brick’s Smoked Vanilla Gorilla Next Up In Brick Mason Series

Edition #3 in Red Brick Brewing’s Brick Mason Series is not far away.   The brewery has taken Vanilla Gorilla and added a little twist for the series release: smoked vanilla beans and a little barrel aging for good measure.

Fox Brothers BBQ in Atlanta, Georgia smoked the vanilla beans used in Gorilla.  The base beer is Red Brick oatmeal porter.  The barrels, Jack Daniels.  Gorilla follows on the heels of  Double IPA, and 16th Anniversary.  The last release this year in the series is slated to be and Old Ale.

Availability: 12oz bottles, Draft.

Arrival: TBA

7.5% ABV (estimated)

 

 

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Coming Soon, Stone Brewing Co., Troegs Brewing

Stone/Troegs/Fields/Sheppard Collaboration

Stone Troegs Chocolate Cherry StoutI mentioned a few weeks ago that John & Chris Trogner of Troeg’s Brewing (Harrisburg, PA) flew out to Escondido, California to collaborate with Stone Brewing. Great news for sure, but the details of what was getting brewed was unknown until now.  The result is a Cherry Chocolate Stout.

This beer is actually a 3(4?) way collaboration featuring 2 homebrewer’s Jason Fields & Kevin Sheppard.  The duo won the American Homebrewers Association Rally in March.  The grand prize is brewing with Stone & a brewery of their choice.  To clue you in a little bit – previous winner Ken Schmidt brewed the Kona Coffee Macadamia Coconut Porter.  (The leftover is the first edition of the Quingenti Series.) Fields and Sheppard won the rally with their Cherry Chocolate Stout recipe.  This beer will include chocolate, cherries, & vanilla beans.  John Trogner describes the collab:

[quote style=”boxed”]Homebrewing is a catalyst fueling American craft brewers.  The opportunity to spend a day with Jason & Kevin (and the brewers from Stone) and bring their vision to life took us back to Boulder, Colorado, where we would spend hours formulating recipes, homebrewing, and educating our palates.  Our earliest roots start with a six-gallon pot, a beat-to-crap stove and a burning desire.  That curiosity of taste, our DIY aspirations, and youthful stubbornness has grown into Troegs Brewery, and those early days still fuel our passion.[/quote]

Style: Imperial Stout

Availability: 12oz bottles. Limited release.

8.8% ABV

 

by Reid Ramsay