Archives for February 2018

(Calgary, Alberta, Canada) – Cask Global Canning Solutions – the inventors of micro-canning equipment for craft brewers – has released a uniquely versatile canning line.

Cask’s new Micro-Automated Canning System (mACS) packages both carbonated and uncarbonated beverages. The mACS also fill cans of varying heights and diameters — from 5.5 ounces (163 mL) to 19.2 ounces (568 mL) in volume — and the changeover between cans can be done in less than 30 minutes.

“The mACS,” says Cask founder Peter Love, “gives brewers the ability to create new revenue streams and beverages. They can quickly shift to new can sizes for current products, or jump from beer and cider to soft drinks and uncarbonated beverages such as cold brew coffee, wine and energy drinks.”

Dead Armadillo Craft Brewing (Tulsa, Oklahoma) is now using the mACS to can its beer and a new product.

“When you add a liquid nitrogen doser to the mACS,” says Todd Phillips, Dead Armadillo’s Director of Operations, “you can use it to can coffee. So after many months of R&D, we’re entering the nitro cold-brewed coffee market with some friends at a local coffee roaster. It’s a brave new world for us that wouldn’t have been possible without Cask.”

“The mACS supports a larger array of can sizes than any line we have ever seen,” Phillips adds, “and we can change from can sizes, lid formats, and product types with minimal effort.” See the brewery’s mACS in action: http://www.cask.com/2018/02/dead-armadillo-takes-beer-macs/

The mACS has electric cam-driven seamers, three CO2 pre-purge heads, three fill heads,

and a post-fill rinser and dryer. It measures just 7 by 2.5 feet and has a very small footprint of 17.5 square feet. It has a recipe memory feature that automatically sets the fill settings for speedy transition between different beverages.

The mACS conveyor belt can feeder (as found on Cask’s larger ACS machine) allows for adding such automated pre- and post-packaging components as a depalletizer, inline date coder, nitrogen doser, pressure-sensitive labeler, shrink sleever and other components.

“Since it can be equipped with an array of automated components,” Love says, “the mACS also enables our customers to scale up the automation of their canning process as they grow and diversify.”

The machine’s unique filler technology combines fill-level sensors with proprietary foam-control valves. Those features produce filled cans with extremely low dissolved oxygen pickup of just 5-20 parts per billion — better or comparable to large-scale and much more expensive canning and bottling lines.

The mACS fills 20+ cans per minute and 50+ cases per hour with just one operator.

Get more details and see the mACS package cold-brewed coffee at http://www.cask.com/2017/12/meet-macs-micro-cannings-most-flexible-system/

Members of the media looking for more information can contact Marty Jones at marty@martyjones.com or 720-289-9345.

About Cask Global Canning Solutions
Cask has provided small-scale brewers with inventive, efficient and affordable brewing and packaging solutions since 1983. In 1999 Cask invented the micro-canning concept with a tabletop machine that seamed one can at a time.

Today Cask’s affordable and small-footprint manual, semi-automated and automated canning systems are used by nearly 850 small breweries, wineries, cider makers and drinks manufacturers in 46 nations around the globe.

Cask’s micro-canning effort has dramatically changed the packaging of craft beverages around the world. Thanks to Cask and its rule-breaking customers, the once-maligned aluminum can has been transformed into the premium craft beverage package of choice for its freshness-keeping, fuel-saving, portability and environmental benefits.

For more details on Cask’s canning systems and trailblazing history visit .

Nearly 18 years after the release of the original Firestone Lager, Firestone Walker Brewing Company is bringing it back—new and improved—for those who finally want a better lager.

“Our original Firestone Lager came out in 2000, but it proved to be ahead of its time and it eventually got squashed by the hoppy beer craze,” said Brewmaster Matt Brynildson. “But now that people are finally coming around to the idea of craft lager beers, we felt it was high time to revisit and reinvent Firestone Lager.”

The result is a next-generation lager that is impeccably brewed, impossibly smooth and uniquely easy to drink.

Firestone Lager begins rolling out to all Firestone Walker markets this week in both draft and six-pack can (12-oz) formats.

Hard to Make, Easy to Drink

Firestone Lager is an all-malt lager brewed in the classic Munich Helles style. It features German pilsner and North American pale malts, as well as noble German hops including Hallertau Tradition, Spalter Select and Saphir.

“We pulled out the original Firestone Lager recipe, dusted it off and used it for inspiration,” Brynildson said, noting that the original Firestone Lager was discontinued in 2007. “The DNA of the original is still there, but we tweaked the malt and hop bills. The result is a lager that is steeped in the Helles tradition, but with a touch of modern New World flair.”

He added, “There’s no dry hopping—it’s fine to have some hop aroma and flavor, but we’re not trying to accentuate the hops.”

The irony of Firestone Lager is that while it’s Firestone Walker’s easiest beer to drink, it is the hardest one to make. “This beer demands technical perfection from our entire team, from the brewhouse to the lab,” Brynildson said. “When brewing a lager beer, you’re working with this bright, transparent canvas that will reveal the smallest flaw.”

Brynildson said that the completion of Firestone Walker’s state-of-the-art brewhouse extension last summer helped drive the dream of revisiting the lager style. “We have the team and now the tools to execute on this pursuit of the perfect lager—which I think is every brewmaster’s dream,” he said.

The “Unicorn” Beer

Around the brewery, Firestone Lager is being called the “unicorn” beer.

“It’s this idea of something that a lot of people don’t think exists—a beer that offers the same easy-drinking attributes of mass domestic lager, but with pure craft quality and an all-malt pedigree,” Brynildson said.

He added that while Firestone Walker remains at full throttle with its IPAs and other hop-driven beers like Pivo, Firestone Lager fills a void in the brewery’s portfolio and provides a bit of a break for both the palate and the mind.

“At the end of the day, Firestone Lager is made for drinking, not thinking,” Brynildson said. “It’s all about enjoying a good, clean beer.”

LEWES, Delaware – To much anticipation, Crooked Hammock Brewery dropped their beer calendar via social media with a tremendous response. Becoming a popular destination amongst locals as well as tourists flocking to the Delaware beaches, Crooked Hammock Brewery is celebrating its third year brewing delicious craft beer.

While carrying five year-round beers, Crooked Hammock plans to release twelve of their most popular beers including four seasonal and eight limited release offerings. Their two most popular flagship beers, Mootzy’s Treasure IPA and Wai Ola Cali-Style Coconut Ale, will be available in cans and distributed throughout the state of Delaware on a year-round basis.

“We’re really excited to announce our beer calendar for 2018,” explained Rich Garrahan, founder of Crooked Hammock Brewery. “We saw a ton of success last year with each of these beers and we feel confident in each and every one to be served throughout the year in our house as well as in bars and stores throughout the state of Delaware.”

Kicking off the first limited release from Crooked Hammock will be their Belgian Quadruple brewed with fresh banana and cacao nibs, Banana Hammock. At fifteen percent, this beer has the highest alcohol content of any beer released by Crooked Hammock, which is typically known for their sessionable ales.

“Banana Hammock is a fun beer to brew that is not only unique but true to style in both the brew method as well as flavor,” explains Head Brewer, Chris Wood.

Other limited releases include their 4/20 beer, The Dankness; Beach Escape, a citrusy White IPA; Surfveza, a key lime hefeweizen for Cinco de Mayo; a summer solstice Gluten-free Acai Gose; Off You Rocker, a Double IPA with Citra and Mosaic hops; Olde Butternutz, a bourbon-barrel-aged English Ale; and Jubilation, their holiday Champagne Ale.

The first seasonal release of 2018 will occur on March 23rd when Hand of Buddha Cream Ale makes its debut. “This beer is the epitome of what we try to do at Crooked Hammock,” explains Jon Schorah, Brewer and Brand Manager at the Hammock. “Brewed with Buddha’s Hand fruit and Madagascar vanilla beans, it’s refreshing, light, sessionable, and really unique.” The beer was one of their fastest selling beers in 2017, leading the brew team to brew three times the amount this year.

The summer season will kick into full gear on May 24th at Crooked Hammock as their summer seasonal, Actively Fishing, a Czech Pilsner brewed with lemon peel and noble hops, is released for “Beach Escape Weekend.” “Memorial Day weekend is one of the biggest weekends for us at the Hammock and highlighting everything going on will be the release of both Actively Fishing and Beach Escape White IPA,” says Garrahan.

As we enter the cooler months, Crooked Hammock’s infamous pumpkin ale, Jav-O-Lantern, will make its way onto the scene. Jav-O-Lantern combines fall spices, real pumpkin that was smoked for hours over cherry wood, and dark roasted coffee for a bold and complex fall brew.

Rounding out the Hammock seasonals will be Sly and the Cherry Stone, a kettle sour that combines tart cherry juice and Mahleb, an exotic Mediterranean spice derived from cherry pits. One of the more popular beers Crooked Hammock has to offer, this bold winter sour comes in at eleven percent alcohol and is purely refreshing.

Each of the beers listed on their calendar will be distributed in kegs throughout the state of Delaware. Mootzy’s Treasure IPA and Wai Ola Cali-Style Coconut Ale will be featured in six- packs of twelve-ounce cans throughout the year while each seasonal beer will be released in cans for their coinciding season.

About Crooked Hammock Brewery
Crooked Hammock Brewery, Restaurant and Backyard Beer Garden is open year-round 7 days a week from 11am with late night service until 1am. Happy Hour specials are offered Monday through Friday from 3-6pm.

The one-of-a-kind facility is a must for first-time beach-bound visitors. It includes a full- service restaurant & dining room, screened-in Porch Bar, and a large social gathering beer hall which opens onto the outdoor beer garden. Outdoor hammocks, fire pit, games and a children’s playground make it a family favorite. Located at 36707 Crooked Hammock Way, Lewes, DE. 19958 Phone 302.644.SUDS (7837). More information is available online at crookedhammock.com.

SEATTLE, Washington – Two Beers Brewing Co. is excited to announce that they are reformulating one of their flagship beers, EVO IPA, with exciting new elements throughout 2018. Regularly evolving, the EVO IPA Rotator Series starts with EVO’s classic IPA recipe and features adventurous ingredients playing on the timeless EVO recipe.

First up in the Rotator Series is an Experimental Hop EVO IPA (6.2% ABV, 70 IBUs) featuring two never-before featured hops grown in locally in Yakima Valley. With notes of citrus and peachy stone fruit, along with coconut, lemongrass, and wood, the drinking experience is exceptionally distinct and pleasant. Additionally, the new recipes for each of the Rotator Series come with sleek new packaging, for an overall fresh take on the long-standing fan favorite.

“EVO IPA is a classic Pacific Northwest style IPA, so brewing EVO with experimental hops from Yakima was the perfect first step for kicking off the new Rotator Series,” said Joel VandenBrink, Founder and CEO of Two Beers Brewing Co. “We’ve been busy working on innovations for some time now, so it’s exciting to finally share them outside of the brewery and tasting room.”

Starting March 5, EVO Rotator Experimental Hop will be available in The Woods Tasting Room (4660 Ohio Ave S. Seattle, WA) on draft and in package. Soon after, the EVO Rotator Series will make its way through Washington and Oregon where Two Beers Brewing Co. products are sold.

Life is just a little more honest after Two Beers

About: Two Beers Brewing Company
Two Beers Brewing Company is a local craft beer at the heart of Seattle community, with its SoDo-based brewery. Established in 2007 and celebrating its 10th anniversary, this craft beer comes from a true story of two friends sharing beers and getting to the conclusion that life is just a little more honest after two beers.

Two Beers Brewing can be found in Seattle-area bars and restaurants. Enjoy Two Beers tasting flights, kegs, and growler fills, and package product available at The Woods tasting room located at 4660 Ohio Ave. S. open seven days a week. Select brews can also be found in 22-ounce bottles and 12-ounce cans through local retailers in Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Idaho. For more information, follow Two Beers Brewing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@twobeersbrewing), or visit www.twobeersbrewing.com.

 

PORTLAND, Oregon — Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB), the first Certified B Corporation brewery in the Pacific Northwest, today announced the upcoming release of three new IPAs. On March 01, HUB will release Ferocious Citrus IPA, Chill Murray New England-Style IPA, and Love Letter New England-Style IPA at its three pubs.

Ferocious Citrus IPA is HUB’s spring and summer seasonal offering. Brewed with organic hard red spring wheat from Twin Oaks Farm on San Juan Island, Ferocious is hazy and smooth with an upfront burst of organic citrusy hops, and grapefruit juice. Take one sip of this crazy IPA and you’ll be hypnotized. Ferocious replaces Abominable Winter Ale in HUB’s seasonal rotation, and is available on draft and in 12oz 6-pack cans throughout HUB’s distribution network.

Chill Murray is the newest beer in HUB’s rotating Hazy IPA series. Look for notes of idiosyncrasy and unpredictability in this New England-Style IPA. Chill Murray was brewed with Skagit Valley soft wheat, organic flaked barley, organic oats, and buckets full of Eureka, Azacca, organic Citra, and Galaxy hops. On March 01 the beer will be available on draft and in limited 16oz 4-pack cans at HUB’s three pubs. Only 40 cases of cans were produced. Each 4-pack is $14 and will be distributed as follows: 28 cases for the SE Powell brewpub, 4 cases for BikeBar, and 8 cases for the Vancouver brewpub. Crowlers will be available at HUB’s SE Portland and Vancouver brewpubs.

Love Letter NEIPA is the third beer in HUB’s new Win-Win Partnership Series, which highlights ingredients from fellow eco-champion businesses. The beer is HUB’s love letter to Bob’s Red Mill, as it features Bob’s haze-inducing organic oats, organic wheat, and organic spelt for a velvety, fluffy texture. It is dry-hopped with citrusy and fruit-forward Jaryllo, Mosaic, and Denali hops. Check out HUB’s fun tribute video to Bob’s Red Mill here. Love Letter will be available on draft and in limited 22oz bottles at HUB’s three pubs and with limited distribution in Oregon and Washington.

Beer Release: Ferocious Citrus, Chill Murray, Love Letter
March 01, 11am
All three HUB pubs
Join and Share the Facebook Event

Hopworks Urban Brewery Locations
Hopworks Urban Brewery / 2944 SE Powell Blvd. Portland, OR
Hopworks BikeBar / 3947 N. Williams Ave. Portland, OR
Hopworks Urban Brewery Vancouver / 17707 SE Mill Plain Blvd. Vancouver, WA

About Hopworks Urban Brewery
Hopworks Urban Brewery creates world-class beer and food with sustainable business practices that protect the environment and support the community. Utilizing organic malts and a combination of locally-sourced, organic, and Salmon Safe hops, the company’s 20-barrel brewery in Portland, and 7-barrel brewery in Vancouver, produce 13,500 barrels of beer and cider a year for HUB’s brewpubs and distribution throughout the West. Hopworks is a family-owned and operated business, the first Certified B Corporation brewery in the Pacific Northwest, a member of 1% For The Planet, and a gold-level bike friendly business.

 

LARKSPUR, California — With the arrival of its Sancho Lager, the Marin Brewing Company is offering patrons a new beer and an urban legend.

Marin Brewing’s brewmaster, Arne Johnson, an expert in all things Sancho, relishes the chance to share the details of the legend of Sancho anytime he’s asked.

Sancho, according to the Urban Dictionary is the “the other man” in Spanish slang. He is said to be that guy your girlfriend is cheating on you with; he’s often a favorite topic in bars and breweries.

Johnson found his beer inspiration for Sancho while traveling through Mexico in his younger years. The Brewco’s Sancho Lager is a variation on the Vienna-style lager, of which the Mexican brewed Dos Equis Amber is a classic example.

Johnson’s Sancho Lager is brewed with more than 95 percent Weyermann Wiener (Vienna) Malt and has the subtly sweet, toasty malt qualities and dry, crisp finish classic to the style, but with a slightly lighter color. Johnson said his Sancho Lager is super crushable, “but definitely, ain’t nothing to sneeze at!”

Sancho Lager Info:
Sancho Lager comes in at 5.3 percent ABV and 25 IBUs.
Malts: Weyermann Vienna, Weyermann Munich Light, Weyermann CaraMunich
Hops: German Hallertau
Yeast: Augustiner Lager

About Marin Brewing
Since 1989 Marin Brewing has been Marin’s original craft brewer. Located in the Marin Country Market, Marin Brewing has been pouring and serving award-winning craft beers and food in a family-friendly atmosphere making Marin Brewing the go-to place for watching the big game, for gathering the family and enjoying great weather on its legendary patio.

Over the years Marin Brewing has won more than 100 gold medals, 30 alone from prestigious Great American Beer Festival in Denver.

To learn more about Marin Brewing Company’s award-winning family of beers and their acclaimed food selection, visit the Marin Brewing Company website. You can also follow them on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to stay up to date with all the latest happenings.

Rogue Eastside Pub & Pilot Brewery will host the 11th Annual Firkin Fest on Saturday, March 3, 2018. This annual event celebrates cask-conditioned beers, ciders and meads with all proceeds going to nearby Buckman Elementary School arts programs.

The 11th annual Firkin Fest runs from 11am-6pm and will feature over 20 casks the includes Gigantic Brewing Company, Modern Times Beer, Ecliptic Brewing, Worthy Brewing, Baerlic Brewing, Green Dragon Brew Crew, Nectar Creek Mead, Cider Riot, Oregon City Brewing Co. and many more.

Each brewery will present a beer of its choice, prepared in the traditional English style cask. Unlike most draft beers, firkin beers are unpasteurized, unfiltered, naturally carbonated in the cask and are served at cellar temperature, approximately 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Herbs, chocolate, botanicals, hops and fruits are often added to the firkins to enhance an already delicious beer.

General admission for the event is $10.00 that includes five beer tickets, a commemorative taster glass and access to $8.00 growler fills of any of the Firkin Fest beers. Each taste is one ticket and additional tickets cost $1.00 each.

Very Impressive Firkin (VIF) admission is $25.00 that includes exclusive tastes of three special firkins, a meet-and-greet with the brewers, and some tasty food including oysters shucked by Rogue Nation President Big Al himself. The VIF room is open from 2:00-4:00pm, and only a limited amount of tickets are available.

VIF inclusions and the complete list of breweries will be announced on the Firkin Fest Facebook Page.

Rogue Eastside Pub & Pilot Brewery
928 SE 9th Ave.
Portland, OR 97214

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — For the first time since its founding in 2014, Gowanus-based Threes Brewing will move some of their beer production out of their flagship brewery space at 333 Douglass Street via a new partnership with Hudson Valley-based brewery Industrial Arts.

Over the last few years, as Threes Brewing has expanded, their team has looked for creative ways to meet the growing demands for their beer, while maintaining their high standard of excellence. There were a few false starts along the way, including a contract for additional tanks with Metalcraft, a fabrication company that went bankrupt. This was a contributing factor to calling off their potential factory in the North Fork that didn’t ultimately come to fruition.

Back in June of last year, the Threes team was lamenting these roadblocks with industry veteran Jeff O’Neil, founder at Industrial Arts Brewing. The friends realized that each had what the other was seeking. Threes’ Brooklyn location and growing demand for their beers meant they were in need of more room to brew. Industrial Arts’ upstate location afforded them with more space than they currently needed.

The two breweries hatched a plan to brew Threes beers at IA’s facility upstate, using Threes’ recipe, ingredients, and newly purchased equipment but drawing on IA’s deep brewing expertise. In collaboration with the Threes brewers, Industrial Arts’ facility will take over production of Vliet, Threes’ flagship beer that took the top prize in the 2017 New York Craft Beer Competition, beating out over 700 other local beers. With demand for Vliet growing across NYC restaurants, specialty beer stores and at venues like Madison Square Garden, working with IA to brew Vliet enables the team at Threes to free up tank space, with a particular concentration on more IPAs and barrel aged beers.

“We couldn’t be more excited about the reaction to Vliet from customers, however, the guys are inspired to make a lot more styles, so we need to offer a platform to help nurture that creativity”, said Joshua Stylman co-founder and Managing Partner of Threes Brewing. “The beers Matt (Levy, head brewer), Joel (Ford, Brewer and Barrel Lead) and team have been putting out are outstanding and getting better. Given the constraints of our existing business, this enables us to continue Vliet’s proliferation in the market, while continuing to experiment and push the envelope with new varieties.”

The partnership is a natural one, with Threes’ head brewer Levy having worked for Jeff O’Neil at Peekskill Brewing. The team at Threes feel confident that Jeff and head brewer Mike McManus are the most experienced brew team in New York State, and they’re thrilled to share Vliet production with such capable hands. Stylman says, “We’re extremely lucky to have partnered with the team at Industrial Arts. Aside from being some of the best operators in the country, they’re great people who are culturally aligned with our values at Threes Brewing.”

“This was a natural, easy decision for us,” says O’Neil. “We built our facility specifically to make technically difficult beers like Vliet. The process of developing this partnership, and subsequently the beer itself has been remarkably cooperative from the start, and already quite a rewarding endeavor. We’re proud that they trust us with Vliet!”

The two sister breweries also collaborated on beers that they’re releasing jointly, including Prior Restraint, a classic raw German-style lager made at Industrial Arts and a beer made at Threes, Peer Review, a Double IPA with Mango.

The joint effort is consistent with Threes’ history, which has been an ongoing story of collaborations with like-minded companies, including their Gowanus coffee partner Ninth Street Espresso and food partner The Meat Hook, their Greenpoint outpost Threes at Franklin + Kent launched last year with restaurateur Henry Rich and Gowanus Hospitality Group (Rucola, Metta, Fitzcarraldo, Purslane Catering), and recent beer collaborations with Eleven Madison Park and Momofuku.

About Threes Brewing:
Threes Brewing is a Brooklyn-based brewery known for crafting approachable beers that balance simplicity and complexity, with a focus on lagers, farmhouse ales and hop-American ales. Their Gowanus brewpub is located at 333 Douglass St. with a recently launched Greenpoint outpost Threes @ Franklin + Kent, located at 113 Franklin St.  www.threesbrewing.com  

About Industrial Arts Brewing:
Industrial Arts Brewing Company makes fresh, hoppy beers in a state-of-the-art brew house located in the Garnerville Arts and Industrial Complex in the lower Hudson Valley.  www.industrialartsbrewing.com

There are more than 6,000 small and independent breweries in the United States. Craft beer bars have played a pivotal role in the growth of craft beer by filling their taps and menus with local, independently-owned breweries. But which of those beer bars stand out?

As a beer lover, you know what sets apart an average bar from a great craft beer bar, and that’s why we turned to you to help select a list of Great American Beer Bars. More than 7,000 people responded to our survey and their choices may surprise you. Half the bars readers selected are different from bars that made the 2017 edition.

Below is the list of the winners. Use the above drop-down menu to browse for a specific state.

Methodology: CraftBeer.com readers were asked to nominate their favorite craft beer bar in their state and fill out a brief survey about what makes it so great including atmosphere, staff, beer selection and extraordinary events. Craft beer fans cast nearly 8,000 votes between November and December 2017.

CLIFTON PARK, New York — The pinnacle of craft beer in New York State is now upon us with New York City Beer Week’s Opening Bash taking place this Saturday, February 24 at Brooklyn EXPO Center (6pm – 9:30pm). What better time for Shmaltz Brewing Company to officially launch its latest brand, Alphabet City Brewing Company (ACBC). Now available exclusively in cans in New York City, Shmaltz builds on the history of the brand on the Lower East Side of Manhattan along 7th Street. Born on a stovetop homebrew system in 2012, Shmaltz delves into the storied history of the neighborhood and city with a new line of beers with re-branded graphics and packaging, new beer styles and names, and a new IPA recipe.
For NYC Beer Week 2018, Shmaltz founder and owner Jeremy Cowan debuts two new ACBC releases, Rapture Double Platinum Blonde Ale and Village IPA, as well as two of Shmaltz’s latest beers, Pastrami Pilsner and Funky Jewbelation, at the biggest night in NYC craft beer at the Opening Bash. Additional NYC Beer Week events featuring Shmaltz and Alphabet City beers include:

Friday, February 23 @ Barcade (148 W 24th Street, NYC, 12pm): Join the Shmaltz crew for a massive Tap Takeover at Barcade featuring Pastrami Pilsner, Star Trek Captain’s Holiday, Slingshot American Craft Lager, Hop Manna IPA, Jewbelation 21, Messiah Nut Brown Ale, Wishbone DIPA, and Chanukah, Hanukkah: Pass the Beer. More info at http://barcadenewyork.com/special-events

Saturday, February 24 @ Brooklyn EXPO Center “NYC Beer Week 2018 – Opening Bash” (72 Noble Street, Brooklyn): Shmaltz and Alphabet City pours their latest and greatest beer releases including Rapture Double Platinum Blonde Ale, Village IPA, Pastrami Pilsner, and Funky Jewbelation. Tickets are available at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nyc-beer-week-opening-bash-tickets-41242789293

Wednesday, February 28 @ Whisky Live Fest! (125 W 18th Street, NYC): Shmaltz joins the WhiskyLive NYC festival to pour many of their prized barrel-aged beers: Funky Jewbelation, RIPA on Rye, Chanukah in Kentucky, and Genesis 20:20. WhiskyLive NYC festival includes over 250 varieties of scotches, bourbons, whiskies and beers! Tickets are available at http://whiskyliveusa.com/new-york

Wednesday, February 28 @ Alphabet City Brewing Company “Yaaassss Queen Esther: A Dank Meme Purim Party” (96 Avenue C, NYC): The Shmaltz Tribe teams up with the Tech Tribe crew for a one-of-a-kind Dank Meme Purim Party. More details are available at https://memepurim.splashthat.com

Thursday, March 1 @ Brookfield Place New York Winter Biergarten “Best Brews of NYC 5 Boroughs” (230 Vesey Street, NYC): Shmaltz Brewing’s Creative Director Matt Polacheck will represent Alphabet City Brewing Company’s Village IPA as they go up against 15 of the city’s best beers and breweries. All NY’s borough presidents will be in attendance to cheer on their respective breweries.

Friday, March 2 @ City Swiggers “The Beers of Shmaltz” (320 E 86th Street, NYC): Pat Fondiller of Shmaltz and Alphabet City will sample a variety of beers at City Swiggers for NYC Beer Week.

Please see the beer descriptions below for the four new special releases featured at select NYC Beer Week 2018 events. Shmaltz founder and owner Jeremy Cowan is available for interviews upon request.

Rapture Double Platinum Blonde Ale
The latest release from Alphabet City Brewing, Rapture Double Platinum Blonde Ale is a hoppy blonde ale in tribute the iconic Lower East Side punk band Blondie and their hit single, “Rapture.” Released in 1980, the seminal Blondie album Autoamerican represents the crossover of the Lower East Side’s legendary punk scene and emergence of New York’s rap and hip-hop movement. Reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, “Rapture” marked the first #1 charting song to feature rap vocals while it name-checked such notable hip-hop pioneers Fab Five Freddy and Grandmaster Flash. Alphabet City commemorates Blondie as one of the mainstay artists on the CBGB’s punk scene in the ’70s and ’80s with a 7% ABV hoppy blonde ale now exclusively available in Manhattan in 16 oz. cans.

Village IPA
Hop Culture Soaring. East and West. City and Village. Alphabet City releases a new recipe of Village IPA for 2018 in newly designed 12 oz. cans. Coming in at 6.2% ABV, Village IPA is brewed with five specialty malts (2-Row, Maris Otter, Red X, Caramel 20, Flaked Oats) and five juicy hops (Warrior, Simcoe, Citra, Equinox, Amerillo). Village IPA is now available in 6-packs of 12 oz. cans and on draft at select NYC bars.

Pastrami Pilsner
Shmaltz takes the pairing of craft beer with your favorite foods to the next level with the release of their latest collaboration beer with one of the East Coast’s most beloved beer bars Barcade, Pastrami Pilsner (5.5% ABV). Pastrami Pilsner summons savory sensations reminiscent of the quintessential Jewish tradition. Shmaltz’s brewing team stacked the special beer with caramel, Munich and Pilsner malts to provide light, toasted bread flavors with caraway seeds for the complete rye bread experience. Brewers took a pinch of kosher salt, a dash of pepper, mustard seed, and some smoked malt to wrap together the best pastrami characters. An aromatic blast of horseradish completes this truly unique offering. Pastrami Pilsner is nationally available in 4-packs in 30 states across the country. Nosh it up across the nation!

Funky Jewbelation
For its sixth year in a row, Shmaltz releases a new recipe of their famed barrel aged sour, Funky Jewbelation. The lauded Funky Jewbelation series (2012-2018) has brought home some impressive honors, including a Gold Medal with the World Beer Championships, being awarded the Grand Champion (Giant Beer Category) at US Beer Tasting Championship, a Gold Medal in packaging with Beverage World’s “BevStar Awards,” a silver medal at the prestigious World Beer Cup 2014, and consistent 94-98 ratings from RateBeer.com.

For the 2018 release of Funky Jewbelation, Shmaltz loaded eight individual ales and lagers from across their acclaimed craft beer portfolio for ten to thirty months into bourbon and rye whiskey barrels from Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill, Jim Beam, Willett, Redemption, Sazerac, and Wild Turkey. Funky Jewbelation glistens a deep, rich, ruby color with tart flavors of dark fruit, raspberries, blueberries, fig, and complex malts — caramel, toffee, and rye. Aromas bounce between bittersweet chocolate, farmhouse funk, and tart peach and apricot. A mouthwatering puckering is complemented by pronounced hits of bourbon, charred wood, molasses and light notes of bing cherry, ending with a wine-like mouth feel.

This year’s hand blended recipe of Funky Jewbelation is an expert mash-up of Jewbelation 20, St. Lenny’s, Rejewvenator, Origin Pomegranate Strong Ale, Messiah Nut Brown Ale, Hanukkah Beer 2015 Winter Warmer, Genesis 20:20 and Death Black Ale. Funky Jewbelation is nationally available in 22 oz. bottles in 30 states across the country.

Additional Shmaltz and Alphabet City launch events during NYC Beer Week 2018 will be announced on the Shmaltz Calendar at http://shmaltzbrewing.com/calendar

About Shmaltz Brewing Company
Founder and owner Jeremy Cowan established Shmaltz Brewing in San Francisco in 1996. The first 100 cases of He’brew Beer were hand-bottled and delivered throughout the Bay Area from the back of his Grandmother’s Volvo. Shmaltz Brewing now sells He’brew Beer across 30 states, through 40 wholesalers and in nearly 5,000 retailers.

After 17 years of being an outspoken cheerleader for contract brewing, Cowan and staff opened their own New York State production brewery in 2013 in Clifton Park, 10 minutes north of Albany. Shmaltz’s home boasts a 50-barrel brewhouse with 30,000 barrels of annual capacity and packages a diverse and tasty variety of core and seasonal favorites in 12 and 22-ounce bottles and kegs. The Shmaltz Tasting Room is open five days a week (Wed-Sun) and offers tours, barrel-aged previews, beer-to-go, and special releases.

RateBeer.com ranked Shmaltz as one of the “Top 100 Brewers in the World” in 2013, and the brewery brought home 1 platinum, 10 gold and 6 silver medals from the World Beer Championships in the past several years.