Archives for September 2018

SAN FRANCISCO — Anchor Brewing Company announces the release of Fog Breaker IPA, a San Francisco IPA bursting with fresh pine and juicy tropical hops. Inspired by the brewery’s fog-busting location in San Francisco’s Potrero Hill neighborhood, Fog Breaker IPA bottles up this sunshiny brightness with handfuls of hops.

Fog Breaker IPA (6.8% ABV), with its distinctly fruity aroma and assertively bitter taste, is a hoppy, yet crisp and refreshing addition to Anchor’s portfolio. Its intense aromas of ripe pineapple, melons and resinous pine are derived from essential oils in Citra Cryo hops as well as whole-cone Denali and Cascade hops. Brewed with malted wheat and 2-row pale malt, the IPA’s bitterness is balanced with hints of light biscuity malt flavors and a smooth effervescent mouthfeel. The sunny inspiration behind Fog Breaker IPA is evident in its appearance—a bright, golden straw-colored body with a lasting creamy head. It’s a thirst-quenching, fresh brew that puts a San Francisco spin on an American IPA.

“San Francisco is notorious for its foggy climate, but one neighborhood is a pinnacle for sunshine—Potrero Hill, where Anchor calls home. Fog Breaker IPA pays homage to our fortunate spot in the city,” said Brewmaster Scott Ungermann. “If you’ve spent time in San Francisco, you’ve experienced that distinctive moment when the sun finally shines through the fog. We bottled up that experience into a San Francisco IPA that’s filled with layers of hop flavor.”

Anchor Brewing Company has a history of firsts with its long and storied tradition of innovation. Fog Breaker IPA is another first for Anchor; the first beer exclusively developed at Anchor Public Taps’ pilot brewery that has been moved into full-scale production. Located just across the street from the iconic brewery, Public Taps is a pilot brewery and bar that serves as a gathering place for locals and visitors seeking a one-of-a-kind San Francisco experience. Public Taps is home to The Potrero Project—a collection of beers brewed at the pilot brewery for guests to enjoy on tap at the bar and share feedback with the Anchor crew. Fog Breaker IPA evolved from The Potrero Project, quickly becoming one of the most popular beers served there this year. With all the positive community feedback, the brewing team decided to expand production of this IPA from Public Taps’ pilot brewing system to the main brewery across the street.

“Fog Breaker IPA was the quickest beer to sell out at Public Taps,” added Ungermann. “Even our brewers couldn’t get enough of it. It soon became obvious that we had to brew more to share this beer with all Anchor fans.”

A large anchor is emblazoned on Fog Breaker IPA’s label, breaking through a thick layer of San Francisco fog. The packaging is printed using the same iconic International Orange color as the Golden Gate Bridge.

Fog Breaker IPA is available now nationwide in 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles, 22 oz. bottles and on draught at select bars, restaurants, and stores as well as at Anchor Public Taps and the Anchor Brewing Taproom. You can find a brew near you by using the Anchor Beer Finder.

Learn more about Anchor Brewing at www.anchorbrewing.com and follow @anchorbrewing on social media.

About Anchor Brewing Company
Anchor Brewing Company’s roots date back to the California Gold Rush making it one of America’s oldest breweries. Its Anchor Steam® Beer is San Francisco’s original since 1896. In 1965, Fritz Maytag acquired and revived the struggling brewery at a time when mass production of beer dominated and seemed unstoppable. Maytag started a revolution in beer that originated today’s craft beer movement. An undisputed icon, Anchor is America’s first craft brewery where beers are handmade in our traditional copper brewhouse from an all-malt mash. At Anchor, we practice the time-honored art of classical brewing, employing state-of-the-art methods to ensure that our beers are always pure and fresh. We know of no brewery in the world that matches our efforts to combine traditional, natural brewing with such carefully applied, modern methods of sanitation, finishing, packaging and transporting. To learn more visit www.anchorbrewing.com.

Victor, N.Y. — Inspired by beer that was served at pre-prohibition saloons, Western Standard, a High West endeavor, is rolling out now in Minneapolis, Salt Lake City and Phoenix. Western Standard is a modern sessionable barrel-aged lager blended with beer aged in High West bourbon barrels.

With each sip of Western Standard, beer drinkers trace the brewing history of the West and are rewarded with a complex fusion of flavors and aromas. Aging the beer in High West bourbon barrels brings forth vanilla, caramel and oak flavors, which are complemented by modern notes of centennial hops. The lager features corn, rye and barley – a riff on a whiskey mashbill – which influences the aroma, flavor and body. The result is a full-bodied, well-balanced and exceptionally smooth flavor profile that appeals to both casual and discerning beer drinkers. With an approachable 5.2% ABV, it’s the perfect everyday lager for those seeking a premium, complex and more interesting beer.

As beer drinkers’ preferences shift toward more flavorful, lower-alcohol beers, Western Standard satisfies demand for two popular styles: barrel-aged and sessionable lagers. Sales of barrel-aged wood beers have grown by more than 27 percent over the past four years according to a 2017 Nielsen report on craft beer.

Western Standard will be available in stores in Minneapolis, Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Park City, Utah, by mid-September in six-pack bottles. Beer drinkers in Phoenix and Minneapolis can also enjoy Western Standard now on draft.

A Modern Beer with Roots in a Historical Style

The idea for Western Standard was born from High West’s Founder David Perkins. Its origins come from a moment of discovery motivated by the pioneering spirit and inspired by pre-prohibition beer.

One day, Perkins and Ballast Point VP of Brewing James Murray got together and talked about their mutual appreciation of barrel-aged beers – and how they wished there was a more balanced, lower-alcohol version of the style. They discussed how pre-prohibition saloons used to serve lighter German-style lagers that were often delivered in oak barrels. Over a few beers, David and James, both pioneers in their respective fields, decided they would combine their areas of expertise to create a new beer that pushed the boundaries.

“We realized that practically everyone in the Old West used to drink slightly barrel-aged beers at saloons,” said Perkins. “But until Western Standard, no one was making this type of beer. We saw an opportunity to deliver a great-tasting beer that consumers these days want.”

Western Standard is a complex beer that takes seven weeks to brew from aging in cellars to blending with beer aged in bourbon barrels. Although inspired by historical beer, Western Standard is modernized with centennial hops that bring light citrus and floral notes. It’s then blended with beer that has been aged in High West bourbon barrels to add notes of vanilla, caramel and oak. So drinkers can taste all the ingredients in the recipe, Western Standard is brewed with a German lager yeast that’s clean fermenting and neutral.

About Western Standard
Western Standard is not your average beer – but a saloon-style lager that reflects Western Standard’s passion for the brewing history of the west. Inspired by beer served in pre-prohibition saloons, Western Standard is a modern beer with roots in a historical style. It’s a saloon-style lager blended with beer aged in High West bourbon barrels. It’s the perfect everyday lager for those seeking a premium, complex and more interesting beer.

After a few weeks of turning things on for the first time and making some big messes, we are just about ready to brew our first batch of beer in Windsor! For those of you who are not aware, Russian River Brewing was originally owned by and located at the historic Korbel Winery in Guerneville, CA. The first beer Vinnie brewed there was the Russian River Porter. He wanted to carry on this brewing tradition by making Windsor Porter batch #1 at the new brewery. If all goes according to plan, this special beer will be available on draft and in limited edition bottles sold only at our Windsor brewery. Exact opening date is still TBD, but we have definitely narrowed it down to sometime in October. Our dream brewery is 4 years in the making and by far the most difficult and rewarding experience ever. We live in one of most expensive regions in the country, one that was already experiencing an extreme lack of affordable housing before losing over 5,000 more houses during the devastating wildfires last October. The rebuilding of our community has created a tremendous shortage of both construction materials and labor, thus slowing down our project and making already high costs go literally through the roof. But Sonoma County is our home, and we are committed to growing our business right here no matter the challenges it brings.

With our Grand Opening right around the corner, we need to hire about 120 new employees at both our Windsor brewery and Downtown Santa Rosa locations. We are also hosting a Job Fair on September 17th from 3PM-7PM at the Huerta Gymnasium, 9291 Old Redwood Highway on the Windsor Town Green. Our generous benefits package and other cool perks are hard to beat! If you or your someone you know is interested in working for us, check out the Job Board and apply right online https://russianriverbrewing.com/job-board/ .

Vinnie and I can’t wait to share our new Windsor brewery with you! In the meantime, don’t forget about our original Downtown Santa Rosa brewpub with about 20 tasty beers on tap, delicious pizza, and plenty of bottles and growlers to go!

Cheers!

Natalie

ATLANTA — Reformation Brewery quietly opened their much anticipated new location this weekend in downtown Woodstock, announcing that a forthcoming grand opening next month will kickoff their 5th Anniversary celebrations on Saturday, Oct. 6th.

CEO and Cofounder, Spencer Nix, says “We are still a few weeks away from an official Grand Opening as we need to time to manufacture more beer for that special moment. However, we will begin serving the public on Friday, September 7th at 1 pm with a starting selection of beers coming out of the Workshop brewery.”

The new Woodstock location at 105 Elm Street, Woodstock, GA is a research and development brewhouse and includes 2 beer bars, large deck, and outdoor beer garden in Woodstock’s backyard, and is now Reformation Brewery’s public taproom and event space.

Despite early limited offerings, two new beers are on tap and available on draft and in six-packs this weekend, including a sessionable lager with toasty bread-like aroma called 95 Munich Lager (4.7% ABV), and a Citra and Amarillo dry hopped light lager called JOGR The Juicy Lager (4.9% ABV).

Nix says the new space is not only an opportunity to experiment with new recipes, but also a place to dig deeper into the why behind what they do. “We’ve always believed that why you drink is as important as what you drink. For us, the community is behind what we do.”

Community focused events such as their popular analogue gaming night, yoga, book club, open mic, and improv will continue as part of their recurring programming. In addition, local Cherokee County restaurateur and owner of Queenie’s , Zach Kell, is working with the landlord to open as a co-tenant in the adjacent space in the coming months.

Brewery production and private events will continue at their existing space for the foreseeable future. “Our brewers need the space to meet demand, and we’ve always had requests for private events like reunions, weddings, and corporate events. Our original brewery at 500 Arnold Mill Way, renamed The Foundry, will be available to satisfy both,” Nix said.

Event highlights for the coming months include the return of Cadence Fair in downtown Woodstock, a Reformation 5K , and a Clayton Pub Crawl to celebrate their third release of Nolan The Wanderer (#003, Brut IPA at 7.2% ABV), a rotating IPA series and community collaboration with Wander North Georgia.

About Reformation Brewery:
Established in October 2013, Reformation Brewery is a value-based company located in the heart of downtown Woodstock. To learn more, visit http://www.reformationbrewery.com . Follow Reformation on Twitter at @reformationbrew , Instagram at @reformationbrewery and on Facebook at Facebook.com/reformationbrewery . Stay in the know of all things Reformation by following and using the hashtag #setbeerfree.

SUSSEX COUNTY, Del. — Southern Delaware Brewers, Big Oyster, Mispillion River Brewing, and Revelation Brewing, have collaborated on a limited beer that will be released at their respective breweries on Saturday.

Little Umbrella, a sour, lactose IPA brewed with mango and pineapple, was the culmination of a many minutes long conversation by the breweries. Each brewery has brought its unique flair to the beer, highlighting a small piece of what has made them so successful. The beer will release at each location on Saturday at noon. 16oz cans will be available for purchase.

The brewers released a joint statement, “We believe the Delaware is making some of the best beer on the East Coast and are excited to bring together our breweries for this collaboration. It is our hope that our consumers are introduced to the other local breweries, through this beer, for the first time.”

For more information, visit bigoysterbrewery.com, mispillionriverbrewing.com or revbeer.com.

MADISON, Wisc. – Delta Beer Lab began building out their space at 167 E. Badger Road this week, and plans to start serving the Greater Madison community with scientifically-based beers by January 2019.Founded by Tim “Pio” Piotrowski – who has a decade of professional brewing and brewery management experience, Delta Beer Lab will actively focus on doing good while doing well; where profit has its place only alongside doing good for the Madison community, the environment, and its employees. Piotrowski’s work has received award-winning recognition from the national Brewers Association, and all stages of his career have been intentional with this specific opportunity in mind.

“Our vision is to be a laboratory for excellence in beer, relationships, and society,” says Piotrowski. “We want to bring people together through quality, local, craft beer without barriers to gender, race, or sexual orientation.”

Delta Beer Lab is designed on a relatively small scale, allowing the opportunity to experiment with base recipes from around the world and a bounty of different ingredients – from yeast to malted barley and hops to fruits and spices. 10-12 types of beer will be available on tap and canned product will be available for purchase alongside various merchandise. Non-alcoholic craft sodas will be available for non-beer drinkers. Future expansion plans include an outdoor beer garden and commercial-grade kitchen for local food truck vendors to operate and serve their goods.

The space is designed to emulate a laboratory on a brewing and social level with white walls, black resin countertops, a two-story chalkboard with recipe notes, and a direct view into the brew house. A designated area will permanently feature ongoing local community initiatives and non-profit causes, and communal seating with limited electronics was an intentional design to encourage socializing, outreach, and experimentation while sharing beers with friends – old and new.

Angus-Young Associates is the architect of record and interior designer, and the general contractor is Supreme Structures. Delta Beer Lab will bring a desirable social entertainment venue to the mixed-use Novation Campus, and will join many existing companies including Exact Sciences, UnityPoint Health – Meriter, and Summit Credit Union. Novation Campus is centrally located along two of Madison’s primary thoroughfares (Beltline Highway at Rimrock Road and Highway 14) and offers unparalleled access to downtown Madison, Dane County, and the Interstate System. In addition, Novation is accessible via Madison’s network of bike paths and the Madison Metro bus system.

VIRGINIA BEACH — With its flagship location in Atlanta, Ga., New Realm Brewing Company is branching out to Virginia Beach. Co-founded by Carey Falcone, Bob Powers and Mitch Steele, the brewery features a tasting room offering more than 15 different types of beers on tap, a 44,000 square feet outdoor beer garden with fire pits, adult game areas and newly added patio bar, and a large private event space.

With a 50-barrel brewhouse spearheaded by brewmaster Mitch Steele and head brewer Evan Chamberlain, the opening tap list includes the popular Hoplandia and Hoptropolis American IPA brands, Euphonia Pilsner and Kikimora Imperial IPA. Patrons will also enjoy select brews from limited release, small-batch specialty beers seasonally. The facility can brew up to 40,000 barrels annually and is built to scale to even larger capacities in the future.

Local food trucks will be on site daily and bands are scheduled every Friday through Sunday. A full-service restaurant is slated to open in early 2019.

“We’re thrilled to open our doors in Virginia Beach,” said Carey Falcone, co-founder and CEO of New Realm Brewing Company. “The Hampton Roads region is known for a fun, active lifestyle, making it a great place to feature our exciting beers, one-of-a-kind restaurant and inviting event venue.”

With a distribution agreement recently inked with Hoffman Beverage, craft beer fans can now knock back pints at local craft-focused bars, restaurants and retailers in Southside Hampton Roads. Packaged beer will be introduced early in 2019.

“Everyone we worked with at the City of Virginia Beach has been extremely helpful to make this a successful venture for New Realm Brewing Company,” said Falcone. “We are investing heavily in our new Virginia Beach brewery and community by enhancing the quality lab, installing additional Krones Unitanks from Germany, as well as building an outdoor bar, a full kitchen and seating for more than 400 people. We anticipate hiring 105 people at current full capacity.”

The tasting room and beer garden are open Monday through Thursday from 4 to 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight; and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

New Realm Brewing is located at 1209 Craft Lane, Virginia Beach, Va. 23454. For a complete list of hours, information on private events and more, visit www.newrealmbrewing.com.

About New Realm Brewing Company
New Realm Brewing Company is an American craft brewery started in 2016 by co-founders Carey Falcone, Bob Powers and Mitch Steele in Atlanta, Ga. On a mission to rethink tradition and bend the rules, the team planted their first production facility in a 20,000-square-foot space on Atlanta’s east side Beltline trail, featuring a 25hl brewhouse, 3,000-square-foot restaurant, rooftop patio and beer garden. In August 2018, the second location opened its doors in Virginia Beach, Va. Renaissance man and brewing legend, Mitch Steele received the Russell Scherer Award for Innovation in Brewing in 2014 and co-authored the book IPA: Brewing Techniques, Recipes and the Evolution of India Pale Ale in 2012. New Realm Brewing’s core principles are quality, creativity, authenticity, and striving for perfection, all with a customer-centric commitment and approach. For more information, please visit www.newrealmbrewing.com.

National Beer Lover’s Day is observed annually on September 7th.

Beer and the process of brewing beer may predate known history. As varied as the methods, grains, and flavors, beer continues to change and evolve over time.

Virginia colonists brewed beer. William Penn included a place for brewing beer within the colony of Pennsylvania which can still be visited at Pennsbury Manor today. The first President of the United States recorded a recipe for brewing beer in his notes. Samuel Adams holds a place in both beer and tea history in this country. “Beer is proof God loves us and wants us to be happy” attributed to Benjamin Franklin. There were a few beer lovers and patriots among the nation’s founders.

The United States also derives its rich brewing history from beer-loving German immigrants during the mid-1800s. Some of those immigrants families’ names are as familiar today as they were a hundred years ago.

And by the end of 2018, there will be over 7,000 breweries in the United States.

SAN DIEGO — Alpine Beer Company’s most popular and exclusive IPA, Nelson is hitting shelves in 12 oz. six-pack bottles and on draft in eight states; Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nebraska, Nevada, Texas and Utah. To kick off this legendary release, Nelson will be on draft at the Alpine Beer Company Pub and Tasting Room beginning Sept. 7. Distribution of this highly anticipated release will be limited. Fans can find Nelson while it lasts on draft and in stores by searching on alpinebeerco.com/find-beer.

“Nelson is often imitated, but there’s nothing like the original. It’s Nelson or nothing,” said Shawn McIlhenney, Head Brewer at Alpine Beer Company. “Until now, we’ve only offered very limited releases of Nelson in our tasting room and around town, so I’m really excited that now even more people can enjoy one of my favorite IPAs.”

Described as “legendary” by its fans across the country, Nelson was originally released only on draft and limited 22 oz. bottles at Alpine Beer Company’s tasting room. Nelson (7.0 % AVB) is named after Nelson Sauvin, an outstanding hop varietal from New Zealand. Hops are introduced throughout the brewing and dry-hopping of this complex and well-balanced IPA. A hazy straw hued ale, Nelson is topped by bright white beer foam and offers a tropical hop aroma. The pine and fruity hop notes linger, but are well-balanced by the smooth, malty addition of European rye malts. Nelson’s fans describe the beer as a stunning and multifaceted yet mellow IPA.

The release of six-pack bottles, of one of the craft beer industry’s most highly sought-after IPAs will make Nelson more accessible; However due to the limited supply of New Zealand hops harvested each year, Nelson will not be available year-round.

About Alpine Beer Company
Alpine Beer Company is an award-winning craft brewery founded in 1999 with the creation of McIlhenney’s Irish Red Ale. Shawn McIlhenney leads brewing operations in the small town of Alpine, located in the hills at the eastern edge of San Diego County. The brewery includes a tasting room and outdoor beer garden. Just a few blocks away, Alpine beers are on tap at the Alpine Beer Company Pub and served alongside barbecue dishes. In 2014, Alpine Beer Company merged with San Diego’s Green Flash Brewing Company, increasing production and distribution of its ales. For more information, please visit www.alpinebeerco.com.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Cascade Brewing has announced a number of upcoming releases, beginning with Rose City Sour 2017 on Friday, Sept. 7.

Celebrating Portland’s reputation as the City of Roses, Rose City Sour 2017 is a blend of wheat and blond ales aged in oak wine barrels for up to 14 months with rose petals, rose hips and hibiscus flowers. Rose City Sour captures the delicate floral aromas of fresh roses matched with notes of dried cranberries, pomegranates and a hint of white pepper. This quenchable barrel aged sour beer comes in at eight percent ABV. A Tier One offering, Rose City Sour will be available in 500ml bottles and on draft through Cascade’s worldwide distribution network and at its two Portland-area pubs.

On Friday, Sept. 14, Fruitopian Noyaux will be made available for distribution. A limited, draft-only project. Fruitopian Noyaux is a blend of sour triple and wheat ales aged for up to two years in oak wine and bourbon barrels with tangerine peel, blackcap raspberries and apricot noyaux. This limited, draft-only project offers complex citrus and berry fruit notes with hints of bourbon and toasted almond, creating a utopia of flavors in every glass.

Finally, the brewery has announced news that its fans have been waiting years to hear. Cascade Brewing is bottling its award-winning Bourbonic Plague for the first time in more than seven years to celebrate its 20th anniversary later this year. Each bottle will be hand numbered and a very limited supply is being produced. Look for it in late 2018; it will only be available at the Lodge at Cascade Brewing and at the Cascade Barrel House in Portland.

About Cascade Brewing
Cascade Brewing has been a pioneer in the sour beer renaissance since 2006 and the proud innovator of the Northwest Sour Ale. Its distinctive sour beer blends feature fruit forward, barrel-aged ales with an emphasis on project year-to-year variation. These beers offer a complex array of flavors derived from the acid, the fruit and the residual flavors present in the barrels in which they age. The resulting beers offer a complex array of flavors and aromas derived from with each project year, capturing the unique subtleties of that year’s growing season. Cascade Brewing’s sour ales are brewed and blended in Portland, Oregon. For more information, visit CascadeBrewing.com and join the brewery on social media @CascadeBrewing, #CascadeBrewing and #HouseofSour. Cheers to the sours; enjoy in a profoundly wise manner.