Archives for July 2019

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. – Brewery Ommegang is pleased to announce the release of Saisonztraminer, a brand new offering from their Co-Fermentation Project. Blurring the line between brewing and winemaking, Brewery Ommegang’s Co-Fermentation Project explores the interaction of grapes and grain, aspiring to achieve a blend that surpasses the sum of its parts.

“Each release co-ferments a blend of traditionally brewed wort and the juice of wine grapes, with fermentation often followed by a period of aging in oak wine barrels,” explains Brewmaster Phil Leinhart. “Our hope is to surprise even the most discerning palates, expanding expectations of what beer can be.”

Saisonztraminer begins as a delicate farmhouse saison. After the brew house, the wort is blended with gewürztraminer grape juice and then co-fermented using the brewery’s Belgian house yeast. The result is a beer with all the peppery phenols and lively effervescence of a traditional saison, but with flavors of rose petals, lychee fruit and honeysuckle, and vinous minerality that would be impossible to achieve without co-fermentation.

Saisonztraminer is 6.7% ABV, brewed with two-row malt, white wheat, and Vienna malts, and hopped with Bravo and Citra varietals. It pours golden copper with a brilliant white head. The aroma opens with lychee and pear, resolving to sweet honey and black pepper. The gewürztraminer is present immediately, lending a unique wine-like character to the beer, which has a crisp, dry finish. This beer shines alongside cheeses like mozzarella or ricotta, subtle dishes like seared scallops or poached salmon, and fresh desserts like macerated berries with whipped cream.

Available on draft and in 12-ounce four-packs, Saisonztraminer will be available at the brewery in Cooperstown beginning on Friday, July 12. It ships nationwide later this month to the brewery’s distribution network in the following states: AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, IL, KY, MA, MD, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WV, and Washington, DC.

About Brewery Ommegang
Founded in 1997 on the site of an old hop farm near Cooperstown, NY, Brewery Ommegang brews imaginative beers in a wide variety of styles, with particular emphasis on Belgian brewing traditions. For more information, visit ommegang.com, or follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/Ommegang, on Twitter at @BreweryOmmegang, and on Instagram at @BreweryOmmegang.

BEND, Oregon — Exuberance Summer Sour is the fourth release from Worthy Brewing as a small-batch series called “Hopstar.” This exciting Gose-style brew features local Oregon berries and a collaboration with Pacific Northwest culinary titans, Jacobsen Salt Co.

Anyone who’s experienced the vigor of sipping a tangy margarita with a salted-rim understands how salt enhances fruity flavor. But if you’ve ever dabbled in cooking, you know that not all salts are created equal. The Exuberance Summer Sour uses Jacobsen’s Pinot Noir Salt infused with real Pinot Noir grapes which perfectly compliments the 13 lbs per barrel of locally grown blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries.

It pours a magenta hue with a bright effervescence. Vivid aromas of raspberry and blueberry greet the nose. Tart, refreshing flavors of freshly-picked berries wash away with a soft tannin finish. Imagine a berry lemonade made for the adult palate.

Exuberance Summer Sour will be available on draft and in 12 oz. 6-packs at the Worthy Brewing Pub in Bend, Oregon as well as at retailers throughout Oregon and Washington.

MONTEBELLO, Calif. – Angry Horse Brewing is proud to announce their partnership with Garvey Wholesale for can product distribution. This partnership will put Garvey at the helm of servicing onsite and offsite retailers in the Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Bernardino County territories.

“I am very excited to bring on Angry Horse Brewing in the GWS portfolio. It is always fun to promote local brands, especially one as close to us as Angry Horse. We are very excited for the partnership and look forward to helping to grow this great brand,” said Nick Capriccio, VP of Garvey Wholesale.

Formerly self-distributing, Angry Horse Brewing is looking forward to its ability to better serve the Greater Los Angeles Area through this partnership. For all case related questions or to place an order, please contact Garvey Wholesale. 

Angry Horse Brewing will continue self-distributing kegs to onsite retail accounts in the region. For all sales related questions or to place an order, please contact Angry Horse Brewing directly.

About Angry Horse Brewing
Angry Horse Brewing opened its taproom in March of 2017 and is based out of Montebello, CA in Los Angeles County. Angry Horse prides itself on their classic, yet distinct flavors; embracing the old world of beer, through the lens of a new world approach. They strive to be a benefit corporation and purveyors of their community by embracing it and revitalizing it, through one independent craft beer at a time. To learn more about Angry Horse Brewing visit angryhorsebrewing.com

WARWICKSHIRE, England — Warwickshire brewery, Purity Brewing Company, is celebrating a unique partnership of true collaboration with Prancing Pony Brewery from South Australia.

This partnership has been the culmination of two successful collaboration brews between the two brewers with brewing the multi award winning Hopwork Orange at Purity for the UK market. After overwhelming positive feedback both brewers are delighted to be entering a strategic partnership that will see Purity brew Prancing Pony beers under license on a regular occurrence and starting soon Prancing Pony will be reciprocating the arrangement; with Purity’s CEO & Co-Founder Paul Halsey and Flo Vialan heading down under to brew a Purity beer for the Australian Market.

Speaking of the partnership Corinna Steeb CEO of Prancing Pony said, “Purity was like the big brother that lived overseas for the Pony. We could identify with every aspect of their business all the way down to their involvement with the local community, their dedication to the arts and local music, to the sustainable approach that underpins everything they do.”

On how the partnership came about, Purity’s CEO and co-founder Paul Halsey discussed: “Ever since the International Beer Challenge awards where Prancing Pony won supreme champion beer for their India Red Ale, Flo and I wanted to learn more about the brewery. Trying their beers and reaching out to Corinna & Frank we knew we had found people who were passionate about great beer with real character as much as ourselves. Inviting them over to brew a collaboration brew seemed an obvious winner.”

Now with a more formal agreement in place that will see both breweries brewing ‘Under License’ for each other and will see Prancing Pony distribute a range of Purity’s draught and packaged beers across Australia, it means both markets will be able to enjoy our award winning beers.

Both head brewers are thoroughly excited at the prospect of working closer together and as both breweries use brew houses made by German manufacturer BrauKon. Frank Samson, head brewer and co-founder said, “It’s great to be teaming up with Purity and that our beer will be hitting the shelves super fresh. Not using ships or containers will reduce the potential for spoilage and help maintain both brewers sustainable ethos.”

Flo Vialan, Purity’s director of brewing said “I’m so proud and excited to be working closer with Frank and the whole team at Prancing Pony, brewing is all about sharing ideas and passions and the beers we’ve brewed so far have been so well received I can’t wait for the next one.”

With a summer of cricket in the UK ahead Purity has already mashed in the next brew of Hopwork Orange and we can’t wait to raise a glass to toast England’s success in this year’s Ashes – Sorry Aussies!

For more about Purity Brewing Company, visit puritybrewing.com and for more information on Prancing Pony visit – prancingponybrewery.com.au.

Norwood, MASS.– Castle Island can add two more medals to its growing collection of awards. The company’s White Ale and Maple Sweet Brown both won silver medals at the 2019 US Beer Open, which announced results just this morning.

“We couldn’t be prouder to medal again at the US Beer Open this year,” said company Founder, Adam Romanow. “Our team is out there crushing it every day, and moments like these give us great reason to celebrate.”

White Ale picked up a silver medal in the Belgian Witbier category in this year’s competition. Castle Island released its White Ale only three months ago, and Romanow attributes much of the beer’s early success to the quality of the liquid.

Castle Island’s Maple Barrel Aged Sweet Brown and White Ale both took home silver medals at the 2019 US Beer Open.
“Unlike most other white ales and witbiers, we brew our White Ale with the whole orange instead of just the peel, and the end result is pretty citrus-forward while still being super smooth,” he added.

Castle Island’s White Ale is distributed year-round in both cans and kegs, with four-packs of 16-ounce cans priced around $10.99 at most retail stores.

The award-winning White Ale can be found in cans and on draft across Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
The brewery’s Maple Sweet Brown is a brown ale brewed with sweet potatoes, then aged in maple syrup barrels that held bourbon in a previous life. Maple Sweet Brown saw extremely limited production and was only available at the brewery in 22-ounce bottles. Castle Island stored several cases in their cellar and plans to bring out three of those cases for a taproom-only sale to the public this Friday. The bottles are priced at $16 per bottle with a limit of two per person.

“Sweet Brown is an annual tradition for us,” said Castle Island Head Brewer, Matt DeLuca. “Last year we amped it up by aging some in maple barrels, and what came out of the barrels was out of this world. Think pancakes and syrup, yet remarkably drinkable.”

Maple Sweet Brown picked up a silver medal in the Barrel Aged Dark Beer category this year.

Maple Barrel Aged Sweet Brown returns in very limited quantities this Friday at Castle Island’s Norwood taproom.
Located off Route 1, at 31 Astor Ave. in Norwood, Mass., Castle Island’s taproom and retail shop are open to the public 7 days a week. Castle Island also hosts a seasonal pop-up beer garden at Constitution Wharf in Charlestown, Mass. Hours for both locations, as well as additional information about the brewery and a list of retail locations can be found on the company’s website (castleislandbeer.com). Email contact@castleislandbeer.com or call 781.951.2029 with any other questions.

Castle Island is an award-winning brewery dedicated to the idea that we should all be excellent to each other. With a deep portfolio of ales and lagers, we make offerings that are both amazing and approachable. Whether you find yourself discovering Castle Island for the first time or have returned for another round, you can expect a stellar experience from the very first to the very last sip. You can find our beer throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island in cans and on draft, as well as at our Norwood brewery and taproom.

ITHACA, NY – Ithaca Beer Company is extremely pleased to announce its first wholesale release of a Flower Power variant: Flower Power with Galaxy Hops. Ithaca Beer has brewed a number of small-batch Flower Power variants in its Ithaca Taproom and is now sharing these special batches with the rest of the world. These variants have included numerous dry hopped cask conditioned releases as well as additions like blood orange, grapefruit and Ithaca Taproom Farm grown habenaro peppers.

Ithaca Beer is brewing this special limited variation of its celebrated flagship Flower Power IPA with an addition of Australian Galaxy hops to introduce an intense passion fruit and citrus character. Already well known for its punchy pineapple, citrus, floral flavor and aromas, as well as clover honey sweetness, this variation of Flower Power is complimented and accentuated by the Galaxy hop’s unique qualities. Galaxy hops are limited in availability here in the United States as they are grown in the Australian state of Tasmania and are sought to impart passion fruit, citrus zest, peach and stone fruit flavors.

Ithaca Beer will release several more limited small batch Flower Power variants going into 2020. A few releases on the drawing board include Flower Power with Mosaic Hops, Flower Power with Guava and Flower Power with Mango. The limited single Flower Power variants will be available in 16 oz. 4-pack cans and draft.

Flower Power with Galaxy Hops

• HOPS: Simcoe, Centennial, Cascade, Ahtanum
• DRY HOPS: Chinook, Simcoe, Amarillo
• SPECIAL HOPS: Australian Galaxy in the whirlpool, plus 2 dry hop additions
• MALTS: 2-Row Pale, Honey
• ABV: 7.2%.

About:
The Spirit of the Finger Lakes, Ithaca Beer Co. was founded in 1998 by Dan Mitchell who continues to independently own and operate the company. Located in Ithaca, NY, the brewery features a 50-barrel brewhouse with a 5-barrel pilot system that produces numerous small batches for its Taproom as well as for special wholesale occasions. Ithaca Beer currently brews over 20,000 barrels of beer annually and distributes to 56 wholesalers in 16 states including New York, Pennsylvania, all of New England, as far west as Ohio and as far south as North Carolina and Florida.

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. — Alter Brewing Company is thrilled to announce the 2019 release of Day Sipper, their summer seasonal lager, both on draft and in 6-pack cans. Inspired by the classic German style, this pilsner is a crisp, clean and a very refreshing option for the hot summer months.

“In a world dominated by hoppy beers, ours included, we love to circle back to those tried and true classic styles and the beauty of their approachability,” said co-founder Mark Hedrick.

This year sees a broader release of Day Sipper, as their distribution partner Lakeshore Beverage will be extending its coverage to the city of Chicago and much more of the metropolitan area. Get it right now in the taproom, and look for draft and cans to be available throughout Chicago and the western suburbs beginning the first week of July.

About Alter Brewing Company
Alter Brewing Company opened in December 2015 in Downers Grove, IL, just west of Chicago. They are passionate beer lovers dedicated to producing beer of the highest quality while pushing the boundaries of traditional styles. They seek to leverage their passion and craft into serving and improving the local community and beyond. The Alter space features a state of the art brew house and a beautiful modern-industrial taproom that is open 7 days a week. For more information visit them online: alterbrewing.com.

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. — The founders of Foreign Objects Beer Company have launched a new brewing company, Discord Beer Company, to focus exclusively on Sour IPAs and the coalescence of sour, hoppy, and sweet flavors.

While juicy IPAs and tart, sour ales have emerged as two of the most popular beer styles in the country over the past few years, Discord Beer Co. is not a response to these market trends. Rather, the inspiration for the company occurred way back in 2013-2014, when two of Discord’s founders were brewing at Urban Family Brewing, a company they co-founded in Seattle, Washington. They were experimenting with IPA yeast, kettle souring, and dry hopping, eventually releasing a dry hopped sour IPA and becoming one of the few breweries at the forefront of the first wave of sour hopped ales.

“When we brewed our first dry-hopped sour back in the day, no one gave a shit,” said Discord Beer Co. co-founder Tim Czarnetzki. “Everyone was brewing, shipping, and trading farmhouse. IPAs, for the most part, were still bitter bombs at the time. We were trying to brew juicy IPAs and mixed fermentation beers, which wasn’t that common at the time, so we thought it would be interesting to try combining the two styes.”

The history of those kettle soured IPAs eventually led to the founding of Discord Beer Co., giving Czarnetzki and co-founders Steve D’eva and Sean Bowman the opportunity to invest more time and focus into the flavors that emerge when combining the sour, hoppy, and sweet components of beer.

“For us, Discord is really a throwback to the past,” said D’eva. “There’s a William Faulkner quote: ‘The past is never dead. It’s not even past.’ That’s so true for us. We had no idea when we were blending the characteristics of farmhouse ales and IPAs years ago that we were creating flavors that would later become so mainstream.”

Discord Beer Co. launched with two beers:

IOU Nothing
A singularly unique Fruited Sour IPA with sumptuous berry and citrus aromas, IOU Nothing pours an intense ruby red color. The 7.0% ABV beer is gently carbonated with just the right amount of hoppy goodness to balance it, and contains notes of vibrant ripe raspberries, tropical fruits, chinotto oranges, and fresh lemon zest.

Unsatisfied
Discord’s interpretation of a Double Dry Hopped Sour IPA, Unsatisfied is a passionate proclamation of the company’s propensity to produce perfectly proportional products. It pours a beautiful hazy golden orange color, with distinctive passionfruit, starfruit, and mango aromas, and just a hint of grapefruit on the tail end. The 7.0% ABV beer contains notes of Seville Orange, Cape gooseberries, and passionfruit, with a touch of herbal spice, and an effervescent mouthfeel.

“At the core of what we do is a desire to have fun and remember exactly what we do for a living,” said Bowman. “As we worked to perfect IOU Nothing and Unsatisfied, a saying emerged among the three of us: ‘This beer is not meant to be saved for a rainy day.’ The sour, hoppy, sweet flavors of Sour IPAs are great for summer, so our target became creating the perfect summer beers. We think we’ve done that.”

IOU Nothing and Unsatisfied are now available in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

About Discord Beer Co.
We operate at the coalescence of sour, hoppy, and sweet to produce Sour IPAs. This beer is not meant to be saved for a rainy day. We are Discord.

BOULDER, Colo .– Boulder Beer Company, Colorado’s First Craft Brewery, will celebrate its milestone 40th Anniversary on Saturday, July 20 at their brewery on Wilderness Place in Boulder.

To commemorate and celebrate their history of innovation, the brewers at Boulder Beer Company have concocted a slew of experimental pilot brews to tap in the Rare Beer Garden which will be flowing from Noon to 6 p.m. Offerings include a wide variety of beer styles including a Pecan Nut Brown, a Key Lime Gose and a Honey Blossom Wheat to name a few, plus two hard seltzers and two beer slushies.  Guests can enjoy live music during that time from Timber at Noon and the Matt Flaherty Band at 3 p.m., followed by festive outdoor karaoke after 6 p.m.

The event is open to the public (no entry fee) but tasting ticket packages with a commemorative glass can be purchased to imbibe in the Rare Beer Garden. The brewery is also selling a very limited number of tickets to a Killer Penguin Barleywine Vertical Tasting with Brewmaster Rob Black happening at 3pm in the brewhouse. The tasting will include six different vintages of Killer Penguin, and ticket holders will have exclusive access to buying bottles of these vintages after the tasting.  Tickets for the vertical can be found here boulderbeer.com/shop/killer-penguin-vertical-tasting.

For those wanting to kick off the day with a burst of energy, join Rocky Mountain Brew Runs prior to the main event to earn your beer in a social fun run along the beautiful Boulder Creek Path.  The Brew Run starts and finishes at Boulder Beer Company that morning and invites runners, walkers, pups and stroller pushers to join in the fun and then stick around for the celebration. More information and registration can be found here: rockymountainbrewruns.com/boulderbeer.

The Pub kitchen will be open serving lunch and dinner. Murray’s Cheese and On Tap Kitchen Pretzels will also be on site handing out samples of their tasty treats.

About Boulder Beer Company
In 1979, two University of Colorado astrophysics professors – David Hummer and Stick Ware — decided to take their homebrewing skills to the next level and established Boulder Beer Company on a goat farm north of town.  Their original offerings brewed and packaged at “The Goatshed” included a Bitter, a Porter and a Stout, followed up with an Extra Pale Ale shortly thereafter.  In 1984 they built the current brewery on Wilderness Place as one of the first inhabitants of the circle, and the brewery has been at that location ever since. 1990 saw an ownership change, with the new leader at the helm being Gina Day. She and her team revamped the recipes and the branding and released a new line of seasonal beers. For a period of ten years the brewery renamed itself Rockies Brewing Company to reflect a more regional appeal, but went back to their roots as Boulder Beer when they celebrated their 25th Anniversary in 2004.

Over the years the flagship beers and branding have changed and evolved as people’s palates have changed.  The brewery recently launched a full packaging refresh last summer to update their look and released several new packaged beers over the last year, including Due East New England-Style IPA, Spaceman Double IPA, Gender Fluid Lager and Perilous Prickly Pear Wheat.  Their current best-selling beer is the award winning Shake Chocolate Porter.  Boulder Beer’s Brewery & Pub at 2880 Wilderness Place in Boulder, CO, serves up a full menu and bar, with Boulder’s best patio offering amazing views of the Flatirons. Free public brewery tours are offered daily at 2 p.m., with an additional tour at 4 p.m. on Saturdays. For more information on Boulder Beer Company, be sure to follow @BoulderBeerCo on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  40th Anniversary event details can also be found at boulderbeer.com/pub-events/40th-anniversary-celebration.