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barrel aged

4 Hands Brewing Co. Announces 2024 Madagascar Series Release

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ST. LOUIS, Missouri— 4 Hands Brewing Company has announced that its 2024 Madagascar series of beers will be available for public sale beginning on February 10 at 10AM exclusively through an online pre-sale. Madagascar, their most highly coveted barrel-aged release, is an inky black, sticky imperial milk stout aged in freshly emptied bourbon barrels with whole Madagascar vanilla beans.

In discussing the origin and tradition of Madagascar, Kevin Lemp, 4 Hands Brewing Co. Founder, said, “Brewed annually since 2014, the original Madagascar release was a small batch, single barrel collaboration with Schnucks Markets Des Peres to celebrate their 75th anniversary. The process that we used in 2014 for that release is still used today. We source the very best vanilla in the world and hand cut every bean to maximize the intense flavor imparted by the Madagascar vanilla.”

4 Hands will also offer six variants of the Madagascar release for purchase, including two Double Barrel series releases, Madagascar Double Barrel Yellowstone Whiskey and Madagascar Double Barrel Rebel Whiskey. Additional Madagascar variants that will be available during the online sale include Orange & Chocolate, Raspberry Truffle, Withered Oak Caribbean Port & Rum, and Withered Oak Amburana.

For the first time in several years, there will be a Madagascar release party at the 4 Hands Brewery & Tasting Room, the brewery’s original location at 1220 S. 8th Street in LaSalle Park, starting at 10am on Saturday, February 17. During this release party, stout fans can pick up their orders, enjoy draft pours of Madagascar and all variants and take in some live music.

Madagascar – imperial milk stout aged in bourbon barrels with whole Madagascar vanilla beans – 9.3% ABV – 16oz can
Madagascar Orange & Chocolate – imperial milk stout aged in bourbon barrels with
Madagascar vanilla beans, sweet orange and cacao nibs – 9.3% ABV – 16oz can
Madagascar Raspberry Truffle – imperial milk stout aged in bourbon barrels with Madagascar vanilla beans and loads of raspberries – 9.3% ABV – 16oz can
Madagascar Withered Oak Caribbean Rum + Port – imperial milk stout with Madagascar
vanilla beans aged in ruby port and 15 year Caribbean rum barrels used to age
Withered Oak – 9.3% ABV – 16oz can
Madagascar Withered Oak Amburana – imperial milk stout aged in Withered Oak
Amburana barrels with Madagascar vanilla beans – 9.3% ABV – 16oz can

Madagascar Double Barrel Yellowstone Whiskey – imperial milk stout aged in bourbon barrels with Madagascar vanilla beans followed by secondary aging in a Yellowstone Whiskey barrel – 9.5% ABV – 22oz bottle

About 4 Hands Brewing Company

4 Hands Brewing Company was founded in 2011 in the LaSalle Park neighborhood near downtown St. Louis, Missouri, and brews a wide range of year-round offerings along with a vast variety of seasonal and limited release beers. The 4 Hands tasting room is open seven days a week and offers visitors the chance to enjoy beers straight from the source as well as a selection of house-made hard seltzers, 1220 Spirits cocktails and
Withered Oak whiskeys.

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Introducing East Brother Beer Co.’s Holiday Series

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RICHMOND, California – As the holiday season approaches, East Brother is excited to announce a special addition to the festive cheer: our limited-edition Barrel-Aged Series. This series introduces two meticulously crafted barrel-aged beers – the Russian Imperial Stout and the Belgian Tripel. The Barrel-Aged Series is our ode to the brewers of yesteryear, a nod to the artisans who believed that time and patience were ingredients just as crucial as malt and yeast. Each has been aged for an entire year in carefully selected bourbon barrels, embodying a commitment to quality and tradition.

This release is not just about introducing two exceptional beers; it’s about embracing the spirit of the holidays. This is a time that people seek out unique, memorable experiences and gifts. Our Barrel-Aged Series offers just that – a rare and thoughtful present for beer lovers and a delightful addition to holiday gatherings. In a year where many are seeking comfort in the familiar, we’re bringing a touch of the extraordinary to the table.

About the Barrel-Aged Beers:

Barrel-Aged Russian Imperial Stout (11.7% ABV): Bold and dark, this stout weaves together flavors of dark cacao, coffee, toasted oak and bourbon. It’s a complex narrative in a glass, perfect for savoring during those long winter nights.

Barrel-Aged Belgian Tripel (10.3% ABV): This beer combines the timeless Belgian yeast character with notes of vanilla, oak and sweet cacao, enriched by the bourbon barrel’s embrace. It’s a smooth sipper, ideal for toasting the year’s end, and celebrating new beginnings ahead.

Each Holiday Gift Box, priced at $45, is a curated experience of our Barrel-Aged Series. You can choose between a box featuring two 16oz cans of the Barrel-Aged Russian Imperial Stout, or the Barrel-Aged Belgian Tripel, accompanied by a seasonal-themed commemorative glass. These boxes make the perfect holiday gift, offering a taste of our year-long journey in brewing, wrapped up in a package ideal for sharing with friends, family, or savoring yourself.

Don’t miss out! Visit East Brother Beer Co at eastbrotherbeer.com/drinkbarrelaged to secure your share. Available for pickup starting December 15th. Join us in toasting the holidays with a glass of something extraordinary. Here’s to good beer, good company, and the enduring spirit of craftsmanship.

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2023 Festival of Wood & Barrel-Aged Beer Winners Announced

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CHICAGO, Illinois: The Festival of Wood & Barrel-Aged Beer (FoBAB) is North America’s largest and most distinguished barrel-aged beer festival and competition. Hosted by the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild, FoBAB features samples from hundreds of craft breweries and a fierce competition for hardware and bragging rights. FoBAB hosted its 20th annual festival and competition on November 3rd -4th and had hundreds of breweries participate in 12 categories. Below are the winners of the 2023 Festival of Wood & Barrel-Aged Beer.

Cider/Perry/Mead
Gold: Final Act – Garagiste Meadery
Silver: Rye Barrel Aged Marion – Superstition Meadery
Bronze: Wealthy Financier – Listermann Fermatorium

Wild Beer Mixed Culture/Acidic W/Fruit
Gold: Peach Horizon – 10 Barrel West Side
Silver: Routes Du Cidre – Idyll Forest Artisan Ales
Bronze: Soiree – Idyll Forest Artisan Ales

Wild Beer Mixed Culture/Acidic
Gold: Oblivion – Wicked Weed Brewing
Silver: Cuvee De Josh – Pretentious Barrel House
Bronze: Polyflora – Brewery Bhavana

Wild Brett Beer
Gold: Oaked Val D’Or – Hidden Hand Brewery
Silver: Palace of Gold – Full Mile Beer Co. & Kitchen
Bronze: Oak Rado – Penrose Brewing Company

Specialty & Experimental Beer
Gold: Mezcal Barrel Aged Beer For Tacos – Off Color Brewing – Production
Silver: Astral Predator – Cerebral Brewing – Congress Park
Bronze: All That Was Promised – Magnanimous Brewing

Fruit Beer
Gold: Icky Bob Thornton – Haymarket Pub and Brewery
Silver: Tako Michu – 10 Barrel West Side
Bronze: Polynesian Passion – Sun King Brewery-Fishers

Other Dark Beer
Gold: Bravissimo – Firestone Walker Propagator
Silver: Orin – Half Acre
Bronze Skateboard Jesus – 10 Barrel East Side

Lagers
Gold: Dark Crator – Boulevard Brewing Company
Silver: Brewers’ Reserve Bourbon Barrel-Aged Honey Bock – Lakefront Brewery
Bronze: Barrel-Aged Generator Doppelbock – Metropolitan Brewing

Other Pale Beer
Gold: Tripel G – Belgian Style Tripel – Sketchbook Brewing Co. Skokie
Silver: Boost – HighGrain Brewing Company
Bronze: Muon – Loose Ends Brewing

Barley Wine/Wheat Wine
Gold: Moments of Silent Banter – Taproom Beer Co.
Silver: Owl of Athena – Solemn Oath Brewery
Bronze: Two Faced Terror – False Idol Brewing

Specialty Strong Porter & Stout
Gold: BBA Ego Death W Vanilla – Resident Culture Brewing
Silver: Veneration of the Dead – Ever Grain Brewing
Bronze: BA Cuppa Stuffff – Maplewood Brewery & Distillery

Strong Porter & Stout
Gold: Mehndi 2023 – More Brewing Company
Silver: Slappa Da Base – Mikerphone Brewing
Bronze: Double BA Temple of Minerva – Jackie O’s Brewery

Best of Show
Runner Up: Mehndi 2023 – More Brewing Company
Winner: Oaked Val D’Or – Hidden Hand Brewery

For more information on the 2023 Festival of Wood & Barrel-Aged Beer, Click Here.

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Dragon’s Milk Announces Packaging Refresh, New Beers, RTS Cocktail

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HOLLAND, Michigan – Dragon’s Milk announced a full flight of upgrades to its bourbon barrel-based brand family of beer and high-proof bourbon, including new packaging and new products.

First, fans of the #1 selling American-made stout will notice a completely new look on the shelves. The signature black-and-white packaging, along with the iconic dragon, have evolved to better showcase the attributes that consumers have come to expect from the Dragon’s Milk brand family; namely: bourbon barrel-aging and potent ABV in a 4-pack bottle format.

“We’re committed to providing a premium beer experience to our fans, and our new packaging more accurately reflects that goal. The new 4-pack carriers maximize visibility and readability on shelf, and create a beautiful billboard of brands when placed side-by-side. Increasing the height of the carriers is also better for the beer, protecting it from harmful light exposure. The dragon has never looked better and is truly ready to fly!” said Dominic Bergquist, Brand Manager for the Dragon’s Milk portfolio.

Coinciding with the launch of new packaging is the release of two new beers into the Dragon’s Milk brand family: Crimson Keep and Tales of Gold. Crimson Keep is a Bourbon Barrel-Aged Red Ale, and Tales of Gold is a Bourbon Barrel-Aged Golden Ale with Milk Sugar. Both brews tout superior drinkability at a potent 11% ABV, in-line with the signature stout. These new brands expand the Dragon’s Milk family into familiar style groups ripe for innovation. Both beers will see distribution across the brand’s footprint beginning in March.

Rounding out beer updates is the annual release of the highly touted Dragon’s Milk Triple Mash. Aged for one year in bourbon barrels, Triple Mash clocks in at 17% ABV. Also featuring exciting new packaging, this beer will release in New Holland Brewing Co.’s Holland and Grand Rapids, MI brewpubs on Saturday March 18, and will receive limited distribution in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin shortly after.

Finally, the Dragon’s Milk bourbon portfolio continues to grow. Following on the success of the first stouted-bourbon, Beer Barrel Bourbon, Dragon’s Milk Ready-to-Serve Old Fashioned cocktail will premiere in a 375ml bottle. The Old Fashioned is made with Beer Barrel Bourbon, house-made bitters, orange peel oil, and their signature Simple Syrup which is crafted by reducing down the flagship Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout into a syrup and adding sugar. The syrup adds an incredibly unique and delicious savory and sweet quality to the cocktail. The Old Fashioned will be available in late April and will be sold throughout Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Kentucky in Meijer stores and local retailers.

About Dragon’s Milk

Throughout the ages, Dragon’s Milk has been a term used to describe potent ales and elixirs worthy of a celebration, a reward at the end of the journey. New Holland Brewing Co. is proud to continue that tradition today with the Dragon’s Milk family of brands. What began as a single barrel of beer in 2001 has now become a full portfolio of legendary beverages, led by Dragon’s Milk Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout, the #1 selling American-made stout.

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