(Boulder, CO) – Somehow, I never posted this after seeing it in the December newsletter but someone from Avery Brewing just sent over a helpful reminder. Here are details on the release of Avery Muscat d’ Amour Barrel-Aged Wild Ale and Avery Récolte Sauvage Barrel-Aged Wild Ale.

—

Please join us on this most loving union of #10 and #11 of our Barrel-Aged Series. In commemoration of the most romantic day of the year, we are releasing a partnership of two barrel-aged lovers at the very same time on the Saturday before Valentine’s Day. On one hand, we have an ale guided by the nuances of Muscat Blanc grapes and aged in Chardonnay barrels; on the other, Cabernet Sauvignon grapes bled into ale that was aged in Cabernet Sauvignon barrels. One white, one red, both held for 14 months in their barrels, and both given life by wild yeasts. Truly expressions of our experimental nature and passion for brewing, these beers will bring love to the table they grace.

The only way to guarantee a snaring of these rapturous brews is to visit us on February 11th at the Avery Tap Room in Boulder, CO. Bottles will go on sale at 4pm for $8 each, and purchases will be limited to 6 bottles of each. Quantities will be extremely limited so we cannot guarantee that any bottles will escape the state.

(Escondido, CA) – Stone Brewing has received label approval for its next Quingenti Millilitre Series release.

Stone reported on its blog earlier this month that it will be doing something interesting with its next releases:

2010 Old Guardian Barley Wine Aged in Bourbon Barrels
2010 Old Guardian BELGO Barley Wine Aged in Bourbon Barrels
2010 Old Guardian BELGO Barley Wine Aged in Wine Barrels

With the first beer in the series sold by lottery, Stone is turning its attention to its book, The Craft of Stone Brewing Co.—Liquid Lore, Epic Recipes, and Unabashed Arrogance by Greg Koch and Steve Wagner with Randy Clemens.

If you buy the book on Warwick’s online shop through September 9th, you will have the opportunity to buy one of the beers listed above.

More details are over on the blog on how it all works.

Although these beers aren’t bottled yet, we’re expecting there to be about 4,776 of the 2010 Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine Aged in Bourbon Barrels, and 550 of the two Belgo renditions. We’ll have a similar deal going at the Great American Beer Festival, where the actual book itself will be officially released (Greg & Randy will be there in person to sign your copy and compliment you on your choice of reading material).

We will also have a book release event at the Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens on September 27th with the same parameters, with Greg, Steve, & Randy on hand to sign books.

New beer labels, part uno….

UPDATE: Word out of GI is that cherry barrels will still be a project for a while so don’t expect bottles of this (for the time being at least – unsure about future).

Goose Island Bramble Rye Bourbon County Brand Stout: Stout aged in rye whiskey barrels with raspberries and blackberries. A keg label approval also came in for Cherry barrels as well though that has already been released at one point per RateBeer. Though the RateBeer one has cacao nibs and this other version doesn’t. It is difficult to tell whether the brewery is just getting label approval as a technicality or if they are actually going to release more of it. Email sent out to brewery…

UPDATE: From an Eater interview with then-Brewmaster, Greg Hall, back when the brewery was sold, “We have another Bourbon County Stout variation: Bramble Rye. It’s made with blackberies and aged in rye barrels; I think they’re from Heaven Hill. And we have a barrel-aged barley wine calling King Henry. My daughter Sofie got her beer when she turned 10 and my son Henry gets his beer when he turns 10 in May. We’ll have the beer toward the end of the year, so it’ll be more of a Christmas present for him.”

Others…

Red Brick Smoked Vanilla Gorilla: aged in oak barrels with vanilla beans
Weyerbacher Sierra
Cutters Empire Imperial Stout
Cutters Monon Wheat
Blue Hills Dunkelweizen
The Hideout Purple Gang American Pilsner
Prism ChemoSabe
City Steam Blonde on Blonde
Pennsylvania Harvest Rye PA
Little Mountain Santa’s Sleigh
Little Mountain Rampant Lion
Little Mountain No. 6

(Tampa, FL) – Cigar City Brewing announced details for the Barrel Aged Hunahpu‘s release

Per the brewery blog…

Saturday, September 24th we are selling three different bottled barrel-aged variations of Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout, only at the brewery.

The tasting room will open at 11am as always, but the sales for the bottles will start at 1:00PM.

(Grand Rapids, MI) – Sometimes you just have to give the people what they want…

UPDATE: “The 750 is ridiculously allocated; out of 15 states there will be 1,000 cases,” says President Mike Stevens – from Craft Business Daily via Evan Benn of Stl Post Dispatch

UPDATE 2: Release on October 1st

Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout. Mmmm….maple syrup.

Currently ranked the fourth best beer in the world on Beer Advocate and 15th in the world on RateBeer.

It has been rumored for weeks, even months, that this would eventually be bottled, and proof has finally arrived.

Also known as CBS, this version of the beer is aged in bourbon barrels though other past versions have also been aged in whiskey barrels.

This will be released in 750s, presumably as part of the Backstage Series. From a press release back in May…

The company is not revealing the entire lineup, but Engbers said it would consist of many of the “popular one-offs” that have been offered in the taproom over the years and have become favorites. “I think part of what people love about Founders, besides our beer, is that we listen to what they are saying,” says President Mike Stevens. “With our new line, now we can offer them more of what they’ve been asking for.”

The company expects to release two or three in the series this year.

If that holds true, we can expect to see this in 2011. UPDATE: The Beer is Good Blog reported in late July, “I confirmed with Founders Brewing Co that they will be announcing the next in the series in September.”

For reference, the Blushing Monk release (the first Backstage Series beer) was announced just a few days before. Bottles were limited to two per person and cost $15 each. Bottles were first come, first serve. Bottles were also distributed on a limited basis.

The CBS release may not necessarily follow suit but it gives us some indication as to what we might expect.

(Press Release)

(Downingtown, PA) – A batch of Victory Brewing Company’s signature Storm King Stout is waiting in oak bourbon barrels, slowly aging and picking up flavors of bourbon, vanilla, oak and spices. Those aromas and tastes transform Storm King Stout into something so dark and intriguing, that’s what we named it – Dark Intrigue.

Dark Intrigue will continue to age in barrels from Jim Beam and Heaven Hill Distilleries until October, when the contents of 150 bourbon barrels will be blended together, packaged in 750 mL corked bottles and left to condition in the bottle until November. It will be released to the public on Wednesday, Nov. 23, a day we are calling Dark Wednesday.

“Having never delved into a bourbon barrel aged offering before, we were tentative with our beloved Storm King in terms of how much of it we subjected to the treatment,” Victory Brewing Company President and Co-Owner Bill Covaleski said. “Our audience clearly approved of this delicious creation last year so we have lots more in production now.”

Cases of Dark Intrigue sold out at our retail location in Downingtown last year in just 43 minutes. This year we expect to have 3000 cases for sale, which will be available at our retail shop and in limited quantities at distributors in the region.

Dark Intrigue is made up of a variety of malts, along with American centennial, cascade and Amarillo hops. It is 9.2% alcohol by volume.

(Portland, OR) – Hair of the Dog Brewing‘s “Top Dog,” Alan Sprints, joined The Brewing Network last Sunday.

BLEND UPDATE: Per Deschutes Brewery’s Twitter feed, “Today we are determining the blend of Conflux No.1, a collage of Fred, Adam, The Dissident & The Stoic.”

Here is what Sprints teased about the Deschutes collaboration project, Conflux No. 01. Keep in mind that this project was first announced in late April, 2010…

I’m doing a project with Deschutes Brewing where we have some Cognac barrels and Sherry casks. It’s amazing how much nicer those beers taste than the ones in bourbon barrels.

Yeah, I think so. I’m actually heading to Deschutes in a couple weeks to do a blending/tasting of barrels. I don’t know if we will get a final blend at this tasting but it’s possible.

The word out of Deschutes earlier this summer was that the beer may not even be ready until 2012 but this sounds promising.

For reference, the interview took place on 7/31 so blending would take place in mid-August. Sprints also dishes out a lot of brewing knowledge and talks at length about his beers so the whole episode is well worth a listen. He comes on around the 50-55 minute mark and sticks around for about two hours.

(New York, NY) – Shmaltz Brewing Company, ringleaders of the sideshow-inspired Coney Island Craft Lagers®, is excited to announce the release of Coney Island Barrel-Aged Human Blockhead®.

Weighing in at 10% ABV, this burly Imperial American Bock has aged over five months in first-use Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Barrels. While Human Blockhead® originally was conceived as a Tough-as-Nails strong lager, Barrel-Aged Human Blockhead® is the evolution of a true professional, bearing the signature richness of Munich and Vienna malt but emerging from the barrel softened and silky, with hints of maple, caramel, and vanilla. With approximately 500 cases produced, Barrel-Aged Human Blockhead® is as rare and special as it is highly coveted.

Coney Island Barrel-Aged Human Blockhead® joins the Shmaltz line-up as the third member in the Limited Engagement Barrel-Aged series, which also includes 2010 Great American Beer Festival Silver Medalist HE’BREW R.I.P.A. on Rye; 2011 World Beer Championships Gold Medalist HE’BREW Vertical Jewbelation; and HE’BREW Genesis 15:15, a 15% ABV barleywine brewed with grapes, figs, dates, and pomegranates, which will be released Fall 2011. The Limited Engagement Barrel-Aged series not only represents some of Shmaltz’s most decorated beers, but also boasts the highest consumer ratings from BeerAdvocate.com and RateBeer.com. The latter recently ranked Shmaltz Brewing as one of the “Top 100 Brewers in the World” for 2011. With the release of Barrel-Aged Human Blockhead®, Shmaltz Brewing continues to design unique and sophisticated beers that can stand with the world’s best specialty beverages.

In a fusion of Old World brewing tradition with bold, flavor-driven American ingenuity, Coney Island Human Blockhead® and Barrel-Aged Human Blockhead® are examples of how Shmaltz has elevated lagers to the creative peaks ales have enjoyed in the American craft beer movement. After selecting Coney Island Craft Lagers® as “Best in Show” at their inaugural BevStar Awards, Beverage World Magazine noted that “in a segment largely dominated by ales… Shmaltz has demonstrated how creative one can be when pushing the limits of lager.” The Chicago Tribune also praised Shmaltz’s artistic vision and pioneering spirit in a recent article, declaring that “the Coney Island series has put [Shmaltz] on the leading edge of craft lagers.” Not surprisingly, Coney Island Human Blockhead® has garnered top awards across the country since its debut in March 2009. In its first bout against other strong lagers at the 2009 United States Beer Tasting Championships, Human Blockhead® took home the Gold Medal and then was designated the Bock/Doppelbock Grand Champion the following year at the World Beer Championships.

Like the other beers from Coney Island Craft Lagers®, Human Blockhead® pays tribute to the eclectic performance culture of Coney Island, New York. The Human Blockhead stunt, developed by renowned musician and sideshow entertainer Melvin Burkhardt, is kept alive today by Donny Vomit, whose persona is captured on the Human Blockhead® bottle label. Known for spellbinding stage antics with his trusty hammer, sixty-penny nail, and occasionally a power drill, Donny is thrilled to be featured in the Coney Island Craft Lagers® line. “As a kid, I always thought it would be cool to have an action figure made after me, but having a kickass beer is a whole lot better,” says the man behind the mustache.

Coney Island Barrel-Aged Human Blockhead® is nationally available in 22 oz. bottles and limited draft at specialty shops and select bars from August – October 2011. A portion of the proceeds of Coney Island Craft Lagers® help Coney Island USA, a 501(c)(3) Arts Non-Profit, fulfill its mission to defend the honor of lost forms of American popular culture in Brooklyn’s historic Coney Island neighborhood.

About Shmaltz Brewing Company
Shmaltz Brewing Company was recently named “Best American Craft Brewer” and won the “Best In Show 2010″ title by Beverage World Magazine, after being named “Breakout Brand” for 2009. Shmaltz was also included in the “Top 50 Fastest Growing Bay Area Companies” by San Francisco Business Times, and is a recipient of the “Distinguished Business Award” by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.

Established in San Francisco in 1996 with the first batch of 100 cases of HE’BREW Beer® bottled, labeled, and delivered by hand, Shmaltz has sold more than ten million bottles of beer to date. Along with their acclaimed line of HE’BREW Beers®, Shmaltz introduced its new line of sideshow-inspired Coney Island Craft Lagers®. Proceeds help Coney Island USA, a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit fulfill its mission to defend the honor of lost forms of American popular culture in Brooklyn’s historic Coney Island neighborhood.

Shmaltz offerings are available in more than 25 states through 30 wholesalers at more than 3,000 retail specialty shops across the U.S., including Beverages & More, Whole Foods, Total Wine, select Krogers and Cost Plus.

Shmaltz Brewing beers have appeared in such distinguished media outlets as The New York Times, CNN Headline News, The Onion, Beer Advocate Magazine, Celebrator Beer News, Ale Street News, NPR’s “Weekend Edition,” New York Magazine, Newsweek, Men’s Health, BUST, Playboy, Associated Press, Reuters, MSNBC, San Francisco Magazine, The Jerusalem Report, New York Jewish Week, Washington Post, MAXIM, Forbes.com, Smartmoney.com, Entrepreneur.com and Epicurious.com.

For more information, please visit www.shmaltzbrewing.com

(Press Release)

(Escondido, CA) - Stone Brewing Co. is launching a new series of specialty beers dubbed Quingenti Millilitre. These limited release beers will be featured in cork-finished 500ml bottles, and will present a new tier in Stone’s award-winning lineup, encompassing beers that have been barrel aged, dry hopped, or otherwise made extra, extra special. First up? Ken Schmidt / Maui / Stone Kona Coffee Macadamia Coconut Porter Aged in Bourbon Barrels.

When San Diego homebrewer Ken Schmidt won the Stone March Madness Homebrew Competition & AHA Rally back in 2009, he was brought in to brew a scaled up batch on the Stone Brewing Co. system, along with Garrett Marrero of Maui Brewing Co. Unbeknownst to the world, the wizards at Stone had something else up their sleeve: the brewers squirreled some of the resulting beer away in bourbon barrels from Heaven Hill Distilleries. Now, some two years later, they are ready to unleash it in all of its glory.

The only problem? There’s not very much of it. As a result, Stone is initiating a drawing to impartially decide who can get their hands on a bottle. Starting today and continuing through August 16, fans can purchase $1 tickets—the proceeds of which will be donated to two local charities, the Escondido Creek Conservancy andInterfaith Community Services—which will enter them into a raffle for a chance to buy one of the 500 or so bottles that Stone is expecting the barrels to yield.

The lucky folks that are randomly selected at the end of the drawing will then have until September 18th to purchase and pick up their bottle in person from the Stone Company Store in Escondido. Full details of the drawing and tickets are available athttp://www.stonebrew.com/500mL

*Thanks to Brown Paper Tickets for agreeing to waive their processing fees to allow the chosen charities to receive the maximum benefit!

Future Quingenti Millilitre releases are slated to include:

• Dogfish Head / Victory / Stone Saison du BUFF Aged in Red Wine Barrels
• 2010 Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine Aged in Bourbon Barrels, the release of which will be tied to the forthcoming book, The Craft of Stone Brewing Co.: Liquid Lore, Epic Recipes, and Unabashed Arrogance (Ten Speed Press, 10/2011)
• Green Flash / Pizza Port Carlsbad / Stone Highway 78 Scotch Ale Aged in Scotch Barrels
• 21st Amendment / Firestone Walker / Stone El Camino (Un)Real Black Ale Aged in American Oak Barrels

…and plenty more.

Stone Brewing Co. was founded in 1996 by Steve Wagner and Greg Koch in North County San Diego, CA. It is the 14th largest craft brewery in the United States and has been named “All-Time Top Brewery on Planet Earth” by BeerAdvocate magazine - TWICE! A recently announced $26.6M expansion plan (that includes a hotel among other lofty ventures) is underway, as are developments to become the first American craft brewery to open a brewhouse in Europe. Visit stonebrew.com for more information.

(Winston-Salem, NC) – Big beer release news out of North Carolina…

Here is the lowdown via Foothills Brewing‘s newsletter:

“It’s almost time for the third annual release of the famous collaborative brew Olde Rabbit’s Foot, appearing in bottles on Saturday, August 13.

For those who don’t already know, the Olde Rabbit’s Foot is a truly unique brew crafted from the labors of three different NC microbreweries. Duck Rabbit, Olde Hickory, and Foothills each contributed the wort from their signature imperial stouts; the combined brew was then aged in Pappy Van Winkle barrels with honey and cocoa nibs to produce a libation guaranteed to sweeten your countenance and enhance your reputation.

The bottles are 22 oz. and $20 each, and will go on sale at 10am. As with past bottle releases, we do recommend being very early to wait in line– there is a limit of four bottles per person, but supplies are still limited, and we cannot guarantee or reserve bottles for anyone.”

(Papillion, NE) – Nebraska Brewing sent out a newsletter late last week…

Toasted Barn (The Inception Series)

Next week is a milestone of sorts…

We bottle the first of what will be our extremely limited edition barrel aged experiments which we are calling The Inception Series.

Why Inception? Well, it’s pretty simple really. These are 1 or 2 oak barrels of something we felt was worthy of the time and effort necessary to head down a lenghty path of maturation and flavor enhancements. This is our unveiling and it may be the start of something very nice indeed.

Will they make it to Reserve Series? Maybe. Will they ever be made again? Maybe. Will we even bottle all of the barrel aged experiments we have in the pipeline? Maybe (I think you get the picture at this point)

We’ll decide later but at this stage, we do know that they are truly something special.

Small batch, limited edition barrel aged efforts. Toasted Barn is our first so watch our Newsletter or Facebook for additional information on the Series and the beer itself.

These beers will only be available in our brewpub.

Hop God Release

We begin shipping our latest Release of Reserve Series Hop God next week. As has become the norm with these beers, they are essentially sold out prior to the release – except for the few cases we hold for sale in the Brewpub.

So, if they’ve been scarce where you normally ship for the good stuff – drop in next week to get your fix!

(Fort Collins, CO) – Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project announced they will release their first two bottled beers, Pure Guava Petite Sour and Wild Wild Brett “Rouge” on Thursday August 11th.

UPDATE: From Brewer/Owner, Chad Yakobson, “We are awaiting shipping of the labels from the label company. Our labels were finished late last week and all design was done by graphic designer Travis Olsen.” Full beer descriptions have been attached below.

Here’s the run down…

750 ml bottles of Pure Guava Petite Sour and Wild Wild Brett “Rouge” will make their debut at the bottle release party held at funkwerks brewery tap room in Ft. Collins CO. starting at 6PM on Thursday, August 11th. This is the first of many bottle releases from Crooked Stave as we look to roll out with plenty more barrel-aged sour, specialty release and funky Brettanomyces beers. Also available on draft for the releases will be a single keg of Crooked Stave’s Good Glory, a beer brewed exclusively for Euclid Hall Bar and Kitchen in Denver, CO. as well as Wild Wild Brett and Petite Sour.

The bottles of Pure Guava Petite Sour have been quietly conditioning since May 23rd awaiting their release. This refreshingly tart, spontaneously soured, rustic wheat beer, brewed with the addition of oats and spiced with coriander and sumac, was fermented entirely in our distinct oak foeder. Pure Guava is an unfiltered, golden wild ale with tropical fruit aromas and bright citrus flavors created by a proprietary Brettanomyces strain. This will be the only time Pure Guava is released, as each Petite Sour will change to reflect the seasons it is brewed and the mischievous minds of our brewers.

The anxiously awaited first release from the Wild Wild Brett R&D series is over! Historically considered ”wild yeast”, Brett is responsible for 100% of the fermentation in each installment of the series, which looks to play off the colors of the color wheel for ingredients to match with the different strains of Brett. This first installment of the series, dubbed “Rouge”, incorporates hawthorn berry, rose hips and whole hibiscus flowers in an unfiltered, slightly tart wild ale. Rouge pours a reddish hue delivering soft floral aromas and tropical fruit flavors with a tart earthy finish.

With only a little over 100 cases of each bottled, we expect bottles won’t last too long. Not able to make it to the release? Never fear we have made sure to save away some cases for a few of our favorite liquor stores throughout the Denver metro and Colorado front range areas.

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Pure Guava Petite Sour

Wild Ale brewed with spices
4.5% abv

Deviating from conventional brewing methods and inspired by historic brewing techniques, we created our Pure Guava Petite Sour. This refreshingly tart rustic wheat beer, brewed with the addition of oats and spiced with coriander and sumac, was fermented entirely in our distinct oak foeder. Pure Guava is an unfiltered, golden wild ale with tropical fruit aromas and bright citrus flavors created by a proprietary Brettanomyces strain. This beer is bottled with the natural yeast, if cellared in a cool dark place it will develop more complex Brett characteristics and evolve for years to come. Drink as you would a wheat beer, cloudy with the yeast in suspension. Please enjoy this unique offering in your favorite stemmed glassware and allow the beer to breathe and open up as you swirl it in your glass. Visit us on the web for more batch release details.

Thoroughly chill and open carefully, slowly degassing the excess CO2 built up from the active yeast.

Pure Guava Petite Sour is an unfiltered, golden wild ale, brewed with wheat and oats and spiced with coriander and sumac. A serious sourness greets you on the nose with lingering tropical fruit aromas and bright citrus flavors created by the Brettanomyces. The finish is dry with a subtle earthy, creamy mouthfeel.

Wild Wild Brett Rouge

Ale brewed with Hawthorn Berry, Rose Hips and Hibiscus
100% Brettanomyces Fermentation
5.2% abv

Wild Wild Brett is a series of beers created to showcase the versatility of Brettanomyces, a yeast found naturally all over the world. Historically considered ”wild yeast”, Brett is responsible for 100% of the fermentation in the bottle you hold. This first installment of the series, dubbed rouge, incorporates hawthorn berry, rose hips and whole hibiscus flowers in an unfiltered, slightly tart wild ale. Rouge pours a reddish hue delivering soft floral aromas and tropical fruit flavors with a tart earthy finish. This beer is bottled with the natural yeast, if aged in a cool dark place this beer will develop more complex Brett characteristics and evolve for years to come. Please enjoy this unique offering in your favorite stemmed glassware and allow the beer to breathe and open up as you swirl it in your glass. Visit us on the web for more batch release details.

Wild Wild Brett Rouge is an unfiltered, slightly tart wild ale, fermented entirely with Brettanomyces yeast. Brewed with hawthorn berry, rosehips, and whole hibiscus flowers, Rouge pours a reddish hue delivering soft floral aromas and tropical fruit flavors with a tart earthy finish.

I’ve been on something resembling a “vacation” the past few days (that and I accidentally smashed my computer while doing plyometrics). Here’s to hoping we’re back on a normal schedule going forward…here are the new beer labels that recently came in…

Stillwater Barrel-Aged Existent: Oak bourbon barrels…here is the label description for the original beer…”Existent represents the philosophy behind Stillwater Artisanal. We strive to define ourselves through our passion and sincerity while accepting that not all aspects of life are readily explainable. To manifest this ideology, we present an ale of intrigue. Black as night though deceptively dry, braced by a firm yet not over-powering bitterness and accented by an earthy hop and mild roast aroma. This is an ale for you to define…’and if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.’ – Nietzsche”

11.2 oz. bottles / 44 cases arriving beginning in August per Atlanta Beer Master

Lavery Stingy Jack Imperial Pumpkin (new label)
Lavery Imperial Red Ale (new label)
Dunedin HopNOM IPA
Dunedin Tripppel (‘three-year aged tripel’)
Dunedin 15th Anniversary Imperial Bohemian Pilsner
Three Monkeys Tres Vaqueros Amber Ale

(Boulder, CO) – Here is the lowdown on the Avery Meretrix release.

Per a recent newsletter…

BREWERY ONLY RELEASE
She’s patiently awaited you for two years. Aging gracefully in beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon barrels and accompanied by sour cherries, your Meretrix is eager to serve.

Meretrix will make her debut at a bottle release party at the Avery Tap Room and Barrel-Aging Cellars at 5PM on Saturday, July 16th. We’ve instituted a number of new policies to ensure that all in attendance have a remarkably fun and positively memorable experience! Here goes:

Numerous Tap Room servers will be on hand to serve guests–in the line–as they wait. We’ll also have our 10-tap kegerator full of small-batch and barrel-aged oddities from the tap room like Eremita (our Tap Room only sour blend), Dry-Hopped IPA, Mai Rye Bock etc.

A DJ will be spinning an eclectic mix of tunes for the crowds.

Once a substantial line has formed, our staff will be giving tickets–each good for the purchase of 1 bottle of Meretrix–to those in line. The number of tickets we hand out will be EXACTLY the number of bottles that we have to sell. This way, if you show up late you will know immediately whether you are in time to get bottles.

Limit of 4 bottles per customer.

First come, first served.

CASH ONLY! CASH ONLY! We will have an ATM on site in case anyone forgets this advice. Note that the cash only rule will make the whole process MUCH faster for all involved!

55 cases for sale = 1320 bottles = 4 bottles per customer = 330 customers who get Meretrix (assuming all purchase the 4 bottle limit). Please plan accordingly.

The beers in our Barrel-Aged Series are a celebration of the passion and effort that our brewers put into Avery beers, and we want the release of these beers to be equally fun! Please show up ready to taste, socialize and share great beers with great friends! We hope to continue the party well into the night!

Meretrix Stats:
Barrel-Aged Sour Ale. Aged in Cabernet Sauvignon wine barrels with sour cherries.
83 cases produced – 55 sold. 28 Hoarded.
9.62% abv
Bottled in June, 2011.

(Portland, ME) – Allagash Brewing will release the three Coolship beers in bottles this summer…

…a “limited amount” as confirmed by Brewmaster, Jason Perkins. Perkins didn’t specify whether an announcement would be made but did tell Esquire Magazine a couple weeks ago that the “final product” will be available at the brewery this month. They will be packaged in 375ml bottles.

The three beers are Coolship Red, Coolship Resurgam and Coolship Cerise. For more info on these brews, head over to the Simply Beer site (he got a sneak peek last year).

(Tampa, FL) – Cigar City Brewing has received label approvals for Barrel Aged Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout.

There are three variations featured: 1) Four Roses Bourbon barrels, 2) Flor de Cana Rum barrels and 3) Stranahan’s Whiskey barrels. No info is available right now on the release of these beers. Up to this point, the regular version of the beer has been released in March with a one-day special event. Each label is for a 750ml bottle.

(Papillion, NE) – Nebraska Brewing Company is pleased to announce the release of the first full production bottling of its Reserve Series Apricot au Poivre Saison.

Barrel Aged Apricot au Poivre Saison is an artful interpretation of a Belgian-style Saison created with Apricot puree and lightly spiced with Black Pepper. Six months of additional aging in third use French Oak Chardonnay barrels imparts a deliciously unique character not found in other Craft Ales. The delicate flavors and aromas of oak, apricot, chardonnay, and pepper intertwined in the barrel to achieve a flavor profile that is simultaneously complex and delightful.

This Reserve Series Beer was originally conceived as a seasonal beer and later introduced into a third use barrel in anticipation of added character that would enhance and not overpower. The end result is Nebraska Brewing Company’s 5th entry into an elevated realm of Craft Beers that require great skill, patience, and a little luck. Previously, this Craft Beer had been bottled and released primarily within the Brewpub with a few cases being distributed in select locations.

Paul Kavulak, President of Nebraska Brewing Company stated: “Our Reserve Series line of barrel aged beers provide our enthusiasts with some of what we consider to be our best. Since their inception, each brand within the series has been able to achieve and maintain a level of superior quality, diverse tastes, and fantastic complexity.”

Kim Kavulak, Vice President & General Manager of Nebraska Brewing Company adds: “The release of our Reserve Series Beers has come to be a highly anticipated event. With this being the first ever full batch release of BA Apricot au Poivre Saison, we believe consumers will be extremely satisfied.”

Nebraska Brewing Company has set the release date for Barrel Aged Apricot au Poivre Saison to be Friday, June 10th. A complete list of Nebraska Brewing Company brands can be found on our website, www.nebraskabrewingco.com.

Nebraska Brewing Company was formed in November of 2007 and has established itself as a Midwest Innovator of quality Craft Beers and artisanal Barrel-Aged Products. Building on a reputation for quality, flavor, and creativity – Nebraska Brewing Company strives to be a stand-out in an ever growing field.

Nebraska Brewing Company is proud to be a locally owned and locally operated brewpub in Papillion, Nebraska. Small, independent, and pushing the envelope.

Award-winning craft brewery’s latest barrel-aged rarity more than three years in the making

(San Marcos, CA) – The Lost Abbey will release the next in its coveted Veritas small-batch barrel-aged beers on Saturday, May 28, 2011. The most complex and time-consuming beer released by the brewery to date, Veritas 009 took more than three years and periods in bourbon and wine barrels to create. With only 100 cases available, Veritas 009 will not reach general distribution and will be available for purchase directly from the brewery only. The 750ml cork-stoppered bottles will be $35 each and strictly limited to four bottles per person.

Veritas 009 is a substantial departure from earlier members of The Lost Abbey’s small batch experimental program, which were generally sour beers aged in French oak barrels for 12 to 15 months. Begun in late 2007 as dark base beer, it was sent to freshly emptied bourbon barrels from Kentucky’s Heaven Hill Distilleries. The beer aged for 15 months before it was moved into French oak barrels previously used for wine (primarily Syrah). Sour cherries were added and the beer was left to rest for another year and three months. Finally, in mid-2010, it was pulled from the barrels, blended, bottled and sent off to condition for an additional 11 months.

“It’s one of the most complex beers we’ve ever created,” Arthur said. “Veritas 009 has strong notes of cherry, red wine, cedar and dark cocoa accentuated by a pervasive acidity that makes for an incredibly deep finish. It’s an amazing beer and easily one of the most cellarable produced at The Lost Abbey. I have no doubt that it will drawn fans from both the craft beer and wine worlds.”

Interestingly, Veritas 009 came close to never being made available to the public. Begun as a private project of Arthur’s, the existence of the beer and the details behind it were kept secret until last year. Even after news of the beer leaked to the public Arthur declined to discuss it beyond acknowledging that he did indeed have a barrel-aging project referred to only as “KT”, a reference to the secretive order of the Knights Templar. It wasn’t until a sampling session that Arthur decided to move the beer into Lost Abbey’s public small batch program and release it as Veritas 009.

“There is so little and it took so long to perfect we actually considered issuing it as a private release, or not at all,” Arthur said. “But after sampling last week, we decided that it was just too good to keep hidden and the public should have access to it.”

A total of 117 cases (12 bottles each) of Veritas 009 were produced. 100 cases will be made available to the public on release day. More details on release date and brewery location are available on The Lost Abbey website at http://www.lostabbey.com.

About The Lost Abbey / Port Brewing
Founded in 2006, The Lost Abbey / Port Brewing produces a line of award-winning American ales as well as a groundbreaking family of Belgian-inspired beers. Under the direction of co-founder, Tomme Arthur, the company won Great American Beer Festival Small Brewery of the Year in 2007, and World Beer Cup Champion Small Brewery in 2008. It has also garnered more than 50 medals and achieved international fame for bold, complex and boundary-pushing beers in its five years. The company issues 15 beers on a regular basis as well as a number of limited releases blended and aged for up to 18 months in French Oak, Brandy and Bourbon barrels. The brewery is located at 155 Mata Way, Suite 104, San Marcos, CA 92069, USA. Telephone (800) 918-6816, web: www.lostabbey.com.

(Boulder, CO) – Avery Brewing may be bursting at the seams but they’re still taking aside time for their pet projects.

Here is the latest on their Barrel-Aged Series. No release date announced for this one yet.

About Meretrix:

Translation: Wikipedia

Label: She’s patiently awaited you for two years. Aging gracefully in beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon barrels and accompanied by sour cherries, your Meretrix is now eager to serve. Brewed with house Brettanomyces Yeast, Lactobillus and Pediococcus. 9.97% ABV.

Production: 83 cases / Brewery-only release: 55 cases, 28 hoarded

Bottled: Jun 3, 2011 in 12 oz. bottles

About the Barrel-Aged Series:

Experimentation. Ales and lagers that defy styles or categories. This is what we are about: our driving force, our passion. To further facilitate this innovative spirit, we’ve developed our Barrel-Aged Series where anything, and we mean ANYTHING, goes. Brewed for those as adventurous as we are.

Rare Beer Goes On Sale This Week

(Paso Robles, CA) – “This beer is insane,” Dustin Kral, Head Brewer of Firestone Walker Brewing Co. said. “Don’t get me wrong it tastes amazing, but this beer is tough to brew.”

Parabola, Firestone Walker’s Bourbon barrel-aged Russian imperial stout, takes twice as long to brew as any other beer that Firestone makes, not counting the time that it spends in bourbon barrels.

“Our guys are perfectionists too,” Kral continued, as he pulled his paddle through the mash, “so we’re not gonna just let that malt burn, we have to get in there and stir the mash; look at it, it’s as thick as a cookie.”

The recipe for Parabola calls for a massive amount of malt that overwhelms the mash tun. The brewers are forced to manually stir the two-ton mash to avoid scorching, all the while making sure that the other parts of the brewhouse are running normally.

Parabola requires twice as much malt to yield half the volume of each brewhouse cycle compared with other Firestone Walker beers. This extra time and effort puts an even bigger strain on brewers that are already brewing 24 hours a day, nearly seven days a week.

But all of the work is worth it, according to Matt Brynildson, brewmaster for Firestone Walker.

“The response that this beer receives from our fans justifies the extra effort,” Brynildson said.

The final product is a one of the most sought after beers that Firestone Walker brews despite the fact that this June will be only the second time that it has been released in bottles.

David Walker, brewery co-owner, added to the praise.

“Parabola is a thing of beauty; thick as two short planks,” Walker said.

The beer ends up being as thick as any beer on the planet with a luscious aroma and taste that are only amplified as it warms up. Tastes and smells of Bourbon, coffee, vanilla, tobacco and leather all greet the taste buds of those lucky enough to get a hold on this limited offering.

This year’s Parabola goes on sale for the first time on Saturday, May 21 at Firestone Walker’s brewery in Paso Robles and restaurant in Buellton, CA. Only 3,500 cases will be released of the 2011 vintage, in 22oz bottles. There will also be a limited release of kegs to bars and restaurants around the country. Places that will be receiving Parabola will include CA, NV, OR, WA, AZ, MO, Chicago, MA, NJ, NY, VA and PA.

Established in 1996 on California’s Central Coast, Firestone Walker a regional brewery committed to making the world’s best pale ales, Firestone Walker remains the only American brewery to ferment beer in a union of oak barrels. Firestone Walker Brewing Company was named “Mid-Size Brewing Company of The Year” at the 2007 and 2003 Great American Beer Festivals and “Champion Brewery” for the category of Mid-Size Brewing Company at the 2010, 2006 and 2004 World Beer Cups.

(San Diego, CA) – AleSmith Brewing announced its next barrel-aged beer release.

From a newsletter sent within the past hour…

The long-awaited moment will soon be upon us: the newest batch of AleSmith barrel-aged beer is set for release this month on Wednesday, June 15th.

This edition of BA Speedway, barreled in ’09, is as good as ever. Excellent sweet boozey notes with accents of oak, vanilla, and pleasant oxidative aspects alongside the customary coffee and bitter chocolate roasted malt characteristics.

This has proved to be a very interesting edition of BA Decadence. The 2008 batch, an English-style barleywine aged in bourbon barrels, took on a pleasant sourness. Such quirks of nature can provide intriguing drinking experiences, like the many excellent wild ales being produced today. We think you’ll enjoy this delightfully unconventional offering.

There will be a purchase limit of (4) four bottles of ’09 Speedway Stout per person, and (1) one bottle of ’08 Decadence per person, pending turnout. We want to make sure that everyone has a great time and gets a chance to get some of this highly-anticipated beer, so we reserve the right to change the limit as the sale progresses. We will begin handing out numbers at 8:30 am and the bottle sale will begin at 12:00pm, allowing you time to leave and return if need be.

(Escondido, CA) – Here is a preview of the Kona Coffee Macadamia Coconut Porter Aged in Bourbon Barrels label.

672 bottles of a bourbon barrel version of the collaboration between Stone Brewing, Maui Brewing and homebrewer, Ken Schmidt, is tentatively scheduled to be released in 500ml bottles in July. It will be the first release in the new Quingenti Millilitre Series.

Some more new beer label previews…

[Update: Turns out both Piney River releases below will be canned & should available in the next couple months.]

Goose Island King Henry: Sure to be highly sought after, this is a Bourbon Barrel-aged Barleywine weighs in at 11.5% ABV. It won’t be released until December per the Goose Island site.

Goose Island Christmas Ale: On that note, Christmas Ale is set to return for the first time since late 2009 this October.

Harriet West Side Belgian-style IPA: This new Minnesota brewery also got keg label approvals for European Style Pils, Dark Abbey Belgian-style Dubbel and Wodan Weizen European-style Weissbier

Piney River McKinney Eddy Amber Ale: New Missouri brewery? Also got approval for Bronzeback Pale Ale. One label says bottled, one label says canned. Both are 16 ounces. Interesting.

Urban Chestnut Zwickel Belgian Style Lager: Speaking of Missouri, new keg approvals from Urban Chestnut. Also look for Schnickelfritz Bavarian Style Wheat Beer.

Shades of Pale Publican Pale Ale: …in 22 oz. bottles

(Escondido, CA) – Some big news / follow-up to this week’s post regarding Stone Brewing…

We now know what is happening with those 210 346 184 (the ever-changing number!) Scotch Whisky barrels…and that is not even the half of it. The brewery announced that it will begin releasing 500ml bottles on a limited basis starting in July. The new series is dubbed, “Quingenti Millilitre.”

Per Stone’s blog post:

“Without further ado, our first ‘Quingenti Millilitre’ release will be…Ken Schmidt / Maui / Stone Kona Coffee Macadamia Coconut Porter Aged in Bourbon Barrels. Yeah, that’s right. We’re releasing that. All 672 bottle of it. Tentative release date: sometime in July.

[...] a small amount of 2011 Stone Imperial Russian Stout & 2011 Stone BELGO Anise Imperial Russian Stout—which will be released May 31st—is already resting gently in a variety of barrels.

But that’s not all, folks! We may well release Quingenti Millilitre bottles of our double dry-hopped beers or other unique treatments we dream up.”

In any case, bang it over to the Stone blog to see some barrel pics and the full details.

(Escondido, CA) – Some news and notes on the Stone Brewing front…

On Saturday, I sent out a tweet (ignore my obvious lack of Scottish distillery knowledge) about a tip I picked up from a few-weeks-old Phoenix Brew Review blog post:

“[Head Brewer, Mitch Steele] said the brewery just finished unpacking a shipment of 210 whisky barrels from Scotland, which are sure to house some of their bigger, badder beers. He also intimated that this year’s anniversary brew — Stone’s 15th — will likely mark a return to their obscenely hoppy, American-style roots.”

The news spread somewhat virally about those barrels. This would mark the brewery’s first use of whisky barrels.

Meanwhile, Steele’s 15th Anniversary Ale mention coincides with his tip on The Brewing Network back in March about planning to use Citra hops in a fall-ish timeframe release. That beer is slated to be released on August 15th.

John Trogner of Troegs Brewing blogged about a recent trip to Stone in which he and a couple others from Troegs helped brew a collaboration beer, Cherry Chocolate Stout with Vanilla Beans. It will be released in bottles down the road.

CEO, Greg Koch, is back in Europe this week visiting Berlin, Edinburgh and who knows where else. Stone is doing its largest-ever tap takeover (thirteen taps) in Europe at BrewDog Edinburgh on Tuesday.

Finally, Stone appears to be on target for a May 31st launch of its 2011 edition of Imperial Russian Stout and the brand-new Belgo Anise Imperial Russian Stout.

(Tampa, FL) – Cigar City Brewing will debut another new brew (maybe a couple) in 750s.

Update: Will hopefully be bottled this week and released by early June…

Cigar City Imperial Milk Porter is a riff on Puppy’s Breath Porter according to secondhand info on RateBeer. A small amount of an un-barreled version was sent off to Dark Lord Day but most the batch ended up in barrels. “The majority of it went into Flor de Cana Rum and Stranahan’s Whiskey Barrels,” says CCB Owner/Founder, Joey Redner.

Guru of CCB Graphics Marketing and Media, Geiger Powell, added, “We did a few versions of Imperial Milk Porter. We plan to bottle two versions of IMP, one in Stranahan Whiskey barrels, the other in Four Roses Bourbon barrels.”

On a side note, 110K+OT Batch #4 was bottled in 750s yesterday. Cigar City also hinted on Facebook that it brewed (or will brew) another batch of White Oak Jai Alai IPA.

(Dexter, MI) – Got a couple press releases in my inbox last night. I’ve combined them here…

On Monday, April 25, Jolly Pumpkin will release its long-anticipated Biere de Mars Grand Reserve – available in both Ann Arbor and Traverse City starting at 4pm.

The story behind the Sour Flanders ales Biere de Mars and Biere de Mars Grand Reserve is that both are brewed with identical recipes, using two different yeasts. Each is then aged – or mellowed – in different oak barrels for about four months before being reblended back together for bottling. The Grand Reserve, however, is aged for over a year in the barrels before being reblended and bottled – making it even more sour.

Only 20 cases of 330ml bottles of the Grand Reserve will be available, with a limit of two (2) bottles per person which will sell for $10 per bottle. An even more limited number of 750ml bottles will be available, in Ann Arbor only, for $20 per bottle.

Monday, April 25, is a busy day for Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, with the release of Bambic – brewed as a 25th Anniversary celebration ale for Winking Lizard Tavern.

Bambic is a blend of Bam Biere – a farmhouse style ale and Lambicus – our Lambic beer, fermented with 100% wild Dexter yeast. The 330ml bottles of Bambic will sell for $8 at Jolly Pumpkin in Ann Arbor and Traverse City, as well as at any of the 14 neighborhood Winking Lizard Taverns located throughout Ohio.

The Jolly Pumpkin is part of Northern United Brewing Co., which also encompasses the Grizzly Peak and North Peak Beer Co. craft beer brands, as well as the soon-to-be-released Civilized line of spirits. NUBC’s philosophy focuses on a dedication to conservation, inspiration and locally sustainable practices. All of the beers and spirits under these brands are produced at either the new 5600-square-foot facility on Old Mission Peninsula adjacent to Mission Table restaurant (former Bowers Harbor Inn) or at the original Jolly Pumpkin brewing facility in Dexter.

Find NUBC products at stores, restaurants, and bars all throughout Michigan, including: North Peak Brewing Company, Mission Table & Jolly Pumpkin Brewery, all in Traverse City; Jolly Pumpkin & Grizzly Peak, in Ann Arbor.

(Delmarva, DE) – Here is the info on two new releases coming from Evolution Craft Brewing Co..

This comes from Founder, Tom Knorr…

1. Menagerie No. 5: 5 month bourbon barrel aged Russian Imperial Stout. 10.5%abv 22ounce. 70 cases Brewery only for Menagerie.

2. Migration Spring 2011: 7 month Cruzan Rum Barrel aged Strong Golden Ale. 10%ABV. 750ml. Virginia, Delaware, DC, Maryland distribution. Only 100 cases.

(Boston, MA) – New labels are in for two beers from the Samuel Adams Barrel Room Collection…

The new labels for Samuel Adams 13th Hour Stout and Samuel Adams New World Tripel come off as pretty slick with less emphasis on the “Barrel Room Collection” and more emphasis on unique (but subtle) artwork for each beer.

13th Hour Stout was first revealed back in March along with another name for the same beer, “Belgian Noir.” A poll taken here showed that readers favored the names equally. It would appear that the brewery has picked its winner though Boston Beer is known for getting label approvals for concept names so don’t consider this official yet.

13th Hour Stout has not yet been released and no time frame available at the moment. Label description: “With 13 ingredients, we combined the roasted chocolate and coffee notes of a stout with the complex spicy character of a Belgian ale aged in oak for a dark, robust, and bewitching brew.”

New World Tripel was first released in November of 2009.

Both beers will be packaged in 750s as current BRC beers are. The extra wide labels and the fact that there are still back labels make me wonder if they are switching to a bottle shape that has a wider base than the current ones.

(Fort Collins, CO) – Odell Brewing‘s upcoming funkified hoppy beer, Hiveranno, could debut as soon as next month will be released on May 21st and is being bottled today (per Facebook).

I sent a note to Odell brewer, Joe Mohrfeld, to ask about the brewing team’s latest project. After reading their original write-up, I was curious as to whether this could accurately be dubbed a “funky IPA” similar to the Super Friends IPA that grabbed so much attention last year. I was also interested in the way hops are used in this beer because they are sometimes aged or are not otherwise a standout feature when it comes to beers with sour/earthy/barnyardy character.

Below is the original write-up on Hiveranno (received via email and edited for readability) followed by Mohrfeld’s answers to my questions.

——————————————————————-

“Hiveranno is our third offering that uses a wild yeast we captured from the brewery grounds. The first beer we used this wild yeast for was, ‘Deconstruction,’ a Belgian Inspired Golden Ale, which was released last summer. The second was, ‘Avant Peche,’ an Imperial porter barrel aged with Palisade Organic Peaches, released this past winter. This spring, we will be releasing, ‘Hiveranno,’ a New American Wild Ale with a Wild Barrel Aged component and a fresh hop forward component blended together. [Ed. note: the brewers are using the same method here that they did with Deconstruction where they design and brew multiple beers with the specific intention of blending them together.]

Hiveranno is made with what we affectionately refer to around the brewhouse as the ‘Fester’ Strain, named as such due in part to its ability to continue to ferment beers that are at an extremely low pH and high alcohol level. Each beer we’ve made so far with this yeast has been a totally different style.

After capturing ‘Fester,’ we isolated it and grew it in our lab before inoculating a number of oak barrels with it for Deconstruction. We have kept this strain alive in the Oak over the past year be continuing to age new projects with it. The Fester strain imparts a beautiful grapefruit rind character with notes of tart tropical fruit. We are very excited to use it in a beer like Hiveranno that features a strong fresh hop component; it compliments rather than clashes with the tropical citrus character of most American Hop varieties.

As with all our Single Serve offerings, Hiveranno is going to be a very limited release and truly a one time offering. At this time, we have no plans to ever reproduce beers in our Local Wild Yeast program, but will continue to draw inspiration from past projects while crafting new offerings.”

——————————————————————

“I haven’t had Super Friends but it sounds like a similar concept. The color of this beer is more of a amber/dark copper which separates it, at least in color, from just being a funky IPA. The hop forward component has maybe 20 IBUs yet the hopping rate of a double IPA so everything is added at the end of the boil, hopback, and dry hopping stages. This keeps the bitterness from clashing with the tartness of the wild yeast.

The Fester strain is essentially like any other wild yeast; it just happens to be a particular one that we captured from the air here outside the brewery. When I was out at CBC talking with other brewers, there is a definite trend starting with working with local wild yeasts and each brewery’s beer that I tried had a very unique character. This is much like the Belgians have had historically with their sour or wild beers, but we as American craft brewers are reinterpreting this history with our own styles.

The local wild yeast speaks to the ‘Terroir’ of each brewery and every brewery’s locally captured wild yeast will likely be quite unique. I think this is a very exciting trend for both us as brewers and especially for American craft beer drinkers because the diversity of flavors and styles is poised to grow exponentially as we continue to experiment with local wild yeasts.”

(Eugene, OR) – Oakshire Brewing Company of Eugene, Oregon will release its first Barrel Aged Beer under the label Hellshire on Saturday May 7th.

Sales of the beer begin at 8AM at the brewery. The first beer in the Hellshire series is a Barleywine that was 100% aged in Heaven Hill Bourbon Barrels for 10 months. Notes of vanilla, coconut, oak and bourbon intertwine with the beer’s complex malt and hop character, making for a contemplative beer meant for enjoying now, or aging for months or years. It is 10% alcohol by volume and sold in 22 ounce wax dipped bottles.

“The Hellshire Beers are an exciting way for us to show our creativity at Oakshire and also layer new flavors onto already outstanding beers,” explains Brewmaster Matt Van Wyk. “We’ve collected a covey of barrels, now nearing 50, that we are aging several wild beers and spirit barrel aged beers. The future looks bright for our barrel aged beer fans.”

According to Jeff Althouse, Co-Founder of Oakshire brewing, “We believe in the artistry of craft beer and I’ve assembled a great team of brewers who are able to highlight their creative and technical skills through our Hellshire program. Led by Brewmaster Matt Van Wyk, I feel our barrel aged program will become equally as popular as our Single Batch Series and our Seasonal and Year-Round Beers.”

Hellshire I: Barleywine Ale aged in Bourbon Barrels will be released at a special “Brunch” party at the brewery on Saturday May 7th at the end of the inaugural Eugene Beer Week. Complimentary coffee, live local music, and a local food cart serving breakfast sandwiches will be available from 8AM-noon. All of Oakshire’s beers will be sampled and pints, growlers, and kegs will be available for purchase. 22 ounce, wax dipped bottles of this special beer will sell for $15 and supplies are limited. Depending on the demand on Hellshire Day, there may be some available for Oakshire’s distribution partners around Oregon.

About Oakshire Brewing Company: Oakshire Brewing Company of Eugene, OR was founded in October 2006 by Native Oregonian brothers Jeff and Chris Althouse. With the goals of brewing the highest quality artisan beer and providing the highest level of service to their customers, Oakshire has become recognized for consistently brewing fresh, unique and delicious beers in relatively small batches. Oakshire’s website is http://oakbrew.com and they also offer brewery tours and beer tasting at their brewery every Saturday from 12-4pm. The brewery is located at 1055 Madera Street in Eugene. They can be reached at (541) 688-4555.

(Pleasantville, NY) – Per today’s newsletter, there is some new stuff coming from Captain Lawrence…

Here’s the update:

The Picnic table is back in business…..

Rosso e Marrone – Batch# 3

This is the third edition of our Gold Medal winning American Sour Ale. Put into the barrels in May of 2008 where it slowly aged for over a year with Brettanomyces before we added in freshly crushed Merlot and Zinfandel grapes. Another year and half in the barrel and it was finally ready to go. The flavors are funky, with notes of rich red grapes and oak with a nice sour twang. This is one of my favorite to date.

Production: approximately 1250 bottles
Packaging: 375ml bottles
Price: $15 / per bottle
Limit: 6 per customer

Release Date: Saturday, April 16th – 11:00 am

We are going to use the same procedure as we have in the past. We will put out the ticket counter at some point the night before. Grab a ticket and be on line at 11:00am for the release. Getting a ticket does not guarantee beer, but we should have enough to go around. We will not be selling on line, over the phone, or reserving bottles for people, so if you want beer you have to show up on the 16th.
See you on the 16th.

Beers in the works…..

Barrel Select #2 – sour brown ale, bottles only
Barrel Select – Raspberry, bottles only
Barrel Select – Cherry, bottles only
Saison – draft and bottle

We hope to have these beers ready to go sometime before July, but as we all know with the barrel aged beer, the beers tells you when they are ready, not the other way around. As details and release dates are available we will post them and send out an email.

(Anchorage, AK) – Anchorage Brewing, a new project from Gabe Fletcher, formerly of Midnight Sun Brewing, will release its first beers soon.

Well, that’s not exactly accurate since the brewery already released a sneak peek of Anticipation Double IPA earlier this year. That and every other beer Anchorage will be doing is brewed at Sleeping Lady Brewing’s facility according to the Alaskan Beer blog. Howell updated in mid-March, “[Fletcher] reports that he has at last gotten all of his final approvals and is fully licensed and ready to ‘get some brew out.’”

Each beer is triple fermented: first in the tank with a Belgian yeast, second in french oak barrels with brett, and finally in the bottle with a third yeast for natural carbonation.

Here are the label descriptions for the first three beers to be approved, each packaged in cork-and-caged 750s.

Bitter Monk Belgian-style Double IPA: Ale brewed with Apollo, Citra and Simcoe hops. Dry hopped in the barrel with Citra hops. 100 IBUs. Second fermentation in Chardonnay barrels.

Love Buzz Saison: Ale brewed with Hobbs Family rose hips, peppercorns, and fresh orange peels. Dry-hopped in the barrel with Citra hops. Second fermentation in Pinot Noir barrels.

Whiteout Wit Bier: Ale brewed with lemon peel, black peppercorns and coriander. Second fermentation in
Chardonnay barrels.

A while back, Howell posted a few more 2011 releases to watch out for:

The Tide and Its Takers Triple. Made with Sorachi and Styrian Golding hops. Aged in French oak Chardonnay barrels. 9% ABV & 30 IBUs.

Brettality Belgian Black Bier. Made with Summit and Amarillo hops. Cabernet Grapes added to the French oak Cabernet barrels. 8.5% ABV & 25 IBUs.

Darkest Hour Belgian Imperial Stout. Made with Summit hops, molasses, dark brown sugar, and Italian black licorice. Aged in Pinot Noir barrels. 13% ABV & 33 IBUs.

Fletcher posted on the brewery’s website in November that there are currently 140 barrels “in its cellars.”

Also of note, each label features the signature of Fletcher and a second person. One features his wife, another features Tom Dalldorf of Celebrator Beer News and another features Alaskan-based beer columnist, Dr. James “Fermento” Roberts.

The Shelton Brothers will be handling distribution for the brewery. I’ve contacted them in hopes of getting more info about availability.

(Pleasantville, NY) – A few new approvals from Captain Lawrence Brewing.

A while back, Captain Lawrence got approvals for its first beer in the Barrel Select Series, a beer called American Sour Ale aged in oak barrels. Now there are two more coming in the series, American Sour Ale with raspberries and American Sour Ale with cherries. These beers have been in the barrel for over four years according to the labels.

The brewery also got approval for a Saison, dry-hopped with U.S.-grown hops.

All three beers will be packaged in 750s (and the Saison recently got draft approval).

(Denver, CO) – On Saturday, April 2, Breckenridge Brewery of Colorado, LLC, will sell limited-edition 750ml bottles of its 20th Anniversary beer, “Twenty.”

Out now in draft, Twenty is a strong Scottish ale aged five months in Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey barrels. The brewery packaged a precious few 750ml bottles with cork and wire bale closures. Only 180 of these bottles will be sold, first come first serve, at 10:00 a.m. at the brewery’s tasting room at 471 Kalamath Street, Denver, Colorado. The first 20 folks in line will receive a free Breckenridge Brewery t-shirt and a pint glass. The second 20 in line will be given a pint glass as well. Donuts and coffee will be served at 9:00, and other prizes will be available. The bottles will sell for $20 each and will be limited to two per person.

Twenty is the brewery’s tribute to its 20th anniversary year. At 7.8% ABV (Alcohol by Volume), it boasts complex hoppiness balanced with traditional English Ale maltiness. Oak and vanilla notes are complemented with an American craft whiskey finish. Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey, located just down the street from Breckenridge’s production brewery on Kalamath, provided barrels for conditioning of Twenty.

Breckenridge Brewery was founded in 1990 in Breckenridge, Colorado. In the past two decades Breckenridge Brewery has grown from a small 3,000-barrels-a-year brewpub to one of the most successful craft beer companies in the nation. It now handcrafts over 30,000 barrels of fresh beer annually and owns and operates 5 pubs in the state of Colorado.

(Seattle, WA & Fort Collins, CO) – The two breweries collaborate on The Trip VIII and some more New Belgium approvals…

Before we get into the Elysian Brewing newsletter update attached below (sent just over a week ago so a bit late), New Belgium got two keg collar approvals this week (that, just to be clear, have nothing to do with Elysian). It looks like the brewery is aging New Belgium Love in new barrels: Apple-flavored Whisky and Peach-flavored Whisky. To date, I’ve only seen a listing online for Love in Blackberry-flavored Whisky barrels so these appear to be new.

As for those unfamiliar with Love, the late Bill Brand posted this back in 2008: “[This beer is] not usually kegged as it is used as the starter for all of New Belgium’s wood beers. Started as a brown ale brewed with cherries, barrel aged for 3 years, giving this specific barrel a unique blend of bacteria and yeast, which make the final product a manifestation of New Belgium’s unique specialty styles.” One of those being the popular La Folie…

Now to the newsletter update:

——————————————

The Trip VIII Imperial IPA was brewed at Elysian Capitol Hill with the help of Alex Jesse visiting from New Belgium.

“The main idea behind Trip VIII was to brew a true Northwestern Imperial IPA, instead of a Californian or American IPA….I thought the whole story behind the Falconers Flight hops was really cool: a blend of NW hops to commemorate a NW brewing Legend and help send brewers to Seibel was awesome… The craziest part was I had no idea that Markus from Elysian was the first scholarship winner! The Pale Malt is grown and malted in the NW also.” – Alex Jesse, New Belgium Brewing Co.

For more information on the Glen Hay Falconer Foundation: http://www.glenfalconerfoundation.org/

FALCONER’S FLIGHT HOP DETAILS:

Hopunion has a new limited-release, first-time custom-blended hop pellet called Falconer’s Flight. Partial proceeds benefit the Glen Hay Falconer Foundation that awards a scholarship to a Northwest brewer each year. Falconer’s Flight is a proprietary pellet blend comprised of many of the Northwest’s most premier hop varieties including the highly acclaimed Citra, Simcoe, and Sorachi Ace along with experimental hops and numerous other NW varieties. It is a one-time release, with specific lots for this blend personally selected by Hopunion’s Jesse Umbarger (who previously brewed for Rio Bravo Brewing Co, San Ysidro Restaurant & Brewery, Wild Duck Restaurant & Brewery, West Brothers, Ice Harbor, and Steelhead Brewing Company).

The Trip VIII goes on tap soon at all three Elysian pubs!

The brew crew at Elysian has been busy reviving some old faves and creating some brand new beers. Here is a preview:

YUZU’S BELGIAN GOLDEN
Citrusy & bright with yuzu juice

ANALOG PALE
Easy drinking & light bodied

PROMETHEUS IPA
Beautiful citrus aromas and serious hop character

SAISON POIVRE PEPPERCORN SAISON
Belgian Farmhouse Ale with a fiery and aromatic touch

SOON TO BE NAMED…
Belgian ale brewed with sour cherries

(Boston, MA) – More new labels from Boston Beer Co.…

[3/10 Update: Closing the poll. There is literally a 50/50 split after 100 votes. Looks like the brewery has quite the decision on its hands.]

The brewery got approval for #4 in its Barrel Room Collection this week. Approvals came in for Samuel Adams Thirteenth Hour Stout and Samuel Adams Belgian Noir but they have an identical color scheme and a virtually identical description on the label. I have to follow up on this one but, in any case, be on the look out for a dark Belgian-style ale/stout with notes of coffee, chocolate and oak.

Each Barrel Room Collection beer is sold in a specially-designed 750ml bottle. Here are some pics of the bottle design.

I will add a poll to the right by morning so you can vote on which name you like better.

(Baltimore, MD) – Some technical brewing developments announced in Baltimore today…

The write-up below (and image above) comes from Clipper City Brewing‘s Facebook page. Beer in Baltimore has more details.

Heavy Seas Beer announces Plank – a series of beers showcasing unique wood ageing treatments to add flavor and nuance. Our first, Plank I, features an Olde Style English Ale.

Over a year in development, Plank boasts a new and revolutionary way of adding wood to the brewing process. The beer is allowed to mature on the wood during secondary fermentation. Combinations of many different woods, beer styles, yeasts and aging times were tested. We quietly gathered feedback at pint nights featuring Heavy Seas firkins containing ‘mystery wood’. Outside taste testers gave their reviews and a final recipe was written to bring out the unique essence of this wood.

Plank is the first beer to ever use yellow poplar. Prepared in a not so traditional way, it will change the how you perceive wood-aged beers. A revolutionary thermal process releases the compounds in the wood through controlled heat in a way that “toasting” cannot do. This thermal process can be applied to any species of wood, creating something truly unique. Have we created an entirely new genre for wood-aged beer? You decide.

Over the coming weeks we’ll be sharing more about this innovative way of wood aging beer and the crew who developed it. Plank I will be the first, but not the last of its kind as we continue to explore the possibilities. Watch for its release in the Mid-Atlantic area in time to celebrate American Craft Beer Week in May. Plank will join the Mutiny Fleet portfolio of beers available in 22oz bottles and very limited draft.

Sneak previews will be available at the Extreme Beer Fest in Boston next weekend. Look for them under the alias One Eyed Woody (Plank I) and Two Eyed Woody (an experimental recipe).

(Paso Robles, CA) – Firestone Walker Brewing Company announced the release of its barley wine, Abacus, in bottles today. This limited one-time release will be available in markets where Firestone beers are currently sold beginning mid-March.

Abacus has long been a component of Firestone’s anniversary beers. These anniversary beers are a blend of barrel-aged beers released one time each year in very limited quantities. Over the past few years the individual component beers have been available on draft only and have generated quite a cult following. Abacus garners a 99 out of 100 on ratebeer.com and is listed in Beer Advocates top beers.

This complex rich high alcohol beer has been aged in 20-year-old Heaven’s Hill Bourbon Barrels to make this beer one of Firestone Walker’s greatest beers to date. And Firestone’s Brewmaster, Matt Brynildson, agrees.

“Abacus is the most elegant of the beers that we produce in our barrel-aged program,” Brynildson said. “This New World barley wine brings together some of the very best elements of the wine, spirits and brewing world. 14 months in barrel results in amazing flavor development and integration. The Abacus project has been 5 years in the making and the brewing team and I and incredibly excited to finally share this beer in a bottle format with our fans.”

Abacus will be available in 22oz bottles and limited draft to a select number of accounts in the following areas: California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Missouri, Chicago, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and Chicago throughout March. Only 1500 cases of this vintage beer will be produced in 2011.

Established in 1996 on California’s Central Coast, Firestone Walker a regional brewery committed to making the world’s best pale ales, Firestone Walker remains the only American brewery to ferment beer in a union of oak barrels. Firestone Walker Brewing Company was named “Mid-Size Brewing Company of The Year” at the 2007 and 2003 Great American Beer Festivals and “Champion Brewery” for the category of Mid-Size Brewing Company at the 2010, 2006 and 2004 World Beer Cups.

(Portland, OR) – Honestly, most folks that frequent this site have probably sought something much more risqué than this on the internet at some point but…

…the “peak” traffic time here is during work hours so I know people typically visit from their cubicles. Hence the warning.

Anyway, Upright Four Play is going to be released on March 20th according to @LawTheo. Click the image above for a peak at the label and/or re-visit last year’s risqué label.

Description for last year’s beer: “Four Play is a Belgian-style sour beer that has been aged since March of 09 in Pinot Noir barrels with an addition of cherry puree, lactobacillus and brettanomyces to sour and dry out the beer. It is very tart, dry and complex with wine-like subtleties of oak, pinot, wheat and sour cherries.”

Less than 100 cases were released. Stay tuned for details on this year’s release.