Location: BrewDog HQ, North East Scotland

The Beer: A San Diego Scotch Ale. OG 1090

The Hops: Challenger, First Gold, Amarillo

The Twist: This beer will be aged in whisky casks with raisins soaked in Ballast Point Rum

They are asking for names. No word on U.S. availability.

via Brewing with Ballast Point.

(Milton, DE) – Dogfish Head and Google have formed a unique partnership around a new beer that went on tap yesterday, URKontinent.

The video above discusses how the two sides collaborated on the beer, both on the brewing end of things and on the software end of things (using Google’s collaboration tools, of course). Read the full specs over at Dogfish’s website.

Though this beer, “brewed in the style of a Belgian Dubbel,” is currently only a brewpub exclusive, Dogfish Head El Presidente, Sam Calagione, hints that it may not be for long.

We do a little test batch, serve it to the people that come to our pub, listen to them and then tweak that next recipe. That’s how a beer moves from an idea at Dogfish to national distribution.

That’s what will happen with URKontinent. We’ll get this test batch ready to serve in about a month [now - video shot a month ago] and then if people dig it, we’ll put it out in bottles about four months after that.

Stay tuned.

Second batch of new labels…

Special Edition: Allies Win the War! by 21st Amendment Brewery and Ninkasi Brewing: Among the coolest labels that I have ever seen though I can’t tell what the actual beer name is.

Label copy…”In a surprising turn of events, rival superpowers have joined forces to bring a beer of might to the world. According to top-secret documents, recently unclassified, brewmasters for 21st Amendment in California and Ninkasi in Oregon began their brewing careers together many years ago.

Leaders from the two breweries reunited recently at a secret camp in the Sierras to devise their master plan. ‘We are more alike than we are different,’ said 21st Amendment’s Shaun O’Sullivan. ‘We must united in our common cause,’ added Ninkasi’s Jamie Floyd. The resulting collaboration, an ale brewed with California dates, an aggresive arsenal of all-Northwest hops and an unmistakable aroma of victory, deals a unified blow to unoriginal beers around the world.”

To be distributed through 21st Amendment’s network. More info at BSJ.

New Belgium Prickly Passion Saison: Label copy…”Peter [Bouckaert, Brewmaster] picked a prickly pear and paired it with a passion fruit. ‘Perfect! Pitch it in!’ he proclaimed. Now we have this pleasing prickly passion saison brewed with fruit juices and french saison yeast to our brewmaster’s picking.”

Fort Collins The Incredible Hop Imperial Belgian-Style IPA
Deschutes Horse Ridge IPA
Black Husky Three Scrutineers
Tallgrass Velvet Rooster Belgian-style Tripel
Choc Beer Winter Stout

(Tampa, FL) – Despite Cigar City‘s latest attempt to make drinkers go blind, I’ve done the legwork and transcribed the entire label for you. Enjoy.

This beer will be available on draft in addition to 750s (as seen here).

Auld Alliance Scotch Ale label copy:

Dunedin Brewery is Florida’s oldest Craft Brewery. Cigar City Brewing is one of the youngest. In fact CCB’s founder got his start int he craft beer business as a sales rep for Dunedin brewery.

Started in 1996 in the Scottish Heritage town of Dunedin, GL, Founder Michael Bryant and his staff at Dunedin Brewery displayed a tenacity that resulted in a staying power many breweries opened in the 90s were unable to match. It also resulted in a lot of really good local beer! 15 years of it in fact.

OVer the years, Dunedin has had a major impact on the Florida beer scene and served as an inspiration for those that followed it. In its role as Elder Statesman, Dunedin has both inspired and provided a model and it is in that spirit of cooperation and guidance that we present Auld Alliance.

Auld Alliance (vielle Alliance) was the alliance of kingdoms between Scotland and France from 1295 and 1560 which profoundly shaped the legal, military, cultural and even culinary makeup of both countries. It also provides a good historical analogy for the spirit of cooperation possessed by so many who work to create hand-crafted beer.

Auld Alliance is a Scotch Ale reflecting the Scottish contribution to the Alliance fermented with a Saison yeast strain thats origin is traced back to France.

Yup, more new beer labels comin’ right up…

Boogoop Buckwheat Wine by Mikkeller, Three Floyds: 10.4% ABV / 22 oz. Hat tip to Beerticker.dk for scooping this back in May. This is their third fourth collaboration to hit bottles (no release info known yet) after Hvedegoop, Ruggoop and Oatgoop.

Chatoe Rogue Fresh Pumpkin Ale (First Growth): Label copy…”Created with pumpkins grown on Rogue’s Micro hop and pumpkin yard in Independence, Oregon. Fresh pumpkins are picked, loaded into our truck, driven immediately 77 miles to our brewery in Newport, Oregon, quickly roasted, and pitched into the brew kettle.”

Others…

Flat Tail Tailgater Kolsch Style Ale

The Brew Kettle Spalt Bomb Pils

(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 beer labels…

Peaotch by Terrapin Beer Co., Left Hand Brewing: Midnight Project Series Brew Four. Label copy…”Yep, we brewed a beer with Georgia and Colorado peaches. We tried to tell the peaches to get out of the way, but they wouldn’t. Ludicrous, we know. – Spike and Ro”

Others…

Terrapin So Fresh and So Green, Green (now with Challenger hops)
Two Beers Fresh Hop Ale
Big Dick Beer (punch line: Goes Down Smooth)
Meantime IPA
Meantime London Porter (label re-designs for 33cl bottles)
Little Mountain KGB Russian Imperial Stout
Little Mountain Saint Graal Belgian Style Ale
Mile Marker Zero Kolsch-style Ale
Keuka Local Mocha Stout
Rust Belt Blast Furnace Blond Ale
Lost Rhino RhinO’fest Marzen Amber Lager
Crabtree Syzygy Black IPA

(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.”

(Copenhagen, DENMARK) – Mikkeller has a couple new releases coming this fall.

Before we go any further, please note that these labels are not yet finalized or approved by the TTB. Sentence Beer was actually the first to reveal them earlier this week and I contacted Mikkeller artist, Keith Shore, to get more information about them.

Swinging Harry Tropical Quad:

“The Quad is a Belgian-Style Ale made in collaboration with Cigar City Brewing. It was brewed with Citra and Simcoe hops and aged in Grand Marnier barrels with papaya, mango and Brettanomyces claussenii. It will be released in 500 ML bottles.” The beer was brewed at Amager Bryghus in Denmark.

Mikkeller Happy Lovin’ Christmas:

“The Holiday IPA will be released in 750 ML bottles with a cork and foil top and is brewed with Ginger and Pine.”

These will both be released in the US and Europe. They will be imported to the U.S. by the Shelton Brothers.

(Maple Shade, NJ) – On Wednesday, July 27 from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., two of the top brewers in New Jersey, Chris LaPierre of Iron Hill and Casey Hughes of Flying Fish, will join forces at Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant (124 East Kings Highway, 856-273-0300) to create Iron Fish, a Belgian black IPA sure to be known as one of the Garden State’s finest ales. This special collaborative beer will be released to the public on Saturday, August 27, and is a major brewing event that brings two renowned brewers together for a common goal: creating a flagship beer for the state they’re proud to call home.

“At Iron Hill, we’re proud to call Maple Shade our home, and I can’t wait to partner with Casey to create this tribute to all that’s good about New Jersey brewing,” says LaPierre. Adds Hughes, “Chris and I have wanted to create a special beer together for a long time, so Iron Fish is going to be very special – and only brewed in limited quantities, so be sure to experience it right away!”

Since opening, South Jersey magazine has awarded Iron Hill Maple Shade two “Best of the Best Awards” for Best Bar 2009 and Best Midnight Snack 2010. Visitors of OpenTable.com gave Iron Hill their coveted Diner’s Choice Awards for top ten Kid-Friendly Restaurant and Vibrant Bar Scene. Founded by home brewers Mark Edelson and Kevin Finn and restaurateur Kevin Davies in Newark, DE in 1996, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant is the region’s fastest-growing restaurant group, blossoming from one restaurant and brewery to eight locations across the mid-Atlantic. A ninth location, in Chestnut Hill, PA, will open later this year.

Flying Fish was the world’s first ‘virtual’ microbrewery, establishing an Internet presence as early as 1995. That presence helped to generate press interest and woo investors to the fledgling brewery, which would not open for business until late 1996. Today, owner Gene Muller, head brewer Casey Hughes and their team oversee four full-time styles, as well as a variety of seasonal beers. Their brews have been featured at the Great British Beer Festival, Oregon Brewers Festival and Canada’s Biere de Mondial Festival. They have won medals at the Great American Beer Festival, Real Ale Festival and the World Beer Championships, and are the only New Jersey brewery featured in Best American Beers. Flying Fish was also named “Local Hero: Beverage Artisan of 2009” by Edible Jersey magazine.

For more information about Iron Fish or any of Flying Fish’s beers, please visit them online at www.flyingfish.com and www.exitseries.com, or call (856) 489-0061.

For more information about Iron Fish or Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, or to make a reservation at any of their locations, please visit www.ironhillbrewery.com. You can also follow them on Twitter (@IronhillNJ) and follow Brewer LaPierre on his blog http://ironhillbrewery.com/blog/mapleshade/.

(Escondido, CA) – Stone Brewing Co. is rolling out yet another collaboration beer, with the “Jason Fields & Kevin Sheppard / Tröegs / Stone Cherry Chocolate Stout” due to hit shelves on July 25.

San Diego homebrewing duo Jason Fields and Kevin Sheppard submitted their Cherry Chocolate Stout for this year’s Stone March Madness Homebrew Competition and AHA Rally, taking top honors out of 40 entries that were judged. As a result, they earned the opportunity to make a dramatically scaled up version with Brewmaster Mitch Steele on the 120-barrel Stone Brewing Co. system.

“We didn’t have any expectations going in,” explains Jason. “We’d just entered the competition just to get some feedback and notes on our beer.” Kevin adds, “The fact that we did win was absolutely surreal.”

“There were A LOT of really good beers that day,” recounts Mitch, one of the judges at the competition. “With each entry, we asked ourselves two simple questions: 1) ‘Is this a really creative beer?’ and 2) ‘Is this a really good beer?’ This one totally fit the bill.”

Once the beer was decided on, an additional brewer had to be selected to complete the collaboration. Deciding to bring in John Trogner, Head Brewer of Pennsylvania’s famed Tröegs Brewing Co., was a no-brainer. “We make a holiday beer called Mad Elf, which uses a ridiculous amount of cherries,” explains John. “Plus, we’ve done a lot of brewing with chocolate. So I’m guessing that had something to do with why I was asked to pitch in.”

The rich, smooth stout was brewed in late April, with a blend of dark-roasted specialty malts, Callebaut chocolate liquor, vanilla beans, and 9000 pounds of dark and tart cherries. “Seeing how much the recipe was blown up to brew it on this system is amazing,” Jason chimes in. “And getting to work with everybody… it’s been so cool.”

“Collaboration beers are a big part of showing what our industry is about,” concludes John. “And it’s a lot like homebrewing: you think up an idea, invite your friends over, and brew it. There aren’t many other industries that can work that way, and I think it says a lot about what we do.”

Single 12-oz bottles (Suggested retail price: $2.49-$3.49)
Available in: AK AZ CA CO DE FL IL KY MA MD MN NC NJ NM NY OH OR PA SC TX VA VT WA
7.3% abv, 37 IBUs
2448 cases produced

Tasting Notes from Brewmaster Mitch Steele:

“The taste is that of a very smooth stout, with an intense tart cherry beginning and a cocoa smoothness dominating throughout the palate. The tartness from the cherries balances out the smooth sweetness, and the addition of cacao and vanilla beans add intricate layers of chocolate and vanilla to the flavor profile. Definitely a beer to savor slowly and evaluate as it warms and changes in your glass.”

About Stone Brewing Co.:

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.

About Tröegs Brewing Co.:

Founded by brothers Chris and John Trogner in 1996, Tröegs Brewery is a small, family-owned specialty brewery. Located in Central Pennsylvania, Tröegs beers are distributed in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, New York, Ohio and Massachusetts. Tröegs Brewery, currently located in Harrisburg, PA is open for tours and tastings every Saturday. Visit http://www.troegs.com to see what else is brewing.

(Escondido, CA) – Stone Brewing Co. is proud to announce the release of its latest collaboration beer, Baird / Ishii / Stone Japanese Green Tea IPA, hitting shelves today.

Toshi Ishii—former Stone Brewing intern cum brewer (’98-’01) and now owner of Ishii Brewing Co. in Guam—got in touch with Stone Brewmaster Mitch Steele shortly after the Japanese earthquake and tsunami disaster with a proposal to make a beer that could help with recovery efforts. Bryan Baird of Baird Brewing Company in Numazu, Japan was brought on board and ideas were soon flying.

“We wanted the beer to have a Japanese spirit, so we decided early on that we would be using green tea in the recipe,” explains Baird.

“We decided to brew an IPA to accentuate the tea’s herbal character,” adds Steele. “But this won’t be the typical, citrusy West Coast IPA flavor. We’re using Sorachi Ace, a variety of hops originally developed in Japan, as well as Pacifica, Crystal, Warrior, and Aramis, a brand new cultivar from the Alsace region of France.”

All proceeds (minimum $50,000) will be donated to the Japanese Red Cross Society. “We hope that Japan and its people will bounce back from the tsunami tragedy stronger than ever!” exclaims Ishii.

“A collaboration beer like this is a great way to demonstrate to Japan that they’re not alone,” Baird asserts. “They have friends, supporters, and empathizers all around the world.”

Name: Baird / Ishii / Stone Japanese Green Tea IPA

Single 12-oz bottles (Suggested retail price: $2.49-$3.49)
Available in: AK AZ CA CO FL IL KY MA MN NC NJ NM NY OH OR PA SC TX VA VT WA
9.2% abv, 70 IBUs
2966 cases produced

Tasting Notes from Brewmaster Mitch Steele

“Bryan, Toshi, and I tried to select hop varieties for this beer that would blend well with Japanese Sencha Green Tea, and I think we succeeded. Heavy doses of Crystal hops, accompanied by New Zealand Pacifica and the brand new Aramis variety from France provide a wonderful, spicy, herbal hop character that blends exceptionally well with the herbal and grassy Sencha tea flavors. The very late addition of Japanese Sorachi Ace hops provide even more spicy and citrus hop notes. Our Production Team at Stone Brewing Co. is absolutely raving about how fantastic this beer came out. Drink it fresh!”

ABOUT STONE BREWING CO.

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.

Batch 2 of today’s new beer labels…

Nebraska Toasted Barn: Taking inspiration from The Bruery, this label reads, “Our Smoked Porter carefully nestled into Colorado Craft Whiskey Barrels for six month. Extended barrel-aging imparts a light vanilla nose into an elegantly smokey beverage.” Looks like this is part of a new series called “Inception?” 22 oz. bottles.

Very Speciale Belge by De La Senne, Allagash Brewing: Per RateBeer, “Collaboration brew with people from Allagash in Maine, brewed at the new de la Senne premises in St. Jans – Molenbeek. IBU’s have been kept lower on expressly… American demand!” Imported by Shelton Brothers.

Flying Dog The Fear Imperial Pumpkin Ale: As revealed here previously, Flying Dog will release a Pumpkin Ale for the first time later this year.

Uinta Yard Sale Winter Lager: New offering to come from Uinta Brewing. Trademark application filed just last month. 12 oz. bottles.

De Graal Gember: New label artwork, imported by Shelton Brothers.

Rock Bottom IPA and Red Ale: Rock Bottom has released beers in bottles but these two appear to be a new thing for the large brewpub chain. 22 oz. bottles brewed in Portland.

(Chico, CA) – Some follow-up to late June’s post about the Life and Limb 2 collaboration.

Here is some solid info from Sierra Nevada Brewing Communications Coordinator, Bill Manley:

Life & Limb 2 has been bottled and packed and is now aging and bottle conditioning in our cellars. The photos attached show the finished beer going into the bottle and moving into the warehouses. We expect the first shipments to be released around August 15. We brewed about 4 times as much as the last time. It will be bottled in 750mL cage-and-cork bottles.

As for Limb & Life, this year’s edition has a twist. It was aged on wood from both Sam Calagione [of Dogfish Head] and Ken Grossman’s property. Sam sent maple from Delaware, and Ken used Bay from his property here in California. That beer will be EXTREMELY limited draught only.

(Bellaire, MI) – Surprise, surprise. Another Dogfish Head collaboration comin’ rrrrrright up!

Short’s Brewing announced DFH as a collaboration partner on its blog today. Here’s an excerpt from the brewery’s blog post:

The yet unnamed collaboration brew is a Baltic Porter featuring beach plums from Delaware, horehound from Michigan, and red popcorn (sent by Nick Floyd of Three Floyds brewery in Indiana). The resulting brew will resonate strongly with those who love Short’s Black Cherry Porter. It is delicious.

Short’s is releasing the test batch of this beer at its Pub on July 4th. Then, on Wednesday July 6th, Joe and Sam will host a public reception at the lobby of the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa from 5-6:30 p.m. That evening, Sam will dine with the Short’s crew at the Aerie Restaurant on the 16th floor of the tower. Special kegs of Short’s and Dogfish Head will be featured at Aerie that night (a tap takeover to remember!). Short’s Brew will also be featured at Jack’s Sports Bar, which is located near the hotel lobby.

Meanwhile, during the first week of July, the brewers of Short’s and Dogfish Head will be brewing a batch of the collaboration beer in Elk Rapids that will be bottled and distributed throughout Michigan later this year. We’ll continue to keep you posted on the bottle release details.

(Chico, CA) – A few details on the Life and Limb 2 collaboration between Sierra Nevada Brewing and Dogfish Head…

The first collaboration took place during the hot summer of 2009. There was a ton of buzz around the original project with many stores (most? all?) getting only one case if any.

The 2011 collaboration took place around May 2nd and, this time, they’re doing it bigger. First, the obligatory label stuff…

Front label:

LIFE – this living ale is naturally carbonated to enhance complexity, refinement, and to encourage aging

LIMB – for the birch and maple trees, whose syrup gives this ale its unique flavor and symbolizes the collaboration between Sierra Nevada and Dogfish Head. We are proud to share our Life and Limb with the thousands of other branches who collectively comprise the craft brewing family tree. Sip slowly with friends and loved ones; savor – because one could do better than be a swigger of birches.

Back label:

Our decision to make this ale together comes from a shared passion for bringing natural beauty into the brewing process. Both of our families own and operate independent breweries and our co-workers, who share this passion, are an integral part of our extended family.

LIFE – For the living brewer’s yeast in every bottle working in vibrant unison to enhance complexity, refinement, and to encourage aging.

LIMB – For the two syrups used in making this ale (maple and birch) which contribute to its unique flavor profile and symbolize this collaboration between Sierra Nevada and Dogfish Head.

This ale is dedicated to the family of craft-brew drinkers worldwide who continue to support the little guys, iconoclasts, entrepreneurs, and pioneers who risk life and limb to shape the craft-brewing community. We are proud to share our two branches with the thousands of other vibrant branches – those of fellow brewers – who collectively comprise the craft-brewing family tree.

Sincerely,

Sam Calagione and Ken Grossman

The 2011 Version:

Here is what we know at the moment…

- it looks like late August/early September for distribution per Sierra Nevada tweet

-last batch brewed in 2009 was released in 24 oz. bottles whereas this label approval is for 750ml bottles / perhaps we will see this packaged in the same fashion as the SN 30th Anniversary beers?

From Dogfish Head blog post:

- once again going to be sold only through Sierra Nevada network

- “much bigger batch” than in 2009 / for context, Mutineer Magazine reported that 400 barrels were produced in 2009 with only 3,000 cases being bottled (in barrel terms, a little over 200)

I’ll see if I can get for hard numbers on the 2011 batch and report out…also, look for updates on the official Life and Limb website (not yet updated for ’11) over the coming weeks and months

(Chicago, IL) – Half Acre Beer Co. announced the upcoming release of two saisons yesterday.

(Photo Credits: Phineas X. Jones on Flickr / Creative Commons)

Here are the details courtesy of the brewery blog:

We just scored some Saison yeast so we’re brewing two back to back Saisons — the first is a draft only beer called Dripping Saison. This is aimed at a core Saison to aid us all in gliding through the summer season with a stable go-to session anchor. We took a bit of it and roughed it up with some off-beat treatment that may or may not eek it’s way out to you, but the bulk will be poured into growlers at our store.

The second Saison is part of a two-part double brew with our friends from Short’s Brewing in Bellaire, MI. For the first half we hit the road and brewed it in MI at their facility this past Monday. The second will be brewed this Friday here on Lincoln Ave before heading out to the My Morning Jacket show.

The beer is called Captain Fantasy. We’re brewing identical recipes at each location with two separate labels of our own interpretation. Captain Fantasy is a Saison brewed with pears and Sorachi Ace hops. The beer should be pleasantly off kilter and our time with Short’s is always time well spent.

Captain Fantasy will be available in 22′s and for growler pours.

(Placentia, CA) – Some collaboration news just arrived in the inbox.

According to The Bruery Manager of Sales and Marketing, Benjamin Weiss, the beer will be distributed through The Bruery’s network on a limited basis in 750s. Here is the email he sent out about ten minutes ago…

What happens when you combine two brewers with a love for experimentation on a single beer recipe?

Made with ingredients such as nori, chili peppers, sesame seeds and kumquats and then fermented with a sake yeast, the yet to be named collaborative beer will certainly be something that furthers each brewery’s style-bending reputation and hopefully raises quite a bit of money to help out our fellow beer lovers in Japan by donating a portion of the proceeds from every bottle sale.

(Athens, GA) – Terrapin Beer Company‘s Spike Buckowski traveled to Europe this past winter to collaborate with BFM.

(Photo Credit: Terrapin Beer Co. on Flickr)

“Gebraut nach dem Deutschen Reinheitsgebot”

Southern Brew News reported in its April/May edition…

Terrapin brewer, Spike Buckowski and Dustin Watts, were excited to be in Jura, Switzerland, late last February for a collaborative brew with Jerome Rebetez of Brasseries des Franches-Montagnes (BFM). The intriguing rye barleywine, destined to be aged in rum barrels, will come through BFM’s distribution for a limited release in the states. This strong ale with 20% rye created a challenging mash during an almost ten hour brew day. Buckowski states, Brewing at BFM was an extra special experience. For one, starting the brew from an iPhone is just ridiculous, but cheese fondue for lunch in the brewery…come on!”

The B. United International site indicates that it was supposed to be shipped in 11.2 oz. bottles and kegs in late spring but with label approval just coming through (keg only so far, see below), that is obviously going to be delayed a bit. The beer will eventually be released later this summer.

Here are some photos from the trip to Switzerland.

Part II of today’s batch of beer notes…this one focuses on the West Coast.

The Bruery / Dogfish Head: I got word earlier this week about a collaboration between these two breweries. According to The Full Pint, they just publicly announced the collaboration in a Reserve Society email (albeit with scant details?). The two breweries are meeting up for a charity event next week so it sounds like brew day and possibly more details could be coming soon?

Also of note, “This Friday [today] we are also going to be unveiling our newest Nano Series beer: Hops & Dreams. Nano Series: Hops & Dreams – a 9% ABV summer Barley Wine which combines Belgian malts with American yeast and lots of hops – is a strong, aromatic fusion ale that lovers of Mischief will certainly enjoy. As an added bonus, Humulus Lager will be back as a Sunday treat for those of you feeling like having our delicious hoppy Lager on a beautiful afternoon.”

Stone Brewing: Earlier this week, I revealed that the Stone/Ishii/Baird collaboration will use a new hop variety called Aramis. Here is the quick and dirty on this hop from Head Brewer, Mitch Steele… “The Aramis hop is a brand new hop variety from Cophoudal in Alsace, France. Its parentage includes the Strisselspalt hop, a German style hop from Alsace. Strisselspalt has a very unique aroma-herbal like a German noble hop, but with hints of lemon as well, but it also has a very low alpha acid content, which makes it tough for using in craft ales. Aramis was at 8% alpha acids, so a really nice level.”

Sierra Nevada / Phish Super Ball IX: Per Phish’s Facebook page (nearly 500 likes on this single note, wow), “Years of marketing research and focus groups have revealed that Phish fans, given a choice of a wide variety of beverage options, often choose a fermented concoction made from cereal grains. We created a tent at Festival 8 called Beers of the World where any fan, no matter what language they spoke, would find a pleasing option. BOTW will be back at Super Ball IX with over 50 different kinds of beer available.

Of note is the return of Sierra Nevada’s FOAM, a special pilsner brewed specifically for Phish. True fact: After Festival 8, FOAM went on to win the Gold Medal at the 2010 World Beer Championship as the world’s best Pilsner. It sold out in a hurry at its debut. They’re brewing a little extra this time.”

Firestone Walker: Expanding distribution to Colorado

Oakshire Brewing: Introducing Graduation Ale (RyePA)

Green Flash Brewing: The brewery is tapping Treasure Chest Belgian Pale Ale today. [Update: I'm a bit confused now. The poster I linked to says on draft exclusively at Green Flash Brewing & The High Dive and arriving 6.10.11. Meanwhile, here's a post from Facebook..."Join me at Green Flash Brewing Co. this FRIDAY, June 10th in the Tasting Room for a special release: Treasure Chest Belgian-inspired Pale Ale! Only 200 cases packaged, no draught. 100% of proceeds benefit Chicks for Beer. Tasting Room opens at 3pm on Friday."]

Lompoc Brewing: Per the newsletter, “Next Friday, June 17 at Sidebar will be the Release Party for Heavens Helles, Bourbon Barrel Aged LSD and Sour Willy.”

(Escondido, CA) – Here is an early look at the label for Stone Brewing‘s latest collaboration, Japanese Green Tea IPA.

Update: This beer uses Aramis hops (perhaps the first commercial U.S. beer to do so). More info in the update below…

Per the Meet the Brewers night page, “Our latest collaboration is going to be something really special: a green tea IPA with all proceeds helping to raise money for Japanese tsunami relief. We couldn’t be happier to have renowned brewer (and Stone ex-pat!) Toshi Ishii [of Ishii Brewing] back to help out for this one, and we’re excited that Bryan Baird of Baird Brewing will be joining the effort, too. Help us welcome these rock star brewers to Stone on the eve of a monumental brewing day!”

Back Label:

A wonderful spirit of camaraderie, cooperation and mutual support exists in the world of craft brewing. We have harnessed this spirit fully in the crafting of this special collaborative brew dedicated to the resilient people of Japan who are bravely endeavoring to overcome the tragedy of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

We tip our brewing hats to the quiet elgance and humble sophistication of Japanese culture through the judicious addition of Japanese whole leaf green tea to this big, bold, spicy and herbal IPA. Cheers, Japan!

Update: “When our old friends Toshi Ishii and Bryan Baird approached us about brewing something special for Japan relief efforts, we of course jumped at the opportunity. We created this very special IPA, brewed with 100% Maris Otter Malt and Belgian Candi Sugar. Once we decided to tie it all together with the addition of Japanese Sencha Green Tea in a dry-hop, the rest of the recipe came together easily. We included hops that we believe would blend well with the tea flavors, and we went non-traditional, at least in the sense of American IPAs. After bittering with Warrior hops, we used Crystal and New Zealand Pacifica for flavor. And then for the first dry hop, we again used Crystal and Pacifica, and added a brand new hop variety, Aramis, from the Alsace region of France. Then we went all Japanese for the 2nd dry-hop, with Sorachi Ace whole lead hops and the Sencha Tea. It’s always fun to use new ingredients and new hop varieties and for that, I say to Toshi and Bryan: ‘Domo Arigato!’”

Back to back beer notes…Part II of II…

Dogfish Head / Epic Brewing: Per the latest Shelton Brothers newsletter, “Some of you may have seen it on TV, and now we have a super small amount for you: Epic/DFH Portamarillo [<- label art]. This beer uses a unique fruit called a tamarillo. The tamarillos are roasted on a grill which gives the beer a slight smokey character.”

Birreria: The rooftop brewery and restaurant is now open for business in NYC. That could mean that filming is done for the final episode of Brew Masters. No air date has been set (and I’ve admittedly lost track of the status of that last episode). Oh, and there will be another Birreria opening up at Eataly in Rome in early 2012.

Clown Shoes Beer: Announced that Lubrication, an American Black Ale, will be released on June 27th. The above label has not yet received label approval (and may not be finalized).

Short’s Brewing: Announced the return of Spruce Pilsner

NOLA Brewing: Here come the cans. “Our canning line is still about six months out, giving you all plenty of opportunity to get excited about it! We’ll roll out with our Blonde Ale and then, as quickly as we can, begin canning our other beers. All of NOLA Brewing beers, the year rounds and the seasonals, will be available in cans.The year round brews, NOLA Blonde, NOLA Brown, Hopitoulas and 7th Street Wheat will be available in six-packs of 12oz cans and our seasonals will be available in four-packs of 16oz cans.”

Peak Organic Brewing: From the latest newsletter, “New this year is a release from our Reserve/Specialty series called ‘Weiss Principal.’ It’s the international love child of a Hefe-Weiss and an American IPA. This 8.8% unfiltered wheat beer employs a traditional German Weiss yeast, providing engaging banana and clove notes. A stern dry–hopping of pungent American hops provide pronounced citrus, pine and fruit notes. It’s so tasty, it may be punishable with a trip to the office.”

Flossmoor Station: Per the blog, “Coming up is our Le Chien Blanc Wit, which will be a nice contrast at a much more sane 5% range. It’s got some great notes of Corriander and Chamomile, with a nice orange zest in the flavor of it. We additionally have used this beer to propagate enough healthy yeast cells to adequately ferment our 15th Anniversary Ale, which we’ll be brewing next week!”

Bonus I: Brooklyn Brewery President, Steve Hindy, tells Fox Business that grain prices will likely rise by the end of the year which could raise the price of beer.

Bonus II: Ohio considers raising the cap.

Bonus III: A pic of the Savor Flowers bottle. Here’s a video of the two brewers discussing the beer.

Bonus IV: “I hope they lose every dollar they have.” – former Pabst exec on new ownership group

Part I of II…digging around the web for articles of interest so that you don’t have to…

(Photo Credit: Phineas X. Jones)

Sierra Nevada Brewing: Founder, Ken Grossman, says that they’ll make a decision on their East HQ search within the next six weeks. A Virginia business development group is visiting the brewery in Chico this week as well.

Deschutes Brewery: Expanding distribution to Kansas soon (and Missouri but that’s old news).

Three Floyds / Struise: Shark Pants, the collaboration between these two breweries is now on tap at 3F. Not sure (or I forget) at this point whether it will be bottled. “A collaboration/dedication ale brewed with our friend Urbain from the Belgian brewery De Struise, this intense Belgian-style double IPA was fermented with Urbain’s special yeast and then an amazing amount of hops were added. This beer was brewed in loving memory of a former employee, Rich Sheppard, who recently passed away, a portion of the proceeds from this beer will go to his family. Try this beer and enjoy the Rich life. 100+ IBU, 8.7% ABV, $8 Snifter”

And then there is this recent tidbit on Facebook… “Ok gents, this is news, and hot from tzsé needle… Struise is going back to 3F’s in September, to brew a freaking out Black Albert! To be Blendified (lol) with a still secret Dark Lord version and Double Blackified (lol again) … that is about the most crazy project ever for Struise to collaborate too this year! Release date, don’t ask me, ask 3F’s ”

Pelican Pub and Brewery: More expansion. “Pacific City’s Pelican Pub & Brewery hopes to team up with the Port of Tillamook Bay to build a second, much larger facility on port property. The new operation would double the existing brewery’s production from 5,000 barrels per year to 10,000 barrels per year.” H/T to the New School Brew Blog.

Jester King Craft Brewery: Posted a big update last week, “On Friday, we brewed what we hope will be a very traditional rendition of a Berliner Weisse, a sour, very pale wheat beer, fermented with a combination of saccharomyces (standard beer yeast) and lactobacillus (souring bacteria). The word ‘Weisse’ means ‘white’ in German, but when talking about Bavarian-style Weissbier, it’s used more or less interchangeably with the similar sounding ‘Weizen,’ meaning ‘wheat.’ Berliner Weisse is something completely different, bearing, if anything, a slightly closer resemblance to Belgian-style white ales and sour ales than it does to southern German wheat beers.”

New Planet Beer: Per the blog, “As of the end of May, we were selling beer in 8 states: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming. And… This June we’ll be selling beer in 4 more states: California, Florida, North Dakota, and Nebraska. We’ll continue this expansion with the plan to sell our beer in a total of 20 states by the end of the year. If we’re still not in your state by the end of the year, we’ll be working hard to distribute there in the near future!”

Oakshire Brewing: Bruine Van Brugge is the latest Single Batch series release.

Bonus I: The rising L.A. beer scene.

Bonus II: A terrific piece on The Bruery in OC Weekly.

Partnership blooms between Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head and Jim Koch of Samuel Adams as they announce a new limited-edition collaboration brew: SAVOR Flowers

(Washington, D.C.) – Craft beer innovators Sam Calagione and Jim Koch announced they are teaming up to brew the first-ever collaboration beer for SAVOR, the Brewers Association’s annual beer and food pairing event. Sam and Jim bonded over their admiration for each other’s beer rosters, as well as their enthusiasm to push the boundaries of brewing. Inspired by the concept of beer taking its rightful place at the dinner table, Sam and Jim are creating the brew, SAVOR Flowers, to be enjoyed by itself or paired with food.

For ages, adventurous brewmasters have experimented with new varieties and processes surrounding three of beer’s four main ingredients—yeast, hops and barley—in an effort to create new and exciting brews. Jim and Sam decided to tackle beer’s previously untapped ingredient—water—and, through an age-old distillation process, created a rosewater base to be used as the main liquid in the brew. The rosewater inspired them to continue to explore the idea of brewing with flowers. After experimenting with a wide range of varieties, they landed on dried lavender, hibiscus, jasmine and rosebuds mixed in during the brewing process to further enhance the beer’s botanical qualities. As well, on his annual hop selection trip to Bavaria last year, Jim learned about a new hop breed known only as #369, grown for its amped-up floral notes. He was able to obtain 30 pounds of this unique variety from the Yakima, Wash. growing region, adding another dimension to this complex brew.

“Sam and I had a great time gathering these ingredients, and I am excited to collaborate with such an innovative brewer on this beer for SAVOR,” says Jim. “Sam’s originality and imagination are endless—he came up with the creative idea of distilling rosewater for this brew. We share the same intense passion for pushing the conventional definition of what beer can be and we put that same passion into our beers.”

SAVOR Flowers was aged in Barrel One—the same bourbon barrel Jim used to age the premier batch of the first “extreme” beer, Samuel Adams® Triple Bock, in 1993. Barrel One is the first barrel originally used for spirits which was then used to age beer. For the last 18 years it has been filled with Samuel Adams Triple Bock. Since starting out on this extreme beer journey, Jim has been committed to challenging American palates and introducing drinkers to brews that have carved out a new category in the craft beer world.

“Jim is the godfather of craft beer, and he’s got unbelievable ideas about what beer can be, along with the knowledge and palate to make those crazy beer dreams come true,” says Sam. “I am with him on his philosophy and thrilled to be working together on this groundbreaking brew. We share a commitment to elevating beer to its proper infinite height, as both a beverage and a pairing for food.”

SAVOR Flowers will be available exclusively to all attendees of SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience, a food and beer pairing event held June 3-4, 2011 at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. Attendees will have a chance to sample the brew at the event as well as bring a 750mL bottle of the collaboration beer home with them.

THE BOSTON BEER COMPANY BACKGROUND:
The Boston Beer Company began in 1984 with a generations-old family recipe that Founder and Brewer Jim Koch uncovered in his father’s attic. After bringing the recipe to life in his kitchen, Jim brought it to bars in Boston with the belief that drinkers would appreciate a complex, full-flavored beer, brewed fresh in America. That beer was Samuel Adams Boston Lager®, and it helped catalyze what became known as the American craft beer revolution.

Today, the Company brews more than 30 styles of beer. The Company uses the traditional four vessel brewing process and often takes extra steps like dry-hopping, barrel-aging and a secondary fermentation known as krausening. It passionately pursues the development of new styles and the perfection of its classic beers by constantly searching for the world’s finest ingredients. While resurrecting traditional brewing methods, the Company has earned a reputation as a pioneer in another revolution, the “extreme beer” movement, where it seeks to challenge drinkers’ perceptions of what beer can be.

The Boston Beer Company strives to elevate the image of American craft beer by entering festivals and competitions the world over, and in the past five years it has won more awards in international beer competitions than any other brewery in the world. The Company remains independent, and brewing quality beer remains its single focus. While Samuel Adams is the country’s largest-selling craft beer, it accounts for just under one percent of the U.S. beer market. For more information, please visit www.samueladams.com.

ABOUT DOGFISH HEAD:
The story of Dogfish Head began in June of 1995 when they opened Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, the first state’s first brewpub, opened in the resort beach community of Rehoboth Beach, Del. The company’s very first batch, Shelter Pale Ale, was brewed on a system which essentially were three little kegs with propane burners underneath. Brewing 12–gallon batches of beer for a whole restaurant proved to be more than a full time job. When the doors to the pub first opened, they brewed three times a day, five days a week! The one benefit to brewing on such a small system was the ability to try out a myriad of different recipes. The brewers quickly got bored brewing the same things over and over – that’s when they started adding all sorts of weird ingredients and getting kind of crazy with the beers!

The reputation of Dogfish Head ales quickly grew beyond Delaware’s borders. Thanks to all the company’s employees and every one of their customers, Dogfish Head continues to grow today! The brand is now up to 34 distinct styles of beer that are sold in 27 states, and a half–dozen kinds of hand–crafted spirits… and they still have some ideas in the back of their collective heads.

ABOUT SAVOR: AN AMERICAN CRAFT BEER & FOOD EXPERIENCE:
Now in its fourth year, SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience returns to Washington, D.C. and expands from one to two nights. Presented by the Brewers Association (organizers of the Great American Beer Festival®), SAVOR, the benchmark of beer and food events, is a must-attend happening for beer lovers and foodies alike.

Attendees will sample craft beers from 72 small and independent craft brewers who team up with a duo of expert chefs to pair each craft beer with delicious savory and sweet dishes. Educational salons and private tasting salons will provide additional opportunities for attendees to interact with some of America’s most talented craft brewers and chefs.

SOURCE Samuel Adams

(Tampa, FL) – New batch of beer labels…

Dos Costas Oeste by Cigar City Brewing, The Bruery: “A high gravity ale with coriander, ginger and sweet orange peel aged on cedar wood spirals.” 9% ABV. 750ml bottles. Here are a few stats on this Saison.

East End Monkey’s Uncle Wheatwine: Per the website, “For those that are familiar with Barleywine, but have never heard of Wheatwine, it’s really just an ingredient change, on a very BIG beer. Well, maybe a couple of substitutions. Wheatwine is a pretty modern invention, and ours is fermented with our house Hefeweizen yeast strain, and it just went into the fermenter today. When it’s done, it should be about 9.5% abv, and will be our Belated 6th Anniversary Ale, released only at the brewery, and only in swingtop bottles. Well, we may save a small keg for next year’s Barleywine Festival, because we just can’t resist.”

Wet Dream by Evil Twin, The Trappist: Surprise, surprise. It went through!

Slaapmutske Hop Collection East Kent Goldings: The same beer as Slaapmutske Anniversary Ale Pressklubben 10 according to RateBeer.

Tempelier: Brewed and bottled by Brasserie du Bocq for Brouwerij Corsendonk. Approved for 750s and 330s. Imported by St. Killian.

Others…

Sly Fox Shan’s Irish-style Stout
Methow Valley Conscious Culture Festive-ale

(Frederick, MD) – A few notes from one of the country’s fastest growing regional breweries…

According to The El Bait Shop and a second source citing confirmation from Glazer’s Distributing, Flying Dog Brewery is pulling distribution out of Iowa. That said, I’m unaware of a public confirmation from Flying Dog or any other states being mentioned.

A few weeks ago, I revealed the label seen above for a new collaboration beer. There was little to no info available at the time but I got a hold of some information from Flying Dog:

It’s a Maryland collaboration for the ages with Flying Dog Brewery and The Brewer’s Art coming together to create Table for Two — a Belgian-style Table Beer brewed with wildflower honey.

Hops: Brewers Gold, Styrian Goldings
Specialty Malts: French Pilsner, Cara-Vienna, Rye, Biscuit
Format: 6-packs

(San Francisco, CA) – Two breweries are collaborating with beer bars on upcoming releases.

Update: Just talked to a beverage lawyer that says he thinks this will pass through.

Here’s a beer called Wet Dream between Denmark’s Evil Twin Brewing and The Trappist that won’t be available until August or September according to the bar’s Aaron Porter.

Rough (Google) translation per Beerticker.dk, “A delicious brown ale boosted with excellent espresso beans and a delicious aroma of citrus – the result is stunning, seductive and fragmented – even your wildest dreams in liquid form. Visualized by artist, John Casey and brewed exclusively for The Trappist. So no monastic order in Belgium, because of course they are quite adept at making beer. But The Trappist beer bar in Oakland, Calif., where the sun shines, the atmosphere is cool, and øludvalget are too sweaty.”

I wonder what “øludvalget” means there?

More interesting is the notion of a company trying to push through approval of a beer called Wet Dream in the U.S. In California, I *believe* a beer must have federal approval in order to be served there (no matter how it is served). It would seem likely that a beer with the name, “wet dream,” would still be ruled as “misleading the presence of health benefits.” We just saw this with Brooklyn’s The Concoction. I would expect this one to come through to the U.S. under a new name but I could be pleasantly surprised.

Even sooner than that, Lagunitas Brewing has a new collaboration coming to taps. On June 6th, Zephyr will debut in Chicago. Here is the scoop:

“Zephyr was conceived of by Michael McAvena (beer director at the Publican), and Ben Fasman & Laurent Lebec (managers and beer directors at Big Star). It was taken out to Petaluma, California to the brewery to be tweaked and brewed. An expected 200 kegs will debut in early June and be served not only in Big Star and The Publican but also at Lagunitas accounts throughout Chicago. The nature of the project has been immensely collaborative from concocting the recipe to the naming of the beer as well as artwork, which is going to be done by well-known tattoo artist Hannah Aitchison of LA Ink fame. When coming up with the concept, Laurent Lebec (Big Star) thought specifically about pre-prohibition lagers, which were classically made with whatever grains were readily available to people back then and in America that meant corn. Corn being the key ingredient in bourbon, this tied the project back again to Big Star’s concept.”

The Ünnecessary Ümlaut is showing the artwork right now.

(Fort Collins, CO) – New Belgium is collaborating with a Maryland-based rock band and releasing its first pumpkin beer.

Update: “They will get the same distribution as all Lips beers and they will release in early August for the fall cycle.”

Two new Lips of Faith Series beers are set for future release.

We now know a little bit more about that Clutch keg approval that we saw yesterday. It is a collaboration with a band of the same name.

Label description: Pure rock fury meets Belgian-style brewed folly in this collaboration with Maryland hard-rockers, Clutch. A pronounced bass line of dark chocolate, coffee and black malts bridge the sourness of our dark wood ale for a fluid riff.

The brewery is also working with Dick Cantwell of Elysian Brewing on its first-ever pumpkin ale. Cantwell happens to be a co-collaborator with Stone and The Bruery on another beer that will be each brewery’s first pumpkin ale. Elysian Brewing is known for its variety of pumpkin ales, a seasonal style that is very popular, so it’s no surprise that Cantwell is involved. Of note, Kim Jordan of New Belgium, Greg Koch of Stone and Cantwell were all Brewers Association board members together last year.

Label description: We get a kick out of collaborating. Harvesting the creativity of Kim Jordan of New Belgium and Dick Cantwell of Elysian produced this ruby-hued, slightly sour, pumpkin, cranberry ale. It’s a treat that does the trick.

(Escondido, CA) – The news keeps coming for Stone Brewing.

As part of a video discussing the company’s recently reported $26.6 million local investment, President and Brewmaster, Steve Wagner, revealed an interesting tidbit about the brewery’s fall collaboration beer.

“One of the other cool things we’ve been able to do at Stone Farms is put some pumpkins in the ground. We planted some pumpkins that will be harvested late summer and we will be doing another collaboration beer for October release, a pumpkin ale. We’ll be doing this with Dick Cantwell of Elysian Brewing and Patrick Rue of The Bruery.”

We were tipped off to this possibility last August with the help of a Brewpublic interview with CEO, Greg Koch.

Also of note (this may or may not have been reported elsewhere already…), some of the beers made on the 10-barrel pilot system at the new Liberty Station brewery and restaurant will only be served there.

(Escondido, CA) – The latest collaboration to happen at Stone Brewing now has label approval.

Troegs Brewing and the winning homebrewers who created the recipe, Kevin Sheppard and Jason Fields, collaborated with Stone on this one. To my knowledge, no release timeframe has been made public for Cherry Chocolate Stout. The collaboration took place in late April so a summer release would be a good bet.

The 8.8% ABV beer will be released in 12 oz. bottles and on draft.

(Placentia, CA) – East meets West in this collaboration of the coasts…

With “Project Quercus Maximus” afoot at The Bruery, I wonder if we will see more beers with “Quercus” in the title…

Acer Quercus: Label copy…”A collaboration between The Bruery and Lawson’s Finest Liquids, this complex ale is seeping with Vermont maple syrup and maplewood smoked malt. Brewed at The Bruery with the use of oak cubes. ABV: 9.5%. 750 ml bottles.

Cheers to our friend and fellow maple lover, Sean Lawson, for making this beer with us. Acer Quercus is suitable for aging up to three years when cellared properly.”

If you are into the idea of beer made with maple syrup, look no further than Lawson’s. They are more or less experts in it.

(New Albany, IN) – Some collaboration news out of Indiana…

Here is the scoop from New Albanian Brewing Co-Owner, Roger Baylor, on the brewery’s collaborations with Struise: B’Urban Trotter DIPA and Naughty Girl.

“Draft for both will be split between ourselves and Louisville Beer Store/Holy Grale, with some perhaps making the trip to Great Taste and the like later this summer. If the label approval turns around fast enough, there’ll be limited bombers of Naughty Girl, most probably not making it outside of Indiana. We think that Urbain will be brewing these recipes at de Struise some time this year.”

Below are the beer descriptions/specs….

——————————————————–

In May of 2011, Urbain Coutteau of De Struise Brouwers (Oostvleteren, Belgium) visited Louisville as the guest of Lori Beck and Tyler Trotter, the founders of Louisville Beer Store and Holy Grale.

After numerous liquid discussions between Urbain, Lori and Tyler, a plan arose for collaboration brews, one at each of New Albanian Brewing Company’s two locations, as described below.

Naughty Girl

Overview: Brewed at Bank Street Brewhouse (May 8, 2011) by Urbain, David Pierce and Jared Williamson, Naughty Girl is a Belgian India Blonde Ale brewed to a dry finish, with medium body and a very aromatic American hop profile. 74% of the IBUs are from the mash hops and later hop additions.

Malts: Rahr 2-Row, Rahr Premium Pils, Castle (Belgian) Aromatic, CaraPils

Hops: Cascade in the mash (13 lbs whole), two bittering additions of Galena, two middle additions of Golding, late addition of Cascade, Cascade hops (15 lbs pellet) for warm dry-hopping

Yeast: De Struise House Ale

ABV: 6%

IBU: 69

—

B’Urban Trotter DIPA

Overview: Brewed at NABC’s Pizzeria & Public House (May 9, 2011) by Urbain and Jared Williamson, B’Urban Trotter is a Double India Pale Ale inspired by the Kentucky Derby as viewed by a brewer and ostrich rancher from Flanders. Note: Tyler sourced 3 lbs of Simcoe hops from Paul at My Old Kentucky Homebrew for dry hopping use. In deference to the Derby, B’Urban Trotter is bourbon/oak aged with a touch of mint.

Malt: Rahr 2-Row, Weyerman Bohemian Pilsner, Castle Biscuit, Simpsons Medium Crystal

Hops: Cascade (mash, dry), Summit (first wort), Summit (bittering), Chinook (bittering, flavor, dry), Northern Brewer (flavor), Simcoe (dry)

Special additions: Vanilla beans and honey were added during the whirlpool.

OG: 21 degrees Plato

ABV: 9.2%

IBU: 208

SRM: 9

(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.

A star-studded Saturday batch of new beer labels…

New Belgium BELGO IPA: Is that a disco ball? Looks like this beer is graduating from the Lips of Faith Series and becoming a more regular offering in 12 oz. bottles.

Bell’s Golden Rye Ale, Quinannan Falls Special Lager Beer: New approvals for 750ml bottles

Stillwater Rule of Thirds: #4 in the Import Series, this one is a hoppy tripel brewed at Sint Canarus in Belgium / 11.2 oz bottle, 8% ABV

Deschutes Chainbreaker White IPA: Interesting to see Deschutes doing a White IPA outside of its collaboration White IPA with Boulevard Brewing…they’ve also trademarked the name, “Chainbreaker,” for beer and I wonder if they may consider bottling something as a regular or seasonal offering down the road? Keg only approval for now.

Two Brothers Hop Juice Black Double IPA: Interesting timing (copied from yesterday). Per Two Brothers’ festival site, “This year at the Hop Juice Festival you will have the opportunity to try a Two Brothers Brewing Company festival exclusive beer: Hop Juice Black. This slightly more aggressive dark version of our classic Hop Juice Double IPA will be available in extremely limited amounts. June 18th will be your only opportunity to purchase 22oz silkscreened bottles and taste it on draft throughout the day.”

Drink’in the Sunbelt: Collaboration brew between Mikkeller and Texas-based Jester King Craft Brewery. This is a hoppy wheat beer to be packaged in 750s.

Another batch of new beers…

Table for Two: A collaboration between Flying Dog and The Brewer’s Art, the beer will be available in 12 oz. bottles (not sure what size pack) / 5% ABV

Thomas Creek Banana Split Chocolate Stout: Part of the Atypical Series, this beer is brewed with dried bananas – it will be released in 750s / 7.5% ABV

Weyerbacher Que¿beck: Interesting spelling, I wonder if this was on purpose or if the TTB wouldn’t allow them to put “Quebec” as the name since the beer wasn’t made there. No info on the beer style available at the moment.

Sixpoint Brevity Wit: keg approval only, appears to be a riff on the phrase “Brevity is the soul of wit”

Russell A Wee Angry Scotch Ale: Imported in 22 oz. bottles by Russell USA

Marble Manchester Tripel: Uh oh, looks like there is going to be a third brewery with “Marble” in its name distributing around the U.S. This one is based in the U.K. and is imported by Twelve Percent L.L.C..

Lager Heads Tyranny Pale Ale: in 22 oz. bottles

(Athens, GA) – Here is the label for the new Reunion Ale ’11: A Beer for Hope.

It reads:

Teaming up with Shmaltz Brewing for the first time, Terrapin Beer Co. returns for a third year as a production partner for Reunion ’11. We brew Reunion each year in memory of our dear friend and partner in this venture – Virginia MacLean. Virginia lost her battle with Multiple Myeloma in 2007. It was her wish that we continue to raise funds an awareness on behalf of The Insititute for Myeloma and Bone Cancer Research (www.imbcr.org).

This year’s beer is a dark ale brewed with cocoa nibs [from Nashville-based Olive and Sinclair], vanilla and chili peppers. It was inspired by a fantastic dessert that we used to share with Virginia at our favorite restaurant. This brown ale leads with a sweet and subtle spicy aroma. The flavor begins with complex malt overtones and quickly gives way to a chocolate and vanilla mix of satisfying bliss. Just when you thought it was over, the heat from the chilies sneaks in and coats your tongue with tantalizing heat.

Many thanks to all who have supported this project and have helped us honor Virginia’s memory.

Cheers – Pete [Slosberg] and Alan [Shapiro]

Here are a few details on Struise‘ three collaboration beers…

Update: Struise is brewing up another collaboration beer with New Albanian today called, “B’Urban Trotter.”

Shark Pants with Three Floyds: Per Struise’ Facebook page, “[Last Tuesday], we are at 3Floyds to collaborate on a very hoppy brew. 260 ibu, 9% abv with a huge load of citrussy hops. Brought the Struise yeast Strain for the occasion.” Three Floyds calls it a Belgian style Double IPA and posted a few photos up on its blog.

Small Animal Big Machine with Half Acre Beer Co. and Pipeworks Brewing: Per the Half Acre blog, “On Wednesday we brewed a collaboration beer with Pipeworks and De Struise. [...] I would say that each influence had a chance to impact this beer and the result will be something of its own. We did a traditional sour mash, used Urbain’s yeast from Belgium and are incorporating a slew of fruit. This beer will be here soon. 22oz bottles will be yours.” Struise calls it, “a red sour ale at around 8.5 % ABV, for the occasion to be fermented with red currents and cherries.”

Naughty Girl with New Albanian Brewing: Yesterday, Struise made its third (and final) collaboration while on the U.S. tour. No style mentioned but a few stats via Facebook, “6% abv, 69 Ibu & 6.9 Ebc.” Judging by some of the photos on Struise’ FB page, the name may or may not have been inspired by a trip to the Kentucky Derby.

——————

Photo Credit: Half Acre Beer blog (artwork done by Phineas X. Jones)

(Auckland, NEW ZEALAND) – Got this dropped in my inbox last night from Epic Beer‘s Luke Nicholas…

Here is an amazing world first for New Zealand, creating the world’s largest collaborative brew, with most of the small independent breweries of New Zealand contributing. This project was filmed and will become an online TV series about the craft breweries of New Zealand. The first episode is now available online.

The World’s Largest Collaborative Brew

If there was one road trip that would invoke jealousy amongst the nation’s beer drinkers, it would have to be one that involved visiting the majority of craft breweries in the country. Two of New Zealand’s leading craft brewers have done exactly this. All with the hope of putting together a series of episodes that document the excitement, passion and flavour that the beers and brewers of this fine country have to offer.

Luke Nicholas, president and founder of Epic Brewing Company in Auckland and new recruit, Kelly Ryan, who recently joined Epic after a successful brewing career with multi-award winning Thornbridge Brewery in the UK took up the challenge of visiting as many breweries as they could over a 17 day period.

Film crew in tow, they travelled the country by camper van, covering almost 4500 kilometres as they documented the current craft beer scene. Visiting breweries, sampling beers, discussing brewery history and the passion that had resulted in people from all walks of life choosing brewing as their occupation, the pair’s progress was captured on camera to be used in an online video series.

Coupled with the production was the idea that all of the passion and concepts of the craft brewers be captured in a special collaboration brew that was to act as a summary of what was happening in New Zealand beer in 2011. A grand total of 44 breweries from Invercargill to Auckland were included in the project, with a bunch of them turning up for the brew day at Steam Brewery in Auckland.

The resulting beer, Mash Up, is a New Zealand Pale Ale at 6% abv that is an ode to the deliciously refreshing New Zealand hops. It uses a blend of Kiwi and British malt (many brewers are British or got their inspiration from the UK beer scene) and is touted as being the world’s largest ever collaboration beer.

“We thought of contacting the Guinness Book of World Records to get this verified, but didn’t want to give them too much press,” quips Nicholas.

Nicholas and Ryan are no strangers to collaboration. Having worked on joint brews both at Thornbridge in the UK and here with Epic in New Zealand, they originally discussed the idea as guest international beer judges at the World Beer Cup in Chicago in 2010.

“It sounded like an amazing concept and we hoped it would give others the chance to see how great the Kiwi brewing scene actually is,” says Nicholas.

“We both think Mash Up is a great summary of where NZ beer is at,” states Ryan. “With the popularity of our great brewing ingredients on the rise abroad, it’s definitely time that we celebrate their quality here at home.”

Let’s raise our glasses to that.

http://www.facebook.com/NZCraftBeer.TV

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“Mash Up” the beer is due on supermarket shelves and in bars over the next couple of weeks. “Mash Up” will be available for sale till the end of the year.

(Chico, CA) – On Tuesday, a Who’s Who of some of the nation’s top breweries got together to brew a new collaboration beer.

Update: A couple people raised a good question. Where was Russian River’s Vinnie Cilurzo? He was previously a collaborator on Isabelle Proximus. He was also previously a collaborator on La Birreria with Sam Calagione, who was in attendance for the collaboration brew, before having to pull out of the project last year.

It all went down at Sierra Nevada Brewing yesterday. Ken Grossman and Co. played host to Sam Calagione and Flores Delee of Dogfish Head, Tomme Arthur of Port Brewing/Lost Abbey, Adam Avery of Avery Brewing, and Rob Tod and Jason Perkins of Allagash Brewing.

You might remember that all of those breweries (minus Sierra Nevada) got together a few years ago to brew the infamous Isabelle Proximus. Now they are back at it again.

Brewbound reports, “The yet-to-be-named beer is being made with purple carrots, purple potatoes, red rice, honey, and driftwood from both coasts. Manley also said that some local mint might find its way into the brew. The beer will be available on draft only at each breweries respective pubs and tasting rooms, and should be complete next month.”

Knudsen Juice (it’s a brand, not a type of fruit) will be an important factor as well. The brewers had a tasting session sampling some different blends.

The day also included a visit to the Abbey of New Clairvaux, a local abbey with which Sierra Nevada is working for its Ovila series.

Things wrapped up with a beer dinner for 172 people.

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Photo credit: Allagash Beer on Twitter