Brew Scoops 1-10-19
by Gail Kearney, gailekearney@gmail.com
Anchor Brewing Co. debuts Baykeeper IPA, a bright and delicious IPA made in collaboration with local nonprofit San Francisco Baykeeper, who has defended the Bay from pollution for 30 years. This crisp and refreshing San Francisco-style IPA, overflows with juicy and fruit-forward hop layers. A portion of the proceeds from this brew will directly support San Francisco Baykeeper and their efforts to stop polluters so the Bay’s water is healthy for wildlife and local communities. Teeming with lime, orange zest and papaya aromas, 7% Baykeeper IPA has a slightly spicy, yet slightly sweet taste that finishes with a delicate bitterness. Mosaic, Cascade and Amarillo Cryo hops were used to amplify the fruity and piney hop aromatics in this slightly hazy brew. Anchor takes a balanced approach to the bitterness while ramping up the hop intensity. The beer pours a deep golden color with a creamy, fluffy head. This limited-time offering is available now nationwide in 6-packs of 12-oz bottles and on draught at select bars, restaurants and stores as well as at Anchor Public Taps and the Anchor Brewing Taproom. anchorbrewing.com photo credit: Erin Conger
Full Sail Brewing Co. has launched its brand-new Malted Milkshake-Style IPA brewed with lactose, malted barley and oats. A touch of natural vanilla is the proverbial cherry on top. The hazy, hoppy, smooth, creamy 6.8% IPA is unfiltered, not bitter, and there’s tons of aroma packed into a full-bodied, creamy IPA. Nonfermentable lactose (milk sugars) provide a full-bodied, smooth creaminess while the yeast strain creates a hazy, fruit-forward beer. Big juicy flavor and big juicy hops stand out with Ekuanot, Denali, Comet, Citra, and Cascade hops, and 2-Row Pale, Wheat, and Oats malts. Available now in 6-pack bottles and on draft. ABV, 40 IBUs. fullsailbrewing.com
Nine Pin Cider Works has announced the release of its winter seasonal cider in its specialty can series: Earl Grey, a continuing collaboration with Guilderland, N.Y.-based Short and Stout Tea Co. It is bright and floral, its mango-like notes will take the cider enthusiast on a tropical getaway, despite the frigid temperatures outdoors. Earl Grey is crafted with 100% New York apples, cold infused with earl grey tea, and aged on lemon peel. This cider is an ideal companion for any winter adventure or surviving until the first blooms of spring. In addition to Nine Pin’s tasting room in Albany’s Warehouse District, Earl Grey 12-oz cans will be available at bars, restaurants, and retailers. ninepincider.com
Rock Art Brewery’s winter releases are now available! After being retired from 12-oz bottles a couple years ago you can enjoy Midnight Madness Porter once again for the winter season. It is a beautiful dark ruby-red 5% porter with just a hint of smoked malt to enhance the roast malt flavors. A robust ale using peat malts, their 9% Scotch Ale imparts a rich malt body and mouth feel. True to style, it’s brewed with very little hops so the malt shines strong! Available exclusively in the Rock Art’s tasting room. rockartbrewery.com
Back by popular demand, Founders Brewing Co. has announced the return of Blushing Monk as the first release of the 2019 Limited Series. Think of Blushing Monk as Rubaeus’ older sibling – more intense, slightly larger and just a little bit more mature. 9.2% Blushing Monk is fermented with a Belgian yeast strain in a nod to the ancient monastic art of brewing. Fruit-forward ferment aromas and spice esters combine with an abundance of raspberries for a tart and luscious, raspberry-jam character. Available in all markets on draft and 4-packs of 12-oz bottles through March 2019. foundersbrewing.com
Stemming from its popular Box of Hops IPA package, Ithaca Beer Co. is releasing its first Box of Sours Variety Pack on Feb. 28. This variety 8-pack has two each of four different tart and sour Berliner Weisse-style beers. They are: Cayuga Cruiser, our popular 4.5% seasonal. A slightly tart and exceptionally refreshing Berliner-style weisse ale, Cruiser is mildly hazy in appearance and light in body. Brewed with 2-Row Pale, Pilsner, Wheat malts and Glacier hops. Raspberry Soirée also returns with punched up fruit, bringing more raspberry character into focus, striking a beautiful balance between sweet and tart. This 4.2% sour is made from 2-Row Pale, Wheat, Honey malts, Glacier hops, raspberry juice & puree. The Passionate One debuts as a new release only available in this 8-pack. Passion fruit is known for being distinctly sweet, tart and tropical, making it a perfect match for this 4.75% sour ale and the Galaxy dry hops used in crafting it. Also new and exclusive to the Box of Sours, 5.35% Früt is crafted with grape juice, cranberry juice and cranberry purée and is packed with flavor to match the tartness of this kettle-soured ale. ithacabeer.com
Satisfy your craving for sunshine (and ward off that Seasonal Affective Disorder) with To Øl Tropical Rumble, a 4.3% session IPA with mango, peach, passionfruit, Melanoidin and Pilsner malts, and Mosaic hops. This Danish import is available in 24/500-ml cans and 30l kegs. sheltonbrothers.com/beers/to-ol-tropical-rumble/
Terrapin Beer Co. Beyond the Galaxy single hop IPA is light years ahead of its time. Brewed with a mass of Galaxy hops for stellar flavor and aroma, this 6.3% intergalactic IPA will take you on a voyage where no man has gone before. This spring seasonal IPA is available in 24-pack cases of 12-oz cans. terrapinbeer.com
NDN Brands is proud to officially release its flagship beer Jai Ho Midnight. Slow brewed for 49 days with organic barley malt, hops, and the crystal clear water from the Scandinavian underground, one sip of this premium 5.7% IPA will have people shouting Jai Ho! (an Indian word meaning “praise” or “cheers.”) Pouring red orange with a frothy white head and a smooth, citrus aroma, it has a bold hop bite measuring 621IBUs, where the average IPA ranges from 40-60 IBUs. Brewed at 100% organic craft brewery Svaneke Bryghus, one of the first microbreweries to open in Denmark. Available in 16.9-oz bottles. jaihobeer.com ndnbrands.com
Heavy Seas Beer is pleased to introduce a brand new offering in 2019 – Citra Cannon, a single hop IPA. Brewed with a ridiculous amount of 100% Citra hops, this 6% beer is hazy, juicy, and packed full of dank aroma and Citra hop flavor. Get ready for an intense hop experience! This limited release will be available in 12-oz cans and on draft in February in all states where Heavy Seas beer is distributed. hsbeer.com/beerfinder
To celebrate the 2019 release of one of Tröegs most sought-after beers, 14 artists were hand-picked to tell the story of Nugget Nectar through their eyes. New Jersey’s own Jon Reinfurt designed the signature artwork (shown). Each year as the new hop harvest arrives at Tröegs, super-fresh Nugget, Palisade and Simcoe hops are blended into Nugget Nectar Imperial Amber Ale. Excessively dry-hopped, Nugget Nectar is an explosion of pine, resin and mango. Available on draft and in 6-packs of 12-oz cans and bottles everywhere Tröegs beer is sold. To coincide with its release, Tröegs will host dozens of First Squeeze events, giving fans the opportunity to drink Nugget Nectar and obtain free art prints from all 14 artists. Some events will feature live poster signings by the artists as well as gravity-fed firkins and Nitro Nugget (an incredible smooth and creamy version dispensed via nitrogen). troegs.com/nugget/
Cascade Brewing has announced the release of Valley Flora 2017, a beer that celebrates Northwest regional offerings of craft beer and wine. Valley Flora combines Cascade’s sour red ale Sang Royal with Willamette Valley-grown Pinot Noir grapes using traditional brewing and winemaking techniques. Through native fruit fermentation and extended oak maturation, Valley Flora expresses notes of dark bramble fruit, plum, cherry, earth and oak supported by a balanced tannic structure and lively acidity. In 500-ml bottles and on draft at both Cascade’s Portland-area pubs and through Cascade’s distribution channels. CascadeBrewing.com
Is it an IPA disguised as a Kölsch or a Kölsch disguised as an IPA? Dogfish Head Craft Brewery uncloaks its newest Double IPA, The Perfect Disguise. On the surface, this 8% golden beer looks like a straightforward Kölsch with a crisp Kölsch yeast and traditional German malts and hops – but your first sip of this beer lets you know it’s something different. The luscious body and creamy mouthfeel is a result of a unique German chit malt. Hiding deeper behind that German disguise is the double-dry hopping of an American Double IPA, with nearly 4lbs of German and American hops per barrel, bringing tropical flavors of citrus, tangerine, mango, gooseberries and peach. Available in 12-oz/6-pack bottles. Raison D‘Extra will also make a comeback this year and heads to taps and shelves in 12-oz/4-pack bottles. This immodest brew is made with an obscene amount of malt, brown sugar and raisins, and takes Belgian-style browns to new heights. Dark amber in color, 15-18% Raison D’Extra has a clovey and slightly herbal finish with notes of sherry, nuts and sweet dried pit fruits. dogfish.com
