Quite a few bits of info to pass along to the Iowa craft beer aficionado today. A few of these future releases have yet to be determined and I will try to get those dates to you folks as soon as I can. Onto the first bit of news:

*Stone Ruination Double IPA 2.0 – Stone has officially retired their Ruination beer but fans of that beer can rejoice as they will replace it with Ruination Double IPA 2.0 and according to the folks at Beer Street Journal, Stone might have some techniques they will apply for this beer. Here’s more from Stone Brewing’s Blog:

OK, please come back off the ledge. Things aren’t as dire as we made them seem (purely for dramatic effect). We could never completely kill off this saintly imperial India pale ale. I mean, you didn’t really think we’d get rid of our liquid poem to the glory of the hop, did you? Yes, Stone Ruination IPA as we know it now will soon be gone, but only because we’ll be reciting the second stanza in our lupulin-laced ode, Stone Ruination Double IPA 2.0. That’s right. We’ve taken this fluid paean and everything we (and our fans) love about it, and taken it a new, loftier level. Why, you ask? ‘Tis a good and inevitable question for any discerning hophead to pose. And we have not one, but many answers to this justifiable query. It’s because, when we first released Stone Ruination IPA…

• A far smaller number of high alpha-acid hops were available compared to present day.
• Myriad brewing techniques for extracting hop flavor and bitterness had yet to be invented.
• Our palates were less used to onslaughts of lupulin and we felt like we’d maxed out the IBU possibilities.
• The tastes of craft beer drinkers, like ours, hadn’t yet been turned up to 11 (something Stone Ruination IPA did for many of our fans).

According to  Beer Street Journal this beer will feature Centennial, Citra, Simcoe and Azacca and come in 22 oz bombers at 8.5%.

*Twisted Pine West Bound Braggot*- I’m not sure if we will see this beer on Eastern Iowa shelves or not but we do get other Twisted Pine releases so if you do see this in stores please drop me a line. Not sure what a Braggot is? Here’s what Beeradvocate tells me:

Braggot is simply made by blending spices and herbs with mead and beer, to produce a strong concoction with uncommon flavors. Many taverns would make this blend right at the bar though brewers would also blend them as well.

Here’s more on West Bound Braggot courtesy of Twisted Pine’s press release:

With two GABF medals now under its belt, West Bound Braggot has made a few small batch appearances on draft at the Twisted Pine ale house since its debut as part of the brewery’s 2012 Artisan Ale Series, but has not been bottled since that initial batch. The beer now returns to glass as a 22 ounce bomber offering, dressed in a newly designed label by Boulder-based Anthem Branding.

“With alcohol strength (8.5% alcohol by volume) suitable for any sporadic spring snows and a light, bright body and flavor that pairs perfectly with a sundrenched patio session, the timing of the release seems ideal.”

West Bound is brewed with a combination of malted barley and wheat plus orange blossom honey. This is where braggot traditions end as Twisted Pine’s brewers then add Citra hops, Tasmanian pepper berries and Buddha’s Hand citrus to the kettle before fermenting the beer with a farmhouse yeast strain.

After the beer’s release at Twisted Pine on Thursday, 22oz bottles and kegs will be made available to select accounts within the brewery’s distribution footprint the following week.

**Boulevard Brewing Company** one of the busiest breweries with new releases so far this new year has been Boulevard. Adding brews to their Smokestack lineup, new seasonals, and new year round beers has not gone unnoticed. Soon they add more to their Tasting Room series with a Blonde and a Red IPA. Along with those two Heavy Lifting cans will debut on shelves in April.

*Heavy Lifting – available this April in cans this brew comes in at 6.2%.

*Red IPA – a Tasting Room offering will be available in sample packs and checks in at 5.8%. Here’s more stats on this brew courtesy of Boulevard:

ABV: 5.8%
IBUs: 75
Malt Bill: Pale, Munich, Amber, Cara 120, Cara 300, Chocolate Malt
Kettle/Whirlpool Hops:Chinook, Simcoe, Equinox, Exp 6300
Dry Hopping: Simcoe, Amarillo, Citra

*Blonde Ale – another Tasting Room offering along with the Red IPA this beer checks in at 5.8%. Stats courtesy of Boulevard:

ABV: 5.8%
IBUs: 24
Malt Bill: Pale, Honey Malt
Flavor/Aroma Hops:Lemondrop, Saphir, Northern Brewer
Other: Orange peel

Tallgrass Brewing is expanding their portfolio with a few new brews using a couple of their staple beers. 16 Bit Double Pale Ale will hit the market soon as well as Wooden Rooster. Here’s more on these two brews, Both are courtesy of mybeerbuzz.blogspot.com:

I’ve seen this beer in blank silver test-cans, but now we get our first look at the real packaging for Tallgrass Brewing 16-Bit DPA.  This Double Pale Ale will be packaged in 16oz cans and it comes in at 6.2% ABV.  As a computer-guy, I can’t wait for the 32-bit 32oz triple IPA and the 64-bit 64oz Quad.  As a bonus I’ve included the latest packaging for their original 8-Bit Pale Ale.  This beer remains in 12oz cans and at 5.2% ABV. 

Here’s your first peek at a big new can coming from Tallgrass Brewing Co in Manhattan, KS.  This is Wooden Roster and it is a Belgian-style tripel aged in rye Whiskey barrels.  This looks to be a 19.2oz can and stay tuned for AbV and release details.