(Comstock, MI) – Following the successful launch of Two Hearted and Oberon Ale in 16 oz. 4-packs, we are proud to announce and share the look of the rest of our seasonal lineup in cans.
Best Brown Ale, Winter White and Smitten Golden Rye Ale will be available in cans for the first time later this year and early next year.
All three seasonal beers will continue to be available on draft and in both 6-pack and 12-pack bottles.
“We love being able to offer these brands in both cans and glass to suit the various lifestyles of our customers and fans,” said Laura Bell, Bell’s Brewery Vice President.
Best Brown Ale will be Bell’s third can offering and will be available along with bottles and on draft beginning around Labor Day. All three seasonal beers will be available in the same 16 oz. 4-packs. Cans of Winter White will be released in November and Smitten will return in February.
India Session Ales are defined as an IPA that has all the hop presence of a regular IPA but has a significant lower ABV level making it “sessionable”. Eastern Iowa shelves have seen a considerable jump in sessionable IPAs and with the warmer “lawnmowing” weather taking over and soon tailgating season begins, this is the perfect time for brewers and breweries to take advantage of this subcategory of IPAs. Let’s focus on what we can get strictly in Eastern Iowa, and the one that started the trend for us, I believe, is Founders All Day IPA. So let’s break this down a bit, cue the music:
**Founders All Day IPA**
ABV: 4.7%
Ratebeer: 96/100
Beeradvocate: 87/100
Founders started this strictly in 6 pack bottles and then made the genius move of putting it in cans allowing for easier mobility and also easier to dispose of (see Iowa Football tailgating). This was the beer of choice at the Beer Baron’s tailgates last fall and will probably be again this year. All the things you are looking for in an IPA is evident: great hop flavor, a bit of sweet resin, and bit of malt backbone. Founders is a top-tier brewery, and this brew helps solidify that.
Schlafly has really made their mark since hitting Eastern Iowa stores with various styles and last summer, their can sessions started showing up. Coming in 6 packs, this beer does a great job in giving you that initial hop flavor and maltiness to balance. This one seemed a bit sweeter to me than the All Day from Founders but still good.
**Stone Go To IPA**
ABV: 4.5%
Ratebeer: 97/100
Beeradvocate: 89/100
The newer of the sessionable IPAs, Stone gives us what Stone usually does, an intense hop forward beer that packs a punch! I got a lot of grapefruit and pine flavor from this beer with minimal to no malt balance. Stone starts putting this in cans and we might have a competition with Founders.
**Boulevard Pop Up Session**
ABV: 4.2%
Ratebeer: 94/100
Beeradvocate: 84/100
I recently had this for the first time at a local bar which shocked the hell out me that they actually had it on tap. Not really known for their great craft beer, and their options were limited, I went for the Pop Up. I honestly admit I’m not a huge fan of Boulevard’s IPAs, but I do really love their Smokestack stuff, but I thought I’d give it a go. Floral and citrus aroma with slight but evident citrus hop flavor.
**OVERALL** – If you are looking for a summer party brew you can’t go wrong with any of these beers. They are all very good sessionable IPAs. The cans from Founders and Schlafly make it easier to take to a BBQ or picnic and Founders recently introduced a 15 pack of All Day cans. I haven’t had Hop Rise from Central Waters yet and if/when Lagunitas gets here they will have Daytime IPA too. Either way, drinking any of these this summer or fall can easily lead to a (SLIM and Matt, this is dedicated to you)……..
MY PICK: If I had to choose one, gun to my head, I think I would go with Founders All Day IPA. I think it’s the most balanced but also has the great hop flavor. What’s your Session IPA?
Stone will be bringing back RuinTen IPA to our shelves this June and also have set dates for future releases and hopefully we will see some of their 22 oz bomber IPA offerings. Their newest, is Unapologetic IPA brewed in collaboration with Beachwood Brewing Company. Here’s more info on the latest courtesy of http://www.beerpulse.com.
(Escondido, CA) – Details have emerged for the re-release of Stone Brewing Co.’s RuinTen IPA. The beer will first make a soft landing in the company’s Mixed 4 Pack (22oz.) on June 9th. The pack also features Stone IPA, Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Black IPA and Stone Ruination IPA. A week later, RuinTen IPA will strike out on its own in single-serve 22 oz. bottles.
Stone Brewing Co. is set to release another a limited beer in 22 oz. bottles and guess what style it is?
The company addresses the issue of brewing Double IPA after Double IPA head-on in the label copy for Unapologetic IPA, a collab with Beachwood Brewing and Heretic Brewing.
When you get three hopheads together to collaborate on a beer, it’s only natural to expect some hopped-up liquid incarnation of their lupulin lust to spring forth from such a session. Maybe it seems passe to some- three masters of hoppy beer once again exploring the familiar territory of the India pale ale. After all, who needs yet another IPA, double or otherwise, right? It’s all been done. To those who feel this way, this trio’s reply is: “So what?”
In birthing a double IPA made bitter and fruity care of a melange of new and experimental hops (Azacca and Belma, as well as HBC 342 and Steiner 06300, yet-to-be-named varieties from Washington’s Yakima Valley), they aren’t staying in a comfort zone […]
The company just released Collective Distortion IPA and will release a couple more Double IPAs in the next few weeks. No release date has been announced for Unapologetic IPA. Here are some other upcoming beers (note that this list is subject to change):
Even when warm weather approaches I still like to kick back on the deck on a summer evening and enjoy some stouts. Imperial stouts are usually associated with cold weather but I would consider them year-round. There are quite a few good ones out there right now and with Central Waters Brewing entering our market (www.centralwaters.com)
Smooth and creamy with the nice flavor of chocolate, coffee, and the nice warming sensation you get from the alcohol makes this an imperial stout that will frequent my fridge. More from Central Waters:
This smooth, creamy stout and a crackling fireplace are the perfect answer to a wintry evening in Wisconsin. The rich coffee flavor compliments the “warm, fuzzy feeling” you get from the abundant alcohol. Formerly a winter seasonal, named Satin Solstice.
While barrel-aged stouts are all the rage it is nice having this along with some Old Rasputin to keep on hand. Maybe not the best to age too long, but it will last a while in the fridge or cellar and not have too much of the flavor compromised. Central Waters is doing some really great things and it’s great to see their brews on our shelves here in Eastern Iowa.
REVIEW
STYLE: Imperial Stout
ABV: 7.5%
PURCHASED AT: Johncy’s, North Liberty, IA
POUR: Deep black pour with a medium tan head.
AROMA: Coffee sticks out in this Imperial stout.
TASTE: Coffee, chocolate, and hint of caramel sweetness.
Ratebeer.com rating: 96
Beeradvocate rating: 86
Overall: B
My recommendation: A nice imperial stout to have as an option.
(Escondido, CA) – Stone Brewing Co. has released a new beer just about every week it seems and the first week of May will be no different. Stone Smoked Porter with Chipotle Peppers arrives in stores the week of May 5th. More below on the beer…
In 2006, Chris Carroll, a longtime member of Team Stone, took that adage literally, proposing that we produce a one-off version of our venerable Stone Smoked Porter made spicy from the addition of chipotle peppers. We gave it a shot and found that those smoked jalapeños melded quite naturally with the smoldery peat-smoked malt that gives the beer its flavor and moniker, creating a deep, roasty quaff with a carefully restrained tingle of tasteful capsaicin heat in the finish.
I received the following information regarding the highly-anticipated Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout release, this one coming from Oakland Road Hy-Vee in Cedar Rapids. I’m sure we’ll hear more from other liquor stores leading up to the big release tomorrow, if you get news on any other release times feel free to send them my way and I’ll add them to this post. Thanks!
Its Founders KBS time at your Oakland Rd Hy-Vee. We will be releasing our KBS at 5:00 pm Tuesday, April 1st. Just like the hopslam event we will hand out tickets starting at 5:00 which will be good for one 4 pack of KBS. Supplies of KBS are highly limited but don’t worry if you don’t get a KBS we have stashed back some Backstage Series Beers for some extra excitement!
Some brews and breweries hitting shelves and tap lines this week have quite a few people excited. I was lucky enough to be at the Sanctuary in downtown Iowa City last Tuesday and got to try Off Color Brewings Dino’smores! An imperial stout that really gives you the marshmallow/graham cracker/chocolate that I was hoping to taste. Really, really enjoyed it. It would be the perfect accompaniment to a nice fall evening! I know Off Color has Dino’smores on certain taplines (Reds Alehouse,Sanctuary) but I’m not sure who else has it. Scurry and Troublesome from Off Color are available as well but I can’t tell you exactly who has them, I would contact your liquor store. Here’s more on those 3 Off Color beers, if you see more from them or know who else has their bottles/taps, drop me a line. Thanks!
Off Color Dino’smores:
Ratebeer: 94/100
Beeradvocate: 91/100
Style: Imperial Stout
From the brewery: Imperial Marshmallow Stout brewed with graham crackers, cocoa nibs, & vanilla beans
Off Color Scurry:
Ratebeer: 84/100
Beeradvocate: 84/100
Style: Altbier
From the brewery: Honey beer with molasses and oats Don’t let the color scare you. This surprisingly dry beer retains all the aroma and nuance of honey (from bees) and molasses (not from bees) creating the perception of sweetness through cool, controlled fermentation. Because we’re sweet enough dammit.
Off Color Troublesome:
Ratebeer: 87/100
Beeradvocate: 87/100
Style: Gose
From the brewery: Most brewers spend a lot of time and effort keeping lactobacillus out of their breweries; it was the first thing we brought in (it still has to stay in the corner though). We blend together two different beers to make Troublesome. The first is a somewhat uninteresting wheat beer and the second is an overly acidic & funky beer fermented solely with lactobacillus. We blend the two beers together with coriander and salt at the tail end of fermentation to create a mild, lemony tartness and a fuller sensation of mouthfeel. And yes, it’s hard to make.
Also coming this week is Stone Russian Imperial Stout and Peace Tree No Coast. I haven’t had either of these beers yet so I’m really excited to give them a try. The Stone RIS and Peace Tree beers should be available for purchase tomorrow, not sure on when/if we will see them on tap. Here’s more on these two beers.
Stone Russian Imperial Stout:
Ratebeer: 100/100
Beeradvocate: 97/100
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
From the brewery: “There’s no question that Stone Imperial Stout is revered among enthusiasts,” states Stone CEO Greg Koch. “I know, because I’m one of ’em and I can hardly wait for it to come out each year!” Some may think that a late Spring release for a special brew of this sort is an odd time for it to come out onto the market. Koch justifies this with the rationalization “What better than a warm time of year to come out with a brew that tastes great as it warms up!” That’s because “ice cold” is certainly not the appropriate way to serve the beer. Nearly without exception, the darker, richer and more alcoholic a brew is, the warmer the serving temperature should be. The Stone Imperial Stout label describes the brew as being “intensely aromatic (notes of anise, black currants, coffee, roastiness and alcohol) and heavy on the palate…expect this mysterious brew to pour like used motor oil and taste even heavier! Serve at 55 degrees.”
Found this little screen shot on Stones’ website. Hadn’t heard much about this release as I had the others but it looks like we are a go for the next batch of this terrific brew.
What makes being beer drinker great is getting to try all the fantastic styles that are out there. I’ve spent a lot of my beer drinking time (and money) going after some of the big barrel-aged beers, imperials, and doubles that sometimes it feels great to just sit back and revisit some of the styles that have been around for while. With the eruption of craft beer on the market I love when breweries revisit and tweek or shake-up (no pun intended) classical styles. Boulder Brewing (www.boulderbeer.com) has done just that by taking what was their original porter and putting a little spin on it.
This chocolate porter can play into any part of your day. A nice breakfast brew with your coffee and pancakes, a nice midday brew with a bowl of soup, a nice supper of a ribeye and potatoes, or even better, perfect with that brownie and vanilla ice cream. A dark black pour with chocolate and caramel sweetness, this brew incorporates chocolate wheat into the mix. If you’ve had Young’s Double Chocolate Stout or Sam Smiths Organic Chocolate Stout then you will really enjoy this brew. Here’s more from the brewery:
Our twist on the traditional american porter, Shake chocolate porter is black in color with rich, dark chocolate aromatics and flavors and subtle coffee-like notes. This unique brew blends five different grains, including Chocolate Wheat, that along with cacao nibs create a devilishly delicious chocolate finish with a velvety mouth feel.
When you open up a rich, chocolatey brew like this you usually aren’t able to have 2-3, but with this one, you can easily put down a few and feel pretty good about yourself. No forced drinking with this one. I’m not too familiar with Boulders’ offerings but I know they really connect with this brew.
REVIEW
STYLE: Porter
ABV: 5.9%
PURCHASED AT: Johncy’s, North Liberty, IA
POUR: Deep black pour with a medium tan head.
AROMA: Chocolate and coffee dominate.
TASTE: Chocolate really shines through from the cocoa nibs.
Ratebeer.com rating: 97
Beeradvocate rating: 88
Overall: B
My recommendation: Really great for a dessert beer, but also works well on its own.
The following comes from http://www.beerpulse.com:
