Founders Brewing Releases Mosaic Promise in 15-packs

When a brewery uses one malt and one hop to brew a beer, it is commonly referred to as a SMASH. This Single Malt And Single Hop style showcases the basics and purity of brewing. There are no tricks, but often the result offers plenty of treats. Founders Brewing Company’s Mosaic Promise is just that, a treat for the fall season the breaks away from the more complex and popular Märzens, pumpkin spice and harvest ales.

Added officially as Founder’s fall seasonal in 2016, Mosaic Promise is available from August to November in six-pack bottles and now, in 15-pack cans.

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St. Louis Entrepreneur Crafting Take-Home Kegs for Draft Beer Lovers

With so many of us enjoying more and greater craft beer, it’s only natural that we would want to share the great beer we find with others. Bringing a cooler filled with your favorite cans and bottles is fine, but what about the great brew we love on tap? Read More

Sneak Preview: New Belgium’s Specialty Brands & Single Foeder Oscar No. 65

A little over a month ago, we reported on New Belgium’s decision to reimagine their specialty brands with the suspension of their popular Lips of Faith series and the implementation of their Wood Cellar Reserve series. Two weeks ago while attending the debut of Le Kriek Noir, the first entry in their new cork & cage Wood Cellar Reserve line, we were also treated to a sneak preview of what’s coming down the pipeline as well as a familiar brand that will also receive some fresh new packaging.

On Tuesday New Belgium Brewing Company announced that the second beer from its highly anticipated Wood Cellar Reserve series will be released this upcoming Saturday. At 8.5% ABV, single Foeder Oscar No. 65 is an unblended dark sour that has been maturing for 12 months in a 100 percent Missouri white oak foeder. According to the brewery, the beer pours dark walnut red with subtle notes of vanilla and coconut. These notes play beautifully with notes of plum skin and cherry Coca-Cola. This is a first run through using this foeder and only fresh beer will touch the American oak for the first time, thus the flavors for this release cannot be replicated—making this release truly special. Read More

7 Weird Beer Names from California Breweries

Names are a very important part of every culture and we use names within language to communicate, categorize and understand. It’s how we relate to one another or a subject matter. Keeping this in mind, I would argue that naming beer is not only an art form, but is as equally important as the naming of a brewery. Breweries are almost solely represented by their beers across social media now. Fans showcase their favorite pints, can designs, and bottles on their pages spreading their love for their favorite breweries. Many times the beer is the first exposure someone has to a brewery they haven’t heard of before.

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National IPA DAY | Pacific Northwest Roundup

I would like to offer an apology to National Hot Dog Day. And National Donut Day. National Taco Day, too. Because there’s just no convincing me that there’s any food or beverage day that can beat IPA Day – especially when you’re celebrating this glorious, hoppy, bitter holiday in the Pacific Northwest. Read More

Beer Trends: The Rise of Session Beers

This is a sponsored post for Sesh Fest 2017 taking place Saturday, August 5.

In its simplest form, beer is still best consumed cold, and easily, in substantial portions. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be the first to sign up for a 14% bourbon barrel-aged Mexican chocolate spiced stout, or a tart barrel-aged wild, but do you think medieval knights and Belgian farmhands were crushing big boozy beers before going into battle or tending the fields? There’s a place and time for all styles of beer, and as cyclical as history seems to be, the historical relevance of easy drinking sessionable beers has once again swung back in style.

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Brewery Rickoli’s “Gluten Removed” Beer Joins Sam Adams Collab Pack

Rick Abitbol loves craft beer. It is a passion that began from when his mother gave him his first brew kit and continues today as owner and head brewer of Brewery Rickoli in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Rick’s love of craft beer nearly won him a medal in the state fair for his first entry and today he continues to make award winning beer that just happens to be gluten removed. With a lineup of full bodied flavorful beers, the common customer would likely overlook the fact that Abitbol treats his beers with an enzyme that breaks down the gluten chain.

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Modern Times Founder Jacob McKean Talks ESOP, Big Beer & Growth

Modern Times Beer, one of the country’s top five fastest growing breweries made a splash two weeks ago, when it announced that it would begin reacquiring shares from investors to gift back to their employees. We caught up with Modern Times founder Jacob McKean to discuss his decision to implement an employee ownership program, the growing threat of Big Beer, as well as what’s next on the horizon for the San Diego-based brewery.

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Privileged Sonz Beerz Teams Three of Industry’s Most Powerful Families

The following is a parody piece submitted by Call to Arms Brewing, because ostrich boots are funny and 30 day lagers aren’t that uncommon.

Perhaps you know the names: Franzia, Schlitz, Fieri – they comprise some of the most notable families and names pioneering the beverage and culinary industry in the 21st century. Those names bring power, and they bring clout, and they bring tons of unnecessary rings, bracelets and necklaces.

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Grand Rapids Beers Made With Tea

Tea and beer have an awful lot in common. They’re both brewed, they each have options for everyone, and often they act as an alternative to coffee.

For years, brewers have been using tea during the brewing process, and it’s proven a success. Here in West Michigan, a few breweries have come up with some lovely beers that celebrate proper relaxation. Read More

Black Project’s Lambic-Inspired Roswell Release is the Real Deal

Its easy to get lost in the clutter. Currently in craft beer, there’s a shiny new toy wrapped under layers of marketing speak at over 5,000 breweries across the country. New England this, barrel-aged that, it can sometimes become cumbersome filtering through the hype to find the handful of truly inventive, quality beers that are really moving the needle in this market. Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales is doing just that with this weekend’s release of their spontaneously fermented barrel-aged, Lambic-inspired ale Roswell, featuring six heavily fruited variants.
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“Fuck Bad Beer” Sierra Nevada’s Brian Grossman is Bat Shit Passionate

“We’re bat shit passionate. I mean, you talk about sustainability, you talk about our beer quality, you talk about our family history. It’s all of that. You can’t just sum it up in passion because that has, you know, 50 shades of gray type of a feel to it. But, if you say ‘We’re bat shit passionate,” it’s like, ‘Okay!’ That’s what it is,” said Brian Grossman of Sierra Nevada Brewing.

The maturation of the craft-beer industry includes a changing of the guard, but for Sierra Nevada that transition will remain in the family. Formed in 1979 by Ken Grossman, his son Brian now serves as co-owner and serves as the GM of the brewery’s Mills River, North Carolina, location. We sat down to talk to Brian and find out what makes Sierra Nevada tick.

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Music Puts the Soul in Soulcraft

In Colorado’s crazy-competitive craft beer climate, what makes the difference between soaring success and sorry, we’re closed? Sometimes, in addition to making amazing beers, it helps to find a niche. Soulcraft Brewery in Salida, Colorado, found theirs, a little unexpectedly—in music.

A passionate group of local investors opened Soulcraft Brewery in November 2016 with every intention of simply being a local tasting room serving incredible beer. It wasn’t surprising that the locals responded immediately. It also wasn’t too shocking that tourists traveling to nearby Monarch Mountain Ski Resort responded big time. Soulcraft is right on Highway 50 with a bright neon sign shouting, “Brewery.” This is more than enough to entice adventure-seekers rolling through.

But then an intriguing thing happened. This music-loving town of just 5,500 residents had always had more soul than space. But Soulcraft’s location was in a large, former furniture warehouse so its rare spaciousness got people thinking. Dreaming. Could their tasting room become an entertainment destination? Oh yea. Read More

23 Craft Beers That Are American AF

Americans feel an immense sense of pride on the Fourth of July as we gather to celebrate our country’s freedom. For the last 241 years, we have been celebrating our independence by proudly showcasing the star spangled banner, our great American flag, with red, white and blue paraphernalia.  While the idea of “independence” is a hot topic in the craft beer world, we can’t help but love to see breweries rocking their American pride on their beers. Check out these 23 craft beers that are American as F*CK!

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Beer Shed Building Episode Two: Watch These Guys Turn a Shed into a Bike and Beer Shed

Feature image courtesy of Parker Bohon.

“What are we calling this episode?” asked Toby.

“What do you mean? It’s episode two,” I said.

“No, no. You called this shed something different. What was that? Beer bike shed?” Toby insisted.

“Oh yeah! Episode two, Bike & Beer Shed!”

Leigh and Abe, who the proud new owners of an excellent Bike and Beer Shed, are cycling enthusiasts. They also do not have a garage, which is why they need to continue to store their bikes in their shed. Since they also wanted their shed to double as an outdoor bar, we decided to have a little fun and do our best to make a bike-themed beer shed. Read More

Event Preview | Get Ready for a Rendezvous with Brews

Most beer lovers assume beer fests are for them. Like the liquid smorgasbord is a thank you gift for being loyal craft beer fans. But the Colorado Brewers Rendezvous wasn’t originally intended for you, the beer drinker. Don’t get me wrong, you’re invited now, you’re more than welcome, but initially it was just an annual membership meeting of the Colorado Brewers Guild. When a bunch of brewers gather to rendezvous, though, it’s going to be a party. And parties are meant to be shared.

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Four Summer Solstice Beers to Kick Off the Official Start of Summer

Culturally speaking, summer in America starts on Memorial Day (the last Monday in May), and ends on Labor Day (the first Monday in September). Bookended by these two holiday weekends, summer in the USA has been experienced the same way for decades. Technically speaking though, summer only just began today!

The Summer Solstice, (at least in the Northern Hemisphere) is the day that the sun reaches its northernmost point in relation to the Equator. We have been experiencing the results of this northward migration for weeks. The days have been getting longer and and temperatures have been climbing. Today, all of that change reaches its apex. The exact amount of sunlight you get will vary by your latitude, but Philadelphia, for example, will see a whopping 15 hours and 34 seconds of sunlight today.
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America’s Fastest Growing Breweries by Volume

*Apologies to Creature Comforts Brewing and Montauk Brewing as they were accidentally omitted in the initial version of this post, we’ve since updated the list to reflect their spots in the top 30*

This past month, The Brewers Association’s shared a host of statistics in the May/June edition of The New Brewer Magazine breaking down everything from last year’s new brewery openings/brewery closings, to industry annual growth percentage, as well as volume in barrel production along side breweries’ year-over-year growth.

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The James Comey Testimony Drinking Game

Thursday’s James Comey testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence could end up being one of the most watched live broadcast court case since the OJ trials. The former FBI Director’s court appearance has generated such a buzz that several D.C. based bars already have plans to open early to broadcast the testimony.

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Dear Chicagoans: Don’t Ignore the North Burbs Brewing Scene

The breweries that lie north of Chicago’s Saison-Dixon line regularly play the role of the ugly red-headed stepchild. Granted, Mikerphone receives endless, well-deserved praise, but Mikerphone is a transplant that gained its fame prior to moving to Elk Grove Village. Meanwhile, breweries located in the North Burbs, such as Light the Lamp, Ten-Ninety, ZumBier, Chain O’Lakes, Side Lot, Tighthead, Only Child, Flesk — a brewery in the process of moving to Barrington, and countless others are oft-ignored among the pantheon of Chicago-area breweries.

Don’t do it. Don’t rob yourself of that joy. Refuse to ignore northern-suburban breweries. The brewing scene of the North Burbs is too good to miss!

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