Stone Brewing To Search For New CEO

Courtesy of Stone Brewing Co

ESCONDIDO, CA (Sept. 11, 2015) – Today, San Diego-based Stone Brewing Co. is pleased to announce that co-founder Greg Koch will be promoted (with the blessing from his business partner, of course) from CEO and transition into a new role as Executive Chairman. The incoming CEO is expected to lead day-to-day operations and initiatives. Ultimately, once this future candidate is selected and the onboarding process is complete, Koch will focus on long-term and higher-level strategic planning for the company.

Koch has served as CEO for the past 19 years. Since starting the company with President, co-founder & original Brewmaster Steve Wagner in 1996, Stone has become one of the fastest-growing and highest-rated breweries in the world, thanks to dedicated fans and Koch and Wagner’s commitment to brewing amazing craft beer. The ninth largest craft beer company in the United States now employs more than 1,100 employees and operates multiple locations in Southern California, including two Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens restaurants. In July 2014, it was announced that Stone would become the first American craft brewer to independently own and operate a brewery in Europe.

Greg Koch - Courtesy of Stone Brewing Co

“This is a natural progression once companies reach our size and complexity,” explains Koch. “I see this as an opportunity to focus on future direction and projects for Stone Brewing. Most importantly, we are looking for someone who can contribute to our executive team and understands our vision for craft beer.”

Koch will continue working closely to complete the development of Stone Brewing Berlin and oversee the company’s expansion into Richmond, VA. There is no set timeframe or expected hire date for an incoming CEO. The priority is to find an individual with the necessary skillset, passion for Stone and all things craft beer, and one who can support the efforts to provide high-quality craft beer worldwide.

“The ‘co-founder’ part of my title won’t change…that will never change,” says Koch. “I get to keep that one for life, with all the beer privileges of course!”

About Stone Brewing Co.

Founded by Greg Koch and Steve Wagner in 1996, San Diego-based Stone Brewing Co. is the ninth largest craft brewer in the United States. Stone has been listed on the Inc. 500 | 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies list 11 times, and has been called the “All-time Top Brewery on Planet Earth” by BeerAdvocate magazine twice. The multifaceted company will be the first American craft brewer to own and operate a brewery in Europe, and is also building a production brewery and destination restaurant in Richmond, Virginia. Brewing at both locations is anticipated to begin in early 2016. Known for its bold, flavorful and largely hop-centric beers, Stone has earned a reputation for brewing outstanding, unique beers while maintaining an unwavering commitment to sustainability, business ethics, philanthropy and the art of brewing. For more information on Stone Brewing Co., please visit stonebrewing.com or the company’s social media sites: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest and The Stone Blog.

Firestone Walker Brewing Set To Release 2015 Velvet Merkin

Courtesy of Firestone Walker Brewing Co

NO COVER UP: HERE COMES THE 2015 VELVET MERKIN

 Barrel-Aged Oatmeal Stout Returns with A Twist

Paso Robles, CA: Firestone Walker Brewing Company’s Velvet Merkin barrel-aged oatmeal stout is set to return with its third bottled vintage—and this one promises to be the best yet.

Velvet Merkin has always been the barrel-aged version of Firestone Walker’s seasonal Velvet Merlin oatmeal stout. What’s different this time is that the 2015 Velvet Merkin includes a barrel-aged lot of an experimental milk stout version of Velvet Merlin.

“We didn’t really change Velvet Merkin, we just gave it a tweak by incorporating this small amount of milk stout to fill out the mouthfeel,” said Brewmaster Matt Brynildson. “You might barely notice it, but it makes a difference. We could have kept this detail to ourselves, but we didn’t want to be accused of a cover up.” 

The 2015 Velvet Merkin was aged in bourbon barrels from the Heaven Hill family, including Elijah Craig and Old Fitzgerald.

“We focus on bourbon barrels for Velvet Merkin because they provide this amazing transformation,” Brynildson said. “That’s what’s so cool about Merkin versus Merlin. Merlin is defined by its coffee, roasty, dark chocolate character. And then you put it in a bourbon barrel, and it’s transformed into Merkin, which is all about milk chocolate, vanilla and coconut notes.”

He added, “It also gets boozier, which can make the beer slightly leaner. That’s what gave us the idea of easing in a bit of milk stout to fatten the palate a bit and heighten the sense of balance.”

The 2015 Velvet Merkin will be officially released at the brewery on Saturday, September 12. A total of 3,500 cases (22-ounce bottles; $16.99) were produced, with availability slated for select markets across the United States.

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Beers Made By Walking Announces 18 Beers & Ciders Inspired By Trails In Forest Park

Courtesy of Beers Made By Walking

BEERS MADE BY WALKING ANNOUNCES THE TAPPING OF

18 FOREST PARK INSPIRED BEERS/CIDERS

PORTLAND, OR - Beers Made By Walking (BMBW) invites brewers to create place-based beers inspired by plants found on nature trails. Today, BMBW announces a beer tapping event featuring 18 beers/ciders that were inspired by the trails in Portland’s Forest Park.

The event takes place on October 10, from 12-5pm, at four different bars in SE Portland - Bazi Bierbrasserie, Belmont Station, Horse Brass Pub, and Likewise.

The featured beers come directly from a collaboration with the Forest Park Conservancy, which sent experts to lead monthly public hikes with brewers in Forest Park. Hikes took place on various trails throughout Forest Park. “Cumulatively, the beers create a drinkable landscape portrait of Forest Park,” says Eric Steen, founder and director of BMBW.

Each brewery is donating the beer for this event and a percentage of the the beer sales on October 10 will support the Forest Park Conservancy’s work restoring Forest Park.

Courtesy of Beers Made By Walking

Participating breweries include: 10 Barrel Brewing, Base Camp Brewing, Burnside Brewing, Coalition Brewing, The Commons Brewery, Ecliptic Brewing, Hopworks Urban Brewery, Humble Brewing, Laurelwood Brewing,  Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider, Upright Brewing, and Widmer Brothers Brewing.

Participants can visit any of the four pubs in any order from 12-5pm. For those interested in a scheduled walk between the four venues, a walking party will begin at Belmont Station at noon and end at Bazi Bierbrasserie.

Locations of participating pubs, in order of the walking tour:

Belmont Station - 4500 SE Stark Blvd. Portland

Horse Brass Pub - 4534 SE Belmont St. Portland

Likewise - 3564 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland

Bazi Bierbrasserie - 1522 SE 32nd Ave, Portland

Courtesy of Beers Made By Walking

About Forest Park Conservancy:

The Forest Park Conservancy protects and fosters the ecological health of Forest Park, maintains and enhances the park's extensive trails network, and inspires community appreciation and future stewardship of this iconic, urban wilderness as a gift for future generations. www.forestparkconservancy.org

About Beers Made By Walking:

Beers Made By Walking is a program that invites people to step outside and see the place they live in a new light. We invite brewers to take nature walks and make beer inspired by the plants identified on the trail. Since 2011, we have worked with over 100 breweries in Oregon, California, Colorado, North Carolina, and Washington. Our hiking and tasting events act as educational experiences and fundraising programs for environmental organizations in the regions we serve. beersmadebywalking.com

Worthy Brewing Announces Beers Inspired By The 25th Anniversary Of Newberry National Volcanic Monument

Courtesy of Worthy Brewing Co

Bend, Oregon - 9 September 2015 - Worthy Brewing Company announces a series of limited edition beers, inspired by the 25th Anniversary of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. The first in the year-long series is Newberry Eruption Imperial Red Ale, which will be released at the Stars Over Newberry event on Lava Butte, near Bend, Oregon, on Saturday, September 19.

The Eruption Imperial Red Ale is one of Worthy’s most popular year-round offerings, which, along with the name, was the perfect fit for the series. The limited edition 22-ounce bottle will be released in Oregon only, with $1 from each bottle going to Discover Your Forest, which supports programs and visitor services in the Deschutes & Ochoco National Forests and interacts with over 200k visitors per year.

The series will continue with another release in February 2016 and the final in the series in June 2016, each with a limited edition 22-ounce bottle and $1 from each sale going to Discover Your Forest.

Tickets for the Stars Over Newberry event are available at www.discoveryourforest.org.

 

Courtesy of Worthy Brewing Co

 Worthy Brewing Company opened its doors in early 2013, delivering remarkably balanced, filtered ales that are hand-crafted using premium ingredients and the pristine water from the Cascade Mountains in Bend, Oregon. Worthy’s campus includes a large outdoor biergarten, full restaurant, and a greenhouse and hop yard onsite for growing estate and experimental hops in conjunction with Oregon State University and Indie Hops. An expansion with expanded restaurant seating, a banquet space, and an observatory is planned for Spring 2016. 

 

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Peche Fest Returns October 10

Courtesy of Peche Fest

9/10/2015 Portland, OR - 

Peche Fest -- Oregon's only festival dedicated to drinking the world's greatest fruit--the peach--returns for its 3rd year on Saturday, October 10,  at Saraveza and the Bad Habit Room. Stuffed with tart and fuzzy peachy goodness, the Peche Fest features 25+ rare peach beers and ciders, food made with peaches, cocktail specials, and a newly added VIP session. 

The 4th annual Peche Fest has the most exciting lineup of rare peachy keen beers ever (and two ciders) like Upright Brewing's Fantasia, Logsdon's Peche 'n Brett, Block 15 Brewing's Peche, Epic Brewing's SOUR Brainless on Peaches, Finnriver Cider's Peach Brett Tart Cider, Double Mountain's Peche Mode and even a new beer from award-winning brewmaster Tonya Cornett brewed exclusively for the fest. Attendees can expect a special peach-infused food menu with savory and sweet treats and a peach cocktail. 

New this year is a VIP session from 1pm to 3pm, featuring first dibs at some of the rarest beers, extra drink tickets, and entry to Saraveza two hours before the main session. General Admission entry begins at 3pm for both Saraveza and the Bad Habit Room and is $10 for a commemorative glass and 2 drink tickets. Most beers will be one drink ticket per pour with additional drink tickets available for $2 each. Advanced tickets available now at http://www.beerboutique.com

The beer (and one cider) list is nearly complete with a couple of possible last minute additions that cannot be guaranteed yet (like very rare Crooked Stave Colorado Peach beer).

Peach Tap List:

1. Upright Brewing: Fantasia
2. Block 15 Brewing: Peche
3. Dogfish Head: Festina Peche
4. Hopworks/New Belgium: Peach Sour
5. New Belgium/Hopworks: Peach IPA
6. Logsdon Farmhouse Ales: Peche 'n Brett
7. Fort George: Eat a Peach
8. Fort George: Summer Stout
9. Breakside: TBA
10. Cigar City/Ecliptic Brewing: Ellipsing the Sun
11. Double Mountain: Peche Mode
12. Epic Brewing: Brainless on Peaches
13. Epic Brewing: Sour Brainless on Peaches
14. Golden Valley: Pech un Idee
15. New Belgium: Eric's Ale
16. De Garde Brewing: Peach & Apricot Bu Weisse (bottle pours)
17. Finnriver Cidery: Peach Brett Tart Cider
18. Great Divide Brewing: Peach Grand Cru
19. Hi-Wheel Wine & Mead: Peach Cobbler
20. Burnside Brewing Co: Gin barrel-aged Peach Sour
21. 13 Virtues Brewing: Peach Fuzz Pils
22. Laht Neppur Brewing: Peachy Keen
23. Ex Novo Brewing: Peach & Apricot Gose
24. 10 Barrel Brewing: Du Peche Mode
25. Elysian Brewing: Gourdgia On My Mind Pumpkin Peach Ale

WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 10th from 3pm to 10pm

VIP HOUR(s):  1pm to 3pm in Saraveza only

WHERE: Saraveza & Bad Habit Room

WHAT: 25+ Peach Beers, Ciders, Food & Cocktail Special

GENERAL ADMISSION: $10 for commemorative glass and 2 drink tickets, $2 for each additional ticket. Available now at http://www.beerboutique.com/product/peche-fest-entry

VIP TICKETS: $25 for early entry at 1pm, includes a commemorative glass and 8 tickets and is limited to only 50! Available now at http://www.beerboutique.com/product/vip-hour-s-3rd-annual-peche-fest-entry

SOCIAL MEDIA: Like the Peche Fest on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PecheFest

Kells Brew Pub 3rd Anniversary And Announcment Of Bottled Kells Beers

Courtesy of Kells Brew Pub

Kells Brew Pub marks third anniversary with daylong celebration;

announces bottling of flagship line of beers

PORTLAND, Ore. – Kells Brew Pub is observing its third anniversary in Northwest Portland this month and the pub and brewery is marking the occasion with a daylong celebration on Saturday, Sept. 19 from Noon to Midnight.

The event will feature $3 Kells beers all day, including its three flagship beers – Kells Irish Red, Kells Irish Lager and Kells IPA – as well as its stout on nitro and current seasonals. To complement the beer, head chef Travis Stark has created $3 Kells bites for the day: a stuffed lamb slider, a falafel slider and meatballs topped with Kells stout sauce.

The celebration will feature live music by Bridgid's Cross from 6 to 8 p.m. and local favorite Sami Rouissi from 9 p.m. to Midnight. There is no cover charge. At 7 p.m., owner Gerard McAleese and lead brewer and pub manager Garrett McAleese, will raise a toast in honor of the occasion.

The event will also serve as the release party for the brewery’s newly bottled beers. For the first time since its inception, Kells is bottling three of its products: its Red, Lager, and a rotational IPA (the initial version is dry-hopped). The brewery will bottle 20 bbls of its Lager, 10 bbls of its Red and a pallet of IPA on Sept. 16 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Courtesy of Kells Brew Pub

 “Going into retail is a big shift for us, but one we’ve always had our eye on,” explained Garrett McAleese. “Our brewery has grown since day one and demand for our draft beer has always kept us busy, but we decided it was time to take the next step.”

Courtesy of Kells Brew Pub

 With a motto of “Irish Roots, Oregon Brewed,” the labels feature traditional Irish imagery, including a shamrock for the IPA, the Tower of Kells for the lager, and a red hand for the Red; a nod to the Northern Irish heritage of the McAleese family. The Red Hand of Ulster is a symbol used to denote an Irish tale in which a Viking longboat war party, closing in on the shores of Ulster, promised the first man to touch land full possession of the territory. On board was an Irish mercenary who severed his hand with his sword and threw the bloody hand ashore.

Courtesy of Kells Brew Pub

Kells will be bottling every quarter; the brewery will likely add seasonals to the rotation next summer. The brewery will sell its brown longneck bottles in crafted six-packs that will retail for $11.49. Garrett McAleese noted that if the brewery keeps growing at its continued pace and the retails takes off, a production brewery will be inevitable.

Located at 210 NW 21st Ave., Kells Brew Pub is open to all ages from 11:30 a.m. to close Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to close on weekends. For more information, visit www.kellsbrewpub.com or call 503-719-7175.

A Greater and Grander Great American Beer Festival

Photo credit @ Brewers Association

—Expanded Tasting Hall Bustles with More Brewers, Beers and Education—

Boulder, CO • September 8, 2015—Representing the largest collection of U.S. beer served in a public tasting event, the 34th annual Great American Beer Festival (GABF) grows even grander this year. Presented by the Brewers Association, GABF will offer 90,000 additional square feet in the tasting hall, allowing 60,000 attendees to sample over 3,500 beers from 750 breweries from all over the country.

“There is no other place on the planet where people can sample such an expansive and unique assortment of beers. The sheer size of GABF is what makes it the marquee event for beer lovers,” said Nancy Johnson, event director, Brewers Association. “We’re thrilled to be able to accommodate more attendees than ever with even more opportunities to learn about the world of great American beer.”

Educational and entertainment opportunities can be found throughout the festival hall, as well as in the new BeerX: The CraftBeer.com Experience. The 2,500 square-foot pavilion will be packed with interactive stations about the art and science of brewing and the enjoyment of beer, including:

·         Sit & Sip, an opportunity to sit with brewers and hear about their beers.

 

·         You Be the Judge, learn how to taste and evaluate a beer like a certified beer judge.

·         Craft Beer Deconstructed, where beer ingredient suppliers will have samples and info about the beer ingredients used.

·         Art of Craft Beer, see some of Denver’s most talented artists create art inspired by craft beer from small and independent brewers. 

The new expanded section of the GABF tasting hall will also serve as home to the Meet the Brewer booths. Made up of just under 100 breweries, the Meet the Brewer area will have brewers or brewery staff on hand at each booth the entire time, pouring beer samples and talking to attendees about their offerings, with no assistance from GABF volunteers.

“GABF has a long-standing tradition of giving beer lovers the chance to meet and mingle with the brains behind the brands,” added Johnson. “Meet the Brewer booths build on that tradition and are a dedicated area where GABF guests are personally served by the brewer.”

GABF will take place from September 24 to 26 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. For more information about GABF and a complete list of sponsors, visit the GABF website. Follow GABF on Facebook, Twitter (#GABF) and Instagram.

Courtesy of the Brewers Association

About the Brewers Association

The Brewers Association is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The Brewers Association (BA) represents more than 70 percent of the brewing industry, and its members make more than 99 percent of the beer brewed in the U.S. The BA organizes events including the World Beer Cup^®, Great American Beer Festival^®, Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America^®, SAVOR℠: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience, AHA National Homebrewers Conference, National Homebrew Competition and American Craft Beer Week^®. The BA publishes The New Brewer magazine and its Brewers Publications division is the largest publisher of contemporary and relevant brewing literature for today’s craft brewers and homebrewers.

Beer lovers are invited to learn more about the dynamic world of craft beer at CraftBeer.com and about homebrewing via the BA’s American Homebrewers Association. Follow us on Twitter.

Stone Brewing Releases Your Father Smelt Of Elderberries

courtesy of Stone Brewing Co

– By Royal Decree –
Stochasticity Project lineage extended to include medieval brew:
Your Father Smelt of Elderberries
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ESCONDIDO, CA (Sept. 8, 2015) – Hear ye, all brethren and sisteren embattled in the quest for fine ales, seekers of the holy grail of fermented potables—we share in your unquenchable thirst for adventure, flavor and experimentation and bringeth thee a quaff built to satiate all three: Your Father Smelt of Elderberries. More mysterious than a Trojan rabbit, more unexpected than the abrupt intervention of peacekeepers at the close of a cinematic epic, this modern take on a medieval beer recipe celebrates the brewsters of yore, forging forward while harkening back to ancient times. When the Earth’s rotation brings it to a space and time wherein the moon and Jupiter find themselves in perfect alignment (i.e., September eighth of the year two thousand and fifteen), Your Father Smelt of Elderberries shall take its rightful place on the shelves of many apothecary and elixir merchants, and as a means of draft-borne imbibing pleasure at taverns, inns, ale houses and grog shops throughout the kingdom. Your Father Smelt of Elderberries bridges the realms of historic and contemporary brewing, extracting the tartness of elderberries as brewsters in medieval England once did. This noble fruit has since fallen out of favor along with other spicing agents of eras long past (e.g., mugwort, grains of paradise), with the flowers of the mighty hop bine rising to prominence and providence. So much so, Brewmaster Mitch Steele and his round table of brewing knights saw fit to include Target and Goldings cultivars, thus birthing a complex 10.3 percent alcohol-by-volume ale of unique stock fit for historians and the most fervent of forward-looking beer geeks alike. Stochasticity Project Your Father Smelt of Elderberries shall be presented in artfully adorned bottles measuring roughly three-fifths of a litre (i.e., twenty-two ounces, for ye of yon New English colonies) and in casks forged of stainless steel. Thine inventive brew is limited in nature and should be sought out and swigged at its freshest or stowed at proper cellar temperatures (55°F or lower).

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Particulars  Stochasticity Project Your Father Smelt of Elderberries Courtesy of Stone Brewing Co

Name: Stochasticity Project Your Father Smelt of Elderberries
URL: stochasticity.com/beers/your-father-smelt-elderberries
Stats: 10.3% ABV, 50 IBUs
Availability: Limited 22-ounce bottles and on draft, beginning September 8
Spicing: Elderberries; Target and East Kent Golding hops
For Thou Whom Seeketh: AK, AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA and Puerto Rico

ABOUT STOCHASTICITY PROJECT

There is no happenstance or coincidence. Dumb luck is a fallacy and randomness a commonly accepted mistruth. Much of what seemingly falls into place yet seems so natural is a result of Stochasticity, a concept embraced and exalted by this special and unpredictable series of beers where exotic notions, ingredients and ideas coalesce at an interesting and often unexpected endpoint.

For more information on Stochasticity Project, please visit Stochasticity.com.