Angry Orchard Introduces Orchard’s Edge Series With Two New Hard Cider Styles

Courtesy of Angry Orchard Cider CO

WALDEN, NEW YORK February 25, 2016 – The cider makers at Angry Orchard today announced national availability of their latest project, the Orchard’s Edge series. The first two hard ciders in the series – Knotty Pear and The Old Fashioned – hit shelves this month. This new series is inspired by unexpected ingredients and aging processes the cider makers have been working on at Angry Orchard’s new Innovation Cider House on its orchard in Walden, New York.

The hard cider industry has seen incredible growth over the past several years, and drinkers are embracing it as a refreshing alternative to beer or wine. As drinkers continue to rediscover the American cider tradition, they are interested in trying ciders with more complexity. Craft brewers have been experimenting with ingredients and processes for the past thirty years, and now that the cider drinker’s palate is also maturing, cider makers have the opportunity to push the limits and develop more complex ciders, like Orchard’s Edge.

The ciders in the Orchard’s Edge series are aged on American oak and feature non-apple fruits like pears and oranges along with exotic spices like cardamom, all meant to work with and enhance cider’s most important ingredient: the apple.

Cider maker’s notes on each style:

· Orchard’s Edge Knotty Pear (6.5% ABV): While not a perry, Knotty Pear is made with a blend of domestic culinary pears, including Bartlett, Doyenne de Comice, Bosc and D’Anjou, and apples grown in the United States. The cider leads with ripe apple, baked pear aromas and spicy, herbal hints from the cardamom. The pears also give the cider a subtle spiced essence along with notes of citrus and mint. Aged on American oak, this cider has a pleasant, dry finish.

· Orchard’s Edge The Old Fashioned (6.5% ABV): Developed from a blend of American apples like Gala and Fuji, The Old Fashioned is aged on charred oak bourbon barrel staves with dried tart cherries and California grown navel orange peel. The cider has a delicate citrus aroma with hints of vanilla and bourbon flavor from the wood aging process. The Old Fashioned has lasting tannins and a full, round mouthfeel.

“American cider has come a long way in the past few years, and we think it can be pushed even further. With Orchard’s Edge, we took our two decades of experience to create styles that represent what is next for cider” said Ryan Burk, Head Cider Maker at Angry Orchard. “We had a lot of fun exploring different ingredients and techniques for these ciders at our Innovation Cider House, and ultimately found two combinations we hope will give drinkers a taste of all that craft cider can be.”

With Angry Orchard’s new home for research and development on the Angry Orchard, its 60-acre orchard in New York’s Hudson River Valley, the cider makers at America’s leading cidery are committed to furthering drinker education and broadening awareness of cider here in the U.S. Additional ciders will be added to the Angry Orchard and Orchard’s Edge lineup as the cider makers tinker with new ingredients and techniques at the orchard, and find recipes they love and want to share with drinkers.

Orchard’s Edge is available year-round in 6-packs beginning February 2016 for a suggested retail price of $10.99 (price varies per market). Both varieties will also be available on rotating draft in select bars and restaurants beginning spring 2016.

Courtesy of Angry Orchard Cider CO

About Angry Orchard Cider Company:
The cider makers at Angry Orchard have been experimenting with apple varieties, ingredients and processes to develop hard cider recipes for more than 20 years. The cider makers have travelled the world to find the best apples for cider making and chose specific varieties – like French bittersweet apples from Normandy, culinary apples from Italy and the Pacific Northwest U.S. based on each cider's desired flavor profile. In fall 2015, Angry Orchard opened a new home for research and development on a historic 60-acre apple orchard in the Walden, NY. There, the cider makers will continue to drive experimentation at the Innovation Cider House, and drinkers are welcome to visit for samples of exclusive ciders made on-site. Despite the recent growth of hard cider in the US, the category is still small and relatively unknown. Angry Orchard is committed to drinker education and awareness-building to help grow the category for all craft cider makers.

Angry Orchard makes a variety of year-round craft cider styles, including Angry Orchard Crisp Apple, a crisp and refreshing fruit-forward cider that blends the sweetness of culinary apples with dryness and bright acidity from bittersweet apples for a balanced flavor profile. Angry Orchard also makes The Cider House Collection specialty ciders, as well as a variety of seasonal ciders.

To Learn More: 

To find where Angry Orchard hard cider is served near you, visit the "cider finder" at www.angryorchard.com/find-angry-orchard/. Cider lovers can explore the Orchard online at www.angryorchard.com/our-orchard and like us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @AngryOrchard.

Backwoods Brewing Company Launching A New Seasonal Series- “Experimental Forest Series” Starting Next Week

Courtesy of Backwoods Brewing CO

Carson, WA (February 25, 2016) - Backwoods Brewing Company is launching a new seasonal series, starting next week. “Experimental Forest Series” will comprise of three seasonal styles in 22oz bottles and draft. The first style is a peppercorn saison, named “Spring Creek Saison”. Brewmaster, Kevin Waters, had the chance to brew the farmhouse ale while traveling in Europe last year. He visited Amundsen Brewery in Oslo, Norway, where they concocted the recipe, and put it to the test. “The end result was incredible,” commented Waters. “Slightly dry, with fruit notes and then a hint of peppercorn, with just enough spice to make you want more.” The beer clocks in at 4.7 % ABV and 22 IBU.

The other two styles to follow will be a single hop IPA and a pecan pie porter. The IPA will launch in June and will be made with Vic’s Secret hops, which are harvested out of Australia, and have only been used commercially since 2013. Waters added, “We brewed a draft-only version of this beer last year and it was a huge hit, so we’re happy to be able to offer it up to the whole NW market.” Vic’s Secret is known for its distinct pine and pineapple aroma and tasting notes. Backwoods has yet to name the single hop IPA.

The third seasonal, the pecan pie porter, will be released mid-late September, and will finish out the series. Going with the theme of tried and true, Backwoods had brewed two batches of this beer last year and it was received extremely well. “We brewed the first batch, not knowing if it would do well or be a complete flop. But a week later it was gone and people wanted more! So we brewed it again,” said Waters.

Courtesy of Backwoods Brewing CO

Spring Creek Saison will hit the shelves Monday, February 29th. Several local beer & bottle shops, including The Beer Station in Wilsonville, and Belmont Station in Portland, are hosting tastings that will feature the saison, as well as some core Backwoods beers. More information can be found on Backwoods’ website: www.backwoodsbrewingcompany.com.

Courtesy of Backwoods Brewing CO

Just an hour east of the Portland-Vancouver area, Backwoods was established in 2012 by the Waters family as a single barrel brewpub. It has grown since, moving to a 7-barrel, and now a 20 barrel system that it currently brews on in their new Stevenson facility. Their distribution serves all of Washington, NW Oregon and Boise, ID, including grocery stores such as Zupans, Whole Foods, New Seasons, Total Wine, Market of Choice and Fred Meyer. The brewery produced approximately 5000 barrels in 2015, and has set a goal of 7500 barrels for 2016. The brewpub in Carson is open 7 days a week, and welcomes all ages.

Deschutes Brewery Announces 2016 Street Pub Tour

Courtesy of Deschutes Brewing CO

Crafted for Community: Oregon brewery brings pub experience to select cities across the United States – all for charity

February 23, 2016 – Bend, Oregon – The ultimate block party is back! Deschutes Brewery is packing up its pub of epic proportions and bringing it to select cities across the United States for the second annual Street Pub tour. Can’t make it to Oregon to visit one of the brewery’s popular public houses in Bend or Portland? This traveling show brings the pub experience - on which Deschutes was founded – direct to fans with a ginormous, transportable bar that was handcrafted in Central Oregon. In each city, the brewery will partner with a local charity and donate 100 percent of proceeds to help that charity achieve its mission.

“The inaugural year of our Street Pub was successful beyond anything we dreamed,” said Field Marketing Manager, Joey Pleich. “Not only were we able to bring a little bit of the Deschutes’ ‘pub experience’ to fans around the nation, but we also raised a significant amount of money for our partner charities in each city.” Deschutes Brewery’s Street Pub visited seven cities in 2015, served close to 900 kegs of beer to an estimated 60,000 beer fans who turned out to drink and raised nearly $400,000 for charity. Check out the wrap up here: https://www.deschutesbrewery.com/street-pub-success/.

The 2016 Street Pub will again take to the streets with its 400+ foot bar, pouring a huge selection of Deschutes Brewery beers from a multitude of taps (think everything from Fresh Squeezed IPA to The Abyss). Adding to the pub experience, Deschutes Brewery’s corporate executive chef will be teaming up with local chefs in each city to create some fantastic food pairings. The Street Pub is family friendly, with kids’ activities and live, local music at each stop.

Grab your friends and check out the Street Pub experience in one of the following cities for the 2016 Street Pub Tour:

• Arlington, VA: 5/15 (in conjunction with the Taste of Arlington festival)
• Philadelphia, PA: 6/11
• Columbus, OH: 7/9
• Chicago, IL: 8/6
• Twin Cities, MN: 9/10
• Sacramento, CA: 10/8

See you soon beer fans! For more information on each stop go to http://www.DeschutesBrewery.com/StreetPub or follow the conversation at #StreetPub.

About Deschutes Brewery
Named as OUTSIDE’s Best Places to Work in for the last three years in a row and winner of the 2015 Oregon Sustainability Award, Deschutes Brewery was founded in 1988 as a brew pub in Bend, Oregon. Still family and employee owned 27 years later, the brewery is known for brewing a diverse line-up of award winning beers including the popular Fresh Squeezed IPA, Black Butte Porter, and Mirror Pond Pale Ale. From the beginning, the focus has been on crafting the best beer and food using only the finest ingredients.  In 2008, the brewery opened a second pub in Portland’s Pearl District. Deschutes Brewery now ships beer to 28 states, the District of Columbia, and around the world from its main brewing facility located on the banks of the Deschutes River.  To find out more, visit www.DeschutesBrewery.com.

Great Notion Brewing hosts Grand Beer Release Saturday, March 5

Courtesy of Great Notion Brewing CO

Portland, Oregon, February 17, 2016 – Great Notion Brewing is hosting a Grand Beer Release event on Saturday, March 5. Attendees are invited to the brewery from 12PM – 11PM to sample from the brewery’s full beer lineup. Tickets will be sold for $10 at the door, which includes a Great Notion Libbey collector’s glass and 4 tasting tickets. Additional tickets can be purchased for $1 each.

Courtesy of Great Notion Brewing CO

Attendees can expect a variety of family-friendly activities and events, entertainment, food pairings, and more. Brewery tours will be hosted at 12:30PM, 2PM, and 5PM. A special day-of menu will be available including beer floats in collaboration with our neighbor, Salt and Straw. More than 10 unique beers will be available to taste, including our much hyped IPAs, experimental stouts and more (see full beer lineup below).

Great Notion officially rebranded the legacy Mash Tun Brewpub space on January 1, 2016. Brewers James Dugan and Andy Miller have been hard at work ever since, brewing barrel-aged sours, juicy IPAs, and experimental beers.

“We have been so overwhelmed with the positive reaction from the community, and we are excited to share even more of our beers with all of Portland,” said Paul Reiter, co-founder of Great Notion.

For more information on the Grand Beer Release, and to RSVP, click here.  To learn more about Great Notion, visit www.greatnotionpdx.com, or follow the brewery on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Great Notion Brewing is located next to Pine State Biscuits at 2204 NE Alberta St. #101, Portland, OR 97211.

Beer Name	ABV	Description
Double Stack	8.5	Double Stack is a Breakfast Stout aged on a ridiculous amount of Vermont maple syrup and locally roasted coffee beans.
El Chapo	7.7	Dark and dangerous, this Mexican-inspired Stout is aged on pasilla & anjeo peppers, cinnamon, chocolate and vanilla beans.
Juice Jr.	5	The little brother of Juice Box Double IPA. Juice Jr. is brewed with 100% Mosaic hops, and a lot of them! This crushable Session IPA has a small ABV and a big hop flavor.
Juice Box	8.2	Juice Box developed quite a local following while we were home brewing. Bursting with pungent American hops, with aromas of peach, mango, and passion fruit. Juice Box is brewed with over 4 pounds of hops per barrel, but the creamy smooth mouth feel and mellow bitterness make this Double IPA dangerously drinkable.
Merry Dankster	8.2	The Merry Dankster is our tribute to Ken Kesey and his Merry band of Pranksters. At 8.2%, this Double IPA is saturated with hop flavor. It's dry hopped with over 3 pounds per barrel & fermented with local wild flower honey. We get slammed with notes of pineapple, pine, and that stinky dank goodness! "Never trust a Prankster"
Ripe IPA	7	Bringing a bit of Vermont to Portland. Citra hops combined with a legendary NE yeast stain gives Ripe its unique flavor and aroma. This juicy IPA has notes of mango, papaya and pineapple, with a smooth dry finish.
Root Beard	6.5	Root Beard is our dark cream ale aged on a unique blend of herbs including wintergreen, sarsaparilla, birch bark, licorice root, and Vanilla. We back sweeten Root Beard with local wild flower honey.
Saison Blanc	5.5	Saison married with Sauvignon Blanc grapes, pears and kiwis.
Stamper Stout	7.7	In our tribute to Henry Stamper, the old and half-crazed patriarch whose motto was “Never Give an Inch!,” Stamper Stout will warm your belly after a long Oregon Winter day. Settle into rich notes of coffee, chocolate and a gentle roast.
Zest	5	Great Notion Brewing's take on a German style Berliner Weisse. The lemony tartness in this refreshing wheat beer comes from a two stage fermentation with Lactobacillus and brettanomyces. ZEST is the beer that will guide Portland into Spring!
Coffee & Cream	6.5	We aged this Cream Ale on specially roasted whole bean Columbian coffee in partnership with Clutch Coffee Roasters. It's a one of a kind brew and a unique flavor experience.
Blueberry Muffin	5	A tart beer made with real blueberry muffins and locally sourced blueberries from Sauvie Island. Fermented with lacto bacillus and wild yeast, this beer will remind you of your mother's freshly baked blueberry muffins.