Block 15 Releases Seasonal Coffee Stout & Bière de Mars

Courtesy of Block 15 Brewing

Both spring seasonals to be available bottled and on tap around Oregon

Corvallis, OR — This March, Block 15Brewing Company will release two new spring entries in their Seasonal Bottle Conditioned Series—Cosmic Cold Brew, Double Ristretto and Here Comes the Sunshine. Both will be available bottled and on tap in early spring—with distribution to bottle shops and tap houses around Oregon and parts of Washington. Bottle conditioned using Block 15’s custom-fabricated mixing tank, both beers are designed to be enjoyed both freshly bottled and cellared.

 

Cosmic Cold Brew, Double Ristretto

Stout, Cold Conditioned with Coffee Beans

Working alongside their south Corvallis neighbors, Bespoken Coffee Roasters, Block 15 elevated their classic Nebula stout with additional malt and a 24-hour cold extraction on freshly roasted Ethiopia Yukiro coffee. Both varietal and roast profile were selected to complement this stout with a buttery nuttiness, zesty citrus, and gentle black tea finish. Inspired by ristretto espresso's decadent flavor, their Double Ristretto variation features an extra-generous shot of rich, malty first runnings, as well as a higher concentration of coffee during cold extraction. The result is a pungent roast and chocolate malt character and a thicker, creamier body.

Cosmic Cold Brew, Double Ristretto is releasing to bottle shops and beer bars around Oregon on March 13th.

Grains: 2-Row, Maris Otter, Chocolate 450, Crystal 120, Chocolate Wheat Malt, Oat Malt, Caramel 35, Roasted Barley, Flaked Oats

Adjunct: Ethiopia Yukiro coffee Hops: Columbus, Crystal Yeast: English Ale

ABV: 9%

FG: 1.022

Here Comes the Sunshine  

Bière de Mars

Block 15’s nod to Northern France's springtime farmhouse ales, this Bière de Mars is inspired by budding flowers, new growth, and the sun emerging from its winter slumber. Its blend of North American malted barley, French Pilsner malt, and locally-grown white wheat produces a rustic grist character that is complemented by gentle hopping with Oregon and European

varietals and fermentation with a pair of characterful yeast strains. Together, they produce a bright and lively farmhouse ale offering nuanced complexity and a crisp, refreshing finish.

Here Comes the Sunshine is releasing to bottle shops and beer bars around Oregon on March 20th.

Grains: 2-Row, Franco Pilsen, Franco Munich, Chateau Monastique, Cracked Wheat

Hops: Magnum, Sterling, Hallertau Blanc

Yeast: Mixed fermentation with Saccharomyces Trois and Saison Dupont

ABV: 6%

FG: 1.006

Both Here Comes the Sunshine and Cosmic Cold Brew, Double Ristretto are available in 500mL bottles, featuring artwork from local artist Patricia Smith.

Courtesy of Block 15 Brewing

About Block 15 Brewing Company

Offering unique hop forward ales, crisp lagers, barrel-aged rarities and one of the Northwest’s most extensive wild & sour programs, Block 15 produces a range of artfully crafted beers, brewed with a nod toward fresh ingredients and fresh thinking. Established in 2008, and brewer- owned from day one.

Follow Block 15 on Social Media facebook.com/Block15Brewing twitter.com/Block15Brewing instagram.com/Block15Brewing

New Belgium Releasing Juicy Watermelon Lime Ale

Courtesy of New Belgium Brewing

Ft. Collins, Colo. – March 8, 2017 – Brewed with watermelon and lime peel, New Belgium Brewing’s new seasonal release offers an approachable, fruit-infused ale. Juicy Watermelon Lime Ale is crisp, refreshing and juicy – the perfect option for beating back the summer heat. It has a bright fruity flavor and a thirst-quenching finish. The beer, which is available now through July, is available in 12 oz. bottles and cans, and on draft.

“A great summer beer is one that not only satisfies your taste buds but also offers a bit of refreshment,” said Bryan Simpson, PR Director for New Belgium Brewing. “The combination of watermelon and lime plays perfectly together, making it ideal for the warmer days ahead.”

Juicy Watermelon Lime Ale

Style: Fruit Ale

Flavor: Mild sweetness, light sour, and minimal bitterness

Mouthfeel: Clean finish, refreshing

Body: Medium-light body

Yeast: Ale

Hop Varieties: Nugget Hops

Malt Varieties: Pale and Caramel 80

Fruits/Spices: Watermelon & Lime Peel

Color: Golden with a slight orange hue

Alcohol 5.0% ABV

IBUs: 7

To find Juicy Watermelon Lime Ale near you, use the New Belgium Libation Location tool or download New Belgium’s Beer Mode app. 

For more information about New Belgium Brewing, visit NewBelgium.com. You can also follow New Belgium on Facebook at Facebook.com/NewBelgium and Twitter @NewBelgium.

About New Belgium Brewing

New Belgium Brewing, makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale and a host of Belgian-inspired beers, is recognized as one of Outside Magazine’s Best Places to Work and one of the Wall Street Journal’s Best Small Businesses. The 100% employee-owned brewery is a Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Business as designated by the League of American Bicyclists, and one of World Blu’s most democratic U.S. businesses, and a Certified B Corp. In addition to Fat Tire, New Belgium brews fourteen year-round beers; Citradelic Tangerine IPA, Citradelic Lime Ale, Voodoo Ranger IPA, Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA, 8 Hop Pale Ale, Dayblazer Easydrinking Ale, Tartastic Lemon Ginger Ale, Sunshine Wheat, 1554 Black Ale, Bohemian Pilsner, Abbey Belgian Ale, Trippel and a gluten-reduced line, Glutiny Pale Ale and Glutiny Golden Ale. Learn more at www.newbelgium.com.

Speakeasy Ales & Lagers to Cease Operations Indefinitely

Courtesy of Speakeasy Ales & Lagers

San Francisco, CA - (March 10, 2017) 

Speakeasy Ales & Lagers has been forced to immediately cease brewing, packaging, and tap room operations at their San Francisco brewery for an indefinite period of time. Difficulty securing capital investment and outstanding debt obligations led to this difficult and painful decision. The company’s primary creditor will determine the future of the brewery and brand, and no decision or further information is available at this time.

According to Speakeasy founder and CEO, Forest Gray, “The brewery has worked with multiple investment banking groups and have had numerous meetings. One fact has become central to the process, and that is the company is financially insolvent and requires new capital to move forward. Whether that will happen is unclear, but I do hope the brewery and brand will persist.”

Speakeasy would like to thank all of the wonderful customers, distributors, vendors, and retail partners who have supported the brewery, as well as current and former staff for their hard work and dedication. The remaining inventory of Speakeasy Ales & Lagers beer has been shipped to distributors and will be available in local and international markets while supplies last. Grab a six-pack of Big Daddy IPA or any other Speakeasy beer to savor the history of this pioneering brewery.

The Bruery® partners with local charity Food Forward® for their third Share This® charitable imperial stout release featuring Orange, Chocolate

Courtesy of The Bruery

For each bottle of Share This: OC produced, the craft brewery will donate $1 towards Food Forward’s produce recovery efforts in Southern California.

 

Placentia, CA:  The Bruery’s third installment in their Share This series of imperial stouts will be released to the public starting in March. Each Share This beer is made in partnership with a charity in order to give money back to the region which inspired, or contributed to, the beer’s flavor profile.

The third release in this series was inspired by The Bruery’s home county and its history as a significant growing region for oranges. It is the first time the donation will go towards efforts in the United States, with a hyperlocal focus on Food Forward’s work in Southern California. The rich, imperial stout base, already chock full of notes of chocolate and roast, is dosed with orange zest, TCHO cacao nibs, and vanilla beans, to create the orange-chocolate Share This: OC.

"It’s hard to not have an affinity for oranges when you grow up in Orange County," shared The Bruery Founder & CEO Patrick Rue. "Oranges and chocolate are a natural pair, each flavor enhancing the other. We’re excited to bring this flavor combination to Share This, and to support Food Forward, a local charity that benefits our community by providing delicious, fresh fruit to those who might not have access to it otherwise."

You’ll recall in June 2016, Share This: Coffee debuted, supporting Free Wheelchair Mission’s efforts in the Philippines. Mostra Coffee carefully sourced Bourbon & Catimor variety coffee beans from the Cagat family farm of the highlands of Mindanao island to match the beer’s roasty profile. Later in October, Share This: Mole brought a collaboration with Certified Cicerone® and Chef Anne Conness, who helped The Bruery create an ideal blend of ancho chilies, chipotle peppers, cinnamon, vanilla, and cacao nibs to create a rich mole stout to benefit Free Wheelchair Mission’s efforts in Mexico.

Beers in the Share This series are released twice annually, with the next release to be announced in fall of 2017. The Bruery has donated $50,000 for Share This: Coffee, and has committed the donation of an additional $50,000 for Share This: Mole, to Free Wheelchair Mission.

"We are thrilled to be the selected non-profit to benefit from the current release of Share This." expressed Food Forward Founder & Executive Director, Rick Nahmias. "The ethos, practices and vibe of The Bruery is so aligned with Food Forward and our work to eradicate food waste and act as a bridge to get fresh healthy produce to over 1.25 million of our region's most vulnerable. The generosity of this program and partnership is a huge boon to Food Forward and will allow us to continue to deepen our work to harvest food, fight hunger and build community across Southern California."

Share This: OC can be purchased directly from The Bruery beginning March 14 at TheBrueryStore.com, The Bruery Tasting Room in Placentia, and the Bruery Terreux Tasting Room in Anaheim. Throughout the month of March, the beer will be hitting retail shelves in The Bruery’s national distribution footprint.

 

Courtesy of The Bruery

ABOUT THE BRUERY

Founded in 2008, The Bruery is a small, innovative craft brewery located in Orange County, CA that is family-owned and operated with CEO, Founder, and Master Cicerone® Patrick Rue at its helm. The Bruery produces barrel-aged and experimental beers, while Bruery Terreux®, launched in 2015, focuses on fermenting beer with wild yeasts and souring bacteria.

ABOUT FOOD FORWARD

Food Forward rescues fresh, local produce that would normally go to waste from backyard fruit trees, public orchards, farmers markets, and the downtown Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market. 100% of the recovered produce is donated to hunger relief agencies across eight counties in Southern California, reaching over 100,000 people a month.

Speakeasy Ales & Lagers Releases Murky Business APA

San Francisco, CA - (March 6, 2017) 

Speakeasy Ales & Lagers is set to release its first new beer of 2017, Murky Business APA, the latest addition to the brewery’s draft only Perfect Crime Series. Murky Business APA is not your father’s malty American Pale Ale. The almighty hop takes center stage with a big juicy punch of tropical fruit.

Notes of pineapple, grapefruit, papaya, and lychee dominate Murky Business APA. A small amount of white wheat and flaked oats were added to give the beer some body, while a touch of rye and Maris Otter add a hint of spice and lightly toasted malt. Straw to pale gold in color, Murky Business APA is dry with no caramel sweetness, and finished at 5.3% alcohol by volume with 20 IBUs.
Speakeasy has never made a beer like Murky Business APA. While the brewery has created plenty of pale ales over 20 years, none of them have contained such a low amount of hop bitterness, which has been dialed down to an absolute minimum. Murky Business APA is focused on the delicious flavors and aroma found in Citra, Mosaic, and Nelson Sauvin hops.

Murky Business APA is the first beer created by Speakeasy’s new Beer Development Committee, from concept to recipe and brewing. The committee includes staff members from all facets of the brewery. They’re tasked with the research and development of small batch beers that could play a larger role in the company’s future.
Murky Business APA will be released at the Speakeasy Ales & Lagers Tap Room on Saturday, March 18th. Since this beer will only be served on draft, growler fills will be available. Following the Tap Room release, a limited quantity of Murky Business APA kegs will be shipped to Speakeasy’s distribution territories.  

Quick Facts

Style: American Pale Ale ABV: 5.3% IBUs: 20 Grain: Two Row, White Wheat, Flaked Oats, Maris Otter, Rye Hops: Chinook, Nelson Sauvin, Mosaic, Citra Availability: March - June Series: Perfect Crime Series Formats: Draft only

About the Perfect Crime Series

The Perfect Crime Series features ingenious, small batch, and experimental beers that are carefully contrived and executed by Speakeasy brewers. Each release is limited to draft only, and may only appear once, so the perpetrator can’t be brought to justice. 

Courtesy of Speakeasy Ales & Lagers

About Speakeasy Ales & Lagers

In 1997 a wily band of bootleggers led by homebrewer Forest Gray were inspired to bring their exceptional brews from the underground to the masses, defiantly producing small batches of beer in a secret warehouse in San Francisco. Starting with a single, iconic beer, Prohibition Ale, Speakeasy now brews a wide array of acclaimed beers including Big Daddy IPA, Payback Porter, Double Daddy, Scarface Imperial Stout and many more, which are distributed across the entire West Coast and other major U.S. markets.

Everybody’s Brewing Releases Spring Seasonal Bottle and Draft Lineup

Courtesy of Everybody's Brewing Co

(White Salmon, WA) Everybody’s Brewing announced today their spring seasonal 22 oz bottle will be a farmhouse ale brewed with Pear Juice.  The beer will be called “Get A Pear”.  The Saison inspired farmhouse ale comes in at 6.5% ABV, and 25 IBUs.  Get A Pear will be released in Portland, at Belmont Station on Wednesday, March 8th, and at Ben’s Bottle Shop in Vancouver on Wednesday, March 15th.  Bottles of Get A Pear will be available at fine retailers throughout the Northwest until June 1.  A limited amount of kegs will be available on draft as well.

                       

The beer was fermented with a never before used Belgian Saison yeast strain from Imperial Organic Yeast, and used a grain bill that was made up of 25% flaked rice.  Jarrlo and Centennial hops are featured, and near the very end of fermentation, organic pear juice was added to the tanks.  Their goal was to brew a clean, light bodied farmhouse ale, and really let the flavors of the pear juice and the yeast strain shine. 

           

Jess Caudill, Co-Head Brewer at Everybody’s, said he was pleased with how his recipe turned out.  “The yeast strain has some very unique flavors, and they really come through on this beer.  You get some nice floral aromas, and definitely some vanilla and clove notes from the yeast.  I’ve always wanted to brew a beer with pear juice, and it gives just enough flavor, but without much sweetness.  It’s a clean, Saison inspired farmhouse, with a pear twist.  We are really happy with this one.”

Everybody’s has several other draft-only releases for the spring coming out in the next few weeks, including Plymouth Hop, a New England Style IPA featuring Galaxy and Azzaca hops, and their quaffable German-Style Pilsner, which has been in tanks for over a month now.  The brewery will also add a Berliner Weisse to the lineup, a stye that is one of Caudill’s favorites.  “We are really excited about what we have coming out this spring”, said Caudill. “We have creative brewers here, and it’s been great watching them put their heads together to come up with new recipes.”  

Courtesy of Everybody's Brewing Co

About Everybody’s Brewing

Everybody’s Brewing opened in 2008 in White Salmon, WA by Doug and Christine Ellenberger, who have over 20 years of professional brewing and restaurant experience.  Their award winning beers are widely distributed throughout Washington, Oregon, and Northern Idaho.  The brew pub offers fantastic, locally sourced food, with an outdoor deck that provides a stunning view of Mt. Hood, and the Columbia River Gorge.  This combination makes Everybody’s Brewing a must stop attraction when traveling to the Northwest.

Central Oregon Homebrewers Organization Annual Spring Fling Competition Returns

Courtesy of Central Oregon Homebrewers Organization (COHO)

Bend, OR – March 6, 2017 – The Central Oregon Homebrewers Organization (COHO) annual Spring Fling homebrew competition returns this April and is now accepting entries. The event takes place the weekend of April 21 - 23, 2017, at the Aspen Ridge Retirement Community in Bend.

Judging takes place Friday and Saturday, April 21 and 22, with the awards ceremony on Sunday, April 23. The awards ceremony is open to the public starting at 1:00 PM and in addition to the announcement of the winners there will be a raffle and the opportunity to sample many of the submitted beers.

Spring Fling is an AHA sanctioned event and open to any amateur homebrewer age 21 or older. Professional brewers are also welcome as long as their beer is brewed on a home-system and not a professional system. The competition is open to all homebrewed beer, mead, and cider represented in the 2015 BJCP Guidelines, and the deadline to submit entries is April 14.

Brewers may enter more than one beer in each category but may enter each subcategory only once. There is a limit of 350 total entries that will be accepted. Visit the official competition website at http://springfling.brewcompetition.com/ for full details and to register to participate in Spring Fling.

Courtesy of Central Oregon Homebrewers Organization (COHO)

About COHO

Central Oregon Homebrewers Organization was founded in 2005 in Bend as a means for homebrew enthusiasts to educate themselves and others about brewing beer, wine, and other fermentable beverages. The goal of the club is to associate ourselves with like minded individuals that have a thirst for knowledge and an appetite for an enjoyable time. The club is open to the public, and anyone with an interest is encouraged to participate. Visit http://www.cohomebrewers.org/ for more information.

About Aspen Ridge Retirement

Bend’s Aspen Ridge Retirement Community is home to the Aspen Ridge Brew Crew, a group of seniors whose homebrewed beers have won numerous awards and who collaborate with a local brewery each year to release a beer to raise money for Alzheimer’s research. Aspen Ridge generously donates time and meeting space to COHO as well as helping to promote homebrewing within Central Oregon.