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If you’re tiring of our regular Newbies columns and you want us to stop running it several times a week, then we’ve a suggestion for the industry. STOP RELEASING SO MANY INTERESTING BEERS FOR US TO COVER! But you won’t do that… right? So we won’t either!
Welcome to Even More Newbies – You’re not going to stop us so don’t be a hater.
Hella A Beer! (Lakespur, CA) – Marin Brewing Company is all about their newest beer and we can’t blame them. Marin Hella Art Wah Pilsner is brewed in the European tradition but with an enormous infusion of German Saphir, German Hallertau, and French Aramis hops. This draft-only offeringmarks the first time a Pilsner-style lager has been brewed at their compound – and that fact alone might be worth a trip.
Ferus Fluxus’ Wild Flow (Boulder & Denver, CO) – Our friends at Crooked Stave and Upslope Brewing just did a solid and advanced us their new collaboration beer. Described as a Wild Belgian Pale Ale, Ferus Fluxus (love the name!) is the bastard love child of Crooked Stave owner Chad Yakobson and Upslope head brewer, Alex Violette. For this unique barrel-aged project, Upslope’s Limited Release Belgian Style Pale Ale was inoculated with Brettanomyces and Lactobacillus in first-use red wine barrels. The ale was then aged separately at both breweries for 9 months and it’s now been released in two different packages -at Upslope in a royal pint can and at Crooked Stave in a 375 milliliter bottle.
A Sainted Icon (Houston, TX) – One of our favorite Texas-based breweries, Saint Arnold has a new session Porter rolling out now and it sounds serious. Saint Arnold Icon Blue is the first Porter that the brewery has ever released and they describe it as a Brown Porter – a softer and sweeter medium-bodied variation on the classic.
Anchor Springs Forward (San Francisco, CA) – Anchor Brewing is looking forward to spring, and their newest seasonal is all about it. Anchor Saison Spring Ale (7.2% ABV) is a traditional Belgian-style Saison with a California twist. For this release, Anchor chose three California ingredients–lemongrass, lemon peel, and ginger–to add a tangy crispness and an herbal spiciness to the mix. This uniquely Californian Saison is rolling out now in the Golden State – so you know what to do!
Following Fantasia (Portland, OR) – Upright Brewing is releasing an extremely limited edition new barrel-fermented Lambic-style sour beer in the vein of “Fantasia” this Saturday (3/8) and trust us – there are going to be lines snaking out of their tasting room. Brewed using almost half a ton of Muscat grapes, which were fermented with the beer in barrels, Upright Jeux d’eau follows their Fantasia in an effort to produce soured fruit beers that borrow from traditional Belgian lambics while maintaining a moderate profile. After a lengthy cask fermentation and maturation, the beer was blended and bottle conditioned for several months -but as of tomorrow, the wait is over! The release will be limited to three bottles per person and held during tasting room hours, 1-6 pm.
