(Courtesy Stone Brewing)

Summer is ON and the beer biz is addressing things with an always interesting roster of beers that pair brilliantly with the season.

A Righteous Return (Escondido, CA) – Stone Brewing has returned a uber-special release that was part of its year-round lineup for many years before its retirement in 2015. Since then, nearly every single day, the brewery has received multiple emails, phone calls and social media comments from diehard fans demanding its return. But because you can’t keep a great beer permanently retired, it’s making a special reappearance.

Originally released in 2007 as Stone’s 11th Anniversary Ale, Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Black IPA is a dark, hoppy 8.7% ABV “hybrid” that some refer to as a Cascadian Dark Ale which is now back nationwide in all its glory. Original recipe. Original artwork.

“IPAs are kind of our thing, so we love any opportunity to showcase the variety of IPAs out there,” stated Jeremy Moynier, Stone Sr. Manager of Brewing & Innovation. “Black IPAs aren’t new, but they’re still pretty hard to come by. When people experience this beer for the first time it’s like they can’t grasp how something with such distinct piney hop flavor pours so dark, but the coffee and chocolate notes complement amazingly.”

A Good, Cheap, Fun, Blind Beer Tasting (Bend, OR) – 10 Barrel Brewing recently invited the ACB crew to blind test two light lagers and choose a favorite. One was a mass-market light lager, the other, the brewery’s newest light beer, that came to us in wrapped cans as Beer X and Beer Y. So we assembled 10 participants to get their feedback. Again, nobody knew which was the craft light lager and which one was the popular mass-market brew.

So what happened? 10 Barrel’s 99 calorie, 45 ABV Pub Light Lager happened, winning 9 to 1 in the matchup. This is a no‑nonsense lager brewed with 100% malt, without any sugar, corn, rice, or fillers. So if you’re in the mood for something lighter, more affordable, that doesn’t just taste like water, this is a beer you’ll want to chase down.

Same Craft, Same Flavor, New Possibilities (Grand Rapids, MI) – Founders Brewing, one of America’s top 10 largest craft breweries, has released the first beer in its new Nonetheless line of non-alcoholic beers. Inspired by the American lagers that taste like real beer, Nonetheless Golden, is a refreshing non-alcoholic beer crafted with the same quality standards Founders has used for the last 30 years.

“Our goal was simple: brew a non-alcoholic beer that is unmistakably Founders,” said Jeremy Kosmicki, Head Brewmaster at Founders Brewing, who has been with the company since 2000. “As with all our beers over the years, we were unwilling to compromise on flavor or quality. We focused on delivering the complex, aromatic, and refreshing experience our fans expect. Nonetheless gives beer fans the flavor they love, with the freedom to do more.”

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