Newbies – New Craft Beer Releases That You Want to Look Out For – February 25, 2014

So many beers, So little time…From special collaborations and craft beer one-offs to exciting new fall and winter seasonals, Newbies is your essential map to the “best of the best” and the hottest new craft beers rolling out each week …

So welcome to another edition of Newbies – your guide to great new craft beer releases!

Seize The Beer (Lincoln, NE) – Nebraska-based Empyrean Brewing has a new Tripel coming out and this one’s been barrel-aged. Carpe Brewem Barrel Aged Dark Tripel (Latin for seize the beer) is a limited edition small-batch Belgian Tripel that’s been aged for more than three months in bourbon oak barrels. Carpe Brewem is the brewery’s second barrel-aged beer to be packaged in 4-pack bottles for distribution and it’s out there now – so you know what to do.

Siren’s Song (Baltimore, MD) – In Greek mythology, sirens were the dangerous yet beautiful creatures whose songs lured sailors to shipwreck on rocky shores. Heavy Seas Beer’s newest limited release is equally alluring and just as dangerous. Siren Noir is a massive 9.5% ABV bourbon barrel-aged Imperial Chocolate Stout with a sweetness that blinds you until you too become wrecked.

Blonde Ambition (Seattle, WA) – Just weeks ahead of the kick-off of the 2014 MLS regular season, Redhook Brewery announced today the release of ECS No Equal Blonde. The 5.2% ABV American Blonde Ale is their second beer collaboration with the Emerald City Supporters, the largest supporters’ group for Seattle Sounders FC.This limited-edition American Blonde is available on draught and in six- and 12-packs in Washington state, with limited distribution in bordering Oregon and Idaho.

Batch #1 on the 15^th (Denver, CO) – The Breckenridge Brewery first debuted their Barleywine Batch #1 at the Vail Big Beers, Belgians, and Barleywines Festival back in January. We were there to enjoy it and soon you can too. The brewery’s first barleywine, Batch #1 will be released to the public in a limited run of 22 oz., wax-topped bottles. Cold conditioned for three months and barrel-aged in fresh American Oak barrels for another six, this beer comes in at an unforgiving 10.1% ABV. On Saturday, March 15th, bottles of Batch #1 will become available for purchase at Breckenridge’s production brewery in Denver – so you know what to do.

From Russia With Love (Pottsville, PA) – The Pennsylvania-based Sly Fox Brewing Company has just released a big-time 9% ABV Imperial that couldn’t be more perfectly timed. Nihilist Russian Imperial Stout is a tribute to the beers that were first brewed for the great czars of Russia and speaks to the comrade in us all.