American Craft Beer The Best Craft Beer, Breweries, Bars, Brewpubs, Beer Stores, And Restaurants Serving Serious Beer.
So many craft beers, so little time. With so many craft breweries, releasing so many beers, we thought it might help to provide a weekly update on all the new beers hitting the streets…So welcome to this week’s edition of Newbies – your guide to great new releases!
Claim the Devil Made you Do It (Arundel Mills, MD) – Halloween may be long gone, but the Devil can still be found in the form of DuClaw Brewing’s most popular seasonal brew Devil’s Milk. This full-bodied, 10.5% ABV Barleywine plays sweet with its initial fruity taste, while the intense, heavy-hopped liquid slowly ravishes your palate and takes hold of your senses. Go find the beast this week at several of the brewpub’s locations in Maryland.
Ready to Taste the Perfect Crime? (Escondido, CA) – Smoky and dark as midnight, this “downright deceptive” Black Smoked Saison was conceived by mastermind brewer Mitch Steele of Stone Brewing Company and gypsy brewers Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø of Evil Twin Brewing and Brian Strumke of Stillwater Artisanal Ales on a recent trip abroad. The concoction, or better yet, conspiracy, sets out to break the laws governing the guidelines of crafting a Saison. Masterfully derived from eight different grains, including an oak-smoked wheat malt from Germany, the deviant brew will be available in limited-release 12-ounce bottles and on draft beginning today. Get ready for this Saison to rip away everything you thought you knew about the style.
This Cold Crash Will Warm You Up (Charlotte, NC) – This week, NoDa Brewing Company launches its winter seasonal Cold Crash, named after the brewing technique used at the end of fermentation where a beer’s temp is dropped as it reaches its final gravity. Fortified with both lactose and brown sugars, heavy fruit and caramel notes dominate this dark amber winter warmer. The unique brew is part of their “NoDable” Series, an assortment of small-batch craft brews introduced first in the brewery’s taproom to help educate the public on varying beer styles and flavors. After its initial release, be sure to seek out the hearty brew at area pourhouses and brewpubs as the temps take a nosedive for winter.
Beer for a Healthy ‘Stache (West Grove, PA) – Each November, men around the world band together to eschew clean-shaven-ness for a hairy moustache. Dubbed Movember, the annual event helps to raise awareness for men’s health issues such as prostate and testicular cancer. Several breweries around the country, such as Evil Genius Brewing Company, are supporting the cause by organizing moustache-growing brewery teams and releasing special ‘stache-worthy brews, such as their American Smoked Porter Movembeer. Created by Michael Harkness, the winner of the Evil Genius – Philly Beer Week Blind hop contest, proceeds from Movembeer will benefit the cause. We fully believe that sporting suds can help your ‘stache cred.
Brew Inspired by the Vine (Portland, OR) – To coincide with the 12:01 am release of Nouveau Beaujolais in France (one of the most popular red wines made from Gamay grapes), Cascade Brewing Barrel House will be releasing a very limited batch of Cerise Nouveau in bottles and on draft this Wednesday at 4:01 pm. A sour ale, the Cerise Nouveau is a blend of red ales first aged for eight months in oak barrels, followed by three months on fresh Bing cherries. But just like the scarce wine, you’ll need to act quickly if you want some – the red-hued brew will only be sold at Barrel House and Raccoon Lodge Brewpub in 750 ml bottles. Better set an alarm.
