Some Assembly (not) Required

If you happen into a British IKEA, you might stumble upon this in the food section amongst the lingonberries….

Yup, ÖL LJUS LAGER can be purchased for 1.75 in English pounds. At 4.7%, it probably won’t help alleviate the pain or frustration of some Ikea building projects.

Pretty Things Magnifico!

Pretty Things Magnifico! Seems like a new direction in names and label style for this fantastic brewery. And it is good to see another addition to the hoppy world that isn’t big ABV.

I still have to taste Lovely St. Winifrede’s from them and now I have another to add to the ever lengthening beers I haven’t had list.

the Return of the Buff

It appears that Saison du Buff is not just a one off collaboration. All the better because this is a strange beer that really forces a craft beer lover to pay attention and speaking of paying attention, here is a video about the 2012 version…

Row 2, Hill 56


It might be two late for this batch. But keep in mind when more is bottled at Russian River.
“Row 2, Hill 56 is our nod to the 3 Simcoe growing families in Yakima and a reference to the exact location in the experimental hop yard where it was first developed! 100% Simcoe hop pale ale, 5.8% alcohol, and being bottled for the very first time today! Will be released at the pub about 1m this afternoon. Sending a small amount out for local distribution and some to So. Cal, but that’s all we have for now! We only brewed one batch, so it will not be regularly bottled.”

BJ’s and Gordon Biersch

With all of the places that I visit regularly and all the new places that I haven’t gotten to (sorry), I have not had time to visit either BJ’s or Gordon Biersch. But both have added new beer to their line-up. My guess is in the hope of luring some people back into the fold

Gordon Biersch has been heavily promoting it’s new Braumeister Selekt IPB. A pilsner that has been imperialized and hopped. Which in my mind, makes it not so much a pilsner but if it tastes good then the naming doesn’t matter. And it looks like it is being sold in the flip-top Grolsch style capper.

BJ’s is also going hoppier with… what the chain calls, “…handcrafted classic American-style India Pale Ale made with six hop varieties. An intense hop aroma with balanced bitterness.”

ADDENDUM – I sampled the Hop Storm from BJ’s recently and thought it was mid pack IPA wise. Thought it may have tasted and smelled better if they hadn’t served it in a frozen damn glass. Sorry, for the beer geek cussing but that is my dividing line for good beer establishments and not.

Innis & Gunn Independence Day 2012

Recommending a foreign beer for the 4th. It isn’t heresy. This Scottish beer has some American history behind it.

“In 2003 we discovered the wonderful effect that American Oak bourbon barrels have on our Scottish beer and this gave rise to Innis & Gunn Original. Since then we have realized how deeply interwoven are the histories of the two countries. At the very beginning, 21 of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence had Scottish blood and two had been born in Scotland. ‘Uncle Sam’ was based on a real man, Samuel Wilson, whose parents had sailed to America from the central lowlands of Scotland. The first men on the moon claimed Scottish ancestry. Today 30m citizens trace their descent from Scotland (although Scotland itself has a population of only 5m).

In honor of this heritage-and in honor of the craft beer category that was first created here in the USA-a trend which the rest of the world is now following-we have brewed Innis & Gunn Independence Day 2012 beer.”

Yeast + Mikkeller

Mikkeller is going back to yeast school for us. I have expounded often on my love of the single hop series of beers as well as the single barrel series. I have not, as of yet, had any of the yeast series that was done. But apparently Round 2 is coming.

One basic recipe that stays the same but the yeast changes from saison to lager to English pale to American Pale to two Brett strains. And even the label is cool.

Brett Beer

It is collaborative and very Yeasty beer day here at the Beer Search Party. And if Brux isn’t enough Bretty goodness for you then how about this….

The simply named Brett Beer from New Belgium and Lost Abbey. Here is the brewery description: “brewed simply with pale malts accompanied by Target, Centennial and Sorachi hops for a hint of citrus. Focusing on their mutual respect for the ingredient, the spotlight shines on the brettanomyces, where a full brett fermentation offers bold pineapple overtones and funky, sour edge. The beer is a shining, golden shade and is warming and dry.”

Brux

Sierra Nevada is collaborating again and this one is with a fairly close by neighbor, Russian River!

They have partnered to create Brux Domesticated Wild Ale with an ABV of 8.3%. It got it’s intro to the beer world at craft beer event in Asheville earlier this month and might be on store shelves (limited release) as of now!