Cookie Jar Porter

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The brewers at Brooklyn have had some wacky ideas in the past but now they are going back to an old style, the oatmeal stout. Here is what the Brooklyners say…”Of course, oatmeal in beer isn’t a new idea. For centuries brewers have added oats to the mash, giving the resulting beers – usually stouts – silky smooth textures. But how best to create the flavors we had in mind? Out in Jersey City (NYC’s 6th borough), Tom’s friends at Feed Your Soul Bakery make some of the tastiest oatmeal cookies we’ve ever had. After talking to the bakers (and eating a lot of cookies), we brewed a beer from floor-malted barley malt, golden oats, raisins, brown sugar, honey, vanilla beans and a subtle dash of spice.

Brooklyn Cookie Jar Porter brings all these flavors together with light chocolate, coffee and caramel flavors to create a beer that will warm up the coldest nights, even if you don’t have a peat fire. It’s very nice by itself, but perhaps even better with roasted pork, barbecue, or traditional Mexican mole dishes. Or, of course, some oatmeal cookies and ice cream.”

Marin Brewing + Chinese herbs

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Marin Brewing has created a new and unusual beer, an herbal beer made in collaboration with San Anselmo herbalist Dr. Yen-Wei Choong. Yen-Wei runs the Yellow Emperor Natural Healing Center and Zen Garden.
from Jay Brooks
“Marin Brewmaster Arne Johnson started with his E.S.B. as the base beer. To that, he added 38 pounds of the proprietary mix of Chinese herbs that Dr. Choong created.”

Demolition…

…is a new year-round offering from Goose Island in Chicago. Initially brewed for stalwart regulars who kept the brewery afloat while construction was going on all around their building, it is now coming out in bottles. Here is their description…
“It’s brewed with Saaz and Styrian Golding hops for a grassy, citrus aroma and lots of the finest pale malt for a ‘honey’ malt middle and intense flavor.”
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Sierra Nevada 30 # 1

Sierra Nevada has really been putting out new stuff left and right. Kellerbier, Life and Limb, Glissade and now the new 30th Anniversary series is under way.
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The label reads, “Fritz Maytag, owner of San Francisco’s Anchor Brewing Company, is regarded as the founding father of the craft brewing movement. Frtiz agreed to guest brew this very special ale with us in honor of our 30th anniversary. As a nod to the dark ales and stouts that seduced both Fritz and Ken in the early years, we bring you this pioneering stout, a rich and roasted ale, perfect for aging, and worthy of your finest snifter.”
Future collaborators may include Jack McAuliffe of New Albion fame, Fred Eckhardt (who already has a Hair of the Dog beer with his name) and Charlie Papazian, the noted homebrewer.

Check the Sierra Nevada website HERE for more up to date information.

John John from Rogue

Here is more news on the John John line of Rogue beers (of which I have had the Hazelnut/Rum). The Gin collaboration sounds intriguing.

In a collaboration of crafts, Rogue Brewmaster John Maier and Rogue Spirits Master Distiller John Couchot have joined forces to create a distinct, innovative series of brews called John John Ales. The series will take Rogue Ales legends and age them in Rogue Spirits barrels. A 3,100 gallon batch of John John Ale produces 1357 cases of beer.

The first of the John John series is John John Dead Guy Ale, Rogue’s award winning Dead Guy Ale matured in Rogue’s award winning Dead Guy Whiskey barrels. The cross collaboration of these two products starts with the distilling of Dead Guy Ale wort to create the Dead Guy Whiskey. The Whiskey is aged in Oak Barrels and bottled, then the Oak Barrels are taken from the distillery, by forklift, across the parking lot to the Brewery where they are filled with Dead Guy Ale and matured for three months.

Each John John product will be a limited release, starting with John John Dead Guy Ale, followed by the John John Juniper Pale Ale, Rogue’s Juniper Pale Ale matured in Rogue Spruce Gin barrels, and the John John Hazelnut Brown Nectar, maturing Rogue’s Hazelnut Brown Nectar in Rogue’s Hazelnut Spiced Rum barrels.

John John Dead Guy Ale will be available on draft and in 22oz bottles at select retailers in January 2010.

Heavy Seas + Home Brewers =

I love collaborations and I love these pro-am get togethers even more. Widmer has a great relationship with the Brew Crew in Portland and on the other side of the country you have this…
“Winners from our 2009 Letter of Marque Homebrew Competition will work along side our brewers to create this one time special release. Letter of Marque will feature a different beer every year selected from our national homebrew competition. Historically, a Letter of Marque was a document that made a Pyrate a legitimate professional. Hence, our Letter of Marque makes a home brewer a legitimate professional as well!”heavy-seas-letter-of-marque

Bridgeport – Highland Ambush

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Reserve beers or special one-off’s are one of the reasons why craft beer is so great. And one of the series’ that I follow is the Big Brews from Bridgeport. Well, here comes one to please the BeerAdvocate crowd, who love it when the label says “barrels” & “bourbon”.
“First brewed in the 1980s as a special beer for the BrewPub at BRIDGEPORT Highland Ambush is making its triumphant return more than 20 years later. Stuart MacLean Ramsay, then pub manager, conceptualized the brew to pay homage to his Scottish heritage. This year’s Highland Ambush takes inspiration from the original ale using NW pale ale malt along with a Scottish crystal and roast malt. The hopping rate of Highland Ambush has been toned down to help highlight the complementing vanilla from the American oak bourbon barrels and caramel-toffee malt nuances. Reddish-Brown in color, Highland Ambush will warm the coldest of toes and noses this holiday season.”

Aged LSD

from the brewers at the Old Lompoc….
nol lsd
BOURBON BARREL AGED LSD
Save the date for the next big party – we’ll be releasing our Bourbon Barrel Aged LSD at Lompoc Sidebar on Friday, February 5th from 4 to 9 pm. Brewed in May of last year, this beer was aged in Bourbon barrels for five months and cellared for an additional three. It has a malty body with slight raisin and vanilla flavors. Look for it in bottles and on tap – 8.5% ABV.

8-4-1

Redhook-8-4-1-Expedition

On the heels of Treblehook comes news of this Redhook addition….
Redhook Brewery will release the next beer in its Limited Series, 8-4-1 Expedition Ale, in sometime in March.

The tiny print on the label reads, “Hand crafted by eight brewers working in four teams, this Imperial Brown Ale was developed from their individual recipes carefully blended into one distinctive ale. Rich and flavorful, brewed with cherry-wood smoked malts and brown sugar.”