from Pelican Brewery in Pacific City, Oregon comes…
La Fleur Amère- With an abundance of floral, herbal hops and a rich, malty foundation, La Fleur Amère marries an assertive English-style IPA with exotic Belgian-style yeast. Brewed especially for the Oregon Brewers Guild’s “Cheers to Belgian Beers” event, but making a return appearance only at the Bite of Oregon, La Fleur Amère features a sparkling light gold color, an aroma of floral, earthy, herbal hops and a fruity, spicy yeast character. La Fleur Amère is dry-hopped with more than a pound of hops per barrel and finishes with a clean, snappy balance of malt flavor, hop bitterness, and slightly tart, spicy yeast character. ABV 7.% IBU’s 65 16.4 Plato
Will the collaborating ever stop…
…I certainly hope not. This is what separates us from most other industries. Do movie studios collaborate? Do car companies collaborate?
Well, here is yet another in what seems like an endless stream of mash-ups
“Just released in the U.S.
Nogne-O Tiger Tripel Norwegian Ale
ABV = 9%
Ingredients: Malted barley, wheat, malted wheat, sugar, hops, yeast and local Grimstad water.
“It is very difficult to brew a complex and balanced Belgian-style tripel ale, but we have made an attempt at brewing one anyway! Our respect and admiration for those who master the skill and art of brewing excellent ale of this style is limitless. Tripels often pair will with cheese,seafood and fresh vegetables.” — Kjetill Jikiun – Head Brewer
Nogne/Mikkeller Tyttebaer Ale
ABV = 8.0%
A collaboration between Nogne and Mikkeller
Ingredients: Malted barley, unmalted wheat, malted wheat, Lingonberries, hops, Brettanomyces yeast, Lactobacillus and Grimstad water.
“Tyttebaer is also known as a lingonberry or mountain cranberry. This ale is full of Tyttebaer, and fermented with wild yeasts and bacteria. Feral at heart, it sat in fermentation tanks for 9 months and in bottles for 6 more months before we felt it was ready to be released. Who knows what it will do before ending up in your glass…It is, and always will be,wild.” — Kjetill Jikiun – Head Brewer”
Loser Pale
I love the special beers, the anniversary beers, the once and done beers. And now, a pale from Elysian. A pale as a tribute? Counter to trend, but I like it. A Pale Ale made in honor of 20 years of records from Sub Pop. Sounds like a winner to me.
Ephemere with…
..cranberries? This sounds like it won’t work but if I know the people at Unibroue. They could pull it off.
Sierra Dog Nevada Fish
from Beer Advocate…
This fall independent craft brewers Sierra Nevada and Dogfish Head, will release two collaborative beers. Limb & Life-a draft-only beer-will debut in October; with Life & Limb 24oz bottles and limited draft to follow in November.
Life & Limb is a 10% ABV strong beer that defies style characteristics-brewed with pure maple syrup from the Calagione family farm in Massachusetts and estate barley grown on the Grossman “farm” at the brewery in Chico. The beer is alive with yeast-a blend of both breweries’ house strains-bottle conditioned for added complexity and shelf life, and naturally carbonated with birch syrup fresh from Alaska; it is the first beer we know of ever to use birch syrup in the brew. If stored under good conditions, this rich, full-bodied beer should age well for years. Life & Limb will be available in 24-oz. bottles and limited draft starting this November.
Limb & Life is a companion to the big beer-an acorn off the larger tree. It is a 5% ABV small beer-a low-gravity beer made using the residual sugar as “second runnings” from the first larger brew, fortified with American hops. This is a session beer. Its big brother is a sipper. Limb & Life will be a limited draft-only product, a prelude to the bigger beer, available in select bars and restaurants this October.
Divinity from Ft. George Brewing
I have had only two of Ft. George’s beers but both were intriguing enough to return to but this link about their newest version of Divinity sounds tempting.
How do you spell Ollalaberry though?
Lip Stinger
MacTarnahan’s Lip Stinger Farmhouse Ale with peppercorn is now on shelves for the late summer and fall season. It’s the first in a series of specialty 22-ounce-only offerings form MacTarnahan’s, which plans to bottle just 3000 cases. Lip Stinger is an effervescent and rustic farmhouse ale that brewers add a cracked peppercorn blend during fermentation to introduce a spicy nose and warming mouth feel.
Collaborative Evil
from Draft Magazine
On a stormy night in 2008, three brewmasters devised an evil plan to take over the world. Okay, not really, but they named the inspired beer of their collaboration, a Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Collaborative Evil.
They each brewed the base beer at their own breweries, and the rule was that each brewer had to add a unique ingredient to distinguish it from the other two. The founders, Zac Triemert of Lucky Bucket Brewing Co., Matt Van Wyk formerly of Flossmor Station Brewing Co. and now at Oakshire Brewing Co., and Todd Ashman of Fifty Fifty Brewing, hoped to enter the beers in the Great American Beer Festival. Two of the three made it.
So this year, the Collaborative Evil effort has expanded to nine breweries and the new base beer style is a Belgian Strong Pale Ale. This has presented some interesting challenges for the brewers, since they have to find nine unique ingredients instead of just three.
We wish them the best of luck in their quest for the GABF.
The new participants are: Valley Brewing Co., Sacramento Brewing Co., Fat Head’s Brewery and Saloon, Oakshire Brewing Co., Silver Peak Brewery, and Speakeasy Ales & Lagers.
New from Widmer…
…is Citra Blonde-This Blonde Ale is a very smooth, refreshing, and drinkable beer. Light in color, body, and bitterness, but it is not bland. Widmer Citra Blonde’s point of differentiation is that it delivers an abundance of flavor despite its lighter profile. What’s even more special is that Citra is a new, very rare hop variety that only Widmer and two other brewers have access to. Made with Alchemy and Citra hops. ABV 3.8%,
new from Shipyard
Portland Maine’s Shipyard Brewing Company will release the latest in its Pugsley’s Signature Series line. Smashed Pumpkin will be available starting in August in 22 oz. bottles and on draft.
Smashed Pumpkin is a big-bodied beer with a light coppery orange color and pleasing aroma of pumpkin and nutmeg. The OG and final Alc./Vol. provide the structure and body. Pale Ale, Wheat and Light Munich Malts combine with the natural tannin in pumpkin and the delicate spiciness of Willamette and Hallertau Hops to balance the sweetness of the fruit.