New Craft Beer Variety Packs Greet The Winter Holidays

With Thanksgiving now nothing but leftovers, it’s official, the winter holidays are ON. And American craft brewers are addressing this special time of year with new variety packs that are making buying in bulk cool again.

Firestone Walker IPA Mixed Pack

Firestone Walker is one of the breweries out there making craft beer 12-packs that matter.  And their latest variety sampler celebrates the Paso Robles, California-based brewery’s savvy hop-instincts in all their variations.

Pairing classics with an exclusive Hazy IPA that was developed at The Propagator, the company’s R&D brewery in Venice, this compilation offers a wonderful spectrum of India Pale Ales that match the season.

And here’s how Firestone Walker describes them…

Galaxy Shapeshifters (6% ABV) | Limited Edition

We’re riffing on the hottest hop in the Southern Hemisphere with Galaxy Shapeshifters, a hazy IPA that blends the bests of two worlds. The highly in-demand Galaxy hop from Australia sets the tone with its intense tropical passionfruit character. To this, we add a complement of Citra from the Pacific Northwest, a go-to hazy hop known for its punchy citrus flavors. As the lines blur from one hop to the other, the result is an explosively juicy beer with flavors that stun the senses.

Mind Haze (6.2%)

From the coast of California comes Mind Haze, a free-spirited beer made to elevate your perceptions– juice yet balanced, hazy yet lasting, and loaded with an imaginative array of tropical hop flavors.

Union Jack (7.0%)

Huge flavor that packs a punch. This is Union Jack — an icon of the West Coast IPA style, for those who liken their beer loud and proud. Named for the British Lion who cofounded our brewery, Union Jack offers intense flavors of grapefruit, tangerine, and pine.

Hopnosis (6.7%)

Hopnosis is an innovative IPA brewed with coveted Cryo Hops pellets. We double dry hop this beer with varieties from the U.S. and New Zealand, creating an explosion of tropical fruit flavors including mango, passionfruit, white grape, and lychee.

Schlafly Winter Stout Bout Sampler

Schlafly Beer, St. Louis’ original craft brewery, has released a cold-weather all-stout sampler that’s perfect for the winter holidays. This year’s sampler (which is always a blast) returns it classic Oatmeal Stout, one returning favorite: Mexican Chocolate Stout which made its debut in 2021 and two new, ‘never-before’ variations.

Schlafly’s Stout Bout Sampler features three bottles of the four beer styles including:

Mexican Chocolate Stout (ABV: 6.0%): A classic American stout inspired by all the characteristics of real, Mexican-style hot chocolate. Creamy, roasty, sweet elements provide a perfect base for the addition of cocoa nibs, which the brewers add directly to the fermenter to age until their finest flavors blend with the stout. The addition of cinnamon adds a kick that balances well with all the flavors in the beer.

Chai Latte Stout (ABV: 6.0%): A stout with a distinctive boldness of earthy blends of chai spices, coupled with the rich notes of roasted barley and the smooth creaminess of lactose in a sew stout base.

Coconut Coffee Stout (ABV: 5.7%): This beer combines the aromatic bliss of local Goshen-roasted coffee with the smooth and nutty characteristics of coconut. Crafted wit just the right balance of dark malts, rich coffee notes, and a sweet coconut finish, this new stout variation is a keeper.

Oatmeal Stout (ABV: 5.7%): A classic British-style stout. Brewed to bring out the smooth, roasted malt and a touch of sweetness that’s not over the top. A fan favorite since 1991, it’s revered as one of “the originals.”

Additionally, this year’s sample pack packaging will have a QR code where fans can send in their own stout suggestions for new brews in next year’s Stout Bout.

“The Stout Bout name is a play on the boxing term for a match, and every year, our customers wait to see what flavors or “winners” make the pack,” says Schlafly CEO Fran Caradonna. “We’re especially excited about two new beers entering the pack this year as they were submitted by fans last year.”

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