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So many 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 that are hitting the streets…So welcome to this week’s edition of Newbies – your guide to great new craft beer releases!
Take The Black! (Cooperstown, NY) – “Take the Black” is a phrase used by the men of the Night’s Watch in HBO’s hugely popular adult fantasy series, Game of Thrones. And Take the Black Stout is Brewery Ommegang‘s newest release in their “very cool” Game of Thrones inspired series. “With the second beer, we wanted a big, substantial brew, something that would stick to your ribs and sustain you through long nights at watch on The Wall,” said Phil Leinhart, brewmaster at Ommegang. Take the Black is a 7% ABV stout brewed as deep and dark as winter nights in George R. R. Martin’s mythical kingdom of Westeros. This is a mid-September release and should be rolling out now.
Get Your Merkin On (Paso Robles, CA) – Firestone Walker Brewing Company’s Velvet Merkin–the beer that almost wasn’t–will soon heed the rallying cry of “release the merkins,” as it’s now being offered for the first time in 22 oz. bottles. The Vintage 2013 Merkin is an oatmeal stout aged for a year in retired bourbon barrels from Four Roses, Heaven Hill, and others. And at 8% ABV, it’s also the brewery’s first barrel-aged vintage beer coming in under 10% ABV. 2013’s Merkin is limited to 3,500 cases of 22 oz. bottles and it’s out there now – so you know what to do.
Winter’s Coming (Newport, OR) – Some see yellow snow as a confirmation of winter’s impending arrival. And we weren’t surprised to hear that Rogue Ales is now releasing their famed winter IPA. Yellow Snow IPA is their award-winning winter seasonal brewed using 2-Row & Rogue Farms Dare and Risk malts, Amarillo hops, and “free-range coastal water” – whatever that is.
Full On at Full Sail (Hood River, OR) – Our friends at Full Sail Brewing Company have a number of newbies rolling out of late. We hit on their “26” in yesterday’s Rumor Mill, but that’s just one of them. They’ve just announced the release of their “draft-only” Full Sail Fresh Hop Pilsner, a wet-hopped take on the classic Pils that’s available late September to November throughout the Pacific Northwest. They’re also releasing the next in their Brewers Share Series. Full Sail Big Daddy J’s Imperial Lager is an 8% ABV brew that’s big yet accessible. Big Daddy is out there now and available both on draft and in 22 oz. bombers.
Long Trail Catches the Rye (Bridgewaters Corner, VT) – Long Trail Brewing announced a new beer in the Brown Bag Series and it’s getting out there now. The sixth installment in the series, Long Trail Black Rye IPA, is a 6% ABV dark IPA brewed with rye and perfect for the changing seasons.
Hooked! (Seattle, WA) – Redhook Ale Brewery likes a little nip in the air and to celebrate the turn of the seasons, the Northwest’s original craft brewery announced the return of a popular seasonal favorite. Winterhook Ale is a 6% ABV English Strong Ale brewed for drinking by the fire. This year marks the 29th consecutive release of Winterhook, featuring a new recipe every year.
