From the January Left Hand Brewing Newsletter:

2009 Beer Releases

Oak-Aged Imperial Stout

Available - MARCH

Our limited edition Oak-Aged Imperial Stout is back for the 1st time in 2 years, but with a couple of new twists - instead of being aged in French Oak Wine Barrels, we opted to age it this year in Heaven Hill brandy barrels from the hills of Kentucky. (And like all of our Big Mo Limited Edition releases, it's available in 22 oz. bombers now instead of the 750ml caged & corked Belgian beer bottle.) We racked Imperial Stout into the barrels back in June of this year, and will blend it with un-aged Imperial Stout to woody perfection. At 22 degree plato and 10.4% ABV, it's the perfect warmer for those cold February, early March nights. Enjoy the complex flavors revealing hints of raisin, black licorice, coffee, dark chocolate, and, of course, a hint of brandy. Order quickly - we've decided on our blend already, and we'll only be packaging about 150 barrels of it this time around. So, in other words, get it when you see it, b/c who knows what type of barrel we'll try again in '11.

St. Vrain Tripel

Available - LATE MAY

Also back from a 2-year hiatus is our limited edition St. Vrain Tripel Ale. If you've been out to the brewery, you must have seen the 'raging' mighty St. Vrain Creek that churns due west of the brewery in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. Named after Ceran St. Vrain, an early settler to the valley who built a trading fort in the area. A reflection of this dedicated spirit can also be found in the beers of Belgium, where brewers, often monks, developed beer styles over the past 900 years of distinctive character. At 20.5 plato, St. Vrain is a classic Belgian Style Tripel. It's beautifully light in color and lightly bittered with Spalt hops. A touch of sweetness from clear Belgian candy sugar tempers the warm spiciness hidden within beers of this gravity. To maximize authenticity, the entire brewing staff shaved their heads and bathed in baptismal ecstasy on the banks of the St. Vrain. 9.0% ABV, 20 IBU's.

Oktoberfest Märzen Lager

Available - LATE JULY/EARLY AUGUST

The beer pours an alluringly clear copper color, with a short white head and good lacing. The malt bouquet is accented by toasty, bready aromas. As you lift your stein in high anticipation, your palate is well rewarded for its patience. The sweetness of the German malts dominate upfront, while the noble pedigree hops allow for a proper dry finish, true to style. Medium-bodied, with the subtle elegance of a well-balanced beer. Clean and crisp, this Märzen Lager can easily become your session beer this Fall. 6.0% ABV with 27 IBU's. Beer Advocate Magazine said of it in their October 2007 issue: "We sized this one up and it came through like a champ. A complex but drinkable malt bomb on the taste buds."

Snow Bound Spiced Strong Ale

Available - OCTOBER

Brewed once a year to fight cabin fever, this spiced strong ale uses all natural ingredients, including crushed cinnamon, chopped ginger, orange zest, cardamom and cloves. The addition of locally harvested clover honey, coupled with the sparing use of hops and a malty foundation, creates the illusion of a liquid cake. Deep red in color, this medium-bodied beer is a winter warmer - enjoy on a cold night in front of the fireplace. 8.6% alcohol by volume, and available in 22 oz. bombers & kegs.  Beer Advocate's issue last year said "this is a spiced ale done right, nothing light and dainty about this beer at all - just the way we like our winter warmers." And Celebrator's issue this month called it Exceptionally Great, big sweet, spicy nose with hints of ginger and other spices.

Warrior Fresh Hopped IPA

Available - OCTOBER

The vibrant aromatics and flavors that are derived from the use of exuberant amounts of fresh flower hops are what helps create and set apart this most unique beer. While the addition of locally grown hops from the brewery's own hop farm contributes to the bright floral hoppiness, the majority of the hop volume comes from the Warrior hops that are overnighted from Yakima, WA. Yet true to the brewery's fundamental belief system, the strong hop character is balanced by a strong malt foundation, allowing for an approachable, drinkable IPA that finishes amazingly clean. The beer is full-bodied, bronze in color, and tips the scales at 6.6% alcohol by volume and 60 IBU's. Available in 22 oz. bombers and kegs.  Modern Brewery Age's December 2007 edition said "Warrior IPA takes no prisoners. It slays lesser brews.superb in every respect."

Oak-Aged Widdershins Barleywine

Available - LATE NOVEMBER

And rounding out our limited edition Big Mo' Series of Beers for the year is Oak-Aged Widdershins Barleywine. And, just like it's brother Imperial Stout, we'll be aging this big beer in the same Heaven Hill brandy barrels from the hills of Kentucky. We'll rack Widdershins into the barrels in April of this year, and will blend it with un-aged Widdershins to woody perfection. Counter clockwise to the traditional American style barleywines, we designed this beer to be rounder and smoother than some less refined versions. Full of caramel and malt flavors, yet balanced with a variety of hop varieties, all vying for your attention. Oak aging and sparing use of specialty malt add complexity to this already deep beer. Full bodied, copper in color, Widdershins tips the scales at 8.8% alcohol by volume. And, just like Imperial Stout, get it when you see it, b/c who knows what type of barrel we'll try again in '11.

Cape Cod Beer Predicts Cold Snap, Settles in with “Old Man Winter”

Hyannis, MA –  Nothing braces you for a long cold winter like a robust ale and a roaring fire.  At least that’s what the brew crew at Cape Cod Beer suggests – and they have just the beer for you.  Starting Friday January 9th, Cape Cod Beer will tap their winter specialty beer, fondly named: Old Man Winter.  A British style Old Ale, sometimes referred to as “strong ale”, this beer was brewed with winter in mind.  Weighing in at just over 7% alcohol and made with 1,200 pounds of malted barley, Old Man Winter is perfect for sipping by the fire while the winds whip up off Cape Cod Bay.

Old Ales were typically brewed for the winter months, to warm the drinkers against the cold and damp British winters. Cape Cod Beer’s “Old Man Winter” was made in that tradition. A ruby chestnut color, most people will experience hints of toffee, caramel, or molasses, all which come from the three varieties of barley used in this brew. “It’s a big beer for us” explains Brewmaster Todd Marcus.  “Even with our new 15 barrel system, we have to use so much grain to brew this beer that we could only brew a 13 barrel batch! What makes it slightly different from other beers we brew is that this beer has more wine or a sherry-like characteristics than any of our other beers.  That’s what makes it perfect for cold winter evenings.”

According to Brian Flagg, Production Manager, “We made Old Main Winter earlier this year, because people started asking us for it when we had our first snow back in December.  Given that we now have some extra capacity, we were happy to bring it out a bit earlier and may even make a second batch if the need arises.  Who knows how long and cold this winter will be?”  As in past years, some portion of this first batch of Old Man Winter will be set aside in a spent American-made oak bourbon barrel for aging. This barrel had previously been used to age a famous Tennessee whiskey, and had been charred on the inside, as is traditional in bourbon aging.   This special beer will be aged and bottled later in 2009.

Old Man Winter will be sold at the brewery in growlers only: $15 for a new growler and $10 for a refill.  Pricing or the date of availability for the barrel-aged version of this beer has not yet been set.

Cape Cod Beer is Cape Cod’s only distributing microbrewery located at 1336 Phinney’s Lane in Hyannis with beer on tap in over 200 locations and in 100 package stores throughout Cape Cod. Brewery hours are Monday through Friday Noon to 6pm, as well as Saturday 11am to 2pm. To find out more about Cape Cod Beer, please contact us at 508-790-4200 or see our website at www.CapeCodBeer.com.

Hey all you Craft Beer Drinkers! You know what's fun to do? Drink a beer. But, it's also good to give to those who are less fortunate. The Greater Boston Food Bank is a good charity that distributes free food to those across Boston who are in need. The tough economy is decreasing their ability to help, though. Food donations are great, but they also need money to run the organization. So, if you want to donate food or money, check out their website here for more info, http://gbfb.org/

Another easier way you can help is to drink a Guinness. Until January 4th, 2009 if you purchase a Guinness at any Glynn Hospitality Group restraunt (The Black Rose, Clery's, Dillon's, Brownstone) they'll give $1 to the Great Boston Food Bank. You're going to be having a few beers anyway, why not help out the GBFB while you're at it?

For the very first time, New Hampshire's Smuttynose Brewing Company will be offering a subscription to get a case of each Big Beer they put out in 2009. The lineup is:

 - Gravitation Belgian Quad (New Release) - early January, 2009
 - Imperial Stout - mid February
 - Maibock - late March
 - Baltic Porter - Early May
 - Farmhouse Ale - late June
 - Big A IPA - early August
 - Wheat Wine - mid September
 - Barley Wine - early November
 - S'Muttonator Double Bock - early December, 2009

This is one of the finest brewers on the East Coast, and each edition of their Big Beer Series is limited and often hard to get if you don't act right away... Their Big A has been known to sell out of stores within a week of release (and some stores sell out in a day). This subscription will ensure you get some of each one.

The downside? You have to buy a case of each and you have to pick it up at the Brewery. But, they will be having beer socials for the release of each brew. For all the details, check out the website here.

We just received word from Mayflower Brewing Company that they will be releasing their much-awaited Bourbon Barrel Aged Porter this weekend, December 12th & 13th, 2008. The beer was aged in Buffalo Trace barrels and will be extremely rare. For more details, here's the email sent by the brewery:

Happy Holidays from Mayflower Brewing Company!

We are pleased to tell you that we will be releasing our Bourbon Barrel-Aged Porter this week at the brewery. This unique version of our award-winning Mayflower Porter was aged in a Buffalo Trace bourbon barrel for a month this fall. The result combines hints of bourbon and oak with the rich flavor of our Porter to create a smooth and complex brew that will warm your soul.

As you may know, supply is extremely limited, with just 70 growlers for sale. To make it available to as many of you as possible, we will be pre-filling growlers and selling them on a first-come, first-served basis at two separate times , with the first 35 growlers available on Friday 12/12 from 4:30PM to 6:30PM and the second 35 growlers available on Saturday 12/13 from 12 noon to 3:00PM. Pricing will be $20 per growler (including the $2 deposit), and quantities will be limited to one per customer.

All the best for the holidays, and we look forward to seeing you this week at the brewery!

This is one beer we've been excited about for a few months now, and could not wait to try! Unfortunately we'll both be in Pennsylvania this weekend for the Sly Fox IPA Fest (I know, I know... no sympathy for us!). We're leaving early Friday and coming back late Saturday, so looks like we'll miss this one. But it is definitely highly recommended!

This article is the second in a series, published once per year. To check out Craft Brewers Get Fresh With Your Hops, 2007 click here. 

Every year, once per year, is the hop harvest. This is a glorious time when the hops are at their freshest and most flavorful. Usually, to make beer, hop farmers will dry the hops so that they can be stored and used all year long. At hop harvest time, however, brewers can go through the extra effort of procuring hops before they're dried and use them to make a beer that is unique and a showcase of the many volatile aroma compounds lost when hops are dried. Oh yeah, and the brewers have to brew it within 24 hours of the hops being harvested.

So, loving the hops like we do at DrinkCraftBeer, we like to have a mini-contest each year. This usually entails us drinking every fresh hop beer we can get our hands on in a season and trying them back to back. It makes for an interesting night. But it tastes so good.

Last year's favorite, Great Divide Fresh Hop Pale Ale, was not distributed to Massachusetts this year, so we couldn't include it. We did, however, get quite a few new ones. So, that being said, let's get to the beer!

Sierra Nevada 2008 Chico Estate Harvest Wet Hop Ale

This beer is brewed with fresh hops that Sierra Nevada grew in their own hop field.

Appearance: Light tan head and dark amber liquid. Rocky heads that sticks around.

Smell: Smells very mild for the hoppiness.

Taste: Hoppy, but not very bitter. A lot of hop flavor... some oily fresh hopness, too. This really showcases the fresh hops. The head really sticks to the sides of the glass all the way down (technically, this is called lacing). Devon says it's a little sweeter than he likes. Jeff thinks it's right on with a very interesting hop profile. The hop oils really stick in your mouth. A couple minutes after the last sip, we're both still tasting the whole beer. It's not like an aftertaste, we're still tasting the entire beer!

Sierra Nevada Harvest Wet Hop Ale

Appearance: Looks the same as the Chico Estate: Light tan head and dark amber liquid. Rocky heads that sticks around.

Smells: Hoppier than the Chico, you really get a bit of citrusy hops. You also smell a solid malt body.

Taste: First observation: this beer doesn't coat your tongue with hop oil the same way as the Chico does. Both less sweet and less bitter than the Chico. This is still quite a hoppy beer that shows off the fresh hops.

Devon chooses: Harvest Wet Hop Ale
Jeff chooses: Chico Estate

DrinkCraftBeer tip: Combine them 50/50... it's great! Both of us agreed!

Port Brewing High Tide Fresh Hop IPA

Appearance: Hazy with hops. Very pale. White head.

Smell: Citrusy hops and malt sweetness.

Taste: Devon says, "Holy hop, that's bitter! It's like a mini hop-ninja kicked me in the teeth!" Yup! A hop-ninja. This is one of the founders of this site. And some of you listen to us about beer.

Jeff says, "I don't think it's that bitter. Crisp hop bitterness, decent malt behind it. Good hop flavor. No hop-ninjas here. I'd like a little more hop flavor for a fresh hop beer, but this is good."

OK, for real. Starkly different from the Sierra Nevadas. Much less hop flavor or malt sweetness. Pretty bitter. Coats the tongue, but not as much as the Chico.

DrinkCraftBeer tip: Combine them 50% High Tide, 25% each of the Sierra Nevadas... It's real good, perhaps even better than the previous mix. Do notice a pattern?

Two Brothers Heavy Handed IPA

Appearance: Light tan head, dark amber liquid.

Smell: We can't smell hops anymore! But yeah, this one smells hoppy.

Taste: Good hop flavor without much bitterness. You can taste the fresh oily hopness. Decent malt backbone, but not overpowering the hops. Crisp hoppyness. Quite dry. One of the lighter flavors hop-wise. It's good. Earthier hop flavor. More complex than some of the others and builds as you drink it. We approve!

Founders Harvest Ale

DrinkCraftBeer Note: We're really stoked to see this bottled and distributed! We were in Michigan last September and got to try it out of the fermenter right after dry hopping (thanks Dave Engbers! Check out the interview here.) and it was great! Now we get to try the final product!

Appearance: Heads up, this beer is super foamy! Pour lightly. About six inches of foam right away. Very pale for this tasting. White fluffy head. Hazy.

Smell: Very American citrusy hop smell. Complex hops, which is expected for a fresh hop ale. It's the whole point of not drying them first.

Taste: This beer is great, it's everything we want a fresh hop beer to be! It's aggressive and fruity! Easy drinking but yet still a crazy IPA. Bitter, but not too bitter. Great hop flavor. Yeah, this is the one we could drink a ton of. It makes us forget that we've been drinking a ton of beer already, it revives our tastebuds and makes us want to drink more beer. Even as it warms up, the hops are delicious. This is a great beer for the ages. We look forward to it every year now.

Verdict

Founders, by a mile! It showcased a perfect balance of bitterness, hop flavor, malt and drinkability. It revived our tastebuds deep into a tasting and all we wanted was more. Some of the beer we liked but were sick of half way through. Founders wasn't over oily, overly bitter or overly anything. It was just a great showcase of fresh hops. Wow! Well done Founders! We only wish Great Divide Fresh Hop Pale Ale had been in Massachusetts this year to give you a challenge (as they were the 2007 DrinkCraftBeer Fresh Hop Champions).

This is a great article from the New York Times about craft beer being brewed in Brooklyn. They focus a lot on Shane Welch (left side of the picture) and Sixpoint Craft Ales, but also mention Brooklyn Brewing Co. and Greenpoint Beer Works a little bit.

Some of the highlights include:

 - Sixpoint bought a bottling line
 - Sixpoint bought a new brewing system
 - This should allow Sixpoint to increase production to 60,000 barrels per year
 - They're looking to close soon on a building in Williamsburg to house this new equipment

The article also talks about Sixpoint's beers, how they like to experiment with new brews a lot, Brooklyn Brewing Co.'s desire to expand and more. Check it out here!

CNN had a cool article in their Living section about beer and how many breweries have used religious angles in naming their beer, breweries, equipment and more. Lost Abbey, Russian River, He'Brew, St. Arnold are all featured, as well as several beer appreciation groups and more.

The article definitely gives a pretty good look at why some people decided to use God and religious symbolism in naming their beers or breweries.

Check out the article here!