Beers

Full Sail Brewing is set to release a new beer in their Brewmaster Reserve line-up for 2009, Keelhauler Scottish Ale. Keelhauler is a full bodied rich ale with slight notes of caramel and cocoa and a strong malty flavor. The hop character is spicy and earthy with a nice finishing hop flavor. “With this style we embark on a trip across the pond. Keelhauler, a nautical term, refers to a form of punishment one might get for treachery on the high seas, but there’s no punishment here, we just thought it was a great name for a beer. Scottish Ale’s are widely interpreted between sweet and roasty. We go for the balanced side, using imported Crystal and Amber malts with imported Challenger, American Willamette, and Sterling Hops to bring this Scottish Ale to life, said Full Sail Brewmaster, John Harris. ABV: 6.8% IBU: 48

“Keelhauler is part of our rotating selection of Brewmaster Reserve Beers. Every ten weeks we come out with a different beer that show cases the brewer’s art. We began the program back in 1998 as a way of celebrating our independence and creativity,” added Full Sail’s Founder and CEO, Irene Firmat.

Keelhauler will be available in 22oz bottles and on draught in specialty beer stores and pubs throughout the Pacific Northwest from Mid-March until June. Full Sail will follow-up Keelhauler with Grandsun of Spot India Pale Ale due out in June.

Oskar Blues Brewery is now releasing Mama’s Little Yella Pils in sixpacks of cans. Cans (and kegs) of the beer are now appearing at beer retailers in Colorado and the brewery’s other 22 states.

This new canned beer from the pioneering microcanner is a delicious, small-batch version of the beer style that made the city of Pilsen (in Czech Republic) famous.

Mama’s is made with hearty amounts of pale malt, German specialty malts, and a blend of traditional (Saaz) and 21st century Bavarian hops. Unlike mass-market pilsners, Mama’s is made of 100% malted barley and no corn or rice.

“There are very few all-malt pilsners made in the US anymore,” says Oskar Blues founder Dale Katechis. “And the concept of ‘America-made pilsner’ has taken a beating over the past few generations. Especially when it comes to pilsners in cans.”

“We’re going to use Mama’s to help the style recapture its glory,” Katechis adds. “We want to give ‘canned pilsner’ the same good reputation we helped create for canned beer in the US. It’s a new frontier for us.”

Oskar Blues’ first canned lager, Mama’s Little Yella Pils is fermented at cool temperatures with a German yeast.

It sports the trademarks of a classic pilsner: aromas of grassy Saaz hops and pale grains, flavors of pale malts backed by subtle Euro-style hopping, followed by a crisp and refreshingly hoppy finish.

While it’s rich with Czech flavor, Mama’s gentle hopping (about 35 IBUs) and 5.3% ABV make it a satisfying but lower alcohol beer (by Oskar Blues standards) that’s perfect for warm-weather drinking.

Since its start, Oskar Blues has blazed its microcanning trail with higher-strength, assertive-but-elegant beers that stretch beer boundaries. But Mama’s Little Yella Pils allows the brewery to highlight its skills in making a more subtle version of great beer.

“You can’t hide flaws in a pilsner,” Katechis says. “With this beer our brewers get to showcase their expertise at making an unforgiving, classic style of beer.”

Two of Denver’s most highly acclaimed craft beverage companies, Great Divide Brewing and Pablo’s Coffee, have entered a partnership to create a new seasonal beer, an espresso-infused version of Great Divide’s Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout.

Great Divide Brewing brews some of the globe’s most balanced yet assertive and flavorful beers. In 1994, Brian Dunn set up shop in an abandoned dairy-processing plant at the edge of downtown Denver and began brewing the beers that would eventually carry Great Divide to its status as one of America’s most decorated microbreweries and would help transform Denver into an international destination for beer lovers.

Espresso Oak Aged Yeti “is a beer we’ve wanted to do for a long time,” says Dunn. “Imperial stouts already tend to have undertones of coffee, so the infusion of espresso makes for a perfect complement to Oak Aged Yeti’s complex character. We’ve been playing around with the beer for a long time, trying to get the right balance of espresso to beer. Once we got it ready for commercial release, we knew we wanted to partner with a local supplier for the espresso. Pablo’s makes the best coffee in Denver, so the choice was easy.”

Located on East Sixth Avenue in Denver’s Alamo Placita neighborhood, Pablo’s Coffee, “A Worldwide Chain of One,” has served Denver’s finest coffee since 1995, roasting all of its beans in-house and serving as an antidote to the deluge of multinational coffee chains.

Of the partnership with Great Divide, Pablo’s founder Craig Conner says, “We have very similar business models—our companies are both committed to quality over quantity, and to serving our local communities in a way that large corporations are unable to do. And just as in the beer world, most of the best, most award-winning coffee comes from small roasters like us.” The company’s small size and proximity to Great Divide allowed it to custom-roast the espresso beans at the last minute possible so that they were as fresh as possible and at just the right specifications to make them perfect for the beer. “We couldn’t be more pleased,” says Conner, “to be partnering with another great local business like ours to create something special.”

The espresso—sourced through direct relationships with farmers in three different countries—combines with Oak Aged Yeti’s vanilla oak character, intense roasty maltiness and bold hop profile to create a truly heady experience. Espresso Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout will be available in 22-ounce bottles and on draft through mid-April.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is set to release Kellerweis Hefeweizen, their newest year-round beer. This is their second year-round release this year, and a great addition to their lineup of world-class beers.

The name Sierra Nevada is synonymous with hops, and lots of them. Kellerweis is an exception to that rule, but fortunately, no less exceptional. Several years ago, the brewers began working with a unique Bavarian hefeweizen yeast strain unknown in this country. This amazingly flavorful yeast was so exciting that they began working on a recipe for a traditional German hefeweizen with the Sierra Nevada twist. Traditional hefeweizen is a style that seems deceptively simple, but in reality is devilishly complex. For years the brewers weren’t satisfied with the beer; something was missing. In a flash of inspiration, an epic trip was arranged. The brewers took a whirlwind tour through the legendary Bavarian wheat breweries to see what they were doing. It was there they realized the advantages of making wheat beer using the traditional system of open fermentation.

Sierra Nevada had been making a portion of their beer using the difficult and labor-intensive technique of open fermentation for years. Most modern brewery fermentation takes place in closed, stainless-steel tanks; this method is efficient, quick and clean. In closed tanks, however, the yeast doesn’t have the opportunity to coax as much complexity from the fermenting beer. Using shallow open fermentation, the yeast has space to build layers of flavors and aroma that would otherwise be impossible.

After seeing the technique in use in Germany, the inspiration to make Kellerweis in the open system took hold. The name is an homage to the German Keller, meaning cellar—the name breweries give to their fermentation systems, and weis, or weiss—the German name for “white” or wheat beer, hazy with suspended yeast.

Kellerweis is a light and refreshing beer with deep complexity of flavor. The yeast provides hints of fruit flavors and spices, including ripe banana and clove. This hazy-golden beer glows with suspended yeast creating a velvety texture; perfect for a sunny California day. Sierra Nevada’s Kellerweis Hefeweizen will be available in 6-packs starting in early summer 2009.

Hop Heads rejoice! There’s a new IPA in town. Karl Strauss Brewing is excited to introduce Tower 10 IPA—a bold, flavorful American-style IPA and the latest addition to their core lineup. San Diego is well known for their IPA’s, and as a San Diego native, Karl Strauss wanted to release their version of what a great American IPA should be.

Tower 10 IPA is brewed with a blend of caramel and pale two row malts and large amounts of classic Pacific Northwest Cascade, Chinook, and Centennial hops. After fermentation, over a pound of Cascade and Centennial hops are used to dry hop the beer for extra citrus aroma and flavor. Tower 10 IPA comes in at 6.5% ABV and 60 IBUs. “We’ve got a few hopheads around here and we wanted to brew an IPA that we were proud of. Tower 10 IPA is bigger and bolder than our previous IPA, and if you like hops, you’re going to love this,” said Brewmaster Paul Segura. The company announced that it will be replacing their Stargazer IPA, an English-style IPA, with Tower 10 IPA.

Karl Strauss decided to name their new IPA after lifeguard Tower 10 in Mission Beach where founders Chris Cramer and Matt Rattner began drafting their plans for the brewery back in 1989. 20 years later, Tower 10 is still standing and the company thought it was a fitting name for a bold new release making its debut 20 years after the original idea for the company.

Tower 10 IPA is available on draft at all 6 Karl Strauss Brewery Restaurants as well as bars and restaurants throughout Southern California. Beginning in the first quarter of 2009, Tower 10 IPA will be available in six packs at supermarkets, liquor stores, and other retail accounts throughout Southern California.

Aficionados of Steamworks Brewing Co.’s “high minded” brew, Third Eye Pale Ale (PA), now can “seek enlightenment” in a can — a 12-oz. aluminum can. The Third Eye PA is now being offered for off-premise sales in six pack cans, in addition to the 12-oz. bottle six packs.

The Third Eye PA, with its “spiritual” logo featuring a Third Eye PA patron in meditation, has emerged as one of Steamworks’ most popular beers, both throughout Colorado and with the brewery’s additional distribution networks. It is the second Steamworks beer to be packaged in a can, and will stand alongside its internationally-renowned brother, Steam Engine Lager.

“Jupiter was correctly positioned in 2006, so we started bottling the Third Eye. And now the stars have re-aligned, so it was time to make the can commitment,” said Brian McEachron, Steamworks director of marketing and sales. “Seriously, for a brewery to begin canning any of its varieties, it is a big step purely because it requires a major investment of time in label approval, and in production and purchase of packaging materials.”

A complicated design, the Third Eye artwork required Steamworks to employ a new process for the cans’ production – called Iris – which allows for more colors to be transferred on to the can. Advance press checks were required before the run of more than 300,000 cans was launched. Initially the Third Eye in cans will be available throughout Colorado, Texas and Virginia.

Third Eye PA is reminiscent of the English ales that date back to the early 1800s and, in Steamworks’ extensive beer repertoire, is one of the most heavily hopped beers. The larger grain bill does, however, produce a residual sweetness, and the Third Eye PA features an appealing light, copper color.

“We’re pleased with the response to the Third Eye PA,” added McEachron. “Along with all craft brewers, Steamworks has endeavored to educate the consumer and garner enhanced appreciation of these more flavorful craft beers. Those who enjoy the Third Eye have definitely acquired a sophisticated beer palette. It’s the beer of enlightened patrons in Southwest Colorado.”