Category : Marketing/PR
Received: Jubelale
August 20th, 2010Last year I received three bottles of Jubelale on August 31st and noted that it seemed awfully early for the Deschutes Christmas beer to be out.
This year I’ve received the Jubelale even earlier:
I’ll wait to open a bottle.
This year’s label features something new:
This year, Oregon artist Natasha Bacca’s unique “creation of light” adorns the label. Bacca works in complete darkness, using beams of light with a tool she invented. By manipulating the color and the intensity of the light onto light sensitive paper, she literally paints with light. This is the first non-traditional, photo-based art medium used for the Jubelale label.
I do find the label rather striking.
Received: 33 Beers
August 19th, 2010
No, I didn’t receive 33 literal beers (I wish!), but rather the beer sketchbooks 33 Bottles of Beer. Portland beer blogger and journal entrepreneur Dave Seldon of The Champagne of Blogs is the man behind the booklets, and it’s a clever and well-executed idea (one I wish I’d had). The premise is, these are pocket-sized beer journals ideally suited to note-taking during events like beer festivals where it’s not very convenient to lug around a larger notebook:
This beer journal is designed for ease of use. It’s tough to hold a notepad in one hand, a pencil in the other, and have another hand left for beer. Taking notes with 33 Beers is as simple as checking a few boxes and entering a few basic facts.
Each page contains the necessary note-taking space for a single beer: name, brewers, price, rating, 5 lines of notes, and the facts about the beer (IBUs, ABV, OG and FG). The most unique aspect, though, is the flavor wheel on each page which gives you a visual “image” of the flavor and body characteristics of the beer, with values like dark fruit, hoppy, malty, toffee, sour, and more. You rate each characteristic on a scale of 1 to 5 on the wheel, then connect the dots. I’m really curious as to how well these “images” of beer flavor work across like styles—for example, would you be able to tell the style or type of beer by the flavor wheel image you see?
Each booklet is 32 pages long—32 pages plus the inside back cover give you 33 reviews per sketchbook, a nice maximizing of space. And here’s something else to like, too:
33 Beers is made with 100% recycled papers sourced in the Pacific Northwest. Interior pages are 100% post-consumer recycled content and covers are 85% post-consumer recycled content and 15% recycled content. The booklets are printed using US-grown soy-based inks in sunny Portland, Oregon.
The booklets sell for $4 each or $10 for a pack of three. I received my three as review copies, but I think that’s a good deal from what I’ve seen so far.
I’ll be trying it out this weekend at the Bend Brewfest, and let you know how it worked out for me.
Deschutes testers
June 2nd, 2010These two rather non-descript bottles are from Deschutes Brewery and arrived today:
Fortunately an explanation letter was included in the package:
We invite you to fill the difficult role of “Deschutes Brewery Beer Tester.” We know it’s a lot to ask, but we’d love to get your feedback on a beer that we’ve been experimenting with in our Bend and Portland pubs for the last several months.
Currently named Miss Spelt Hefeweizen, this brew has been so popular in the pub locations that we’ve bottled up a small sampling to get some feedback from the professional: YOU.
We’re not going to tell you much about it: we want your opinion, unsullied by our expectations. Please let us know what you think about Deschutes Brewery’s take on this popular style of beer. We can’t wait to hear back from you!
What little I do know about these beers is that they’re made with 40% spelt (but are not gluten free). I’m not sure if I’ll review them here on the blog or not, but I certainly think this is an interesting (a new?) PR move for the Brewery to take.
Received: Hop in the Dark CDA
May 31st, 2010I actually received this bottle last week during Coffee Beer Week:
Deschutes Brewery‘s new Hop in the Dark CDA (Cascadian Dark Ale). I haven’t opened it yet, having been out of town for the Memorial Day weekend.
Received: A pair of Michelob wheats
May 23rd, 2010These came late in the week:
I’ve drank and reviewed Shock Top before, but the Michelob Ginger Wheat is new this year; I’m curious as to how ginger-y it will turn out.
Received: Firestone Walker Parabola
May 19th, 2010Arrived yesterday:
Firestone Walker‘s Parabola Imperial Stout, the first of a reserve series (according to the label—”No. 001″), and the first bottled release of Parabola. It’s a barrel-aged 13% beer and limited—only 1000 cases were produced.
Received: Black Star Beer
May 12th, 2010A nice little package came today:
Black Star Beer, brewed by Great Northern Brewing Company, “on hiatus from the market for the past seven years.” It’s a “double-hopped golden lager” (a Pilsner) and is currently being brewed (according to the labels) in Milwaukee, although it was originally produced in Montana in 1995.
Of course, what’s most interesting to me is that there is both a canned and bottled version—perhaps another side-by-side review is in order.
Additional materials in the package include a DVD of marketing materials and three “Black Star” postcards.
Received: Two from Deschutes
May 10th, 2010At the beginning of the weekend:
Just to stay on the radar. Not a bad move, actually.
Received: A trio of Twilights
April 10th, 2010The other day the press release for Deschutes’ Twilight Ale hit my email and the first thing I thought was, why is a summer ale being promoted and released over two months before the actual beginning of summer? Seems like a misfire, but a closer read reveals:
Yes, Twilight Ale is releasing a little earlier than usual this year (it usually hits the shelves and taps in May) because Deschutes’ spring seasonal, Red Chair NWPA, sold out in record time.
I suppose selling out of a seasonal beer is a good problem to have, but even so, wouldn’t releasing Twilight this early run the risk of running out of Twilight prematurely also? Maybe it’s a scales-of-economy type of thing I’m missing, or something.
Regardless, these came to my doorstep yesterday:
So of course there’s one in the fridge already.
I’m kind of liking the new label design this year; portending things to come?
Received: Firestone Walker Solace
April 4th, 2010These two bottles arrived on Friday:
Firestone Walker‘s new Solace, a “sort of unfiltered fusion of a Hefeweizen and a Belgian Saison.” It’s a seasonal release from Paso Robles that makes its first appearance in bottles.
Should be an interesting beer to try.
Received: A sixer of Pyramid
February 20th, 2010These came today:
A six-pack consisting of two each of (Spring) Fling Pale Ale, Haywire Hefeweizen, and Audacious Apricot Ale, all from Pyramid Brewing. Looks like they came in connection with my Hop Press blogging, though I’m not sure where the reviews will ultimately show up—there or here. Either way, it’s all good.
Received: Jubel 2010
February 8th, 2010This came today:
Deschutes Brewery‘s newest Reserve Series beer, Jubel 2010 (“Once a Decade Ale”) and a goblet—which is identical to the goblets they were handing out during their Release Party Friday night (I picked up one of those as well, so now I have two).
Incidentally, I can say that Jubel is big and plummy and sweet and sticky, hiding its 10% alcohol really well. But I’ll do a more detailed review soon, from this bottle.
Received: Deschutes Hop Henge
January 11th, 2010The 2010 iteration of Deschutes Brewery‘s Hop Henge Experimental IPA arrived today:
The label looks the same as last year, and I checked for the presence of “Batch #” text on the site. (There was none.) I actually still have some bottles of 2009 Hop Henge in my stash; might be a fun vertical.
Received: Red Chair NWPA, Cinder Cone Red
December 26th, 2009Christmas Eve day I was home from work early and UPS delivered a last-minute Christmas present from Deschutes Brewery:
Three bottles of the new Red Chair NWPA (Northwest Pale Ale) and three bottles of the final release of Cinder Cone Red.
Red Chair is of course based on the Red Chair IPA they released earlier this year, and is the beer that will be replacing Cinder Cone Red. What’s interesting is that this batch of Cinder Cone is not just the last batch (ever!), but it’s also only going to be available in Oregon and Washington—and Red Chair NWPA will be available everywhere Deschutes distributes except Oregon and Washington, until Cinder Cone sells out.
While I’m sorry to see Cinder Cone discontinued, replacing it with a Red Chair variant is a good move. And the packaging is sharp, too. Here’s another look:
Received: Buckbean Brewing beer
December 15th, 2009I received a package yesterday from Buckbean Brewing Company, out of Reno, Nevada:
You remember Buckbean: they’re the ones that held the Canned Beer Festival earlier this fall. I’m looking forward to trying these out.
