A six-pack of the latest seasonal of Anheuser-Busch’s Shock Top beer series arrived yesterday: Shock Top Honecrisp Apple Wheat. Yes, that is a wooden six-pack holder you see in those pictures there: kind of a cool way to package up the beer (though not as slick as the apocalypse beer kit I received previously). The beer itself is a blend of cider and the base Belgian-style wheat ale—cider is definitely on the rise—and is 5.2% … Continue reading →
McMenamins is rolling out a new “new year seasonal” (somewhere between a winter and early spring beer), their new Red Riser IRA (India Red Ale), and I was invited to pick up a free growler of it today to sample and preview at the Old St. Francis School here in Bend. The beer is formally released at the pubs on Friday, the 4th. It’s 7.1% abv and 98 IBUs, and I’ll have a formal review … Continue reading →
It must be Deschutes Brewery week at my house, because in addition to the bottle of Hop Henge I received the other day, yesterday I also received a trio of their Red Chair NWPA (Northwest Pale Ale), another January-release beer (so officially a 2013 beer). I know I always receive these beers early (and in the case of Hop Henge, it was officially released a couple of days ago), but an amused part of me … Continue reading →
In a fortuitous bit of timing, I received this bottle of Deschutes Brewery’s Hop Henge Experimental IPA (or Imperial IPA really) yesterday, the same day Hop Henge was officially released at both Pubs: This is the 2013 version, even though it hit a few weeks early, and will be generally available from January through April. This year’s version is 10.6% alcohol by volume (according to the label; the PR material indicated 10.5%), quite a bump … Continue reading →
I received a package from Kona Brewing on Friday containing quite a nice arrangement—dovetailing perfectly with my Session post on “beer hype” that it nearly became the subject—and an unexpected one: the first time I believe I’ve received a PR package acknowledging and centering around a beer cocktail. Here’s the unboxing: As you can see, the full spread is interesting: a bottle of Big Wave Golden Ale, surfboard bottle opener, Bombay Sapphire Gin, St. Germain … Continue reading →
