New Beers and Beer News 03/12/2012
So I’m not even sure where to begin this week. So much news to share! I guess I’ll just dive right in and start with the news that’s close to home.
First up, Odell Brewing, in Fort Collins, is getting set to launch their Shenanigans on March 24th. This 8.1% oak aged, Brett brew will be hitting shelves in 750mL corked and caged bottles. If you live in the Odell distribution area, make sure you seek this one out. Their last few big, seasonal beers, such as Friek and Saboteur have been fantastic. I’ve got a feeling this won’t disappoint either.
Odell Brewing is at it again.
Odell’s neighbor up in Fort Collins, New Belgium, also has a new beer up their sleeves. This one is a collaboration with Elysian Brewing out in Seattle, WA. The two have combined for a Pink Peppercorn IPA. This 7.5% ABV beer will be bottled and sold in 22oz. bombers. No release date has been set yet. 
New Belgium’s also planning their next Lips of Faith release. This line of experimental beers has had some great releases in the past year, but this one could top them all. The 7.5% Tart Lychee, is an intensely sour beer that bases itself around the unusual, tropcial lychee fruit. I’m a huge, huge fan of sour beers and I got to try this one last year at the Avery Sour Festival. Sweet, sour and complex, it was one of my favorites of the day. I’m really excited to see they’re going to bottle this beer. You better hope I don’t get to the beer store before you when this comes out. I’ll be the guy stocking up when it hits the shelf. 
New Belgium announced today that they will be entering the Michigan market in August. They’ve been in the news quite a bit lately with rumors surrounding a possible east coast expansion. Although there’s no official word yet, the rumor is that the brewery is looking at property in Asheville, NC. Might not be a bad time to start planning that trip to North Carolina after all.
Down in Colorado Springs, Jason Yester and the Trinity crew are plugging away getting their new 12 barrel brewhouse installed. They worked into the wee hours last night and are back at it again today. They’ll be closed until Wednesday, March 14th to get everything up and running.
Shiny new fermenters at Trinity, waiting to be fed tasty beer!
Over in Denver, Bill Eye is also hard at work, getting his masterpiece assembled at Prost Brewing. I can’t wait until we can talk about the beers he’ll be pouring when Prost opens. Hopefully it’ll be sooner than later.
Bill Eye becoming one with his kettle at Prost.
In Aurora, be sure to mark your calendars for the Copper Kettle One Year Anniversary Party coming up in April. They’ve got 4 big days planned with music, food and some exciting beers. Check out their website for more info.
Copper Kettle turns 1 in April!
To wrap up the local news, if you’re looking for something to do tonight and are in the Boulder area, slide over to Mountain Sun on Pearl Street. If you order a beer, they’ll give you a free Stout Month t-shirt. They’ve got some awesome beers on tap right now including two of my favorites, Hop Vivant Imperial IPA and Nihilist Russian Imperial Stout. If you’re looking for something a little lighter to enjoy with the nice weather, check out their Blackberry Wheat or FYIPA. With 15+ beers on tap, there’s something for everyone, even your light beer drinking co-workers. So grab a beer, get a shirt and watch the world go by. Life is good!
Before we finish up, here’s a little something for all the beer traders: Rob Tod and the gang at Allagash, up in Portland, ME, are getting ready for another one of their small batch, brewery only releases. They just announced a release party for Saturday, March 31st to release Old HLT, a beer that was brewed with cherries and aged in stainless steel for more than 2 years. This one clocks in at 8% and will be sold for $10 / 12.7 oz. bottle, with a 4 bottle limit. I’ve traded for a few of their small batch beers and they never disappoint.
Brewtally Insane is hitting the road this month. We’ll be checking out some breweries and beer bars near Phoenix, AZ, as well as the Los Angeles, CA and Anaheim, CA areas. Got a recommendation or know of some places we should visit? Drop us a line on our Facebook page and let us know. We’d love to hear from you. Until next time, Cheers!
Brewtally Insane! 