Blue Owl Brewing & Hop Capital Brewing Collaborate on See You Again, Friend IPA

Being a beer nerd with half an eye out for whatever new tool or trend the industry intends to chuck out at us next, I haven’t been able to help but notice the term thiol appearing in my feed with increasing frequency. According to the Brewers Association, thiols are highly aroma-active compounds derived from hops that can give very intense fruity flavor to predominantly dry-hopped beers. While the presence of thiols in wine grapes has been known for a while, thiols in hops were discovered relatively recently, hence the sudden outpouring of interest, much of which is tied to the fact that the brewing process does not lend itself naturally to releasing the tropical aromas that chemically complex thiols keep hidden away.

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de Garde Brewing | The Sixth Peach Wild Ale

Millions of peaches, peaches for me. I get my peaches up in Georgia. I really want your peaches, want to shake your tree. Heck, even The Allman Bros. entitled a whole album “Eat a Peach.” Peaches have been a musical muse for so many, so it comes as no surprise that the delicious stone fruit would inspire countless beer makers in equal measure. de Garde Brewing in Tillamook, OR, a fine maker of all things sour, also cannot resist the allure of experimenting with the what has somehow become the emoji placeholder for the butt. The Sixth Peach is one result, and a beer worthy of its own song.

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Gigantic Brewing Co. | Sassy Pony Pale Ale

Portland, Oregon is no stranger to hip craft breweries and hop forward pale ales, but Gigantic Brewing Co. is setting a new standard for classic styles of beer. Sassy Pony Pale Ale has set the bar for a non-adjunct pale ale at a height that even Javier Sotomayor would tremble at.
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Deschutes Brewery | Black Butte Non-Alcoholic

Deschutes Black Butte Porter is an iconic porter that helped fuel the success of what was once a small brewery in a small Oregon town and is now one of the largest craft breweries in the U.S. Deschutes Brewery first started brewing Black Butte Porter in 1988 when it launched its Bend Public House brewpub in Bend, Oregon, and it quickly became one of the forerunners of the dark craft beer market. Based in large part on its immense popularity on tap, Deschutes began bottling Black Butte Porter in 1994. To this day it is still the number one selling porter in the U.S. And now, in 2022, it is available as a non-alcoholic beer, Black Butte Non-Alcoholic.

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Modern Times Beer To Close Four Locations

Modern Times Beer announced on Monday via their Instagram accounts and a blog on their website that they will be closing four of their satellite taprooms. Los Angeles, Oakland, Portland, and Santa Barbara will all be closed for good after Friday, Feb 18.

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Silver City Brewery | Tropic Chronic IPA

Dank nugs? Or dank mugs? When a brewery’s sensory process for a new beer involves smelling & analyzing different strains of cannabis, you know you’re in for a dank time. Silver City Brewery has merged aromatic compounds from several different strains of marijuana in order to develop Tropic Chronic, a variation of one of its flagship IPAs.

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Threshold Brewing & Blending | Neptune Baltic Porter

Wet and cold weather is upon us in the Pacific Northwest and there’s no better place to seek respite this winter than Threshold Brewing & Blending, an up-and-coming brewery located in Portland’s southeast Montavilla neighborhood.

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Anchorage Brewing Adds Innovative Wood Coolship

Anchorage Brewing in Alaska’s most populous city has been known for its sour and mixed-fermentation beers since opening in 2010, and will soon be adding a new layer to its sour program: a 14 bbl coolship on the rooftop deck of its new expansion. While a new coolship at an American craft brewery is noteworthy on its own, this one is even more unique in being the first all-wood coolship in commercial operation. It was made by Foeder Crafters in St. Louis, Missouri.

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Baerlic Beer Co. | Blippo Pils Italian Style Pilsner

Beers from the Pacific North West just hit different. Oftentimes, when ordering a flight there’s one (or a couple) that disappoints. In Portland, you could order a flight at every brewery in town and continue to be even more impressed by the next pour. That, or the perfect summer weather and warm, eclectic residents will brainwash you into thinking so. While there are plenty of Portland breweries to try, don’t miss Baerlic Beer Co., especially if Blippo Pils is on draft.

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Fair Isle Brewing | Eleanor Farmhouse Ale

Sometimes the best beers are the ones you stumble upon. Get lost in a new city, let your phone die (or be smart and bring a charger) and wander into a nearby brewery. Fair Isle Brewing is located in the Ballard neighborhood in Seattle, Washington. It’s in great company among the largest concentration of breweries in the Seattle area, but Fair Isle does things differently. They focus solely on Saisons and Farmhouse Ales. While the beer menu is impressive, Eleanor alone is worth the trip.

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Wolves & People | The Oregon I Am (Farmhouse IPA)

A new beer from Wolves & People Farmhouse Brewery in Newberg, OR celebrates the natural beauty of the state as part of a collaboration called The Oregon I Am.

“As a native of Oregon, the natural bounty all around us informs everything we do,” said Christian DeBenedetti, founder and brewer at Wolves & People. “As a brewer interested in a hyper-local approach to making beer, Oregon offers so much in the way of things for us to seek out and experiment with.”

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Rogue Ales & Spirits | Honey Kolsch

Of all the buzzworthy beer categories today, one earns that buzz(zzzz) more than others. Honey beers are growing in popularity, and they take their distinguishing ingredient from the amazing honey bee. Each honey bee worker flies hundreds of miles in her lifetime, pollinates thousands of flowers and communicates with her hivemates by dancing. One brewery from Oregon is shining a light on bees by using the sweet stuff in a quenching beer redolent of summer wildflowers.

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Ultimate 6er | Six Beers in Six Barrels of Fun

Regardless of where you live, there’s a pretty good chance that you have a local brewery with a killer barrel program. From Atlanta to Chicago, from Maine to the PNW, breweries across the country are constantly releasing barrel-aged goodness in the form of thick and boozy stouts or tart and refreshing mixed culture options. Barrel-aging anything takes patience and love, but many brewers are all-in on commitment. Read More

What We’re Drinking | May 28, 2021

It’s been a hell of a two weeks in the craft beer world since we’ve last had a drink check. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then head over to Brienne (@ratmagnet) on Instagram and read the thousands of accounts of sexual harassment, misogyny and unfair treatment to women all across the industry. This movement isn’t something to be funny or cute about, so here’s some of the beers that our staff have had during the last two weeks. Guys  — specifically white bearded dudes in the industry who look just like me — be better. Here is What We’re Drinking:

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Deschutes Brings Hops Freshness With Its Fresh Family Lineup

The newest hop-centric release from Deschutes Brewery, Squeezy Rider West Coast IPA, is high in fruity hop flavor but low in IBU.

“We really mean it when we say our Fresh Family beers are about hop flavor with balanced bitterness as a supporting star,” said Product Development Director Veronica Vega. Other beers in the Fresh Family include Fresh Squeezed IPA, Fresh Haze IPA, Lil’ Squeezy Juicy Ale and Royal Fresh Imperial IPA.

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Great Notion Brewing | RBG

The beer industry has historically been, and remains, male-dominated. But men haven’t always had the upper hand. In the early 1970’s in Oklahoma, women over 18-years-old could buy beer, but men had to be 21. A young man and a female brewery owner joined forces to sue the state of Oklahoma over this, eventually landing this case in the Supreme Court.

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Lucky Envelope Brewing Co. | Lunar New Year Beers

Most craft beer drinkers are more than happy to tell you why drinking craft beer is more than just a beverage choice; it is a culture with all the traditions and ritual pours that go with that designation. If you are not already immersed in the culture of craft beer, it can be intimidating and, at worst, exclusionary. Seattle’s Lucky Envelope Brewing Co. owners Raymond Kwan and Barry Chan are committed to broadening craft beer with “culturally-inspired beers” drawn from their shared Chinese-American heritage. With their most recent Lunar New Year beer releases, they served up culture and a fresh perspective on Hazy IPAs and Barrel-Aged Porters.

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Sour Series: Anchorage Brewing Co. | Scream

February is a month where you can pour your heart out to the one you love; alternatively, it’s a perfect opportunity to pour a Fruited Sour Ale. Fruited Sours can be a little intense and definitively complex, but still completely satisfying (not unlike most relationships). For classic beer drinkers, the first sip of a Fruited Sour is more like trying a cocktail than sipping an IPA; Fruited Sours demand your attention in drinking. Their unique flavor profiles and ruby-red and golden hues make them perfect for special occasions- including Valentine’s Day. This month, look no further than Anchorage Brewing Company Fruited Sour, Scream, to celebrate the day of love.

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What We’re Drinking | January 8, 2021

We’re back and well-rested, yet somehow exhausted, from all of the holiday hustle and bustle and time commitments. While 2020 is officially behind us — good riddance — 2021 isn’t exactly off to the best start it could be. In spite of weather and events on the national stage, the beer industry is still staying afloat despite pandemic shutdowns. That does not mean everyone, and that does not mean thriving. Dry January is popular for many “influencers” and eager resolution starters, but do what you can to continue supporting local. Buy shirts, hats and other merch or gift cards to use at a later date. Grab a beer or browse some online shops while checking out What We’re Drinking. 

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Strong BA Series | Matchless Brewing Off the Cuff II

Winter, particularly in the middle of a global pandemic, is not the time for light beer. The days are shorter, the nights are colder, and the only beer that will cut it as the winter solstice approaches is something strong, dark, and smooth. Matchless Brewing’s Off the Cuff II Old Ale is worthy of consideration this time of year–it’s a big beer that demands attention.

To create Off the Cuff II, Matchless brewers blended different Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stouts with wine cask-aged Old Ales. Blending beer is both an art and a science; Matchless Brewing excels at both in this beautiful blend of bourbon and fruit that’s perfect for a winter night in.
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