Category Archives: Year Round

Pyramid Brewing Releases Berry Tart IPA

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As my regular readers well know, I’m quite the hophead and I love a good IPA. I’m sure at least some of you out there are serious hopheads too, but do you have a favorite IPA sub-style?  What I mean is, do you prefer regular, straight up, West Coast style single IPAs, Double/Imperial IPAs, New England style IPAs, White IPAs, Black IPAs, Red IPAs, Belgian IPAs, etc?  Most of my favorites are Double/Imperial IPAs and I’ve also enjoyed many of the New England style IPAs we’ve been flooded with lately, although I am starting to grow just a bit weary of the haze (thankfully, it’s usually not too difficult to find a non-hazy IPA on tap).

What about tart IPAs?  Have you ever had one?  They were called ‘The Next Big Thing’ by All About Beer Magazine back in April of 2016, though I’m not sure they’ve quite lived up to that level of hype.  I’ve only had a few myself, the most recent being Passionate Clouds from Skookum in Arlington, WA.  They can have a juicy quality without necessarily including fruit (though some do), thanks to late hop additions and sometimes dry hopping. Their tartness is somewhat comparable to that of a kettle sour but not so tart as to obscure the hop character.

Pyramid Brewing Company wanted to get in on the tart IPA scene, so they’ve taken one of their most popular beers: Outburst IPA and turned it on it’s head. Outburst Berry Tart IPA is loaded with hibiscus, cranberries and black currants to provide a crisp tartness that should be a real thirst quencher as Summer approaches.

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Black Raven Releases Kitty Kat Blues In Cans

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Do you like a good pale ale?  Do you like blueberries?  Do you like vanilla?  How about hibiscus?  Now, what if you combine all of these things together and then can them?  The result would be Kitty Kat Blues Pale Ale in cans from Black Raven Brewing Company (CBM Sponsor).

Kitty Kat Blues is not a new beer. Black Raven has been making it for years, but this is the first time ever they’ve put it into cans. It’s also the first time I’ve seen a change in the recipe.  Prior to using hibiscus, Kitty Kat Blues got some of it’s unique and distinct flavor from the use of catnip in the recipe.  Yes, catnip.  I’m not certain why Black Raven has swapped out the catnip for the hibiscus.  The photo for the can release event on Facebook even still uses the old label – which clearly shows catnip as an ingredient, but I’m curious to try this new iteration.  Kitty Kat Blues in cans arrives this Friday, 3/16 at 3 pm.

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Payette Brewing Releases A New Year-Round Sour

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I first told you about Payette Brewing Company back in February of 2016.  Their beers were just arriving in Washington State, including their Rustler IPA, North Fork Lager, and Rodeo Rye Pale (Spring seasonal).

Now, Payette is preparing to release their next year-round offering: Aura Guava & Hibiscus Sour Ale.  Payette has been putting out sours in 22 oz bottles for a while, and Aura Guava & Hibiscus was the standout from their rotating 22 oz sour series.  It became popular enough that canning seemed to be the next logical step.

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Black Raven Brewing Prepares To Release Updraft

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Black Raven Brewing Company (CBM Sponsor) uses the tag line, “Ales of great distinction and character”.  I would have to agree with that assessment. Black Raven does indeed brew several different, delicious and very distinct beers.  From their ever popular Wisdom Seeker Double IPA to other sought after beers like Trickster IPA, Great Grandfather Raven Imperial Stout, La Mort Bourbon, Gunpowder Plot Nitro Porter, Splinters Bourbon Barrel Scotch Ale and every other beer in-between, you know when you’re drinking a Black Raven beer.

Now Black Raven is ready to add yet another beer to their extensive and impressive lineup.  Coming this Friday, January 19th, Black Raven will be releasing Updraft American Style Pale Ale.

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Leota Mae IPA Joins Bale Breaker’s Year-Round Lineup

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Bale Breaker Brewing Company brews some pretty tasty beers.  You’re probably familiar with their popular Field 41 Pale Ale, Topcutter IPA or Bottomcutter IPA, since these three beers are part of their ‘Everyday’ (year-round) lineup.  They also, of course, brewed the official beer for Seattle Beer Week 2017: Fresh Off The Farm IPA.

Now, Bale Breaker is adding a fourth beer to their Everyday series: Leota Mae IPA.  It was named for the great-grandmother of one of Bale Breakers owners, and was created to honor the history of planting and harvesting hops in the Yakima valley, where Leota Mae used to work out in the hop fields.

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Hive Five Returns In Cans Year Round From Pike Brewing

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Last year, I told you about a new Spring Seasonal from Pike Brewing Company: Hive Five – a tasty collaboration between Pike Brewing Company and Salish Lodge & Spa. Salish has 120,000 honey bees that live in their apiaries, which produce 600 pounds of superb and local honey every year. Pike’s brewers use this honey to brew Pike Hive Five.

After last year’s release, Hive Five was so popular that Pike has decided to bring it back year-round.  Starting now, you’ll be able to pick up Hive Five year-round in cans at Pike Brewing Company and your local craft beer retailer.

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Kitty Kat Blues Joins Black Raven’s Year Round Lineup

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Back in 2009, Black Raven Brewing Company (CBM Sponsor) introduced one-off Cask beer that was brewed with vanilla, blueberries and a slightly more unusual ingredient: Catnip.  Their press release below says it was called Kitty Kat Blues but I can also recall a version (which you can still get) of Kitty Kat Blues mixed with Trickster IPA – called Tricky Kitty.

The combination of ingredients worked well and, despite it’s slightly unusual description, Kitty Kat Blues has become one of my favorite Black Raven beers.  Until now it’s been a seasonal offering, so it wasn’t always available when I wanted one.  Now that’s all changed.  This Friday, March 3rd Kitty Kat Blues joins Black Raven’s stable of year-round  beers during a Cat Shirt launch party.

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Pacific Wonderland Joins Deschutes’ Year-Round Lineup

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Bend Oregon is a great city for craft beer lovers.  Sure, there are plenty of great breweries right here in Seattle but that doesn’t mean we can’t also appreciate the well crafted libations coming from other great breweries throughout the Northwest and across the nation. There are lots of breweries in Bend who are doing it right and one of the oldest and most successful breweries to come out of Bend is Deschutes Brewery.

When I think Deschutes there are plenty of great beers that come to mind.  The Abyss and its variants are, of course, always a popular choice as is their well known Black Butte Porter (now at number XXVIII).  I’ve enjoyed a great number of Deschutes’ beers over the years including: Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Red Chair Northwest Pale (find this one on Nitro, if you can), Fresh Squeezed IPA, The Dissident and many, many more.

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Recoil IPA In Cans & New Seasonal Highside Wheat From Payette Brewing

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It’s been nearly a year since I first told you about Payette Brewing Company‘s arrival in Seattle.  Hailing from Boise, Idaho, Payette was founded by Idaho native Mike Francis – a graduate of the Siebel Institute of Brewing and a former brewer for Schooner Exact Brewing Company here in Seattle.

Payette introduced themselves to the Seattle market with their Rustler IPA, North Fork Lager, Rodeo Rye, Pistolero Porter and 12 Gauge Imperial Stout.  They were warmly received with events at various locations throughout the city, including Toronado and The Sixgill.  Now, they’re back to announce that their Recoil IPA has joined their year-round lineup and is now arriving in cans.

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Two Beer Brewing Announces Wonderland Trail IPA

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I’m a fan of just about every different style of craft beer available today, and there are indeed a wide variety of styles to choose from.  There’s no denying, however, that the IPA is the current King of all craft bee styles.  In fact IPA sales accounted for a full quarter of all craft bee sales in 2014* and its popularity shows no signs of slowing down.

Two Beers Brewing Company (CBM Sponsor) founder, Joel VandenBrink, is an IPA fan as well and is also an avid hiker.  So it makes perfect sense that this new addition to their award winning, year-round lineup is named after a famous local hiking trail.  “Inspired by the Wonderland Trail, an exhilarating 93-mile trek around Mount Rainier, this hop-forward beer was developed to honor the treasures of the Pacific Northwest – hikes, hops and all.”  Joel hiked this very trail himself, solo, just last year.

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