New Brew News – January 8, 2018

Our Thoughts: We prefer to think of this not so much as New Brew News but New Brewery News. Strange Days, a new brewery within Kansas City's River Market, will be celebrating their grand opening January 20th. Taking a global approach to beer, they plan to have a regularly rotating lineup with a diverse number of flavors and styles. We've chosen to spotlight their Imperial Belgian Stout, a dark and roasty imperial stout that uses a Belgian yeast, as we love the style and wish there were more of these available on the market. With an already impressively diverse portfolio of brews that have been well received, we think things are going to get pretty Strange in KC. If you have the chance, check them out when they're up and running.

Our Thoughts: Old ales, referred to in the past as stock or strong ales, can generally be described as ales of higher than average strength that can benefit from some aging, are lightly hopped, and have a rich malt character. Renowned beer writer Michael Jackson's definition of an old ale was "a warming beer of the type that is best drunk in half pints by a warm fire on a cold winter’s night”. Some breweries release these type of beers as seasonals or winter warmers. Whatever time of year they come out, we're a big fan. The news that Crane is releasing their own old ale gladdens our soul, as they have a knack for brewing historic styles so well that they transport you across space and time. Don't miss out on this one.