New Brew News – January 9, 2017

Our Thoughts: Having had good success with Dakine, their tropical IPA, 4 Hands is once again spotlighting tropical fruit flavors with Guava King,  a new ale brewed with guava juice. Guava is an extremely versatile fruit and is known for it's enticing aromatics and flavors of banana, strawberry, lemon and papaya. Pair this with the right combination of hops and you'll have a fruit bowl in a pint glass. Look for this on draft to start but here's hoping it finds its way into cans soon.

Our Thoughts: It looks like Urban Chestnut is adding another canned option to their line up. As part of their Reverence Series, which pays 'reverence' to old world beer styles, Urban Chestnut makes Stammtisch, a German style pilsner that was brewed to celebrate the idea of community and socializing. Hence the name Stammtisch, which most directly translates to "table for regulars" and is also an informal meeting held on a regular basis. This beer is meant for sharing with good friends and complete strangers alike. In additions, Stammtisch was named Grand Champion Pilsner at the 2015 U.S. Beer Tasting Championship and Best Pilsner by Paste Magazine in June 0f 2016. Enough said.

Our Thoughts: If you were looking for the perfect beer to pair with your blueberry pancakes, we think we've found it. Six Mile Bridge has taken two classic breakfast flavors and added them to their stout, which will add roasty chocolate flavors in to the mix. While other breweries may have opted for an imperial version, Six Mile Bridge has instead chosen to go in a more sessionable route, with this beer clocking in at 5.2% ABV. This means you can have a few of these any time, morning or night.

Our Thoughts: Sound the "whale" alert! This new offering from Charleville has all of the marking of being highly sought after. A collaboration with Schnucks, this new barrel aged imperial stout will be in 12 ounce bottles, presumably as part of a 4 pack. If Charleville was looking to make a splash on the St. Louis market and endear themselves with beer geeks at the same time, this is the way to do it. Remain vigilant.

Our Thoughts: Available only on draft at the brewery tasting room and in the Sampler 12 pack, Boulevard's Tasting Room series of beers offer drinkers a chance to sample beers that their brewers are working on and provide feedback.  Their newest beer in the series is an Extra Pale Ale. While not defined in the BJCP guidelines, many breweries feature a beer in this style. Typically they are a more modern take on the pale ale style, with more aggressive hops and dry hopping used. Look for this beer in variety packs soon and provide feedback at boulevard.com/beers/trbeers

Our Thoughts: BKS is the acronym for the Brookside neighborhood in Kansas City where this new brewery will call home. Shooting for a March opening, BKS will feature a wide variety of styles, including hop forward Northeast-style IPA's, an English Mild, Milk Stouts, Saisons and Dereliction, their Imperial Stout. If you're a beer lover living in Kansas City, watch their social media feeds and pay them a visit when they open. Support your local brewer!