New Brew News – May 1, 2017

Our Thoughts: In 1917, Harry Burnett Reese took a job on a dairy farm owned by Milton S. Hershey, owner of the Hershey Chocolate Company. He later began working in the company's chocolate factory and soon struck out on his own, making candies and confections and naming them after his sixteen (!) children. In 1928, he started selling chocolate and peanut butter confections simply called peanut butter cups or "penny cups" which cost just one cent each.  Eventually he focused solely on his peanut butter cups, which were his most popular product. The rest is history. Today millions of people around the world enjoy these tasty treats. Main and Mill, which is the first brewery to open in Jefferson County in over 120 years, have taken these classic flavors and put them in your pint glass. We were lucky enough to try their Chocolate Milk Peanut Butter Porter at Wolpertinger this past January. All we can say is "Wow!" They definitely know how to blend these flavors into a liquid peanut butter cup. This Imperial Stout will be even bigger, bolder and badder. If you see this on tap anywhere near you, make like a banana and split!! It won't last long!

Our Thoughts: Another new beer in the hopper from Main and Mill is an Imperial Mexican Chocolate Stout. We haven't tried the imperial version yet but the regular version of this beer was our favorite at the recent Centennial Festival and for good reason. Typically brewed with chilies or chile pepper, cinnamon and cacao, these beers are liquid dessert. You'd swear you're drinking a piece of Mexican chocolate cake. Some brewers even add nutmeg, vanilla and maple syrup to heighten the flavor rush. If you're a fan the style, you definitely need to check this out. Highly recommended.

Our Thoughts: Ever since Logboat burst onto the St. Louis beer market, they've proven time and time again that their brewing prowess can stand up to even the harshest critic. From fruity, tropical IPA's to burnt, roasty stouts, from milds to imperial coffee stouts, we think you'll agree that we are very lucky to have access to such great beers. Their newest takes the form of a classic beer style, the kolsch. Originating in Cologne, Germany, the kolsch is crisp, smooth and balanced, with the best elements of an ale and a lager combined. This will be the perfect lawnmower beer. Look for cans on shelves in Columbia soon.

Our Thoughts: Another beer coming straight for your taste buds is Yeah Buoy from Logboat.  Never one to rest on their laurels, it seems like Logboat is always trying something new. This India Pale Lager will have the crispness of a lager with the hop wizardry of a superior Logboat IPA. We're envisioning a combination of Bobber, their Vienna style lager and Snapper, their mondo delish IPA. You know that's a winning combination, right? Yeah boy!

Our Thoughts: If you're a fan of Kolsch's (or just flavorful session beers in general), then this is your lucky week. Not only is Logboat going to put their take on the style in cans for the Columbia market, but Springfield is adding their name to the hat by bottling Koozee, a Kolsch-style ale. Look for fruity malt notes balanced with classic German hops. The definition of balance, this style never gets old. Make sure you enjoy Koozee in a koozie!

Our Thoughts: Founded in 2014 and formerly known as Ninja Moose Brewery, this small town brewery (Hamilton has a population of 1,800) has a lot on it's plate. Not only did they change the name, but they are expanding the brewery and tripling the size of their building. This means more beers for thirsty patrons. One of their new offerings is B.O.S.S., an imperial red ale. These beers tend to be higher in alcohol, aggressively hopped, but with a good caramel malt base to balance things out. Hopefully they will start expanding outside of Hamilton soon, but for right now, you'll have to make the trek to Hamilton to sample their suds. Who's up for a road trip?

Our Thoughts: It's difficult to dance around this one, so here goes: Heavy Riff has got a brewtal new beer coming out! While probably best known for Velvet Underbrown, their excellent brown ale, they're no slackers when it comes to going heavy on the hops to produce juicy, well balanced IPA's and Double IPA's.  Their black brew kettle overflows with goodness. You would have to be out of your mind not to get a pint of Shady Inference.