New Brew News – May 8, 2017

Our Thoughts: Hops come in many different varieties, each imparting their own signature aromas and flavors, However, for pretty much all brewers, from craft to macro, the form hops come in has been whole cone, pellet or extract. That's it. Well, not anymore. Along comes powdered hops, an exciting new development for both brewers and beer connoisseurs alike. These hops promise to reduce the amount of hops used by weight, enhance the hop flavors and aroma and reduce off-flavors. Many big name breweries have already embraced powdered hops, with great results and happy customers. 4 Hands, never ones to shy away from experimentation, are testing the waters with Loose Particles, a new Imperial IPA brewed not only with hop powder, but with oatmeal and wheat as well. This will add a creamy, elegant mouthfeel and give it a hazy appearance, reminiscent of the ever so popular New England-Style IPA's. Do not miss out on this, as once word gets out, this will definitely be in high demand.

Our Thoughts: Hold on to your beer glasses. 4 Hands is releasing yet another treasure sure to set the heart of every beer geek aflutter. Forbidden Fruit sees the ale alchemists at 4 Hands taking a golden ale and ageing it on peaches in second-use bourbon barrels. Look for luscious peach flavors, vanilla, caramel and oak notes from the bourbon barrels and spicy phenols from the yeast. An ABV of 9.5 % makes this a delightful sipper, perfect for savoring on a gorgeous spring afternoon.

Our Thoughts: Opening in the former O'Fallon Brewing location, Missouri Beer Company was founded by Dan Strauder, Dave Johnson and Tom Strauder. They bring quite a lot to the table, with Dan having worked at Buffalo Brewing and Dave brewed at both Buffalo and O'Fallon. With a pedigree like that, we know we can expect good things right out of the gate. Their mango hibiscus pale ale shows they're not afraid to get creative with a staple style for most breweries. If you were at Microfest, we hope you stopped by and got a sample or three. Stay glued to social media to follow Missouri Beer Company's progress in the flourishing St. Charles beer community.

Our Thoughts: A quintessential British session beer, the mild is known for being very malt forward and low in ABV, with little to any hop presence. Having originated in the 17th century, mild originally meant beer that was young or unaged and sent out fresh from the brewery, as opposed to "stale" beer that was kept in wooden vats for six months to a year. Once a staple style, it fell out of favor with beer drinkers and was almost lost to history. We're glad that didn't happen and we're chuffed to see Missouri Beer Company bringing this British classic to our neck of the woods. 

Our Thoughts: Our inner nerd got a little giddy at seeing the label for Lei-A, Logboat's new Berliner Weisse style ale. Our favorite geeks in Columbia are keeping the force strong with this tart, tangy, refreshing space-tacular ale. Perfect any time of the year, Berliner Weisse's seem to shine in the summer, due to their low ABV, citrus and tropical fruit flavors, and thirst quenching crushableness. Very excited, we are!

Our Thoughts: Schlafly has definitely been riding a hot streak lately. Their Barrel Aged Imperial Stout and Coffee Imperial Stout, both part of the Ibex Series, have been setting shelves on fire. The Variant, their highly sought after Imperial Stout aged in Port and bourbon barrels with cocoa nibs (just typing that made us drool a little) was one of the highlights of our year in beer so far.  Now, Schlafly is foisting upon us The Devils Farmhouse. Keeping their barrel game strong, this beer is aged in red wine barrels with black currants and cherries. We're excited to see the use of wine barrels, as this can be a flavor game changer and maybe even convert some wine drinkers back to glorious beer. Look for a limited amount of 750 ml bottles to hit streets soon.

Our Thoughts: A sibling of the Imperial Stout, the Baltic porter has a long and storied history. Originally shipped by British brewers by way of the Baltic sea, these strong, dark beers became popular throughout Eastern Europe and Russia. One of the countries that developed a fondness was Estonia. Tartu, the second largest city in the country, is the birthplace of the Estonian beer industry and even has it's own beer museum. In a nod to a country that's been brewing since at least 1284 AD, Urban Chestnut brings us this smoked Baltic-style porter. Sharing many characteristics of German doppelbock's, this should be a style that UCBC can brew so well, you'd swear you're in a European beer garden. Prost!