New beers? Check. Seasonal releases? Yep. A brew graduating from “now & then” status to year-round? Yes, please! So many beers, so little time [and money] . . . .
• Heavy Seas has joined the session IPA fray with Cross Bones, a 4.5% ABV offering that has all the flavor of a more potent brew. They’re not revealing their “secret blend” of hops, but it’s a winning combination. Cross Bones is the first HS beer to join the year-round ranks since 2003. The Baltimore brewery is also introducing Deep Six, a “robust English-Style Porter” [6.2%]. It’s sweet but beautifully balanced, with the chocolate and coffee notes circling some hints of fruit. There are many layers to sip and savor here.
• Dogfish Head’s Raison D’Extra is back after a seven-year absence. The Belgian-Style brown ale is made with brown sugar and raisins and weighs in at a massive 18% ABV [it‘s “little brother,” Raison D’Etre, is a more manageable 8% and is available year-round]. Dogfish notes that “plump raisins and beet sugars give the beer a similar DNA and color to red wine.” The very limited edition of 12-ounce bottles sells for about $9; it’s worth looking for, and the next batch may not hit shelves until 2022.
• Let’s head north: Long Trail’s new spring seasonal, Stand Out, is an American Pale Ale [5.2%] which can further your hop education: it features the Equinox hop. The folks at Hopunion explain, “The diversified and pronounced aroma characteristics combined with extremely high oil content and a tight cone structure make this hop variety very unique” . . . The second release in Mayflower’s Cooper’s Series is Alden, an unfiltered double IPA [8%] made with Citra and Mosaic hops. The beer is named for John Alden, the cooper [who maintains a ship’s barrels] on the Mayflower. The limited edition brew will be available in four-packs and on draft . . . When Smuttynose’s Really Old Brown Dog debuted in 2007 in its Big Beer Series, it had a 7% ABV. Through the years the dog has gotten more potent, and is now a formidable 11.1% as it joins the New Hampshire brewery’s year-round lineup [in four-packs]. The Old Ale is thick and expressive . . . And we mentioned it in our January 7 beer round-up, but we urge you to get Durty, Smuttynose’s fantastic hoppy brown ale, a big [8.4%], bold, and splendiferous flavor bomb.
• These double/imperial IPAs are back after a shorter hiatus: Sixpoint’s Hi-Res [10.5%], Green Flash’s Palate Wrecker [9.5%]; and Stone’s latest Enjoy By [9.4%], which should be consumed by 2.14.15 . . . And speaking of Sixpoint, the Mad Scientists at the Brooklyn brewery are unleashing a new seasonal Beast Mode, an American porter [6.4%] with a bit of red ale in the mix . . . AND speaking of Stone, its new seasonal release is Delicious IPA [7.7%], which they say “reminds many on the brewing team of a Lemon Starburst® candy” [it’s made with Lemondrop and El Dorado hops]. Stone also notes that an “enzyme added during the brewing process called Clarity-Ferm [cut] the beer’s gluten content to well below the threshold of 20 parts per million required by the FDA to label a produict ‘gluten-free.’ ” Delicious will be featured in the new Mixed 12 Pack, with Ruination IPA, Cali-Belguiqe IPA, and Arrogant Bastard Ale.
• Oh, and Narragansett is releasing a new beer today. You may have read about it here and here.
Bottles & Cans & Just Clap Your Hands 