Ska Brewing Misses International Stout Day; Releases Peppermint Bark Stout In Time For The 2022 Holiday Season

DURANGO, CO— This holiday season, Ska Brewing will give grown ups a drinkable version of their favorite childhood holiday memories with the release of Peppermint Bark Stout. This Milk Stout, made with peppermint bark from Durango’s local Animas Chocolate Company™, debuts at the brewery World Headquarters on Friday, November 4. 

This new release marks a decade of Ska Brewing’s seasonal Stout experimentation– which has included Hibernal Vinifera, Autumnal Molé, Estival Cream, and Vernal Minthe Stout. The brewery’s highly decorated Steel Toe Stout dates back even longer, and holds medals in all of the major global beer competitions, including the Great American Beer Festival®, World Beer Cup®, Stockholm Beer and Whiskey Festival, European Beer Star, and the Australian International Beer Awards, among others. It goes without saying that Ska is all in on Stout. 

Now Ska’s research and development on Milk Stout style yields a new expression of the style that will hit shelves in perfect timing for Peppermint Bark Day on December 1, and holiday festivities in general. 

Peppermint bark was invented by Williams Sonoma in 1998. “Turns out we opened the brewery before peppermint bark was officially a thing, but the chocolate and candy cane combination goes back as long as most of us can remember,” says Ska Brewing Co-Founder and CEO Dave Thibodeau. “Doing R&D for this holiday ale brought home much nostalgia.”

True to Ska fashion, Peppermint Bark Stout is a product of local collaboration. It was brewed with actual peppermint bark (white chocolate, dark chocolate, and candy canes) made in Durango by the Animas Chocolate Company, owned by Marc Snider (who directed the infamous Brew Minions video) and his wife Carley since 2011. Its sweetness from peppermint bark and chocolate-forward malts is balanced with cocoa nibs and a hint of mint. The addition of lactose makes for a creamy, smooth finish. 

Peppermint Bark Stout will be available exclusively in Colorado in extremely limited quantities while supplies last. Find it on tap at Ska Brewing, and in canned, 12 oz. 4-packs that include a QR code linked to a playlist of Thibodeau’s favorite holiday jingles. This beer will be the first from Ska to be packaged with paperboard rings, supporting the brewery’s long-term effort to eliminate all plastic. Come spring of 2023, all of Ska’s beers will be packaged with these can holders. 

Animas Chocolate Company will also serve Peppermint Bark Stout as part of their alcohol and chocolate pairings for the holiday season. Their staff has selected the Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk cookie, the The Nugget Truffle (a single origin 75% dark chocolate truffle made with the same cacao nibs incorporated into the Stout), and of course, their handcrafted peppermint bark, as pairings. 

Contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com for more information about Ska Brewing and their holiday Stout. 

ABOUT SKA BREWING

Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and produces more than a dozen award-winning beers fueled with Ska music, and lots of it. Pioneers in the canned craft beer movement, Ska Brewing is known for an array of styles in 12 oz cans that include True Blonde, Modus Hoperandi and Rue B. Soho. For information, music, and a good time, visit www.skabrewing.com.

Elevation Beer Co. Debuts Coffee Stout in Cans

PONCHA SPRINGS, CO— Introducing Coffee Stout from Elevation Beer Company. This latest seasonal  offering from the brewery is a Coffee Milk Stout made with coffee from Buena Vista Roasters.

Coffee Stout is a 5% ABV Milk Stout made with a blend of Organic Guatemala and Organic Timor beans. 

“We wanted to brew an easy drinking, cold weather beer and thought a 5% stout with a touch of milk sugar was just what we needed,” says Christian Koch, Elevation’s Head Brewer. “We can’t get enough coffee around here either so we decided steep some whole beans from our friends at Buena Vista Roasters.”

Koch grew up in Hershey, Pennsylvania and has long wanted to brew a beer with chocolate in the recipe. “The beer is coffee forward with subtle chocolate undertones from the light dose of Boulder-based Cholaca, pure liquid cocoa,” Koch says. “We are really happy with how this one came out.”  

Coffee Stout is available on draft and in canned 12 ounce 6-packs at the brewery tasting room, and across Colorado while supplies last. 

Calling all Colorado-based baristas! Replicate Elevation’s logo in your next latte art expression like the one on the seasonal Coffee Stout can, tag @elevationbeerco and share it with the #lattelogo to be entered to win an Elevation growler and a bag of barrel aged coffee beans from Buena Vista Roasters! All photo submissions are due by December 15, 2019. Participants must be at least 21 years of age to enter. There is no limit on number of submissions.

To learn more about this seasonal release from Elevation Beer Company, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcrafbeer.com.

ABOUT ELEVATION BEER CO. 

Proudly operating in the remote mountain town of Poncha Springs, Elevation Beer Co. is more than just a beer company— we are a family, a community, and a collective of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Dedicated to creating sustainable, meaningful careers in rural Colorado, we take the preservation of our home as seriously as we do the quality of our beer. Taste our flagship 8 Second Kolsch and a lineup of other usual suspects and seasonals at our tasting room, and in canned 6-packs and specialty bombers across Colorado, Wyoming, Utah. Go higher at elevationbeerco.com.

Karl Strauss Welcomes Dark Beer Season with Three Limited Edition Stout Releases

SAN DIEGO, CA— Karl Strauss is ushering in a season robust with stouts. Over the coming weeks, the brewery will release a Golden Stout with Coffee, Barrel-Aged Vanilla Bean Wreck Alley Imperial Stout, and Ten Beers for Breakfast Maple Stout. These limited edition beers will be available throughout California just in time for your holiday festivities. 

First up is a Golden Stout with Coffee, a collaboration with Bird Rock Coffee Roasters. Blonde in color, this stout is brewed without roasted barley. Rolled oats produce a smooth and creamy mouthfeel, while the addition of vanilla beans, cocoa nibs, and coffee contribute roasted flavors of sweet chocolate and espresso. Bird Rock Coffee Roasters’ single-origin Ethiopian coffee beans are the pièce de résistance in this stout, layering in additional flavors of subtle fruit. This Golden Stout with Coffee will be available on draft and in 16oz canned 4packs beginning on Thursday October 24th.

Next, mark your calendars on Monday November 4th for the much anticipated release of Barrel-Aged Vanilla Bean Wreck Alley. This elegant Imperial Stout (which features Bird Rock coffee beans as well), is brewed with roasted malts and cocoa nibs before it ages in Woodford Reserve Bourbon barrels with vanilla beans. Rich notes of dark chocolate and espresso are backed by a smooth and warming finish. This 11.3% treat will be on draft and available in limited 500mL bottles while quantities last.

Finally, the holidays will be extra warm and cozy this year thanks to Karl Strauss’ holiday ale. Ten Beers for Breakfast is a Maple Stout brewed with vanilla beans, rolled oats, and maple syrup. This tenth installment in the brewery’s “Twelve Days” holiday series has flavors of caramelized sugar, sweet chocolate, and roasted espresso backed by a creamy, full body. It will be available on draft and in 22oz Bombers beginning on Thursday November 21st.

“These stouts were brewed with the changing seasons in mind. They’re ideal for the (kind of) chilly California winter. With three different releases to choose from, there’s a Karl Strauss stout perfect for every palate!” – Paul Segura, Brewmaster of Research & Development

All three stouts can be found for a limited time at Karl Strauss’ brewpubs, tasting room, and at craft beer accounts throughout California. For more information about the brewery’s upcoming releases, contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com. 

ABOUT KARL STRAUSS BREWING COMPANY

Karl Strauss Brewing Company has been proudly independent since 1989, pioneering the craft beer scene with innovative and award-winning beer releases like Aurora Hoppyalis IPA, Queen of Tarts Dark Sour, and Boat Shoes Hazy IPA. For more information, visit www.karlstrauss.com or call the brewery at (858) 273-2739. Share it. Cheers.

Karl Strauss Celebrates 30th Anniversary With City Proclamation, Beer Releases & Retro Merch

SAN DIEGO, CA — On February 1, Karl Strauss Brewing Company kicks off a month long celebration of 30 years pioneering craft beer with an impressive line-up of limited release beers, an epic party & retro merchandise.  At the center of the festivities will be a city declaration naming February 2— the anniversary date of KARL opening for business— an official Day in History by Mayor Kevin Faulconer and the city of San Diego.

The declaration was made official by a proclamation from the Mayor’s office and will be announced on Saturday, February 2nd at KARL’s Tasting Room & Beer Garden in Pacific Beach during the brewery’s anniversary party.  “I applaud Karl Strauss Brewing Company for advancing the art of brewing in San Diego and around the world, and congratulate them for 30 years of achievement and success,” stated Councilmember Chris Cate, City of San Diego.

Part of KARL’s month long celebration includes releasing a barrel aged Imperial Stout, a collaboration beer with Drake’s Brewing Company and a series of throwback beers from their 1989 beer recipe book.  

The 30th Anniversary Barrel Aged Imperial Stout was aged in rye whiskey barrels for twelve months and is graced with rich aromas and flavors of chocolate, toffee, and espresso tied together by a warm, lingering finish. This big & boozy beer comes in at 14.4% ABV and will be available in draft and 500ml bottles across California.  

The collaboration beer release with Drake’s Brewing Company is a hazy IPA brewed with Simcoe, Cascade, Mosaic, and Amarillo hops.  The beer is aptly named “Level 30 Complete”, honoring the fact that both breweries turn 30 years young in 2019.  This juicy IPA will be available in draft and 16oz cans across California.  

Small batches of four throwback KARL beers will also be released at the company’s Brewpubs and Tasting room each Thursday night in February.  These beers will feature their original beer names and recipes which were pulled from KARL’s 1989 recipe book.

On Saturday, February 2nd at KARL’s Tasting Room & Beer Garden in Pacific Beach, the brewery will throw their annual anniversary party, Changing of the Barrels.  Event attendees will get unlimited tasters of 30 different beers, a tantalizing spread of food pairings, commemorative glassware, a limited edition hand-bottled 500ml of the 30th Anniversary Imperial Stout, and a chance to taste the 31st Anniversary beer before it spends a year in barrels.

And all month beer drinkers can get retro merchandise including glassware and T-shirts showcasing KARL’s old school graphics.  

To learn more about KARL’s 30th celebration plans, visit  www.karlstrauss.com. 

ABOUT KARL STRAUSS BREWING COMPANY

Karl Strauss Brewing Company has been proudly independent since 1989, pioneering the craft beer scene with innovative beer releases like Aurora Hoppyalis IPA, Queen of Tarts Dark Sour, and Boat Shoes Hazy IPA. The brewery has won 110 medals since 2009 and was honored with the “Mid-Size Brewing Company of the Year” award at the Great American Beer Festival in 2016. For more information, visit www.karlstrauss.com or call the brewery at (858) 273-2739. Share it. Cheers. 

Introducing Elevation Beer Company Imperial Stout in 12 Oz. Cans

PONCHA SPRINGS, CO— Elevation Beer Co. is unveiling Imperial Stout as the latest seasonal release in their lineup of approachable and award-winning beers. Imperial Stout will be available across Elevation’s distribution footprint in six-packs of 12 oz. cans and on draft beginning November 9 while supplies last.

Weighing in at 10% ABV, Imperial Stout is a non-barrel-aged version of Oil Man, the brewery’s famed bourbon barrel-aged Imperial Stout that is available seasonally in 750ml bombers. “We had pulled some single kegs off of a tank for Oil Man in years past and it was a big hit,” explains Elevation Co-Founder and Director of Brewing Operations, Christian Koch. “So we wanted to do it again and put it in a can. Oil Man without the barrel is big, high body, and high ABV.”

Imperial Stout packs generous notes of chocolate accompanied by a characteristic roastiness. The alcohol and malt sweetness are beautifully balanced by the addition of Northern Brewer and Chinook hops making for a slightly hoppier version of the original barrel-aged variant.

For more information about Elevation Beer Co. Imperial Stout in cans, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com.

ABOUT ELEVATION BEER CO.

Proudly operating in the remote mountain town of Poncha Springs, Elevation Beer Co. is more than just a beer company— we are a family, a community, and a collective of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Dedicated to creating sustainable, meaningful careers in rural Colorado, we take the preservation of our home as seriously as we do the quality of our beer. Taste our flagship 8 Second Kolsch and a lineup of other usual suspects and seasonals at our tasting room, and in canned 6-packs and specialty bombers across Colorado and Wyoming. Go higher at elevationbeerco.com.

Four Styles of Stout to Track Down This Stout Month

Emily Hutto and Dan Rabin, photo by The Brewtography Project

Beer and travel author Dan Rabin and RadCraft founder Emily Hutto, gave a talk at the Denver Press Club in November about the variety among styles of the beloved Stout beer style. Thanks again to The Press Club for having us, and thanks to Dan for this great idea. He wanted to convey the true spectrum that is Stout styles, and he's largely responsible for choosing the beer list below.

It should be noted that Dan was one of the first contributors to the #DailyStout campaign for Water for Good, too! 

Here are four varieties of Stouts, with examples of each style to boot. Happy Stout Month!

Dry Irish Stout: Carlow Brewing Co. (aka O’Hara’s Brewery) O’Hara’s Irish Stout, 4.3% ABV 40 IBU

This family-owned brewery began operating in 1996 as a pioneer in Irish craft brewing. While the Dry Irish Stout style is generally synonymous with Guinness, there’s a perception among many that the Guinness brewed today by the Irish corporate giant lacks the robust character of the Guinness of old. O’Hara’s Irish Stout is often described as “authentic,” “traditional,“ and “how stouts used to taste.” Indeed, the beer hits all the right notes stylistically with a smooth malt base, coffee-like roastiness, dry finish and low alcohol content conducive to partaking in multiple pints. Its flavors are best expressed when served cool, not cold.

Sweet Stout: Finkel & Garf Brewing Co. Oatmeal Milk Stout, 5.5% ABV, 36 IBU

Stylistically, this Boulder-brewed stout represents a hybrid of Sweet Stout and Oatmeal Stout. F&G is committed to subtlety and approachability in its beers, and this one in particular is brewed to debunk assumptions that dark and “sweet” beers are scary, chewy, or cloying. It has just the right roundness of roast, dark chocolate, and malt sweetness that washes down smooth and slightly sweet. The silky mouthfeel of this stout is created through the use of about 10 percent oats in its grain bill. F&G Oatmeal Milk Stout is the 2017 GABF gold medal winner in the Sweet or Cream Stout category.

Foreign Export Stout: Left Hand Brewing Co. Fade to Black Vol. 1, 8.5% ABV 30 IBU

Longmont’s Left Hand Brewing may be best known for its smooth milk stout, but the brewery’s seasonal Fade to Black Vol. 1 Foreign Export Stout has garnered its own collection of prestigious awards including three gold medals and one silver at the Great American Beer Festival, and a gold medal at the 2016 World Beer Cup. The beer is big, bold, complex and highly satisfying. As it warms, a variety of flavors emerge including coffee, chocolate, licorice and dark fruits. At 8.5%, it toes the line, but doesn’t quite enter the terrain of Imperial Stouts.

Imperial Stout: Great Divide Brewing Co. Yeti Imperial Stout, 9.5% ABV, 75 IBU

This beer is big in every way. Made by the home of Colorado’s original strong ale (Hibernation Ale, first brewed in in 1995), Great Divide’s infamous Yeti is a classic example of the Imperial Stout style, winner of three Great American Beer Festival awards in the Imperial Stout category. It’s a liquid balancing act between big, roasty malt flavor and bold hop flavor and aroma. Stout in general and specifically Yeti has been a great canvas for brewing creations, which at Great Divide have been an array of Yeti varietals including Espresso Oak-Aged and Oatmeal Yeti.

Lessons Learned From A Month of #DailyStout Tasting

Photo by Jeff Tyler

In Colorado, February is Stout Month. It’s a short but passionate 28 days dedicated to the full-bodied, roasty, coffee-esque, malt-forward wonder that is the Stout beer style.

I love Stout, but I don’t always reach for it over other styles. I also love a good challenge.

So when a friend suggested I fully explore this beer style by tasting a different Stout every day last February, I gladly accepted. And to what was often the chagrin of my partner, I did it.

I tasted a different Stout each day in February 2017 and documented the process on social media using hashtag #dailystout. I held myself accountable for tasting at least one different Stout every day. Thirst Magazine caught on to what I was up to and they published this article about my Stout recommendations.

Stout came to be my daily liquid bread— after a month I had discovered its versatility, and I craved it. When Stout Month ended, #dailystout did not. I kept tasting and researching the style. One year later, here’s what I’ve come to know about Stout…

• There is a style of Stout for everyone.

• Stout comes with a dark beer stigma, and the style is generally misunderstood— even among craft beer drinkers.

• Stout is not Porter.

• Stout Month is one of my favorite craft marketing campaigns.

• Stout is for whiskey lovers.

• Stout can develop incredible nuanced flavor and aroma over time, if you know a thing or two about cellaring beers.

• Stout is a food-friendly beer, perfect for pairings.

• Stout is a blank canvas for a cornucopia of abstract beer ingredients.

• Stout is scarce in island communities. More on that later.

• Stout is a foundation for good causes.

2018 Stout Month is upon us and the #dailystout ritual returns! This year it’s dedicated to raising funds for the conservation of clean water, a resource that the brewing industry continues to consume more and more of. I've recruited fellow Stout tasters too. 

Throughout the month of February, we're drinking #dailystout to raise funds for Water For Good. This organization creates long-term partnerships with communities in Africa, empowering them with sustainable access to clean water and transformational development solutions. Water For Good was a natural partner for our #dailystout campaign because Africa is responsible for much of the world’s production and consumption of Stout... And we think what they're up to is pretty rad.

Whether you can donate or not, we hope you’ll join the #dailystout hashtag on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to help us spread the word.

Cheers to Stout Month!

 — Emily Hutto, RadCraft Founder

Lone Tree Brewing Horchata Stout Now Available

Photo by Colin Bridge

LONE TREE, CO — Lone Tree Brewing Company’s seasonal Horchata Stout hits Colorado shelves in bombers this week. This popular wintertime beer is back for the third year, and only available while supplies last. 

Horchata Stout is a 6 percent ABV stout brewed with chocolate, cinnamon, and lactose. It was first brewed in collaboration with The Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant as a nod to the popular Mexican rice and almond milk beverage. "Together we developed a recipe that incorporated the creamy texture of Horchata and the slight spice of cinnamon,” says Lone Tree Sales Manager Bridgette Geiger.

Horchata Stout belongs to Lone Tree Brewing Company’s Branching Out series of experimental, limited quantity beers in large format bottles. These beers were first served draft-only at Lone Tree and by popular demand have become the brewery’s packaged offerings. The Branching Out Series also includes Bière de Printemps, India Pale Lager, Cranberry Saison, English Old Ale, and Triple IPA.

A very limited number of Horchata Stout bombers will be distributed across Colorado. The beer is also on draft while supplies last at the brewery’s tasting room. 

For more information about Lone Tree Brewing’s Horchata Stout contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com.

ABOUT LONE TREE BREWING COMPANY

Take Root, Grow Friends

Lone Tree Brewing Company was the first brewery in Lone Tree, Colorado that opened near Park Meadows Mall in 2011. The neighborhood-focused, family-friendly brewery and tasting room regularly hosts community events that gather around a stylistically diverse lineup of flagship, seasonal, and limited release beers. Lone Tree's cans and 22-ounce bombers are sold across the state of Colorado, as well as Kansas and Nebraska. Its draft beer is poured at many bars and restaurants in its distribution footprint as well. Find the brewery online at lonetreebrewingco.com.

Station 26 Brewing Co. Announces Dark Star Varietals, Brewery List, and Bomber Sale for inaugural Black Friday Invitational

DENVER, CO — Station 26 Brewing Co. has finalized the pour list for its upcoming event, the inaugural Black Friday Invitational. 

In past years Station 26 has released its famed Dark Star Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout the day after Thanksgiving. This year the tradition has expanded to include ten variants of this sought-after Stout, as well as beers from other breweries.

Here is the Dark Star variant list—

Almond Joy: toasted coconut, cacao nibs, toasted almond

Mexican Chocolate: Mexican vanilla bean, Saigon cassia, Pequin chiles, cacao nibs

Sesame Brittle: toasted sesame seeds, ginger, toasted coconut, caramel

Root Beer Float: root beer herbs/spices (sarsaparilla, sassafras, ginger, birch bark, licorice root, dandelion root, Cascade hops, wild cherry tree bark, juniper berries, cinnamon), Mexican vanilla

Manhattan: bitters herbs (cardamom, coriander, gentian root, allspice, clove), orange zest

Gingerbread: ginger, vanilla, molasses

IKEA: lingonberry, garnished with Swedish meatballs

The Forager: roasted mushrooms (crimini, shiitake, oyster), red and golden beet, chapulines (grasshoppers), rosemary, thyme, sage

Breakfast: maple syrup, coffee, bacon, blueberry

Black Walnut and Port: Port barrel aged Dark Star with toasted black walnuts

Limited bombers of Almond Joy, Root Beer Float, Manhattan, and Black Walnut and Port will be available for reserve beginning Tuesday, November 14. Guests can pick up bombers beginning Saturday, November 25.

Here is the brewery list — 

4 Noses Brewing Company, Broomfield

Call To Arms Brewing Company, Denver

Powder Keg Brewing Company, Niwot

River North Brewery, Denver

Ratio Beerworks, Denver

TRVE Brewing, Denver

Our Mutual Friend Brewery, Denver

Melvin Brewing, Jackson, WY and Bellingham, WA

Tickets to the Black Friday Invitational cost $55 each, and include a 2.5-hour tasting session, 13 drink tickets for 3oz pours of Dark Star and other specialty beers, passed appetizers, and a commemorative Black Friday Invitational glass. Purchase tickets and reserve bombers via Eventbrite here. 

For more information about this event, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com.

ABOUT STATION 26 BREWING CO. 

Station 26 Brewing Co. brews craft beers in a 1960 fire station in Denver’s Park Hill neighborhood. The brewery was founded in 2013 by Justin Baccary and friends. It’s an ideal first stop for travelers coming from Denver International Airport. Find the brewery online at www.station26brewing.co.

Spice Trade Brewing Debuts Cans of Chai Milk Stout and Sun Temple IPA, Announces Production Facility and New Brewpub in Planning

ARVADA, CO —  Brand new cans of Spice Trade Brewing’s Chai Milk Stout and Sun Temple IPA are now available at liquor stores and bars across Denver’s metro area. With their debut comes the announcement of the brewery’s production facility and new brewpub in planning, slated for completion in 2018.

Chai Milk Stout epitomizes Spice Trade’s culinary and cultural style of brewing. This beer, awarded a silver medal at the 2013 Great American Beer Festival® in the Herb and Spice Beer category, is brewed with a secret family recipe blend of chai spices made in-house at Yak & Yeti Restaurants. The result is a chocolate and roast-forward stout that’s bursting with fresh chai tea aroma and flavor.

The Sun Temple IPA is the newest addition to Spice Trade’s core beer lineup. It’s a classic example of a juicy, hazy New England-style IPA fermented with a yeast strain that has evolved in Northern Vermont breweries. This IPA explodes with mango, peach, and citrus flavors but still finishes smooth and dry. 

Spice Trade Brewing has acquired a 15 barrel brewhouse for the brewery’s new production facility (location TBD) that will set up shop in a separate location from the Yak & Yeti restaurant in Arvada. Plans also include a communal tasting room and beer garden, and a full kitchen to serve eclectic street food from around the world. Spice Trade’s beers will continue to fill the taps at all three of Yak & Yeti’s restaurant locations. 

For more information about Spice Trade Brewing’s new cans or production facility, or with any other media inquiries, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com.

ABOUT SPICE TRADE BREWING CO.

Spice Trade Brewing Co. produces unique beer styles inspired by culinary ingredients and traditions from around the world. Formerly Yak & Yeti Brewpub, Spice Trade is now a stand-alone brewery operating out of Yak & Yeti Restaurant in Arvada, Colorado under the direction of Head Brewer Jeff Tyler who joined the company in summer 2016. The brewery hand-crafts a wide variety of beer in small batches on a 7 barrel brewhouse with a focus on high quality, ingredient centered beer. Find Spice Trade online at spicetradebrewing.com.