Bootleg Biology, Harding House Brewing Co., and Riverbend Malt House Present Inaugural Southern Lager Invitational During 2023 Craft Brewers Conference

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE— Bootleg Biology, Harding House Brewing Co., and Riverbend Malt House have engaged the South’s leading tastemakers to craft their expressions of ‘Modern Southern Lager’ to kickoff the Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) on Sunday, May 7 at Harding House Brewing Company in The Nations neighborhood of West Nashville. 

So what is a Modern Southern Lager? Open to interpretation, this unofficial beer style ​​tends to be a dry-finishing, lower-ABV beer with a big frothy head and a hint of corn sweetness that is counterbalanced by relatively assertive hop bitterness. It pairs well with sweltering heat.

Think of this style as an update to the Pre-Prohibition Lagers that relied on 6-row barley and flaked corn to provide a lighter alternative to the all malt lagers from Europe. Now, new 2-row winter barleys are flourishing across the South and malt companies like Asheville’s Riverbend Malt House are offering craft brewers access to high quality, locally-malted barley and corn that update this style with bolder flavors. 

Riverbend and yeast laboratory Bootleg Biology have encouraged craft brewers across the South to brew their answer to the question ‘What is a Modern Southern Lager’ to serve at a celebration of long, cold fermentation at this upcoming CBC event. They’ve teamed up with host Harding House Brewing, whose dedication to local agriculture shines in unique beers brewed with plants native to Tennessee and partnerships with organizations aiming to shorten supply chains. 

Harding House and several other craft breweries in the South are currently fermenting lagers made with Riverbend malt and unique yeast strains from Bootleg Biology—  including ARL: The Southern Lager Yeast— to serve at this innovative beer showcase. “When it comes to Pilsner,” says Jeff Mello of Bootleg Biology, “The South has something to say. The lager movement is strong in our region, and it will be defined in the glass at this event.”  Look for Czech, German, and American styles reimagined with local ingredients!

Here is the current brewery list: 

BarrieHaus Beer Co. 

Barrique Brewing & Blending

The Brutalist in collaboration with King State Beer 

Cahaba Brewing Co.

Cellarest Beer Project 

Cherry Street Brewing

DSSOLVR

East Nashville Beer Works

Fait La Force Brewing collaboration with Our Mutual Friend

Fonta Flora Brewery

Fullsteam Brewery

Harding House Brewing Co. 

Inner Voice Brewing

Little Animals Brewery

New Anthem Beer Project 

Sceptre Brewing Arts

Soul and Spirits Brewery

TennFold Brewing

The Southern Lager Invitational will take place on Sunday, May 7 at Harding House Brewing Co. from 7 to 10pm. All CBC participants get free entry with proof of conference participation. This inaugural event is made possible by sponsors Boelter, who are providing custom glassware for all participants, and Dynamark. Bad Luck Burger Club will be slinging their famous smash burgers. Frothy Monkey Bakery will bring breads to taste made from spent Southern Lager grain. 

Media interested in attending and or covering the Southern Lager Invitational can contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com.

ABOUT BOOTLEG BIOLOGY

Bootleg Biology is a full-service yeast lab for professional brewers and homebrewers. 

From our location in Nashville, TN, we’ve earned a reputation for creative cultures that meet the rigorous demands of a brewery while still satisfying brewers’ goals to push the envelope.

From crispy lagers and juicy IPAs to complex mixed fermentations, Bootleg has a culture for every brew. All of our yeast is made fresh, ensuring optimal viability and keeping you on schedule.

Our lab offers a wide range of quality control testing to ensure your product meets your high standards, including PCR testing for common contaminants, IBU testing, selective media plating and more. 

ABOUT HARDING HOUSE BREWING CO.

Homebrewer-turned-brewmaster Nate Underwood brought his passion for local agriculture into his brewing style at Harding House Brewing Co. This brewery is named after the nickname given to a house he lived in on Harding Place here in Nashville, the place where the inspiration for the brewery originated. Co-owned by Matt Fung-A-Fat, Tyler Pate and Cameron Jones, Harding House strives to better the community in which it exists. This includes providing quality jobs and creating new agricultural economies. Harding House is committed to using the brewery as a place for the people of Nashville to gather and grow together. Learn more at hardinghousebrew.com. 

ABOUT RIVERBEND MALT HOUSE

Riverbend Malt House is on a quest to connect Southeastern family owned farms and fermenters. Co-Founders Brent Manning and Brian Simpson launched Riverbend, the first craft malt house east of the Mississippi River, in Asheville, North Carolina in 2010. Buoyed by a 70,000 square foot production facility and state of the art equipment, Riverbend Malt House helps breweries and distilleries large, small, and in-between stand out with flavor, locality, and community in an increasingly competitive landscape— all the while challenging the status quo of corporate, big-agriculture malt. Learn more at riverbendmalt.com.

The Ska Lager Joins Canned Craft Lager Lineup at Ska Brewing

DURANGO, CO— Ska Brewing is psyched to present the next lager in its year-round canned lineup: The Ska Lager will debut at the brewery World Headquarters on Thursday, March 9 and hit shelves next week. 

The Ska Lager came to fruition much like Ska Brewing’s OG craft Lager Mexican Logger circa 1999: the brewing team’s beer style of choice is clean, refreshing lager that can be sipped any time of year— or time of day. 

The 4.8% ABV Ska Lager is a no-nonsense, snappy, crisp, bright, easy-drinking lager with the gentlest floral aroma lent from its additions of Tettnang and Bravo hops. It’s a beer that makes you want another beer. 

The Ska Lager joins Ska’s decorated and well-known canned lager family that includes Mexican Logger and its dark, winter sister Mexican-Style Lager Dark, Rue B. Soho Grapefruit Lager, and Ska Oktoberfest.

Grab a can of The Ska Lager at its release party on Thursday, March 9 at Ska Brewing’s World Headquarters where Rob Webster will play live at 5pm. 

Media inquiring about Ska Brewing’s lager program and The Ska Lager can contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com. 

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.

Fall is Here and Winter is Coming: Ska Brewing 2022 Mexican Style Lager Dark and Euphoria Pale Ale Releases

DURANGO, CO— The leaves are turning and the beers at Ska Brewing are getting darker in color. It’s officially autumn in Southwest Colorado, marked by the release of Ska’s two cold month seasonals: Mexican Style Lager Dark and Euphoria Pale Ale. 

Mexican Style Lager Dark hit Ska’s World Headquarters in Durango last week and is now available across its United States distribution footprint. Ska first introduced this dark lager in cans in January of 2021 to round out the winter months with a dark variant of the famed summer seasonal Mexican Logger. It’s a smooth and slightly sweet beer that’s balanced with mild bitterness, subtle caramel flavors, and a touch of roast on the finish. Just as Mexican Logger has come to signify the coming of spring in Durango, Mexican Style Lager Dark joins Ska’s long-established Euphoria Pale Ale as a lantern leading to winter.

2022 marks Euphoria Pale Ale’s sixteenth year in a can. This winter ale’s story begins at Purgatory Ski Resort for which the recipe was originally crafted, and travels to Silverton, Colorado where the brewery teams up with Venture Snowboards to create a custom, Ska-themed snowboard each year.  The brewery will announce this season’s snowboard giveaway details on social media. 

Euphoria Pale Ale returns to Ska on Thursday, October 13 with a celebration to include live music by Chuck Hank beginning at 5pm. The beer will be released to all of Ska’s distribution markets this week as well. 

Contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com with media inquiries about Ska Brewing. 

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.

Station 26 Celebrates 303 Day With 303 Lager

DENVER, CO — 303 Lager, Station 26 Brewing Co.’s newest canned offering, is now on shelves across Colorado’s Front Range. This craft lager replaces the brewery’s Colorado Cream Ale in its Mixed Twelver and on shelves as the lightest member of Station 26’s canned family.

303 Lager is a crisp, golden lager designed for easy drinking. Brewed with 2-row and Munich malts and Saphir hops, the beer comes in at 5.0% ABV.

The building, the beer, and the overall concept at Station 26 are deeply rooted in the local community. With 303 Lager, the brewery has set out to brew a beer that is as easy-going as its home town. Station 26 will accordingly celebrate 303 Day with a weekend of 303 Lager tappings around Denver, including the following:

Friday, March 1: Enjoy happy hour deals on 303 Lager at various establishments across Denver, including Cheba Hut, Lowry Beer Garden, Mead Street Station, and more. There is a complete list at station26brewing.co.

Saturday, March 2: 303 Lager Bar Crawl. Join Station 26 representatives from 2:00  to 6:30pm on Saturday for a 303 Lager crawl around five iconic Denver establishments: Freshcraft, Falling Rock Tap House, Cherry Cricket Downtown, Larimer Beer Hall, and Star Bar. Drink one at each stop on the punch card, and receive a box full of special Station 26 swag at the final destination.

Sunday, March 3: Happy 303 Day! 303 Lager will be $3.03 per pint at the Station 26 tasting room.

For more background on 303 Lager or with any questions about Station 26 Brewing Co., 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.