Written By: Alex Taylor
Edited By: Isis Jones
NEW BREWS NEWS
Atlas “Double Dance of Days”
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.5%
Notes: This double IPA packs a hoppy punch. Dank pineapple and mango aromas overtake the nose before a sip is taken. On the first drink, mild bitterness gives way to a tropical fruit sweetness. There is a slight heat indicative of its 8.5% ABV. This hop nectar leaves fruity flavors lingering on the palate after the beer departs. A bigger, badder beer to lead us into the haze of another DC summer.
(picture shown is original Dance of Dance)
SPRING/SUMMER SEASONALS
atlas
Atlas “Coffee Common”
Style: California Common
ABV: 5.1%
Notes: Atlas takes their classic recreation of the westward inspired California Common, and tweaks it with DC native roasters, Compass Coffee, who tend to frequent Atlas’ tap room. Compass Coffee takes pride in their art and is dedicated to making real good coffee. Nothing fancy, nothing too crazy or hard to pronounce, just really good. The combination of the slight acrid addition bounces off the chewy, well-balanced, pale lager character, aiding the fruity ale notes. Truly, an uncommon Common.
Atlas “Home Rule Happy Pils”
Style: German Pilsner
ABV: 5.8%
Notes: Home Rule gives Atlas’ brewers the chance to show off their hops. This pilsner features a brewers’ choice rotating hop to compliment the backbone of lemon lime notes from New Zealand Waimea hops. 2018 brings Azacca to the party, giving their Happy Pils sustained impressions of citrus and very ripe mango, with notes of orchard fruit and pine throughout. These exotic hop aromas are balanced by a slight bitterness that will have you reaching for sip after sip.
Bell's
Bell’s “Oberon Ale”
Style: American Wheat Ale
ABV: 5.8%
Notes: Culture, tradition, passion, and consistency has organically grown Bell’s Oberon to be the third largest summer seasonal in the country. Being that Bell’s is only sold in 30 states, having the title as “third largest summer seasonal” speaks loudly when it comes to volume. This wheat ale is fermented with Bell’s signature house ale yeast, mixing a spicy hop character with mild, fruity aromas. The addition of wheat malt lends a smooth mouthfeel, making it a classic summer offering. Made with only 4 ingredients, and without the use of any spice or fruit, Oberon is an iconic choice for good times ahead.
Boulevard
Boulevard “Rye on Rye”
Style: American Strong Ale
ABV: 12%
Notes: Why Rye? This assertively flavorful grain is more often associated with whiskey than with ales. Even in that arena, it has largely been eclipsed by corn and barley, the sources of bourbon and scotch. But, when Boulevard produced some seasoned barrels from their friends at Templeton Rye, they asked themselves, “Why not?” Why not brew a rich, tawny rye ale, then mellow it in the warmth of charred oak rye whiskey casks? Two kinds of malted rye provide spicy sweetness, giving way to notes of vanilla, charred oak and the citrusy tang of Citra and Styrian Golding hops before easing into a dry, lingering finish.
Boulevard “Ginger Lemon Radler”
Style: Radler
ABV: 4.1%
Notes: Ginger Lemon Radler is a zesty, refreshing take on the tradition of mixing beer with soda or lemonade to create a light, thirst-quenching beverage ideal for warm weather. Radler (literally “cyclist,”) takes its name from active German sportsmen of a hundred years ago, but Boulevard’s version tastes just as good even if you do nothing more strenuous than lifting it your lips.
Boulevard “Hibiscus Gose”
Style: Gose
ABV: 4.2%
Notes: Boulevard’s version of an unusual, yet resurgent, beer style. It pays tribute to the pleasantly sour, slightly salty wheat beers that originated in Goslar and became popular in Leipzig, Germany around the late 1800’s. A great introductory sour beer, Hibiscus Gose receives coriander and sea salt during boiling, then they steep dried hibiscus flowers at the end to create a vibrant pink hue. The result is a tangy, sweet and sour ale with a refreshing citrus character.
Charm City Meadworks
Charm City Meadworks “Mango Comapeño”
Style: Spiced Fruit Mead
ABV: 6.9%
Notes: Everyone tends to dial it down for their summer seasonal release, whereas Charm City kicks it up a notch with this not too spicy, not too sweet, hot weather treat. In case you were wondering, comapeño is a pepper that’s in the same family as a jalapeño, just less spicy. Personally, I can’t get enough of this stuff. I love the perfect balance of these two unique flavors. Take my word for it, crack one open, good luck drinking just one.
Flying Dog
Flying Dog “Mimosa Beer”
Style: Fruit Beer
ABV: 5.2%
Notes: Brunch. For some, it’s an occasional weekend get together. For others, it’s the socially acceptable excuse for day drinking. We’ve all been there, we accept the brunch we think we deserve. As for Cooper, Flying Dog’s quality manager, and Drew, their brewing team supervisor, it’s a competitive sport. And in order to brunch the best, they pitched the ultimate beer for their breakfast/lunch hybrid needs. Fermented with a champagne yeast and zested with Citra hops, you’ll find this beer rather fitting for the occasion. So, brunch the pain away, get champagne in the membrane, it’s time for mimosas, bitches.
Flying Dog “Tropical Bitch – Orange & Pineapple”
Style: Belgian IPA
ABV: 8%
Notes: For years, she’s gone walking. When she passes, she lures you in. And time after glorious time, she never disappoints. Tall and tan and young and lovely. You smile. With a swing so cool and a sway so gentle, you’ll give your heart gladly. Bright pineapple with a pop of bubblegum. Peppery phenolics quickly dominated by bold orange citrus. This year’s Tropical Bitch, an annual twist on Raging Bitch, is brewed with pineapple and orange. The only thing not included is sand in places you never thought possible. How can you tell her you love her? Throw her on the shelf next to her former self, or put her on draft as an extended seasonal. After all, she is the queen of all bitches, respectable yet frightening.
Flying Dog “Summer Rental”
Style: Radler
ABV: 4.5%
Notes: Summer Rental is the sixth beer to graduate from Brewhouse Rarity to standard release in their seasonal portfolio. Radler, German for cyclist, was born of necessity. In the roaring ‘20s when biking and drinking was all the rage, an entrepreneurial innkeeper built a trail from nearby Munich to his establishment. One fine day, he found himself with more bikers than beer, roughly 13,000 to be exact. To keep his customers happy and with a beer in hand, he stretched out his supply by making a 50/50 mix of beer and lemon soda. Flying Dog opted for a light lager brewed with grapefruit and passionfruit to create this refreshing, very low ABV offering. Slightly sweet and slightly tart with a crisp dry finish, this beer is a perfect starting point for any holdouts who have been waiting for the right beverage to get them into craft beer. Consider this Summer Rental’s RSVP to every pool party, cookout, family reunion, fireworks display, baseball game, boat trip, crab feast, and game of beach blanket bingo you’re hosting this summer. And don’t forget to save room in the rooftop cargo carrier for a couple cases before you hit the road to your summer vacation destination. (Jimmy Buffet anthology sold separately)
Heavy Seas
Heavy Seas “Smooth Sail Summer Ale”
Style: American Wheat Ale
ABV: 4.5%
Notes: This is not your average summer ale. Heavy Seas created the most refreshingly delicious American wheat ale. Brewed with lemon and orange peel, Smooth Sail finishes with a citrus kick. Clocking in at an approachable 4.5% ABV, you’ll have your new favorite pool beer. Available on draft and cans only, it’s the perfect beer for trips to the park, hiking, or just sitting on the beach with your friends. Kick back, relax, and enjoy…a light breeze will take you to your happy place.
Heavy Seas/Right Proper “Partner Ships – Café Au Lait Stout”
Style: Sweet Stout
ABV: 5%
Notes: This Café Au Lait Vanilla Malted Oat Stout – brewed with velvety malted oats, milk sugar, locally roasted coffee from Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company, and a touch of vanilla bean, is a sumptuous, earthy, mysterious, and decadent brew that promises to intrigue. In a world of thick, chewy, cloying and overly boozy stouts, these guys present to you, a true anti-imperial stout.
Jailbreak
Jailbreak “Chairy”
Style: Cream Ale
ABV: 5.9%
Notes: This luscious, dreamboat of a cream ale was brewed with judicious amounts of vanilla and nearly 500 lbs. of tart red cherry puree. Unsurprisingly, the resulting beer leaves behind a sweet, creamy mouthfeel (oats and lactose certainly don’t hurt in that department) that is balanced by subtle tartness from the cherry. Suffice it to say that “Chairy” is indeed cherry pie in a glass. Heh heh (Pee-Wee Herman voice).
Jailbreak “Funk Sway Key Lime Berliner Weisse”
Style: Berliner Weisse
ABV: 4%
Notes: Intensely pleasant key lime aromatics are punctuated by firm tartness, with a large supporting role from hefty proportions of malted wheat. Funk Sway is approachable to those perhaps unfamiliar with traditional Berliner Weissbiers, but its appeal to sour beer lovers is thoroughly undeniable.
monument city
Monument City “Crooked Window”
Style: Dubbel
ABV: 8.5%
Notes: Our friends from around the corner have been making some waves as of late in the local craft beer community. Their liquid is textbook in execution and honestly, I’ll put it up against some of the other local “hype” breweries out in the market. Crooked Window is Monument City’s rendition of the Belgian-style Dubbel, a style known commonly around the Baltimore area for the last 20 some years. Their version is heavily malt forward with flavors of dark fruit throughout, ending with a semi-sweet, banana-like phenolic finish.
port city
Port City “Lager Series: Schwarzbier”
Style: Schwarzbier
ABV: 4.9%
Notes: Schwarzbier is drier and darker than Munich’s dunkel or dark lager, the schwarzbier (black beer) deftly marries a bitterness-free, dark coffee roastiness with a light, clean lager body, making it perfect for the change of seasons.
Stone
Stone/NOFX “Punk In Drublic Hoppy Lager”
Style: American Pale Lager
ABV: 5.8%
Notes: When Fat Mike of NOFX told us he was interested in brewing a beer, the first thing Stone said was, “Why are you calling us at 3am and how did you get our number?” Turns out he was serious (for once) and after completely ignoring the advice of Stone’s legal team, they figured they would give it a shot. The result is Stone & NOFX Punk In Drublic Hoppy Lager. Which, against all odds, is really fucking good. This is no light, tasteless beer for drinking on the beach. They’re still Stone. And punk is not dead yet. This is a hopped-up, bold, flavorful lager that the authority figures in your life are sure to hate. So, crack one open and revel in this self-entitled beer.
Stone “Totalitarian Imperial Russian Stout”
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
ABV: 10.6%
Notes: Built from the backbone of Stone’s classic Imperial Russian Stout, Stone Totalitarian Imperial Russian Stout certainly celebrates the hallmarks of the style – it pours jet black with a fluffy chocolate head and tastes of deeply dark fruit flavors with rich chocolate and coffee undertones. Yet, however old world in nature, this particular rendition of an IRS is flavored with new world hops, intensifying its berry flavors and aroma while subtly introducing a juicy melon undertone. The result is a spectacularly sinful delight. Don’t say Stone didn’t warn you, comrade.
Terrapin
Terrapin “Beyond the Galaxy Single Hopped IPA”
Style: American IPA
ABV: 6.3%
Notes: This single-hopped IPA is brewed with an astronomical amount of Galaxy hops for stellar flavor and an aroma of candied pineapple and tropical fruit. Beyond the Galaxy is deep gold in color with a soft, juicy bitterness that will take you on a voyage where no mash has gone before.
Terrapin “T-Time Berliner Weisse”
Style: Berliner Weissbier
ABV: 4%
Notes: T-Time Berliner Weisse is an unfiltered, unpasteurized wheat ale made with fresh tea and lemon peel to replica the super popular golf course refresher, the Arnold Palmer. This easy-to-drink spring/summer quencher will get you back into the swing of things both on and off the course.
yards
Yards “Saison”
Style: Saison
ABV: 6.5%
Notes: Saisons were originally brewed to keep farmhands happy and hydrated during the warm summer months. First introduced in 1996, Yards Saison is a summer wheat ale and is brewed with Belgian yeast, malted wheat, and Styrian Goldings, which lend a touch of hoppiness to the palate. This refreshing blonde-colored ale is characterized by delicate notes of banana, clove, and subtle spice.
Atlas “Blood Orange Gose”
Style: Gose
ABV: 4.4%
Notes: Light bodied and effervescent, slightly sour with a touch of saline, and sweet orange aromas up front followed by faint notes of berry. Atlas’ Blood Orange Gose makes for a beautifully refreshing summer beer. Just enough sourness to quench your thirst on a DC hot summer day. The salinity will keep you coming back for more while the low ABV makes sure you don’t regret it in the morning.
Bell’s “Pooltime Ale”
Style: Witbier
ABV: 5.2%
Notes: Bell’s Pooltime Ale is a refreshing Belgian-inspired wheat ale with subtle clove notes (similar base to their Winter White). The truly distinguishing feature is the use of 100% Montmorency tart cherries grown in the Traverse City region of Michigan. These cherries add a subtle tartness and a bright counterpoint to the other flavors, enhancing Pooltime’s fruity character and making it the perfect beer for all summer festivities.
Boulevard/Zipline “Linkin’ Up”
Style: American IPA
ABV: 6.2%
Notes: A project born of mutual respect and admiration for each other’s breweries, beers and people, this “Hop Dust IPA” was one of two beers born from a unique collaboration with Zipline Brewing Co. in Lincoln, Nebraska. A liberal dollop of lupulin powder (aka hop dust) and a medley of Boulevard’s favorite hop varietals deliver bright, juict notes of pineapple, mango and bubble gum. Toasty malt plays a restrained supporting role as hop flavors and aromas burst from the glass, singing from center stage.
Boulevard “Saison Brett”
Style: American Wild Ale
ABV: 8.5%
Notes: Saison Brett, based on Boulevard’s very popular Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale, is assertively dry-hopped, then bottle conditioned with various yeasts, including Brettanomyces, the wild strain that imparts a distinctive earthy quality. Though this version of a farmhouse ale was given three months of bottle age prior to release, further cellaring will continue to enhance the “Brett” character, if that’s what you’re after.
the Brewer's Art
Brewer’s Art “Spoke’d”
Style: American Pale Ale
ABV: 5%
Notes: The Brewer’s Art is often visited by cyclists as a pit stop in Mt. Vernon. The brewery’s intention was to make a beer to quench their thirst while offering the public something different from their European rooted normality’s. A base of an American Pale Ale is heavily dry-hopped for added tropical-like aromatics. This is without question Brewer’s Art’s hoppiest beer, that said, it’s still tame on the IBU chart, and incredibly approachable for all beer drinkers, making it very suitable for our transitioning weather.
DuClaw
DuClaw “Gose O’s”
Style: Gose
ABV: 5.5%
Notes: Sour season is open. This gose is brewed with cantaloupe and black lava sea salt for a light, refreshing mix of sweet and salty flavors. The choice of orange and black ingredients is no coincidence, where DuClaw comes from, these are the colors of summer. Step up to the plate and swing away!
Flying Dog “Dead Rise Old Bay Summer Ale”
Style: Spiced Beer
ABV: 5.6%
Notes: There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and that light is knowing that Dead Rise returns today. That euphoric feeling is natural. Let is wash over you. I can wait. It also feels good to know that Flying Dog put the world’s first and only Old Bay Summer Ale in a can. After that they jumped into boxes twelve-at-a-time, creating the perfect briefcase for your summer office…if your office is located on a beach, a boat, a hammock, or a newspaper-lined picnic table. This beer was brewed to highlight the indelible character of Old Bay through bright and refreshing citrus hop notes and a crisp tart finish. The brewers at Flying Dog worked their asses off to create the perfect spiced balance and ultimately a craft beer that quickly earned its spot alongside the iconic yellow, blue, and red tin. One last thing about this year’s Dead Rise; the new packaging looks good as shit.
Flying Dog “Guava Juice IPA”
Style: American IPA
ABV: 6.8%
Notes: Kyle from Flying Dog is a numbers guy. He spends his days crunching, analyzing, and forecasting to the point where spreadsheet has become a verb. If anyone needs a beer at the end of the day, it’s this guy. His Rarities pitch had the data to back it up, but what got Flying Dog’s brew team excited is the combination of juicy citrus hops and tropical guava juice. Spreadsheet responsibly.
Flying Dog “Saw Bones Ginger Table Beer”
Style: Spiced Beer
ABV: 4.7%
Notes: During the height of the Civil War, Flying Dog’s hometown of Frederick was given the nickname “One Vast Hospital”. With Maryland smack dab in the middle of the Union and Confederacy, patients often outnumbered residents. To this day, if you stand on a quiet street after sunset, you can still hear them singing “Hard Tack Come Again No More”. Despite pioneering a good bit of modern medicine, doctors were dubbed “saw bones”. While the literal sometimes occurred for those on the wrong end of a musket, Saw Bones were also revered for hand-made elixirs in which the cure-all nature of both ginger and lemon were common. To pay homage to the hard-working people on Mercy Street, Flying Dog enlisted the National Museum of Civil War Medicine to bring you a new Saw Bones in the form of a Belgian-style table beer with ginger and lemon. Crisp and clean on the palette with bold citrus, spice and malt character, it’s just what the doctor ordered.
Heavy Seas “Blackbeard’s Breakfast Barrel-Aged Imperial Coffee Porter”
Style: Imperial Porter
ABV: 10%
Notes: Blackbeard’s Breakfast has risen to be one of the highest rated beers in the state due to this Imperial Porter’s immense complexity. Aged in bourbon barrels and brewed with Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company’s Dark Sumatra coffee, this brew features unique English malts which yield a lush bouquet of caramel and roasted nutty grain. Exquisite whiskey notes are harmoniously paired with the sumptuous coffee flavors, putting this beer in high-demand for any true craft beer fanatic.
Hofbräu
Hofbräu “Maibock”
Style: Maibock
ABV: 7.2%
Notes: By tradition, the first barrel of Maibock is tapped at the Hofbräuhaus in the last week of April, in time for the long-awaited warm month of May. The success story of Munich’s oldest bock beer goes back as far as 1614. This Maibock bestows a powerfully aromatic flavor of bready sweetness, caramel, green apple, and crisp noble hops. The release of this beer is a highly celebrated event in Germany, and marks one of the high points in the true-hearted beer lover’s calendar.
Jailbreak “The 19th Tea”
Style: Amber Ale
ABV: 6.1%
Notes: This beer is Jailbreak’s re-creation of the classic Arnold Palmer beverage: a light amber ale brewed with black tea and finished with lemon juice and even more black tea. Mild caramel malt aroma with notes of iced tea and lemon that carry into the flavor. A light medium body with a crisp drying finish. The perfect re-creation for your recreation.
Monument City “Pagoda Pale Ale”
Style: American Pale Ale
ABV: 5.5%
Notes: After popular demand, Pagoda Pale Ale makes a comeback after its initial launch earlier in the year. In fact, we’ll be getting small drops throughout the course of the summer, as they gradually phase out this extended seasonal early fall. Monument City took the craze of the hazy IPA category and incorporated the concept into the base of an American Pale Ale, exclusively hopped with Cascade. Light and vibrant in color, this brew is double dry-hopped giving it an abundance of floral, spicy and citrusy character.
Port City “Ideaal Tripel”
Style: Tripel
ABV: 8.5%
Notes: From the Flemish term meaning “quintessential or exemplary”, Ideaal is a classic Belgian-style tripel. Honey gold with a thick cap of mousse-like foam, Ideaal Tripel’s deceptively dry body provides a perfect playground for spicy Belgian yeast character, marrying complexity and approachability.
Stone “Idolatrous IPA”
Style: American IPA
ABV: 7%
Notes: Stone Idolatrous IPA represents the elevated state of reverence that Stone extols for the venerable and almighty hop. El Dorado and Mosaic hops have been anointed to bestow their divine qualities on this sacred brew. This limited release is part of Stone’s Hop Worship Seasonal IPA Series…Glory be to those who imbibe it in its freshest form…and faithfully worship thy hop in the beauty of blissful bitterness.
Stone “///FEAR.MOVIE.LIONS Double IPA”
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.5%
Notes: New England-style IPAs are all the rage. Fans of Stone repeatedly ask for their take on the style, which can be met with some criticism. Rooted in West Coast-style IPAs for decades, how would Stone do it? Fear no more. Their brewers took the approach to deliver incredibly hoppy and aromatic flavor while keeping it very balanced, and upping the alcohol unnoticeably – nailing this astounding one of a kind creation. Overall, this unfiltered double IPA is juiced up with massive tropical and citrus notes. The mild bitterness and relatively dry body compliment the style, and the residual maltiness nicely rounds it out. Lingering lime peel and tropical fruit derived from the hops stand out on the finish, begging one to seek out more. What three words pinpoint where this indelible beast was born? The location is printed on the can.
Terrapin “Cumulus Lupulus Imperial IPA”
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.1%
Notes: This Imperial IPA is unfiltered to showcase its translucent beauty. Brewed with over four pounds of hops per barrel for a luscious tropical hop flavor and aroma, Cumulus Lupulus is about as juicy as it gets when it comes to the style. Clocking in at 101 IBU, this hazy and resinous brew will keep your heads in the clouds.
Terrapin “Watermelon Gose”
Style: Gose
ABV: 4.3%
Notes: Goses are hot right now. An almost forgotten style of beer has been resurrected by American breweries over the last few years, especially this year. Terrapin’s first approach at a gose, this beer is kettle soured with Lactobacillus for a tart, but refreshing brew. Watermelon aroma and flavor is complimented with a distinct lactic tartness and saltiness that is true to style. The combo of sharp sea salt and refreshing watermelon dances on the palate with each sip, creating the ultimate alternative summer beverage.
Yards “Sons of Ben”
Style: Belgian Pale Ale
ABV: 5%
Notes: Sons of Ben Rowdy Ale is characterized by subtle, yet distinct Belgian yeast, 100% pale malt and floral, American hops. Cascade in the hopback and dry-hopped Amarillo and Cascade lends spirited notes of orange and grapefruit. Approachable and easy to drink, this beer is brewed with a whole lot of hometown pride and is perfect for pre-, in-, or post-game.
COMING SOON
- Bell’s The Oracle Double IPA
- Flying Dog Alpha Initiative #3
- Flying Dog Lemon Lime Pilsner
- Stone w00t Stout
- Terrapin Touch of Grisette
If you are an account, note that everything listed above is subject to sale in specific territories. Refer to our Territory Map to see what brands are available for us to sell to you