Round-up of local beer news:
(Note: The Alltech News & Brews event that we originally reported about on this post has been canceled due to the weather. We will update with any news about it's rescheduling as we get that information!)
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-West Sixth Brewing recently announced the first beer in its new "West Sixth Seasonal Series:" the Belgian Blonde. As its name suggests, this beer is light in color, but “deep in flavor and aroma with hints of spiciness.” Boasting a new can design created by local designers Cricket Press, which is meant to evoke the rolling spring hills of Kentucky, the yeast-heavy Belgian Blonde is also an exciting departure in flavor from the hop-heavy and malt-heavy beers typically produced by West Sixth. The beer will be available in kegs and cans at West Sixth and its distributors starting March 1. The local brewing company also recently raised almost $15,000 for local non-profit GreenHouse17 as part of their Pay It Forward Cocoa Porter program. You can nominate other beneficiaries and find out more about the program at http://www.westsixth.com/pif.
-Blue Stallion Brewing will release their Marzen on St. Patrick's Day. They also have a beer in barrels collaboration in the works with Beer Engine, a brewery in Danville, KY. The release date is still unknown, but expect a sour, delicious brew. On March 5, Blue Stallion will present a “tap-takeover” at their Third Street location featuring Brooklyn Brewery and several of their hard-to-get beers on tap.
Blue Stallion recently began Mission Monday events, donating 10 per cent of sales to local non-profits each Monday; organizers say they are “always open to getting new non-profits on the list for future Mission Mondays.” Their Test Batch Tuesdays program continues, with a new beer to try each week, highlighting several experimental fruits, spices, hop varieties and yeast strains. The fun continues on Wednesday nights, when the brewery features local musicians at no cover charge. The upcoming lineup, with artists such as Lee Carroll’s Home Cooking on February 18 and Restless Leg String Band on February 25, can be accessed at: http://bluestallionbrewing.com/.
-Located on the site of the Old Pepper Distillery, Lexington’s newest brewery Ethereal Brewing, which has a strong focus on Belgian-style brews, has two new offerings available in their tap room: an ESB and a Hoppy Saison. The ESB is a moderately bitter and “dangerously easy beer to drink,” with notes of toffee and raisins, a faint nuttiness and a dry finish. The Hoppy Saison is a hybrid style, complex beer, featuring the dryness of a Belgian Saison strain along with the hoppiness of an IPA. “We change it up with the use of English Challender and French Aramis hops, which are added several times in the boil and dry hopped in the fermenter,” says Head Brewer Brandon Floan. The company is also working on several beers, including sour ales and a 100% Brettanomyces Pale Ale. Additionally, they have discovered a strain of Lactobacillus souring bacteria that is said to be hetero-fermentive [producing both acid and alcohol] and hop resistant, which puts out some “incredibly fruity flavors.” They are currently concocting trial batches. For Ethereal’s full beer menu visit: http://www.etherealbrew.com/.