Stone Brewing Co. out of Escondido, California has announced the release of a new anniversary beer for its 22nd birthday.

The beer, called Anti-Matter Double IPA, marks the first time that a beer brewed for the Stone Spotlight Series (annual competition that pits Stone’s brewers against one another in friendly rivalry) has been put into production.

Anti-Matter is a double IPA that does not enhance its juicy and tropical elements with haze, instead focusing on a crystal clear appearance to get its lush flavors across.

The full release from Stone Brewing Co. regarding the beer is below.

Birdsong Brewing Co. out of Charlotte, North Carolina has announced the release of a new Berliner Weisse brewed with Basil.

Be Easy, a fitting life motto as well as the name of the brew, is a lightly sour and low-ABV brew that clocks in at 3.5 percent ABV with a paltry 8 IBUs, making it an easy-drinking summer quencher.

The full release from Birdsong is below.

BE EASY
Berliner Weisse infused with Basil
ABV: 3.5%  |  IBU: 8

Did you miss Saturday's release of "Be Easy" Berliner Weisse? Shame on you! It was a big hit over the weekend and added some oomph to our lineup. Fans of sours will like it for its slight tartness and people interested in trying tarter beers will love it for its approachability. It's light, refreshing and 100% delicious. 

Another thing we like about this brew is that it's so dang easy to infuse. It's more or less a blank slate for flavorful additives, so we thought we'd try one this week for THURSty THURSday. We've had fresh basil on our minds for a hot minute so, needless to say, the herb is the word. With the herb's bright aromatics and flavor, we're excited for that energizing burst of sweet basil flavor with a hint of sharpness. Try it and let us know what you think! 

We spoke with Alesong Brewing and Blending Founder and Cellar Master Brian Coombs about Pêche.

BC: Who came up with this beer’s recipe?
Our "recipes" evolve throughout the entire process of making any of our beers, so it is very much a team effort. Matt Van Wyk heads up our hot side development and production, but once the beer hits the cellar we make decisions based on sensory evaluation of the maturing beer. To make this beer we started by working with a farmer to select the variety of peaches we liked, in this case Veteran peaches. Then we head back to the barrel cellar and taste through our barrels and come up with a blend that we think will showcase the fruit the best. We let the resulting blend re-ferment on the fruit until we taste the beer again to determine if we want to add in any other barrels to complete the beer.

BC: What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)?
I love the ripe peach aroma in this beer. This beer was ready to be released in the middle of winter when I was craving fresh fruit the most! 

We spoke with Alesong Brewing and Blending Founder and Cellar Master Brian Coombs about Touch of Brett Mandarina.

BC: Who came up with this beer’s recipe?
Our "recipes" evolve throughout the entire process of making any of our beers, so it is very much a team effort. Matt Van Wyk heads up our hot side development and production, but once the beer hits the cellar, we make decisions based on sensory evaluation of the maturing beer. This beer, for example, was tasted after primary fermentation by our team to determine which barrels it should go into - fresh oak or neutral oak, barrels with healthy acid cultures or more Brett-focused barrels, etc.. Then, at blending time, we taste through our entire cellar to come up with a blend that works together and creates the flavor profiles we want. For the Touch of Brett series (100% Brett-fermented saisons, aged in oak and dry-hopped) we then take the final blend and head to the hop cooler and we choose a hop variety that will play well with (but not overpower) the subtle aromas and flavors from long maturation. 

BC: What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)?
I love how approachable this beer is. While it is a barrel-matured Brett beer, it appeals to almost all drinkers. I also love the hop character in this beer. We hardly make hop-forward beers so this satisfies my hop fix! 

We spoke with Helio Basin Brewing Co. Co-Founder and Head Brewer Dustin Hazer about Fayuca Rizing.

BC: What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)? 
The aroma is bright and clean with grapefruit and melon notes as well as a subtle hint of pine and spice. The initial flavor shows a soft caramel sweetness up front with a smooth transition to a pleasant citrus bitterness on the back end and finishes cleanly. It is a diverse beer in the sense that it has components of both a Pale Ale and also an IPA, so you get these complex yet familiar flavors and aroma with a lighter body.

BC: Where does this beer’s name come from? 
This beer is brewed in collaboration with, and specifically for, Phoenix, Arizona-based band, Fayuca. The name is a tribute to the band, as they rise above and beyond solely making music. They wanted to offer essentially another experience for their fans and thought that a craft beer was the way to do it!

BC: Is this your “desert island beer?”
Being that we live in Phoenix, pretty much every beer we brew can classify as a desert island beer!

BC: Can you describe this beer in 10 words or less? 
Bright, citrusy and bold while still being quite crushable.

We spoke with Helio Basin Brewing Co. Co-Founder and Head Brewer Dustin Hazer about 602 Brew.

BC: Who came up with this beer’s recipe? 
I did!

BC: What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)?
This beer can be enjoyed anytime of the year given the versatility of its flavor profile, making it a perfect complement to many dishes. It is a beer that is easy to drink yet subtly complex enough to appease a wide range of drinkers. The summers in Arizona get pretty hot so nothing beats an ice-cold 602 Brew on a 115-degree day in the desert.

We spoke with Brasserie de Bastogne Head Brewer and Director Philippe Minne about Bastogne Ardenne Saison.

BC: Who came up with this beer’s recipe?
I decided to create my own Saison with a mixed-fermentation process. Creation and experimentation within new brewing processes are important to me. To cultivate and develop our own wild yeast was an exciting challenge .

BC: What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)?
The dryness and wild aromas of this Ardenne Saison are what I enjoy the most about this beer.

BC: Where does this beer’s name come from?
This is our version of a seasonal beer, we tried to imagine how a historical Saison would taste. In the past, any seasonal beers were wild and based on naturally occurring cultures in farmhouses.

BC: Is this your “desert island beer?” 
This would make and excellent desert island beer indeed. The use of Brettanomyces means that Ardenne Saison is a real “bière vivante,” living beer, with an enjoyable and evolving flavor.

BC: Can you describe this beer in 10 words or less?
Perfectly refreshing beer -- light acidity balanced by wild yeast aromas.

We spoke with Upslope Brewing Co. Head Brewer Sam Scruby about Upslope Brown Ale.

BC: Who came up with this beer’s recipe?
Our taproom manager spent a lot of time homebrewing back in the early days of Upslope, and he was inspired to brew a hoppier Brown Ale after drinking Dogfish Head's Indian Brown Ale. I believe his first batch had IBU calculation issues, creating "The Bitter Brown Ale" - which was unanimously panned by our brewing and packaging staff at the time. Undeterred, Chad continued to hone in the recipe until it was brought into our core lineup. It's become our most awarded beer -- never give up! 

BC: What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)? 
I personally love the different layers of flavor, which become more pronounced when it is paired with food. Coffee, toffee, biscuit, wood, creme brulee and hints of citrus are all present in this beer. It sometimes takes a nibble of cheese or spoonful of chocolate cake to completely appreciate all the flavors.

BC: Is this your “desert island beer?”
While I do love this beer, it occupies a much more seasonal role in my drinking rotation. Maybe a deserted snowy island? 

BC: Can you describe this beer in 10 words or less?
Chocolate Coffee Smooth Operator.

We spoke with Upslope Brewing Co. Head Brewer Sam Scruby about Upslope Citra Pale Ale.

BC: Who came up with this beer’s recipe?
We brewed a GABF Pro-Am beer with homebrewer John Primozic in 2014 that was a Citra Pale Ale/IPA. It was a big hit in the taproom and we made continuous tweaks to the recipe until we settled on the final version - featuring a more approachable ABV and slightly higher hopping rate. We have a very collaborative recipe development process at Upslope, I can't point to one person who wrote the recipe. 

BC: What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)?
The balance between malt and hops. I love that the slightly toasty malt flavor plays so well with the big apricot and grapefruit hop notes imparted by Citra. It creates a perfectly approachable but continuously interesting Pale Ale for me. 

BC: Where does this beer’s name come from?
Per the Upslope Naming Accords of 2008, we try to name our beers as close to the style category as possible. Simple is beautiful, especially in today's market. 

BC: Can you describe this beer in 10 words or less?
Snazzy Apricot Repeater.