Bombay Sapphire Gin has announced a collaboration with artist Hebru Brantley on its first-ever Artist Designed bottle. Full details from the company are below.

Hamilton, Bermuda – Bombay Sapphire, the world’s number one premium gin by volume and value, announces its collaboration with contemporary Chicago artist Hebru Brantley to launch its first-ever artist-designed bottle in North America. As an extension of Stir Creativity, the global platform from Bombay Sapphire, the new Hebru Brantley Limited Edition bottle embodies the brand’s mission to inspire and awaken creative potential within everyone. The launch of the Hebru Brantley Limited Edition will benefit the Chicago chapter of Black Lives Matter.

Harbor Hemp Co. in Coventry, Connecticut has announced the release of a non-alcoholic CBD-infused seltzer. Full details on this release are below.

COVENTRY, Conn.— Glen and David Boggini of Harbor Hemp Company today announced the addition of Calm Seas Seltzer to their burgeoning line of CBD products. The non-alcoholic black cherry seltzer contains 26mg per 16 ounce can and retails for $16 per four pack.

The Calm Seas CBD-infused seltzer was developed in Harbor Hemp Company’s Connecticut headquarters, which is one of Connecticut’s first licensed CBD manufacturing facilities with Current Good Manufacturing (cGMP) certification. It’s made with a proprietary water-soluble CBD nanoemulsion, leveraging 80 years of family business experience to yield the highest quality non-alcoholic seltzer on the market.

“Our customers have been requesting a non-alcoholic CBD-infused seltzer and we were ready to answer that call with a great tasting beverage with 26 mg of CBD per can.” said Glen, co-owner of Harbor Hemp Company. His brother David added, “Leveraging our experiences with beverages, our grandfather taught us to always source the best ingredients and that’s why we only use hemp that is US grown, non-GMO and pesticide free”

Welcome to the Summer 2020, Issue 49 of The Beer Connoisseur!

We’ve collected all the brew that fit’s to drink in this, our 49th installment of the magazine, and we have something for everything in this summertime special.

Beer has long been a popular drink, but just how long have some breweries existed? Jessie O’Brien answers that interesting question in The Oldest Breweries in the World.

COVID-19 remains the single biggest story on the minds of everyone around the world, so we had Dean Brightman, in his BC debut, check in on three California breweries of differing sizes to see how each of them has responded to this historic pandemic.

Kombucha is another category of beverages that has gained immense popularity over the past few years. But what actually is it? Seth Levy dishes on the varieties and recent history of this fermented beverage.

In another BC first, Marty Nachel, writer of Beer for Dummies, chimes in with an education story about the six-sided Brewer’s Star, which was once the universally recognized symbol of brewers worldwide. Why is it no longer the omnipresent symbol of beerdom? Marty has the answers!

There once was a bumper sticker that read, “New Jersey and you – perfect together!” That line still holds true today. New Jersey is a state with a smorgasbord of points of interest for people of all ages. New Jersey’s famed highlights include the boardwalks of Point Pleasant Beach and Seaside Heights, Lucy The Elephant in Margate, the casinos of Atlantic City, Salt Water Taffy, the legend of the Jersey Devil, Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, and Sandy Hook, home to Gunnison Beach – the largest clothing-optional beach in the northeastern United States. Let it be known that in the Garden State, craft beer has rapidly grown in popularity. Like the foam rising, New Jersey’s craft breweries have become prime destinations. Fact: New Jersey is a highly sophisticated state, with a Garden-ful of choices to appreciate.

Gluten-free beers have become increasingly popular, and fortunately, even more readily available in recent years. While more people are seeking out beer without gluten and more breweries are satisfying demand, there is still some confusion around this relatively new drink to the market.

There are many reasons why people would want gluten-free beers. One in 100 people worldwide has celiac disease, an autoimmune disease that leads to damage in the small intestine when gluten is ingested. People also have gluten sensitivities or intolerances. Others simply feel better without gluten.

How is Gluten Free Beer Made

When it comes to beer, there are three categories to consider. Dedicated gluten-free beer is made with gluten-free ingredients (such as millet, chestnuts and buckwheat) in a facility that only produces gluten-free beer. Other gluten-free beers are made with gluten-free ingredients but in facilities that also process non-gluten-free ingredients, meaning there is a risk of cross-contamination.

We saddled up with the masterminds behind the highest rated brews and asked them about the inspiration behind the recipes. Follow the links below to the individual Q & A's, or you may access Q & A's from all editions here.

Summer 2020, Issue 49

Singillis Bieren Brewmaster Andy Van Duyse Talks Singillis Donker

Ah, summer. For the vast majority of us, just uttering the familiar word subconsciously transports us to somewhere better, warmer and more relaxing – preferably with a frothy beer in hand. Most of us liken it to a more enjoyable, heightened season of sunshine, typically a social time spent in the great outdoors, prompting plentiful ice chests and enthusiastic clinking of glasses among friends. That's where summertime beers come in.

Whether you’re reaching for a crisp lager, Czech pils, fruited sour or satiating pale ale, the more robust levels of vitamin D paired with unwavering hotter temperatures naturally demands more hydration.

As such, this list will help you discover the 20 finest examples of thirst-quenching summer beers to help satisfy beer fans on a hot summer day.

Velvet Glow
Russian River Brewing Co.
Santa Rosa, CA

Temperatures are skyrocketing across the country as summertime has finally arrived, so you know what that means: it's time for another issue of The Beer Connoisseur!

We’ve collected all the brew that fit’s to drink in this, our 49^th installment of the magazine, and we have something for everything in this summertime special.

Beer has long been a popular drink, but just how long have some breweries existed? Jessie O’Brien answers that interesting question in The Oldest Breweries in the World.

COVID-19 remains the single biggest story on the minds of everyone around the world, so we had Dean Brightman, in his BC debut, check in on three California breweries of differing sizes to see how each of them has responded to this historic pandemic.

Kombucha is another category of beverages that has gained immense popularity over the past few years. But what actually is it? Seth Levy dishes on the varieties and recent history of this fermented beverage.

In another BC first, Marty Nachel, writer of Beer for Dummies, chimes in with an education story about the six-sided Brewer’s Star, which was once the universally recognized symbol of brewers worldwide. Why is it no longer the omnipresent symbol of beerdom? Marty has the answers!

Have you ever noticed a brewery proudly displaying a six-sided Brewer’s Star in their breweries or incorporating it into their branding? Other than Sixpoint Brewery, (whose star is actually not quite a Brewer's Star) the answer to that question is likely a resounding “no.”

You’d think a symbol as powerful and influential as the Brewer’s Star, the oldest international guild emblem of brewers and one with over 500 years’ worth of history attached to it, would be hard to resist – and yet – they do.

We’ll discuss why brewers aren’t quick to associate with this emblem in a minute, but first, let’s take a look at what the Brewer’s Star is and how it came to be.