We spoke with Jackie O's Brewery Director of Brewing Operations Seth Morton Talks Dark Apparition.

BC: Who came up with this beer’s recipe?
Our former Director of Brewing Operations, Brad Clark, came up with the original recipe for Dark Apparition in 2007. Over the last 12 years, we’ve tweaked the recipe a little bit here and there, while still staying true to Dark Apparition's roots.

BC: What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)?
Dark Apparition is all about the malt, and that’s my favorite part. I love strong, malty beers, and Dark Apparition is my favorite we’ve ever done.

BC: Where does this beer’s name come from?
The name Dark Apparition is a nod to the haunted history of Athens, Ohio.

BC: Is this your “desert island beer?”
It’s not necessarily the beer I’d choose to be stuck on an island with, but if I had to pick the last beer I’d drink before I die, I’d ask for a Dark Apparition.

We spoke with Moody Tongue Brewing Co. President and Brewmaster Jared Rouben about Oak Barrel Aged Flanders Red Ale.

BC: Who came up with this beer’s recipe?
Myself and head brewer J.T. Rea.

BC: What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)?
For me, this beer is reminiscent of red Burgundy, which I believe is one of the most easily pairable selections in the wine world. With a ruby-red, medium body alongside the flavors and aromatics of tart cherry and rhubarb, I would suggest enjoying this beer with dishes like duck confit or braised rabbit with prunes -- or just sharing a few glasses with friends and family.

BC: Where does this beer’s name come from?
Much like the other beers we create at Moody Tongue, our beer names are designed in a manner which is most transparent for our guests. We aged this beer in American oak barrels, and hence the creation of the Oak Barrel Aged Flanders Red Ale.

BC: Is this your “desert island beer?”
Yes it is.

BC: Can you describe this beer in 10 words or less?
Balance, layered, cherry, rhubarb, sweet, sour, umami.

We spoke with Peter B's Brewpub Head Brewer Justin Rivard about Stouts Without Borders.

BC: Who came up with this beer’s recipe?
I came up with this recipe; however, it's a mix of an Irish stout recipe I used to brew with a few additional specialty malts. I've worked at a number of breweries that use English malt, and I knew this style would really showcase what English malt has to offer. I used a bit of Briess Extra Special malt as well, which helps with complexity. 

BC: What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)?
Probably the flavor and the finish. The hop I used exhibits a very woodsy, or lightly herbal flavor and aroma, which pairs well with the bitter chocolate, roastiness and burnt caramel flavors. The hop rides through the whole beer, complementing the flavor and keeping the beer from being too sweet. It's like having a s'more while standing downwind from a campfire.

BC: Where does this beer’s name come from?
I'm a goofy wordsmith type of guy, so when we came to naming an "Extra Foreign Stout," I started thinking about what I thought of as foreign. A wordplay on Doctors without Borders - Stouts without Borders had a fun ring to it.

BC: Can you describe this beer in 10 words or less?
Burnt marshmallow, toffee aroma, caramel, cacao nib flavor, woodsy finish.

We spoke with Upland Brewing Co. R&D Brewer Matt Wisley about Found.

BC: Who came up with this beer’s recipe?
This was a collaborative beer we brewed with our friends Travis Hix and Tim Moore at Blackberry Farm Brewery.

BC: What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)?
The pear and apple aromas produced by the wild yeast strains we selected are a nice complement to the lactic tartness. Overall, this is a very balanced beer with none of the overpowering aspects that can sometimes make sour beers less drinkable.

BC: Where does this beer’s name come from?
The name represents the fact that we foraged and found the wild yeast while hiking through Tennessee.

BC: Can you describe this beer in 10 words or less? 
Light, refreshingly tart with notes of clove, apple and pear.

We spoke with Upland Brewing Co. R&D Brewer Matt Wisley about Beyond Resin.

BC: Who came up with this beer’s recipe?
I developed the recipe of this beer.

BC: What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)?
Drinkability. In recent years, craft drinkers are coming to realize that hoppy beers don’t have to be overly bitter. For this project, we applied some of what we learned from brewing New England style hop bombs to the template of a West Coast IPA. The result is a beer that is dry, crisp and bright but with low bitterness and a high rate of cold side hop additions.

BC: Where does this beer’s name come from?
For this beer, we wanted to go with a hop profile that leaned toward pine and mild citrus rather than the intense tropical character that exemplifies most of the other beers that we have been releasing in the Side Trail Series. We chose to add hop-derived terpenes (El Dorado and Cascade) into the bright tank that had a very strong piney resinous aroma. Hence the name: Beyond Resin.

We spoke with Upland Brewing Co. Head of Brewing Operations and COO Pete Batule about Entwined.

BC: Who came up with this beer’s recipe?
This was a collaborative beer we brewed with our friend Daniel Cady at Mikkeller San Diego. Matt Wisley and Eli Trinkle of Upland were also collaborators on this recipe.

BC: What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)? 
We used two different types of local grapes sourced from around our breweries. Malbec grapes were sourced from California and Chambourcin grapes from Indiana. The fruit character from the grapes is definitely my favorite aspect of this beer. It balances nicely with the malty base beer.

BC: Where does this beer’s name come from?
The name represents the interweaving of our two regions with use of the grapes.  

BC: Can you describe this beer in 10 words or less?
Cherry, fig and grape notes with a tart, dry finish.

We spoke with Southern Tier Brewing Co. Founder Phin DeMink about Swipe Light.

BC: Who came up with this beer’s recipe?
The beer recipe was produced by our R&D team. It was almost 2 years in the making. Multiple test batches and countless hours were poured into the development of this beer.

BC: What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)?
My favorite aspect of this beer is that it has all the important health and wellness benefits detailed but still delivers that true craft flavor that people have come to crave. 

BC: Where does this beer’s name come from?
When we were giving this beer its identity we found ourselves tiptoeing around the word “light." We decide that we should just own up to what it is, a craft styled light beer. A lot of brewers are starting to play in this space but are trying to be clever with the name and positioning instead of just being honest and saying their trying to make a light style craft beer. Swipe Light is a play on swipe right, which, in the parlance of our times, means you approve or like something on a multitude of different apps.

BC: Is this your “desert island beer?”
I’m still and will always be a hophead, but I will say Swipe Light would be pretty refreshing on a desert island.

A collaboration beer brewed by 20 veteran-owned and operated Pennsylvania breweries raised nearly $20,000 for US military veterans. The beer, "Hurry Up And Wait", is an 8% ABV DIPA.

For more, see the full release below:

On April 15th, 2019, 20 veteran owned and operated breweries in Pennsylvania joined forces to produce a craft beer brewed by military veterans, in the support of military veterans. A few short weeks later “Hurry Up And Wait”, an 8% Double IPA, was born and released across all of the 20 breweries on Memorial Day Weekend. (A special thank you to Weyerbacher in Easton, PA and Hop Hill in Bethlehem, PA who poured this beer on behalf of one of the breweries who is not yet open). 

For this project, it was important to those involved that a portion of the proceeds go towards supporting local Pennsylvania veterans. Which is why the group teamed with the Pennsylvania Veterans Foundation. The PVF exists to provide assistance and support for Pennsylvania veterans and their families. Over the last 8 years they have raised over 2 million dollars towards their cause. 

The following 20 breweries, plus a PA malt house and the Breweries In PA organization, involved in this project were: 

• 2nd Story Brewing 

• Aston Abbey Brewing 

• Black Forest Brewery 

• Blueprint Brewing 

• Breweries In PA