I love craft beer very much, and it is the special offerings from breweries that I find very exciting. These beers are often very big and there is usually a limited supply. Whether it’s for a breweries anniversary, a special one off, or something bigger, these are often beers we would sell our soul to get. If you have been into craft beer for any amount of time, you are most likely aware of the beers in the picture above. There are too many special limited beers to ever mention in an article, so I’m not going to try! All the same, I think that special beers are the lifeblood of craft beer, and an article is necessary to discuss just how awesome they are!
I have been interested in special releases for about as long as I have liked craft beer. About 12 years ago, Founder’s was making about as exciting beers as we could get our hands on. Whether it was KBS, or CBS, Backwoods Bastard, or their Harvest Ale, I was always eager to try their special beers. I rapidly became a big fan of this brewery because of their special releases which got bigger and bigger every year. I enjoyed aging them, and busting them out on special occasions because that’s what you do with special beer! Founders was considered to be the second best brewery in the world at one point and their special releases certainly give credence to this recognition. They make a lot of good beers, and their special releases are amazing. The Lizard of Koz comes to mind when I think about some of them, and if you want to talk about breweries that make awesome releases, Founder’s will always be in the conversation!
Troeg’s is a brewery that also got me into special releases, and also taught me about the disappointment that comes when you miss out in getting a special beer. While I’ve always been able to be in Pennsylvania at the right time of the year to secure Mad Elf, it was their Scratch Series that I found more elusive. My father and I got to tour their original Brewery back in 2008, and we were told about a special release of a double Dutch chocolate stout in the Scratch Series. I sent my father to the brewery when it released, but he arrived too late! And that’s how it is with a lot of special releases that are very limited. How many times have you heard about a beer that already ran out by the time someone told you about it?
I couldn’t write this article without discussing Goose Island‘s Bourbon County Stout. People lineup every Black Friday because of this beer, and its even more limited variants. Even amid Covid, there were still lines last year for some real exciting beer. While they make enough of it that if you want it, you can probably get your hands on it, it is still a limited run. The variants are now what people are trying to get their hands on, And even I found myself going to lots of different stores in search of them.
And then there is Dark Lord Day. If you aren’t familiar with this craft beer holiday, Dark Lord Day is the day when people line up at 3Floyds in Munster, Indiana to secure this very special Russian Imperial Stout. The line is a celebration of beer sharing, and from what I’ve heard, almost carnival like. The stories I’ve heard about the beer that people have got to try waiting in line has been amazing. For years I was always able to get my hands on Dark Lord because friends would get me a bottle when they went. Last year I got to go to my first Dark Lord release, but it was very subdued amid Covid. You waited in line in your car and they put it in your trunk, and there was no bottle sharing!
The releases of similar beers creates the same atmosphere nationwide. Cigar City’s release of Hunahpa’s is a big deal for the Tampa area and friends have told me the release party is quite the event. Toppling Goliath is creating a similar stir in Iowa for the release of several other really big stouts. I’ve heard stories about those lines as well. No matter where you live, there is probably a very big special release going on sometime. And for me, now that craft beer has exploded exponentially, I’m finding new releases that have the potential to be this big.
Deviate Brewing on Indianapolis’ North side has been creating quite a stir with some of their special releases. I attended their fifth anniversary party and stood in line for the release of Scheming Demons. A few months later they released Waffle Horse which sold out in minutes. Deviate is constantly making big beer, and their special releases sell out quickly. If you haven’t tried their beer, I definitely recommend it!
Just outside of Martinsville Indiana, Cedar Creek is brewing great beer, and does a special release every December 21, the darkest day of the year. The Darkest Achievement is a special beer that clocked in at 20% ABV until last year. I attended the release party for this beer and it has the potential to be a very big event as this brewery gains notoriety. I met up with several other craft beer aficionados and had a great afternoon discussing beer as we sipped on different variants of this Russian Imperial Stout! I had a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to December 21 of this year which I expect will have even more fanfare!
These big releases are hard to get, and I realize not everyone has the time or serious interest to actively pursue some of these limited beers. Most people drink what’s available to them, but the odds are good that you know somebody who can get their hands on such beer. If you’re interested in trying exciting beer, special releases can be a lot of fun if you know where to find them. I’m on a lot of Facebook groups and more often than not, somebody has shared a link about an upcoming release. Do your homework and you might be able to get your hands on the next one!
A lot of smaller Breweries seem to do special releases on a regular basis. Most of them do not distribute, and you have to go to the brewery to get them. These are highly sought after beers, and they usually sell out quickly. I have already mentioned Deviate, and Hoosier Brewing in Greenwood seems to release beers every week. Just this week they released their Pie Face Pineapple Upside Down Cake which sold out immediately. (I was glad I pre-ordered a four pack!) And down in the hinterlands outside of Columbus Indiana, 450 North is constantly turning out fruited Berliner Weise. I have visited them twice, and both times the beer offerings were vastly different. And this is another reason to visit Breweries because often times they still have a little bit of these special beers left on tap to be consumed on premise. And if you’re lucky, sometimes your favorite tap room secured a keg of it as well!
Special releases certainly have excitement associated with them, and I know I’ve only touched the surface of the subject. With so many more breweries today than ever, there are more special releases than anyone could ever attend or be aware of. As I write this article, I am only hours away from a very special release at Hog Molly in Columbus, Indiana. The barrel aged version of their 18355 Rushin’ Record Russian Imperial Stout will go on sale at noon. With only a few hundred bottles, it will go quick. This is what it’s all about, and I hope you found this article informative. No matter where you are, special releases are taking place perhaps even today. So I encourage you as you experience craft beer to seek out limited releases and enjoy them when you can. You’ll experience good beer in the process, and that’s really what it’s all about!
So Much Beer So Little Time 