Four cans of Dale’s Pale Ales, four cans of Mama’s Little Yella Pils and four cans of Old Chub Scotch Ales will fill the colorful CANundrum box with craft beer goodness. CANundrum gives canned craft beer drinkers an easy way to pack in the big three Oskar Blues beers at the lake, trailside or music festivals this summer.

FORT COLLINS, CO—This month, Odell Brewing Co. will release its first variety 12-pack, Montage. The new package will feature two brewery flagships, a seasonal offering, and a new beer, Loose Leaf American Session Ale.

Loose Leaf was developed on the brewery’s five barrel pilot system. The Odell brewers wanted to create a beer that was lighter in color, lower in alcohol content, but also flavorful and distinct. The final recipe is crisp and balanced with lower IBU’s and a bright hop aroma. At 4.5 percent ABV, it’s delicate and refreshingly drinkable with a clean finish.

The brewery plans to issue three different versions of Montage mirroring its seasonal release schedule. Each edition of the variety pack will include brewery favorites 90 Shilling and IPA, the current seasonal offering as well as a new limited release pilot system inspired brew.

“Montage gives our brewers a new avenue to share their innovations,” said Eric Smith, Director of Sales & Marketing for Odell Brewing. “Not only does it include our flagship offerings, but it also gives us the opportunity to share our seasonal brews, and it extends our creative pilot system inspired offerings beyond the brewery walls.”

Odell Brewing will release Montage initially just in Colorado in May. The brewery will continue to launch the package in its other markets beginning in June. The brewery plans to celebrate the release with a special Loose Leaf tapping during the weekend of May 10.

Loose Leaf American Session Ale will also be available on draft exclusively at all Colorado Old Chicago locations during the week of May 13-19 as part of a special American Craft Beer Week Odell Brewing tap takeover.

Stella Artois Cidre is a crisp, distinctive European-style cider made with apples hand-picked from wine growing regions. Initially it will be available in 26 U.S. states, with further expansion possible in 2014. Sales to retailers begin on May 13.

Adam Oakley, vice president of import, craft and specialty brands at Anheuser-Busch, said the cider category is seeing 110 percent growth* in the United States, and this new brand helps to meet the growing demand for premium ciders with a more complex taste profile.

“Stella Artois Cidre is designed to be savored and is very different from sweeter, domestic U.S. ciders,” Oakley said. “Stella Artois Cidre has the potential to change people’s perceptions of cider here, offering a refreshing alternative to white wine.”

With the U.S. cider market seeing triple-digit growth, it has become one of the fastest-growing beverage categories in the United States. Early growth in the category was driven primarily by sweeter domestic ciders; this has been balanced of late by a consumer demand for drier, premium European-style ciders. Stella Artois Cidre represents the finest of the latter category.

“Cider drinkers are now approaching cider with a sophistication similar to that of wine drinkers,” said Marc Stroobandt, a Belgian master sommelier. “To capture their interest, ciders certainly need to be refreshing and savory, but people also want something a little more complex and distinct, which Stella Artois Cidre offers.”

Stroobant said that similar to white wines, drier ciders such as Stella Artois Cidre are designed to be savored and pair well with chicken, fish and a broad selection of cheeses, including Camembert-style cheeses, English cheddars, semi-firm cheeses such as Gruyere and washed-rind cheeses. Stella Artois Cidre’s tart profile also balances well with Asian and spicy foods and light salads.

Stella Artois Cidre will be fermented in Baldwinsville, NY, using apples picked from wine-growing regions in North and South America. At 4.5 percent alcohol by volume (ABV), Stella Artois Cidre is available in two packaging configurations: four-packs of 12-ounce bottles and single, 24-ounce bottles.

*Source (off-premise): IRI Total US MULC Latest 4 weeks ending 3-17-13

Anderson Valley and Wild Turkey will continue to work together in the coming months on a variety of exciting promotional opportunities to engage fans and introduce them to the quality and authenticity of Bourbon barrel aged products. Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout draft and bottle product will be available in 22 oz. bottles in several states including:  California, New York, Oregon, Washington, Texas, Massachusetts, Colorado, Kentucky, Ohio, Florida, Virginia, Georgia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and New Jersey amongst others by the end of June.

This once draft-only product was released in the fall 2012 as part of an exclusive partnership between Anderson Valley Brewing Company and Wild Turkey Bourbon. As part of the partnership, Anderson Valley Brewing Company has been using repurposed American oak barrels from the famed bourbon brand’s Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, to age the award-winning Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout.

“The bourbon stout has been popular since its debut and is the result of a great partnership,” said Jimmy Russell, Wild Turkey Master Distiller.  “Anderson Valley Brewing takes pride and care in crafting their beer; it’s similar to the approach we take with our bourbon. Together we produced a great craft beer and are excited to get it in the hands of more folks!”

“The partnership with the Bourbon Hall of Fame Russell family and Wild Turkey has been tremendously exciting,” said Trey White, Anderson Valley owner and CEO.  “Collaboration on this bourbon stout is just the beginning. We look forward to continuing our relationship with the Russell’s and exploring new frontiers in barrel aged craft beer.”

Anderson Valley’s Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout is aged to perfection for three months. The resulting beer is deep ebony in hue with a beautiful mahogany head, an aroma of fresh-baked bread, toffee, and espresso mingling with the woody vanilla notes of Bourbon whiskey and the rich roasted flavors wrapped with Bourbon.

The brewery made Four Beards South Pacific Brown Ale in support of the filmmaking group Four Beards, which is making a short film in the Cook Islands.

“The beer is a robust brown ale with a complex mixture of malts that are complemented by pungent Southern Hemisphere hops of Nelson Sauvin and New Zealand Cascade that produce passion fruit, gooseberry and tropical fruit aromas and taste,” said brewer Rob Lovatt.

The beer goes on sale May 3 with a first pour at the Dada Bar, Trippet Lane, Sheffield at 5 p.m.

Thornbridge director Simon Webster said the filmmakers won a competition to film in the Cook Islands, but were struggling to finance the trip. “Not wishing to see the guys miss out on such a great opportunity,” said Webster, “we agreed with them that, as beer fans, they should have their own Four Beards beer, and that we would donate proceeds from this to their fund for taking part.”

Learn more about the film here.

“Omission IPA is the first authentic gluten-free IPA brewed with malted barley to hit the market,” said Joe Casey, Widmer Brothers Brewmaster. “This IPA is brewed in the traditional Northwest IPA style, yet is specially crafted to be gluten-free. The beer uses a generous amount of Summit and Cascade hops giving it a beautiful citrus flavor and aroma.”

“At Omission, we’re constantly innovating, and exploring new opportunities to share our love of craft beer with anyone of legal drinking age, including those with gluten sensitivities,” said Terry Michaelson, CEO of the Craft Brew Alliance and a longtime celiac.  “Part of that is experimenting with different beer styles that meet our rigorous gluten-free standards while staying true to our commitment to high-quality craft brewing. Omission IPA hits the mark, and we can’t wait to get it into the hands of our customers in Oregon this spring.”

Omission beers are brewed by Widmer Brothers Brewing in Portland, Ore., using an innovative brewing program to ensure that gluten levels in every batch measure well below the widely accepted CODEX gluten-free standard of 20 parts per million (ppm) for food and beverages. Every batch of Omission beer is tested by the brewery and by an independent lab, and all test results are available to consumers at www.omissiontests.com.

Black Racer will hit shelves in select areas of California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, and Virginia during the first week of April. This will be shortly followed by distribution in Maryland, Texas, Ohio, Arizona, and additional California and New York markets.

A black IPA, Black Racer is a 2012 World Beer Cup Gold Award winner in the American Style Black Ale category and a Bronze Medal winner at the 2011 Great American Beer Festival in the American Style Black Ale category.

Window Pane is a series of North Carolina inspired beers that contain fruit from states farms. The beers are aged in Pinot noir, Chardonnay or brandy barrels. The total production per release is limited to just 20 barrels (620 gallons). Raspberry (American wheat, 8.3 ABV) was aged in Pinot noir and Chardonnay barrels. It will be available in 750 mL bottles.

The release party will coincide with the Pride of Kinston’s 8th Annual Run for the River 8K in downtown Kinston, and the Mother Earth Tap Room will be open at 10 a.m.

Green & Gold Kölsch is a collaboration between Widmer Brothers Brewing and the Timbers Army, a fan club supporting the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer.

PORTLAND, OR—Widmer Brothers Brewing teamed up with a soccer fan club to brew a limited-edition beer honoring the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer.

Green & Gold Kölsch is the creation of longtime Timbers Army member Abram Goldman-Armstrong, who won the “Full 90” category of the 2012 Timbers Army Homebrew Competition. Goldman-Armstrong has been brewing variations of the Kölsch style since becoming acquainted with it in its native Cologne, Germany, while attending the 2006 World Cup. He entered his latest version of the style into the competition, which incorporated his homegrown Hallertauer hops.

The new beer will be available throughout the Portland area, and in select markets in Oregon and Southwest Washington, beginning on March 3, opening day for this year’s Portland Timbers season.

Goldman-Armstrong and the brewers at Widmer Brothers Brewing worked together to adapt the homebrewed Kölsch recipe to production scale, which will allow the beer to be enjoyed by Portland Timbers fans throughout the region for the entire season. While the batch brewed at the brewery is larger than the initial homebrewed batch, Goldman-Armstrong worked to maintain the integrity of his initial recipe, and even added a few ounces of his backyard Hallertauer hops to this batch of Green & Gold.

Watch a video of Goldman-Armstrong describing the beer.

“We were homebrewers before we started the brewery in 1984,” said Kurt Widmer, co-founder of Widmer Brothers Brewing. “We are really excited to help Abe share his homebrew recipe with the Timbers Army and Portland Timbers fans, both at Jeld-Wen Field during Timbers matches and throughout the Pacific Northwest this season.”

Green & Gold Kölsch will be available for the duration of the Timbers 2013 season in 22 ounce bottles and on draught at pubs and restaurants in Oregon and Southwest Washington.

“I’m very happy to be able to share my Green & Gold Kölsch with thousands of Timbers supporters and the Timbers Army,” said Goldman-Armstrong. “Here’s to a great 2013 season for the Portland Timbers.”