February 2017: News update, part 2

Plenty more this week to fill up your beer news mail bag. I don't cover it all, so I link to it for your convenience.

~ Looks like cat is finally out of the bag. [link to BillyPenn.com]

~ Nice news for the future of Bell's Brewery. [link to The Full Pint]

~ Iron Hill is about to climb yet another. [link to The Brew Lounge]

~ Interesting story out of Reading, Pa. [link to WFMZ]

~ Excellent news for beer lovers in Pittsburgh. [link to Post-Gazette]

~ Absolutely NFW. Please stop ruining beer. [link to New York Times]

~ Guppy's is cool. This might be a decent replacement for Growlers. [link to Philly.com]

~ Great background on a sappy Super Bowl ad. [link to Yours For Good Fermentables]

~ Great to hear the news developing out in Boyertown. Wish I lived closer. [link to Other Farm's FB page]

~ Charitable beer drinking. [link to Draft Magazine]

~ You know I'm a numbers guy; these are interesting numbers. [link to Appellation Beer]

~ Perhaps even more so, I a coffee and beer guy. [link to Joe Sixpack]

~ For some reason, I was wondering if I was missing out on not following Beer Advocate forums. Then I went down this rabbit hole and reconfirmed why I never have. [one and only time link to BeerAdvocate.com]

~ Chalk this interesting talk about Neshaminy Creek up to something worth following. [link to Philly.com]

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© Bryan J. Kolesar and The Brew Lounge, 2017. All content is owned and uniquely created by Bryan J. Kolesar. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from Kolesar is strictly prohibited. Excerpts, images, and links may be used with advance permission granted and only provided that full and clear credit is given to Bryan J. Kolesar and The Brew Lounge with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Contact Kolesar at TheBrewLounge@gmail.com

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Yards and La Colombe shaking things up at the Shack

(Tom Kehoe, Yards and Todd Carmichael, La Colombe)
I was invited to join the media preview of a limited-time beer this past Friday. My decision to attend turned out to be a good one and I pass this information along for you to put to good use in the coming days.

Philadelphia-based Yards Brewing Company and La Colombe Coffee Roasters teamed up with Shake Shack (three locations in the Philly area) on a beer that will be available for a very brief time. The collaborative Coffee Stout was unveiled later on Friday to the public and is currently available in Yards' tasting room, La Colombe's cafe in Fishtown, and Shake Shack's three area locations (Center City, University City, and King of Prussia).

I found the beer to be extremely drinkable — a term, by the way, that I plan to bring clarity to and use a lot in 2016. This coffee beer meets the criteria by exhibiting bold coffee flavor in a smooth stout (5.5% ABV) but in a not-so-overwhelming way as to prevent wanting two or more glassfuls in a session. As part of a bigger picture study, I'm believing more strongly than ever that the survival, post-so-called-"bubble", of breweries will be based significantly on their ability to consistently make predictably well-balanced and drinkable beers.

In addition to be a flavorful and drinkable, the Coffee Stout is also a charitable drink from which $2 per glass is being donated to the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program. Reportedly, only 16 kegs are available (no bottles) so get some — and a ShackBurger — while you can.

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