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Happy New Beer!

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If your New Year’s resolution is to try more craft beer, then you’re in luck! There are a ton of great beers scheduled to be released in 2015, and here are eight I’m personally looking forward to. Some are small batch and/or limited release, so they’ll be here and gone before you know it!

Below you’ll find a quick description about a few of the 2015 beer releases provided by the brewery—heads-up, breweries list all sorts of special releases using the CraftBeer.com Event Calendar—check it out!

So Happy New Year and happy new BEER to everyone, enjoy!

Eight 2015 Beer Releases

World’s Worst Twin | Evil Twin/Jester King | Brooklyn, NY/Austin, TX

World’s Worst Twin was brewed with Hill Country well water, barley, oats and hops. It was fermented in oak barrels for six months, followed by refermentation with blueberries grown in East Texas. Finally, it was 100 percent naturally conditioned in bottles and kegs. World’s Worst Twin will be released on January 16 at Jester King.

Black Sheep IPA & FCB Hefeweizen | Fort Collins Brewery | Fort Collins, CO

True to German style brewing techniques, FCB’s Hefeweizen has an aroma of citrus and spice that come alive with robust flavors of bready wheat and sweet malt. A hazy golden hue and refreshing finish, this 6-pack seasonal bids a goodbye to winter and a nod to the first taste of spring.

Standing apart from the herd, Black Sheep, Black India Pale Ale is a result of fortunate contradiction. FCB’s newest 4-pack seasonal is an elegantly blended array of bright citrus and earthly hop aromas with subtle notes of chocolate and coffee. It is especially smooth for its dark appearance, but contains a solid malt backbone, setting the stage for an artfully crafted arrangement of hops.

Both beers will be released in January 2015.

Dubbel Czech Blond Dubbel Ale | Badger State Brewing Co./MobCraft Beer | Greenbay, WI/Maddison, WI

The unique collaboration beer is a dubbel Czech-style blond ale made with Czech hops, ale yeast and pilsner malt. This marks the first time Badger State Brewing Co. and MobCraft Beer have collaborated on a beer together. The Dubbel Czech is a double blond ale with the spirit of a Czech lager but is fermented with Belgian ale yeast to compliment the pilsner and Abbey malt character.

Dubbel Czech Blond Dubbel Ale was released on draught on Dec. 26 and bottle Dec. 28.

Imperial Dark Rye Beer | Ninkasi Brewing Co./Devils Backbone Brewing Co. | Eugene, OR/Roseland, VA

“This [rye] beer offers a lot of complexity from start of finish and is unlike anything we’ve brewed before,” says Jamie Floyd, founding brewer and co-founder of Ninkasi. “The Alt yeast offers a slight hint of vanilla that opens to a spicy hop aroma. A sweet, malt flavor follows which lends itself to the drying, nuttiness of the rye and then is softened in the finish by the wheat and earthy, grassy and floral hop notes.”

Imperial Dark Rye Beer will be available January – April, 2015.

 Barrel Chested Barleywine | Upland Brewing Co. | Bloomingtion, IN

This complex barleywine pours a beautiful deep copper with hues of bright mahogany and a creamy tan head. The essence of rich caramel, biscuit, toffee and fig are coalesced during a long maturation period in oak barrels previously used by the Willett Distilling Company which arrive at the brewery still dripping with bourbon (which our brewers didn’t let go to waste).

Over time, these barrels add their own flavor contributions of vanilla, toasted oak and sweet bourbon undertones. At 9.5 percent ABV, this beer is a gentle giant with a seductive sweetness and intriguing complexity.

Barrel Chested was released in Upland markets in 4-packs as of January 1, 2015.

Apex IPA| Bear Republic Brewing Co. | Sonoma, CA

Are you officially done with your holiday beers? If so, here’s one to start your year off with. This January, Bear Republic Brewing Co.’s seasonal, Apex™, is coming back in a big hoppy way. A seasonal release for the second year in a row, it is one of our most sought after offerings and a new fan favorite.

Brewmaster/COO Richard “Ricardo” Norgrove states, “Apex™ is an ever-changing beer. Each year the hop profiles change, based upon new hops and offerings. Join me as I search for the perfect apex.”

Old Town Brown Ale | Natty Greene’s Brewing Co. | Greensboro, NC

Composed of seven malts and only one hop, Old Town Brown Ale is driven by a full malt structure. It is defined by its notes of sweet toasted malt and baker’s chocolate that create its unique malty character.

Old Town Brown Ale will be available in N.C. from January – April, 2015.

These are just a few of the great brews to come in 2015. Some of them are small batch, and some are limited release, so do not hesitate to get your hands on some of these tasty, unique bottles before they are gone forever, just like 2014. Cheers!


Ben ZellerBen Zeller is a homebrewer, beer and food enthusiast, certified beer server and is the current Craft Beer Program Intern for the Brewers Association. He is also a new father, skier and currently a student at MSUD, anticipating graduation this December. He hopes to learn as much as he can during his time with the BA and continue his career in the craft beer world.

CraftBeer.com is fully dedicated to small and independent U.S. breweries. We are published by the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade group dedicated to promoting and protecting America’s small and independent craft brewers. Stories and opinions shared on CraftBeer.com do not imply endorsement by or positions taken by the Brewers Association or its members.