I think you’re going to hear a lot from me in 2017.  Cincinnati is gearing up for some big things happening, and they are already being hinted at and outright shouted at us from some different breweries.  From openings, to expansions, to new beers, and old favorite returning.  There is going to be plenty for me to talk about in the coming year.  Braxton Brewing Company fired off an email this morning alerting their fans about a new packaged release that is set to hit the shelves the first week of January.  It’s a seasonal release, and a really great addition to their lineup (which I’ve heard people complain needs more hops in it.)

I suppose that’s where we should start then, eh?

Introducing Spotlight

If you’ve been following along with the Braxton Beta Series, you might have got a taste of Beta 3 – which was a refreshing, citrusy, white IPA packed full of Citra hops.  You might have also thought to yourself. “Wow, this beer sure is delicious… I wish it was in cans.”  Well… meet Spotlight.  It’s not the exact same beer…but it’s an improved version of it.  A white IPA (which means they add wheat to it) that’s hopped with the bright, fruity, citrusy, Citra hops that so many people have fallen in love with.

It fills up a nice place in their lineup with a need for a few hoppy beers to compliment their outstanding current offerings.

To celebrate this release they’re putting together a tapping party in the garage (in fact, right as I wrote that sentence, my Untappd app on my phone notified me of the event, which is why you should be following them on there.  They’re a verified venue)  You can hit up Facebook to not only RSVP to the event, but to share it with your friends too.

But wait – that’s not all.

The Lineup Grows

You might have seen this other image floating around the internet too… with these other 3 packaged beers blacked out.  The brewery is telling us that not only are they releasing Spotlight, but they have two more cans, and one large format bottle that should be hitting our collective beer fridges in “Early 2017”.  I want to look into this a little deeper and see what we can figure out.

What we know – the brewery has been adding tank space, warehouse space and improving their current setup at a breakneck speed in the last year.  Sure, more beer has been rolling out, but they haven’t been focused on that.  It’s been about making sure that the quality has been top-notch.  They’re making lagers… which take more time, and  eat up precious tank space.  2016 was the year of setting up a foundation for what I think 2017 is going to be.  A flurry of releases, expansion in the market, and tons of new fans discovering a really great brewery.

Seasonal Speculation

2016 saw them start kicking out some new seasonal beers in can format.  October Fuel kicked things off with their fall seasonal release, followed up by Blown gasket as their early winter release.  We just learned that late winter gets a new seasonal can with Spotlight.  Surely that isn’t going to be where they stop this is it?  The seasonal lineup from the brewery just keeps going, all year long until we wind back up to the fall.

There is a lot of room in their lineup for other seasonal releases, and I can only imagine what would make sense from them as the weather starts to warm up.  We should probably keep our eyes open because I anticipate that we’re going to see some really fun stuff.

But all this isn’t even touching bottles.  Who knows what they might do with that. I mean, we’re looking at one more right in front of us for early 2017, and we still have no idea what it is.  What about canned special releases?  There are two more blacked out cans on that mystery image, and they haven’t even started teasing us with what those could be.  If all of these releases in front of our face are going to be in early 2017 were looking at some stuff that just has to be more than just a new seasonal or two.  There has to be something really special coming.  I’ve heard some really sweet rumors and I’m excited to see if how they play out.  So as usual, stay tuned.

2017 is going to blow all of us away, and take Cincinnati’s craft beer community to a whole new level.  Be Gnarly, and hang on for the ride!

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