Mashing-In News: IPA Layers, THC Sips, Shifts
GOOD MORNING, SOUTH PUGET SOUND!
Friday, August 1, 2025 — Chuck D turns 65 today!
Today’s craft beer news serves up everything from new THC sippers at McMenamins to Fremont’s big Extra Lush release, Oakshire’s Washington retreat, Rogue’s national sales push, and the latest shakeups from Yakima to Australia—all against the quiet burp of International Beer Day—no parades, no proclamations, just another Friday where your pint quietly shrugs and says, “Cheers anyway, darling.”
McMenamins Drops THC Beverages for Jerry Garcia’s Birthday
McMenamins will launch two new THC- and CBD-infused sparkling beverages—Jam Session Citrus Haze and TriPPPy Tiger Tropical—on August 1, 2025, coinciding with Jerry Garcia’s birthday and The Days Between celebration, available exclusively at Oregon McMenamins locations for adults 21 and over. (Brewpublic)
Shaun Kalis on Crafting Intense, Long-Lived IPA Flavor at Ruse Brewing
On the latest Craft Beer & Brewing podcast, Ruse Brewing co-founder Shaun Kalis explains how he layers old-school hops, such as early-picked Columbus, with new flowable products and extraction techniques to build lasting flavor, aroma, and dank intensity in West Coast IPAs. (Craft Beer & Brewing)
Bale Breaker Refreshes Field 41 With Lower ABV, Local Pride
Bale Breaker Brewing has renamed and reformulated its longtime Field 41 Pale Ale as Field 41 Yakima Pale Ale, launching a new “Yakima Pale Ale” style defined by low ABV, low calories, and bold Yakima-grown hop character to honor the brewery’s community roots and global hop impact. (Washington Beer Blog)
Fremont Brewing Unleashes Extra Lush Triple IPA
Fremont Brewing has launched Extra Lush Triple IPA—a bold, 9.8% ABV year-round release bursting with tropical hop flavor and available in 6-packs and 19.2 oz. single cans, tapping into the growing demand for high-ABV IPAs in big-format packaging. (Washington Beer Blog)
Rogue Ales Taps U.S. Beverage for National Sales Partnership
Rogue Ales & Spirits has signed a national sales partnership with U.S. Beverage, expanding Rogue’s reach across all 50 states while retaining full brand and operational control—aiming to accelerate growth for its beer, spirits, and CBD/THC beverage lines starting today. (The Brewer Magazine)
From Punk to Pariah: James Watt’s Tumultuous BrewDog Legacy
BrewDog co-founder James Watt, once the punk face of craft beer’s global rise, stepped down as CEO in 2024 after controversies over workplace culture, financial struggles, and public backlash, leaving the brewery to rebrand itself while his fractured legacy continues to loom large. (American Craft Beer)
B.C. Craft Brewers Demand Fairer Tax System
B.C. craft brewers are calling for reform to the province’s liquor tax system, arguing it unfairly favors large breweries and wineries with subsidies and mark-up breaks, while small producers face rising costs, closures, and disproportionately steep taxes. (BIV)
Powder Monkey Bets Big on Aussie Craft Beer
UK-based Powder Monkey Brewing has aggressively expanded into Australia’s struggling craft beer market—acquiring Akasha, Wayward, and other breweries—betting on centralization and economies of scale to survive industry headwinds like rising costs, declining consumption, and fierce competition from global giants. (Financial Review)
LINK: Peaks & Pints beer and cider cooler inventory
