Ecliptic Brewing is excited to announce its beer release calendar for the upcoming year. After a busy 2019 filled with its normally scheduled beer series, plus additional releases for its “Five Years/Five Beers” Series, the Portland company has made a few big changes for 2020. We were lucky to get our hands on some Barrel-Aged Sedna Tiramisu Stout and couldn’t be more excited!

This whiskey barrel-aged version hibernates for 11 months, picking up notes of caramel, spice and oak complexity.

ABV 11.5%

IBU 26

Beckie’s Thoughts: Good, rich flavor. A little hint of cinnamon.  Not overly sweet. Pair it with a brownie or chocolate ganache cake!

Ecliptic will brew all current All the Time beers – Ecliptic Starburst IPA, Carina Peach Sour Ale and Capella Porter – with one major change: Tucana Tangerine Sour Ale is moving from a Seasonal Release to the All the Time Series. “We couldn’t keep Tucana Tangerine Sour Ale on the shelves this year, and tangerine is such a popular flavor. We thought it would do well year-round,” says Ecliptic Brewing’s Sales Manager, Erin Grey Kemplin.

Ecliptic will continue its Seasonal Series with five rotations, bringing back Flamingo Planet Guava Blonde Ale, Quasar Pale Ale, and Filament Winter IPA. Two new beers will join the lineup next year: Meridian Vanilla Stout will be released in January and SunRay Juicy IPA in May.

Phaser Hazy IPA and the company’s two popular fresh hop options – Altair Fresh Hop Pale Ale and Astra Fresh Hop Lager – will return as Limited Releases. Another major change here is the addition of Vega IPA in 16-ounce cans, which was originally a draft-only option with rotating hops in each batch. Vega IPA is now completely experimental and allows Ecliptic’s brewers to play with any IPA style, whether that is hazy, juicy or beyond.

Another avenue in which Ecliptic will push the limits of creativity in the brewhouse is within its Special Release and Cosmic Collaboration Series. While a few fan favorites will return, like Oort Imperial Stout, Cosmos Coconut & Vanilla Hazy IPA and Orange Giant Barleywine, the company will also brew a fun new experimental ale and partner with some esteemed breweries to create exciting collaborations.

Ecliptic Brewing will also continue to release beers from its barrel-aging program as part of the Reserve Series.

2020 Beer Lineup

All the Time Series

·        Ecliptic Starburst IPA

·        Carina Peach Sour Ale

·        Capella Porter

·        Tucana Tangerine Sour Ale

Seasonal Series

·        Meridian Vanilla Stout (Jan-Feb)

·        Flamingo Planet Guava Blonde Ale (Mar-mid May)

·        SunRay Juicy IPA (mid-May-July)

·        Quasar Pale Ale (Aug-Oct)

·        Filament Winter IPA (Nov-Dec)

Limited Release Series

·        Phaser Hazy IPA

·        Vega IPA

·        Altair Fresh Hop Pale Ale

·        Astra Fresh Hop Lager

Special Release/Cosmic Collaboration (Listed in order of release)

·        Oort Imperial Stout

·        Callisto Blackcurrant Tripel

·        IO Experimental Ale

·        Ecliptic + Ruse Cosmic Collaboration

·        Cosmos Coconut & Vanilla Hazy IPA

·        Ecliptic + Cloudburst Cosmic Collaboration

·        Seventh Orbit Anniversary Beer

·        Sedna Tiramisu Stout

·        Orange Giant Barleywine Ale

Reserve Series

·        Red Wine Barrel-Aged Ecliptic + Russian River Belgian-Style Hoppy Golden Ale

·        Dry Fly Barrel-Aged Scotch Ale (Triticale and Wheatwine varietals)

·        Bourbon Barrel-Aged Orange Giant Barleywine

·        Gin Barrel-Aged Orange Giant Barleywine

Summer is nearly here, and Ecliptic Brewing is ready to help quench customers’ thirst with its new seasonal series beer: Tucana Tangerine Sour Ale, which is available late May through mid-August. Pale and wheat malts help create a crisp, tart beer, while Cascade hops complement the citrus notes and burst of tangerine flavor.   

“This seasonal beer was a play on our fan-favorite, year-round Carina Peach Sour Ale,” explains John Harris, Ecliptic Brewing Owner, and Brewmaster. “We wanted to give our customers another light and refreshing option for the summer months, and we had a great tangerine sourced from a local company- Oregon Fruit Products- so it was an easy decision.”

Tucana Tangerine Sour Ale will first launch at a release party at Ecliptic’s restaurant on Friday, May 24^th. It will also be released in both draft and six-pack cans throughout Ecliptic Brewing’s distribution network.  

About Tucana Tangerine Sour Ale

A twist of tangerine plays with the balanced tartness of this sunset-hued sour ale.

ABV: 4.8%

About Ecliptic Brewing

Ecliptic Brewing is a venture from John Harris, an Oregon beer icon whose background is steeped in the state’s rich craft brewing history. The name Ecliptic unites Harris’ two passions: brewing and astronomy. As such, the brewery celebrates the Earth’s yearly journey around the sun through both its beer and restaurant menus. Harris’ signature beers include Starburst IPA, Phaser Hazy IPA, Carina Peach Sour Ale and Capella Porter.

Ecliptic Brewing treated me to some great samples of this beer. I found it tart and sweet. It almost tasted like an orange fizzy. Overall, delicious. I can’t wait to sip on this beer all summer long. (Additional editor’s note: the blog owner has been getting updates on the entire Ecliptic Brewing collaboration program and this is the beer SHE is most excited about drinking this summer as well!)

Ecliptic Brewing is keeping their next Cosmic Collaboration beer close to home, as they’ve paired with Portland’s Breakside Brewery to create a Nectarine Sour Ale. 

In celebration of Ecliptic’s fifth anniversary, the company is releasing a “5 Years/5 Beers” series, and the collaboration beer with Breakside is third in the launch. Ecliptic Brewing Owner and Brewmaster, John Harris, worked with Breakside’s Brewmaster, Ben Edmunds, to create the recipe, and the result is a thirst-quenching beer that will help kick off the summer season. The ale is brewed with pale and Munich malts, wheat and oats, but what provides its unique, fruity flavor is both pureed and fresh nectarines. A touch of coriander and Ecliptic’s house lactobacillus strain add to the classic sour ale flavor profile.

Says Harris, “Ben and I are really stoked to do our first collab. We jumped right on the sour style, and Ben suggested Nectarines. It’s great to have such awesome friends in the craft beer industry”.

The Nectarine Sour Ale will also be released in both draft and 500ml bottles throughout Ecliptic Brewing’s distribution network.

About Ecliptic’s Cosmic Collaboration Nectarine Sour Ale

In celebration of Ecliptic Brewing’s fifth year of passage through this awesome star system we call home, they are teaming up with five esteemed breweries to brew five beers of cosmic significance. Space can feel a bit lonely, so here’s to making the journey with friends! Brewed with Breakside Brewmaster Ben Edmunds.

ABV 8.2%

IBU 10

About Ecliptic Brewing

Ecliptic Brewing is a venture from John Harris, an Oregon beer icon whose background is steeped in the state’s rich craft brewing history. The name Ecliptic unites Harris’ two passions: brewing and astronomy. As such, the brewery celebrates the Earth’s yearly journey around the sun through both its beer and restaurant menus. Harris’ signature beers include Starburst IPA, Phaser Hazy IPA, Carina Peach Sour Ale and Capella Porter.

Ecliptic Brewery let me try some samples of the Nectarine Sour Ale. I love a good sour ale and can often be found checking out sour beers at Cascade Brewing, however, I found this beer VERY, very sour with only a slight nectarine fruit flavor. I would just call it a sour ale with a hint of nectarine.

Happy New Year! For those of you who don’t know. I’ve been working on re-launching an idea of mine from a few years ago, Hop Hands. A way to carry a growler of beer – classical glass, Hydroflasks, 50/50 growers, along with wine bottles and “bombers” (22 oz. beer bottles) – six different ways on a bicycle. As I gear up for 2019, I thought I would share a little update.

As one of my favorite 90s singers once said, “It is a growing process.  You can’t just like beer. You have to start somewhere and learn the different flavors.”  (If you are wondering who that singer was – it’s Isaac Hanson, of Mmmbop fame.)

Like learning to like beer, learning to run a business and navigate life is a growing process.  For those of you who don’t know, in the fall of 2017, I moved to Phnom Penh, Cambodia to work for a local non-government organization (NGO) working with victims who have been rescued from human trafficking.  At the same time, Emily was transitioning out of her role at Bridgetown Inc. Emily and her husband were looking for a new adventure. A few signatures later and I’ve become the sole owner of Hop Hands.

Most of 2018, was spent adjusting to a new culture, my new job and learning Khmer.  (Fun fact: the Khmer alphabet is the longest alphabet in the world, consisting of 74 letters.)  I was able to continue to ideate and network for relationships for Hop Hands here in Cambodia. In early 2018, I was connected to another local Cambodian NGO that works with polio victims and disadvantaged women to teach sewing skills.

VillageWorks creates more than just handicrafts.  They are really building the lives of the villagers they work with.  Behind each product they produce, you help support the whole person (or people) who helped create an amazing item.  You support their family and build up lives. This allows villagers to break free from their poverty cycle and find hope in life.

In case you were wondering, it is estimated that 26% of the adult population of Cambodia is illiterate.  18.6% of the population lives below the international poverty life of $1.25/day (USD). 31.4% of children in Cambodia received inadequate care and 36.1% of children are working in child labor.  Cambodia is also a source, transit and destination country for human trafficking.

Partnering with an organization like VillageWorks makes sense, not only for the amazing professionalism they encompass here in Cambodia but how encouraging they are to their teams to create amazing products and support one another.

On top of that in 2016, VillageWorks secured guaranteed membership from the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO).  WFTO is a global network of over 400 organizations and individuals in over 70 countries across the world.  They represent millions of artisans and farmers, most of whom are indigenous people, physically-challenged persons and women.  WFTO prescribes 10 Principles that all Fair Trade Organizations must follow in their day-to-day work and carries out monitoring to ensure these principles are upheld:

1. Creating Opportunities for Economically Disadvantaged Producers
2. Transparency and Accountability
3. Fair Trading Practices
4. Payment of a Fair Price
5. Ensuring no Child Labor and Forced Labor
6. Commitment to Non Discrimination, Gender Equality and Freedom of Association
7. Ensuring Good Working Conditions
8. Providing Capacity Building
9. Promoting Fair Trade
10. Respect for the Environment

When it comes to respecting the environment, the newest version of Hop Hands does not disappoint.  Made from 85% recycled and upcycled products (basically everything but the buckles is recycled). It features the classic southeast Asian recycled fish food or cement bags that offer a little homage from the place of its creation.  Just like before the outside is made of a durable black canvas, although this canvas is sourced from scrap materials left over from larger factories in the area.

Examples of products used in the newest version of the Hop Hands.  Sample version of the Hop Hands, ethically sourced and made in Cambodia.

2019 is shaping up to be a good year for Hop Hands, but I need your help!

1. Sign up here to be a beta tester.  Since growlers are in (expensive) limited supply here in Cambodia and hardly no one rides bikes in the city of Phnom Penh.  I need some amazing beta testers to help me with the next round of product testing. This means you’ll get access to the latest Hop Hands available in early 2019.
2. Invite friends to like our Facebook and Instagram channels.  As we get ready to roll out our newest launch.  We need your help getting more beer and bike enthusiast interested in learning more about Hop Hands.
3. Got questions?  Email me directly.  I’d love to chat about Cambodia, Hop Hands, ethical sourcing and more with you.

Once again, thank you for following the Hop Hands journey.  I hope you had an amazing holiday season and hope 2019 is just as exciting for you as it is for Hop Hands.  

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Cheers!

Jenna Forstrom

Hop Hands Founder

jenna@hophands.com