Saint Benjamin Brewing Company to Debut Bonne Année

10 Dec 2015 --- On Thursday, December 31, pioneering nanobrewery Saint Benjamin Brewing Company will debut Bonne Année, the second-annual batch of what is sure to become a time-honored annual tradition of New Year’s Eve beers.

Bonne Année will be released each New Year’s Eve in kegs, with a portion of each year’s brew reserved and bottle-conditioned for 365 days, to be released the following year along with the new batch, giving beer lovers a festive alternative to champagne and a memorable way to honor the transition from one year to the next. Brewer Christina Burris hopes that fans will “ring out the old with the old and ring in the new with the new” each year.

Bonne Année, French for “Happy New Year!” is a Belgian-style strong ale brewed with Nelson Sauvin hops, meant to be served in a champagne flute or tulip glass

Nelson Sauvin hops hail from New Zealand and are so named for their region of origin, Nelson, and their similarity to Sauvignon Blanc; like the wine, they lend a fruity, tropical profile to the beer, with notes of lychee and mango that evoke white wine.

Bonne Année will debut on draught for the second consecutive year, with a portion reserved at the brewery and aged in 750mL cork-finished bottles for the duration of 2016.

On New Year’s Eve 2016, Saint Benjamin will release a fresh batch of Bonne Année, along with the bottles reserved from the first batch, creating a dual toast that allows revelers to symbolically ring out the old year with the old beer, in bottles, and ring in the new year with the new beer, on draught.

The inaugural batch of Bonne Année, which was released to the public on December 31, 2014, will also be on draught in limited quantities at selected bars and restaurants throughout Philadelphia.

This year, since none of the 2014 batch was bottled, guests are encouraged to raise both the 2014 and 2015 editions at midnight and toast 2015.