Widmer Brothers Brewing announced their spring beer lineup and their 2017 release schedule, which includes some new Hefe variants, a cider, and some re-releases. There’s a bit of an interesting evolution happening with Hefeweizen, prompted by the success(?) of Hefe Shandy and the upcoming release of the Hefe Hopfruit. Details in the full press release:

January 24, 2017 – Widmer Brothers today announced its full 2017 lineup and the beers being launched to start the New Year.

Highlighting the 2017 Widmer Brothers lineup is a new line of Hefe varietals.

“The goal of our new line of Hefe-inspired beers is to add interesting, complementary flavors to Hefe, while still staying true to the original,” said Rob Widmer, co-founder of Widmer Brothers Brewing. “We received great feedback on Hefe Shandy, which came out in 2015, and we wanted to continue to build on that with some new variations that are still wheat beers first and foremost, and not too sweet like some other fruit beers on the market.”

New this year are Hefe Berry Lime – available later this year – and Hefe Hopfruit, which is available in stores now. Hefe Hopfruit is a hoppy, citrusy twist on the Original American Hefeweizen, brewed with grapefruit peel and Citra and Chinook hops. This juicy, cloudy offering is a refreshing session beer for any occasion, and offers Hefe fans a citrusy complement to the Oregon-born classic.

Widmer Brothers is hosting a launch party for Hefe Hopfruit on Tuesday, January 31, 2017, at Century Bar on SE Sandy in Portland from 3:00 – 9:00 p.m. The party will be a joint venture with the Portland Timbers, with the brewery helping the team celebrate the coming start of the season. Widmer Brothers Hefe is the Official Craft Beer of the Portland Timbers, and the Timbers and Widmer Brothers will be kicking off 2017 with the release of Hefe Hopfruit at Century. Timber Joey and Jack Jewsbury will be in attendance, and there will be Widmer Brothers’ specials throughout the night.

Square Mile Cider also announced a new seasonal offering, Ginger Pear, a semi-dry cider that is available now through July 2017. Ginger Pear is Square Mile’s original hard cider recipe with pear juice added to give it a tart complexity; after fermentation, ginger is added to give the cider a subtle spiciness. Ginger Pear will be available throughout the Pacific Northwest in six packs of 12-ounce bottles for the first half of the year. The cidery is also unveiling new packaging across the portfolio of ciders in 2017, including The Original Apple Cider, Hopped Apple Cider, Ginger Pear, and Rosé Cider, which will be released this summer.

January 2017 is also spring seasonal time in the craft beer world, and Widmer Brothers is once again releasing fan-favorite Hopside Down India Pale Lager (IPL). Hopside Down IPL combines the hoppiness of a traditional IPA with the clean character and finish of a cold-fermented lager. This approachable lager captures the essence of spring with a blend of a crisp lager profile and the aroma and flavor of Cascade hops.

The official launch party for Hopside Down IPL and Square Mile’s Ginger Pear Cider will take place at the Widmer Brothers Brewery and Pub in North Portland on February 9, 2017. The party runs from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. and will feature Hopside Down and Ginger Pear being poured side-by-side with special, infused versions of each running through Randalls.

The most notable newcomers to the 2017 lineup available later this year are PDX Pils and Drifter Pale Ale. PDX Pils is a hoppy pilsner first brewed in 2015, which will now be available in six packs. The beer quickly became a pub-favorite and it won Gold in the Pilsner category at the Oregon Beer Awards in 2016. Drifter Pale Ale is coming out of retirement in 2017 as Widmer Brothers summer seasonal, and is the classic, citrusy pale ale fans came to know and love while it was in Widmer Brothers year-round lineup from 2009 to 2013.

For more information on Widmer Brothers Brewing, visit widmerbrothers.com or see what the brewery is up to on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Hefe Hopfruit

Hefe Hopfruit is a hoppy citrus twist on the Original American Hefeweizen. This bold version of Hefe is brewed with natural grapefruit flavor and northwest hops for a remarkably juicy and refreshing citrus experience.

MALTS: 2-Row, White Wheat
HOPS: Citra and Chinook
EXTRA: Grapefruit Peel and Puree
OG: 11.7 P
AE: 2.3 P
ABV: 4.9%
Color: 8 SRM
IBU: 45

About Square Mile Ginger Pear

For the journey ahead, we bring you our newest seasonal release, Ginger Pear Apple Cider. We start by adding pears to our classic hard cider for a tart body, and finish with ginger for a perfectly subtle spice. We’re gingerly rooted in the Pacific Northwest. With this in your pack, you’ll have all you need to get out there and explore, one square mile at a time.

ABV: 6.7%

About Hopside Down IPL

We’re turning things deliciously upside down with an aggressively hopped, cold-fermented brew that brings together the clean, crisp finish of a lager with the hoppy aroma and character of an IPA. Prost! To turning convention on its head.

MALTS: Caramel 10L, Pale
HOPS: Alchemy for bittering, and Cascade for aroma
OG: 15.1 P
AE: 2.7 P
ABV: 6.7%
Color: 8.0 SRM
IBU: 65

So we’ll have Hefe Berry Lime and Hefe Blood Orange coming out later in the year. I wonder how well these will do.

I like that Drifter Pale Ale is coming back—that was a really great beer when it first came out—and pleased to see the new PDX Pils coming to year-round bottles. Can’t have enough good pilsners.