(Eugene OR) – The hottest brewery in the nation is set to release a new refresher for those sizzling summer days.



Did you know that Ninkasi Brewing is the fastest growing regional brewery (15k+ annual sales) in America? According to last month’s The New Brewer, annual sales growth reached a staggering 157%, more than double that of the other 80 regional breweries in the country. What’s more, John Foyston writes that management is projecting Ninkasi production will reach 30,000 barrels this year, enough to sneak it into an elite class- the top 50 American craft breweries. The brewery hopes to achieve that mark with the help of a new brewhouse this summer that will push annual production capacity close to 90,000 barrels.

Here’s a new beer to simultaneously celebrate that success and pay tribute to a popular 80s heavy metal band. This July, Ninkasi will put its first summer seasonal into bottles with Maiden the Shade. Here’s more from Foyston, who previewed this one when it debuted last July:

“[…] Maiden the Shade, the bright, zingy hop monster he brewed for the recent Oregon Country Fair — which is why [Co-Owner, Jamie Floyd] said, he tried to make the hops smell like pot. Annabelle Garcia, Jerry Garcia’s daughter, did the Maiden the Shade poster and yes, that skull in the tree is Eddie the Head, Iron Maiden’s mascot.”

Zingy, indeed. This brew reaches 72 on the IBU scale with the help of seven hops: Summit, Centennial, Simcoe, Columbus, Crystal, Palisade and Amarillo. ABV is 7.8%. Ninkasi already offers some hoppy beers in its lineup but this is the Northwest where beer people simply can’t get enough.

Co-Owner, Nikos Ridge, says that Maiden the Shade should be available the first week of July in hopes that it will be available for holiday imbibing. Ridge estimates that the brew will probably be sold out by mid-late August. Maiden will also be available on draft in very limited quantities and is the brewery’s entry at Portland’s upcoming Oregon Brewer’s Festival.

Look for the beer in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Alaska, and possibly a small amount in the Bay Area.

As far as the Iron Maiden tribute, this news coincides nicely with the heavy metal band’s own announcement just two hours ago that it is releasing a new studio album on August 16th entitled, The Final Frontier.