Limited Edition Foods

Beginning Memorial Day 2009 (May 25, 2009) specialty bottles with limited edition labels in support of Operation Homefront and the Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund. The bottles are expected to be sold until July 4, 2009. The labels are meant to help bring awareness to the organizations. Operation Homefront supports troops, their families, and wounded soldiers by providing financial and morale assistance. The Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund is named after a firefighter that died at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The fund provides equipment to underfunded fire stations as well as scholarships and medical services to families of active, retired, and fallen firefighters.

Malibu Rum’s current advertising campaign is being called “Get Your Island On.” Part of their campaign encouraging consumers to get their island on includes the release of a limited edition bottle of Malibu for this summer. The limited edition bottle has a design described as bright, vibrant, and contemporary. The design also features four Malibu cocktail recipes, which are said to be easy to make ones that can help consumers make summer cocktails at home to get their island on. It sounds like these recipes are meant to be simple and include very minimal ingredients. This limited edition bottle is expected to be available starting May 2009 and throughout the summer months, which I assume means through at least August. The limited edition Malibu bottles will be sold in United Kingdom multiple grocers.

Limited Edition Lipton Ale is a special ale made by Maxim Brewery. The ale is being used to promote the new play by Ed Waugh and Trevor Wood that is about West Auckland’s victory in the first football World Cup. The limited edition Lipton Ale is named after the tournament organizer, Sir Thomas Lipton. The limited edition ale will have a limited release of only 1,000 bottles. The ale uses the same recipe as Maxim’s Brewery’s Double Maxim brew, although it has a small amount of roasted barely added to give it a different taste.

The play begins showing on stage at Durham’s Gala Theatre in April, but the Lipton Ale is already on sale. The Limited Edition Lipton Ale is on sale at the Gala Theatre, West Auckland AFC’s bar, and some North East pubs, which includes Dun Cow on High Street West. It might alos be available at supermarkets in the future with some of the profits going to the West Aukland Town AFC.

John Smith’s brewing company is honoring its 50th year of sponsoring horse racing in the United Kingdom with a limited edition can design. The can is being released with their next sponsored race, Grand National at Aintree, coming up on April 4, 2009. The company first sponsored a horse race in 1960 when they sponsored the John Smith’s Magnet Cup in York. The company is known for their ale and sells one out of three cans that are sold in the United Kingdom. The limited edition 50th anniversary of sponsorship design will appear on the John Smith’s Extra Smooth and John Smith’s Original Bitter line of products. I am not exactly sure what the special horse racing packaging is supposed to look like, but it is said that it will make it stand out on the shelves with its racing imagery.

The Ox Inn in Stanley, United Kingdom, is serving up a special limited edition pie in honor of March 2 through March 8, 2009 being British Pie Week. The pie is a steak and Newcastle Brown Ale one. The pie is about a foot in diameter and weighs about 2 pounds. The pie sounds like the filling is mostly made with steak and Newcastle Brown Ale. It is said to have a nutty caramel flavor. The inn is serving it with chips (I assume this means fries, as it is in the United Kingdom after all), a jug of gravy, and vegetables. I am certainly not into meat and most definitely not steak, but boy does that big pie look like a great way to celebrate British Pie Week size wise.

In support of the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual and Trans-Sexual (LGBT) movement Absolut has released a special rainbow flag bottle. The limited edition rainbow flag bottle features a rainbow design and text that reflects their support of the movement. The bottle is being called Absolut Colours. The bottle is being released this month (February 2009) in Australia. I believe it is only to be available in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. Absolut will be donating $1 per limited edition bottle sold to the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation, which works to support people living with HIV and AIDS as well as the issues of pride and equal rights for LGBT members. The bottles look pretty cool and seem kind of nice for a bottle collection even if you are not into drinking Absolut.

Carolina Brewery in North Carolina, is celebrating its 14th Anniversary on February 13, 2009. They will having a party to celebrate their anniversary at their Chapel Hill, North Carolina brewery location (460 W. Franklin St.). The party begins at 11am. As part of the celebration they are releasing a limited edition brew called Anniversary Ale. Also, part of the party is performances by Birds & Arrows and Sweet By & By starting at 9pm. They are also giving are free commemorative pint glasses to the first 500 customers who purchase a pint.

The Limited Edition Anniversary Ale is brewed using the European Trappist Monk process. It is described as a malty brew with a light hop addition for minimum bitterness. The brew includes Belgian malts and yeasts that are gently filtered to preserve the delicate flavors. The brew uses dried orange, cumin, and coriander.

Recently Long Trail Brewing Company in Vermont launched a limited edition line called Brewmasters Series to celebrate Vermont law allowing local brewerys to make and sell beer with more than 8 percent alcohol. The first ones in the series, such as Triple Bag, were only available on tap at their visitor’s center The next in the series is the current release and is called Coffee Stout. This release has a 7.9% ABV. This release is the first in the series to be bottled. The Coffee Stout is being released in 22 ounce bottles and will be in stores that carry Long Trail Brewing Company’s brews. This brew’s ingredients include real 100% certified organic coffee to give it a real coffee taste and smell. It is said to be a good after dinner or dessert beer.

Backus brewery has released their latest wheat beer in Peru. Their newest brew is a limited edition beer called Cusqueña de Trigo. This limited edition brew will be available in “traditional bodegas, supermarkets, convenience stores, liquor shops, restaurants and bars through out the capital [of Peru, Lima} as well as cities such as Arequipa, Tacna, Cusco, Piura, Trujillo, Chiclayo and Huancayo.” The beer will be available in two bottle sizes (330ml and 620ml) with the traditional Cusqueña logo. This limited edition beer is described by Alavro Ramos, Worthmore Brand Director for Backus as “meant for the palates of those looking to enjoy their free time but who at the same time know how to distinguish quality when they taste it.” I am not sure how long it is supposed to be available.

Epic Beer is releasing a limited edition brew called Epic Mayhem at summer beer festivals in New Zealand. This limited edition has been done before in 2006 and 2007 on tap. This year, though, for the first time it will also be in bottles. The bottles are tall 500ml bottles like the other Epic bottled brews. The Mayhem brew is made with Cascade hops from the United States and Riwaka hops from New Zealand.

Epic Mayhem will be available at three beer festivals in the next month or so in New Zealand. On February 14, 2009, it will be at the Kumeu Beer Wine & Food Festival at the Kumeu Showgrounds. On February 28, 2009, it will be at the New Zealand Beer Festival at Waitangi Park in Wellington. On March 14, 2009, it will be at the New Zealand Beer Festival at Ellerslie in Auckland.