Westbrook releases Bearded Farmer: “Thomas”

Thomas

“Thomas,” the third entry in Westbrook‘s Bearded Farmer series of saisons, was released at the brewery last week and began hitting store shelves across the state on Wednesday.

Following in the footsteps of the first two entries, Thomas is tweaked from the previous incarnation. This time around, the 7.8% ABV, 75 IBU saison is brewed with Pilsner and Munich malts; Wakatu, Motueka and Pacific Gem hops; and is fermented with a single strain of French saison yeast. Unlike Hughey and McCullough, Thomas doesn’t have any Brett in it.

Thomas is available in 750s and on draft. Greenville and Charleston already have it and it should show up in Columbia soon.

Pint Bill passes S.C. Senate

scbrewers

After finally making it to the floor of the South Carolina Senate on Tuesday for debate and a vote, the state’s Pint Bill on Wednesday finally passed the chamber with a final vote.

The bill passed its first test on the chamber on Tuesday with a 31-1 vote. Unsurprisingly, the only “nay” vote came from Sen. Mike Fair (R-Greenville). You’ll recall Fair’s objection resulted in negotiations between supports and opponents, which ended in the compromise the Senate eventually passed.

So, what’s next? The bill now goes back to the S.C. House of Representatives, which must approve the changes made from the version they originally voted on. Since there was little objection in that chamber, it’s unlikely the bill will have to jump over any more hurdles. Once the House approves it, it goes before Gov. Nikki Haley to sign into law.

The bill will likely be signed by the end of the month.