courtesy of Flickr user cfour33

What does the sports world’s newly-crowned most-hated man have to do with beer?

[7/16 Update: The Quitness LeBron beer is back on Saturday but will sell out in only a hour or so once tapped.]

LeBron James may be done with Cleveland but it’s not done with him. Cleveland.com broke the news last week that Great Lakes Brewing is releasing a “really bitter” ale on tap called Quitness very soon. The name is based on the “Quitness” t-shirt campaign (which happens to be based on Nike’s LeBron-centered “Witness” marketing campaign). There is a decent chance that this is an existing recipe, just with a new name to honor the recently departed, though the brewery hasn’t said one way or another. Per Crain’s, it should be on tap within a week and will only be available for about a week to 10 days.

In other news…

…According to an FAQ set up at Russian River Brewing‘s website, Pliny the Younger will not be made available in growlers next year. It will only be available on tap at the brewpub and probably in the areas where it is normally distributed. The brewpub allotment sold out in just eight hours during February’s chaotic release event so this should help quell some of the demand. Of course, this means that the days of trading Pliny the Younger to your friend(s) across the country may be over for good.

…Haven’t seen a label for it but Illinois-based Flossmoor Station just released waxed bottles of its Vishnu’s Vice IPA at its brewpub. It’s also currently on tap. “We are appropriately reincarnating a previous IPA here at the Station, Vishnu’s Vice. This hugely hopped IPA just missed the most hops we’ve ever used by a few ounces! Grapefruit and citrus aromas and flavors explode from this 8% brew making this IPA one of a kind.”

…Beachwood BBQ announced that it is moving toward becoming a brewpub. Julian Shrago, who collaborated with Tomme Arthur on Port Panzer Pils (it’s Shrago’s recipe IIRC), will be named the brewmaster.

…Also in SoCal, The Bruery blogs about fruit going into their sour beers in the future.

[Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrcleanoh/4782847977/]