VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - May 24, 2012) - Russell Brewing Company (TSX VENTURE:RB) released today the Rick August Russian Imperial Stout, Grand Prize Winner of the 2011 Golden Stag Home Brewing Contest. This special single-batch beer was brewed according to the exact homebrew recipe of Grand Prize winner, Rick August from Saskatchewan. The recipe uses more than 10 types of malts, two types of hops, a special yeast strain, juniper berries and licorice root. At 10.8% ABV this strong beer is intensely dark and extremely flavourful. Only 360 cases produced. This beer is available now for a limited time during Vancouver Craft Beer Week, May 18-26, 2012, at specialty liquor stores in British Columbia.

"We are very excited to unveil the Rick August Russian Imperial Stout during Vancouver Craft Beer Week - there's no better time to celebrate the rich diversity of craft beer and to recognize the art of home brewing," said Andrew Harris, President, Russell Brewing Company. "At Russell Beer, we're focused on constantly innovating and delivering good, quality beer. The launch of this unique new single-batch beer exemplifies this."

In 2011 Russell Brewing partnered with the Vancouver Homebrewing Association (Vanbrewers) to present the Golden Stag Home Brewing Awards. More than 300 beers were submitted into 23 categories for the contest and judging took place between April 27 and May 10, 2011. The winner was announced at the Awards Ceremony at London Pub, May 11, 2011, during Vancouver Craft Beer Week 2011.

The Grand Prize was the unique opportunity to brew, package and market a full batch of your own Home Brew recipe with Russell Brewing Company and launch the beer at retail during Vancouver Craft Beer Week, 2012. The winner would share in the profits up to a value of $3000. Saskatchewan's Rick August was awarded the Grand Prize for "Best in Show" for his Russian Imperial Stout at the Awards Ceremony.

For a list of liquor stores that will be carrying the single-batch beer, please visit: [ www.russellbeer.com ]

About Russell Brewing Company

Russell Brewing Company is a premium small-batch brewery located in the Strawberry Hill area of Surrey, British Columbia specializing in brewing high-quality flavourful ales and lagers. Russell Brewing Company in British Columbia and the Fort Garry Brewing Company in Manitoba are wholly owned subsidiaries of Russell Breweries Inc. (TSX VENTURE:RB). [ www.russellbeer.com ][ www.fortgarry.com ]