Blaze Rod

The Blaze Rod is used to craft Brewing Stands as shown by a recent screenshot from Jeb. For that reason, they are a vital resource for brewing (also because of Blaze Powder). It is dropped from Blaze mobs which are found in or near Nether fortresses. These mobs shoot fire at the player and appear to be made of this item, hence the name "blaze rods."

Usage
Blaze rods can be crafted into two Blaze Powder or a brewing stand with three cobblestone. It can also be used as fuel for Furnaces, lasting 12 uses. Unlike non-renewable buckets of lava, Blaze rods can be farmed from Blaze spawners in Nether Fortresses, making them the best fuel.

History
The Blaze Rod was first added in the Beta 1.9 Pre-Release. They had no use until Beta 1.9 Pre-Release 2, where Blaze Powder, crafted from Blaze Rods, were added. Beta 1.9 Pre-Release 3 added Brewing Stands made using a Blaze Rod.