This blog is chock-a-block with postings of collaboration beers. The camaraderie factor gives off positive vibes and sometimes it is the only way to taste a beer from a brewery far away.
But I believe that this needs to be shaken up a bit. Yes, this may sound like one of those team building exercises that everyone groans about but I would like to see a little more randomness involved.
I envision one of those bingo rollers but with brewery logos in it. For instance, the L.A. Brewers Guild members each have a ping pong ball and two at a time, they are pulled out and paired off. Here’s the twist though, add a second group of balls that have a beer style on them so that the style is up in the air too.
Each duo (or trio if desired) can pick a time in the year to brew their beer and go nuts with it. Yes, some groups may be fast friends already and you may end up with some groups that don’t like each other at all but isn’t that part of the fun? Get people out of a comfort zone and get them thinking and behaving differently.
Pretty amazing that collaboration now seems old fashioned. 10 years ago, two breweries collaborating on a beer was a novelty.
I think I reached a point where there are too many to count.