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The Brux returns for a 7th time as Russian River and Sierra Nevada re-re-re-release the iconic “domesticated wild ale”. It will be interesting to see if a new version will be made now that Russian River has their own coolship surrounded by extra wood from the Sierra Nevada construction of Mills River. (Hopefully this will come in small bottles)
It is pretty rare these days to find a brewery that hasn’t done at least one collaboration and that number just added a historic member as Rodenbach collaborates for the 1st time in nearly 200 years with Dogfish Head. The beer is still in the planning stages and who knows, it may have to sit in barrels and be then be blended. At this point it might be anything. I would like to see some brewed in Belgium and some in the US and then blended. Look for more updates next year
I usually blow through the onslaught of beer release calendars but I did catch one beer that seems to be a powerhouse collaboration to look for (though it will probably be expensive).
Beachwood heading north to Cascade to make a sour wheat ale with smoked malt. Oak aged with whole pineapple and mango. This could be like grilled fruit and it sounds very promising.
Unless you are an avid online beer buyer and you loved driving to Orange County to pick up cans, then you may not have been trying many beers from The Bruery’s IPA arm, Offshoot Beer Co. The most known and available is their Relax Hazy IPA which I view favorably. Now there is another one that you might be able to find at your local L.A. bottle shop since it is a collaboration with Mason Ale Works from San Marcos and we seem to get a good supply of their 12oz cans.
I am not a fan of figs and dates but the rest of Bamburana, a 12.2% ABV imperial stout collaboration from Cigar City and Oskar Blues “that has portions aged in three different ways: once in whiskey barrels, once in brandy barrels and for a final time in tanks with Amburana wood spirals.” sounds like something to look for when it arrives in 12oz can 4-packs.
I have had one Amburana beer before, oddly enough from fellow Canarchy member Three Weavers and I quite enjoyed the unique flavors it added.
We may have my first must have beer of 2019. Two Saison giants combining to make a new transatlantic version. I think a blind tasting of this upcoming beer plus the Allagash Saison and Saison Dupont would yield some interesting tasting notes.
You could probably safely, have a blog dedicated just to collaboration beers. I feel that 2018 has set a new mark for duo brews. And here is another with the local Smog City crew heading from Torrance to Hawaii to make Star Maps Kolsch. This Kolsch is brewed with starfruit and rises to a fairly high for the style 6.1% ABV.
I will assume that it will pour at Smog City taprooms and that it will probably still be warm in LA when it comes out.
Not a huge fan of returning to the ’80s but I do like the idea of having a West-Coast forward, 22oz bomber forward brewery teaming with a haze forward, crowler brewery to learn new tricks. All in a VERY colorful way.
State Brewing and El Segundo Brewing are going all Vice and Versa on October 13th, here are the beer details:
“It’s two breweries, one hop profile and two different styles of IPA. State showed us the way of the Hazy, we showed State the way of the West Coast and we’re each doing simultaneous can releases.”
Check their websites and social media for music, shuttle and food details.
The latest 22oz hop bomber from El Segundo Brewing is a coming,
Power Shower is a collaboration with recent GABF medal winners Noble Ale Works that will be released on October 5th. The premise is that the beer is half Noble Showers DIPA and half El Segundo Power Plant and will probably live up to the 8.8% abv.
