Collaboration Fest!
Too many chefs can spoil the pot… except when it comes to beer. Last time we mentioned what happens when brewers, bravely combating the evils of thirst and bad beer, decide to join forces for the greater (beer consuming) good. These concoctions give brewers a chance to create small batch wonders using new ingredients or an opportunity to use new techniques. In the case of Crooked Stave and Upslope, their teamwork resulted in the Ferus Fluxus series, a beverage created together but stored separately to create a unique ale that’s all heart. Collaborations offer a possibility for beer lovers to introduce themselves to the same beer twice.
Stone Brewing, out of Escondido California, is also famous for their three-way collaborative creations. Released only once each year, each edition to the family is highly unique. Examples include Dayman IPA, an IPA brewed with coffee (of all things!) in conjunction with Aleman Brewing from Chicago and Two Brothers Brewing from Warrenville, IL. Also released in this series of Stone collaborations was 2011’s Japanese Green Tea IPA, a softly hopped IPA with plenty of green tea overtones, from the brilliant minds at Ishii Brewing and Baird Brewing, both in Japan.
Perhaps the most famous collaborative beer out there is Collaboration Not Litigation, a team-up between Avery Brewing in Boulder Colorado and River River Brewing, in California. The story behind this beer is almost better than the brew itself. Both breweries realized that they each brewed a beer named Salvation. Instead of suing the pants off each other, they decided to create a beer together, in the name of community. And keep their own Salvation brews.
Two Salvations equal A Collaboration
If you want to take advantage of what this heady collection of brewers has concocted, they will be gathering today (March 22nd) at the Curtis Hotel, 1405 Curtis Street, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. to show off the results of their carbonated collaborations. The Colorado Brewers Guild and Imbibe Denver are presenting this inaugural event as part of Colorado Craft Beer Week. About forty different collaborative beers will be on hand varying in style, brewing technique and taste. Attendees will be able to explore a hoppy wonderland made of pure imagination (and yeast). A few high country brewers are engaging in a five-way team up while others include participation from national and even overseas brewers. Everything’s sure to be deliciously memorable so collaborate with your wallet and head down to the Curtis Hotel for the Collaboration Fest. Tickets are $50 for general admission and $80 for the VIP package (And yes, tickets are still available!). For more information about the event plus an extensive list of the collaborators dedicated to the conspiracy of good taste check out imbibedenver.com.