The past few years has seen unparalleled growth, experimentation and quality in American craft brewing and craft brewers from all over the world are taking notice.
The Italians are brewing experimental beers with unique fruits and spices. Scandinavian brewers, as well as brewers in Japan and the U.K., are crafting imaginative, full-bodied brews. In Belgium, yeasty and fruity strong ales and triples are being more heavily hopped.
In the course of the last year and a half collaborations have been forged among some of the world’s best brewers. The beers listed below include a spiced Double IPA, a hoppy Weissbock, a hybrid creation and a blended Belgian style strong ale.
Mikkeller of Denmark and De Struis of Belgium are two of the world’s most innovative brewers. Acting on a request from Joe Tucker of RateBeer.com they brewed a beer together — Struise Mikkeller Double IPA 9%. With 130 IBUs it is a complex beer fermented with both an American and a Belgian ale yeast. It is spiced with sweet orange peel, cardamom seeds and masis banda (a variant of nutmeg). This bottle conditioned Double IPA has a balanced mix of soft malt, spice, fruit and hops. Flavors of cloves, coriander, honey, apricot, menthol and hops appear. Mid-palate yeast, lemon peel, grapefruit, green apple, vanilla, confectioners sugar and saaz hops are present. The finish is lingering and full bodied with underlying malt, juicyfruit gum, white grapes, honey, aggressive hops, smoke, and peaches in heavy syrup.
Garrett Oliver, the brewmaster at Brooklyn brewery and master brewer Hans-Peter Drexler of Schneider brewery in Germany have collaborated brewing two special interpretations of Weissbocks with different varieties of hops. Brooklyner-Schneider Hopfen-Weiss 8.5% was brewed in Brooklyn. This pale weissbock is dry hopped with American amarillo and palisade hops. This blend of two brewing cultures is yeasty, herbal, malty and hoppy. Flavors of lime, banana, vanilla, hops, sweet cream, green apple, cloves and rich malt appear. A long yeasty sourness ensues with suggestions of peach, honey, pepper, apricots and tea biscuits. The warming finish encompasses a wheaty dryness with pineapple and spicy menthol accentuated hops.
Signature Ale 8.5% is a collaboration of the Lost Abbey brewery in San Marcos, CA and De Proef Brouwerij of Lochristi, Belgium. Tomme Arthur’s original recipe was brewed with Dirk Naudts at De Proef prior to Belgium’s 2007 Zythos festival. This ale is yeasty and fruity with flavors of orange peel, cloves, apricot, lime, menthol and Brett shining through. Mid-palate a dry and acidic note flows into peach, underlying herbal hops, green apple, yeast and a lingering sourness.
Adam Avery of Avery Brewing Co. Boulder, CO and Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing Co. in Santa Rosa, CA realized they both had a beer named Salvation in their line up. Instead of a legal battle these friends decide to blend both Salvations together and Collaboration not Litigation ale (8.99%) was born. This experimental brew is dry and fruity with flavors of raisins, milk chocolate, plums, yeast and malt. Mid-palate, cloves, pepper, caramel, allspice, coriander and a slight sourness surface. The finish is malty, crisp and dry with suggestions of tangerines, figs, lemon, faint hops, malt and caramelized sugar. This beer was first released in January 2007; the second release date was spring 2008.
