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Photo:Stone Brewing Co
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ESCONDIDO, CA (
Jan. 12, 2015) – At
Stone Brewing Co.,
collaboration beers are looked at as an opportunity to get creative,
experiment well beyond day-to-day brewing parameters, and utilize unique
techniques and ingredients—all while celebrating the spirit of craft
beer camaraderie. These beers are rarely brewed again, but in a gesture
to outspoken and engaged craft beer fans, Stone is revisiting a
particular collaboration that was first brewed in 2011 with Guam’s
Ishii Brewing Co. and Japan-based
Baird Brewing Company.
Baird / Ishii / Stone Japanese Green Tea IPA
is brewed with Japanese sencha green tea and five different hops,
including Sorachi Ace, a varietal originally developed in Japan.
Starting today, the IPA will begin arriving in 22-ounce bottles and on
draft at restaurants, bars and retail outlets in markets where Stone
beer is sold.
After the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami, Toshi Ishii, the owner
of Ishii Brewing Co. and a former Stone Brew Crew intern, contacted
Stone CEO and Co-founder Greg Koch to propose collaborating on a beer
that would raise funds for recovery efforts (
a total of $64,000 was donated to the
Japanese Red Cross Society
as a result of the project). Koch discussed the collaboration with
Stone President and Co-founder Steve Wagner and Stone Brewmaster Mitch
Steele, and suggested Bryan Baird of Baird Brewing Company as the third
collaborator, since he had met and visited Baird’s brewery in Japan a
few years earlier. Steele, Ishii and Baird decided to harness the
Japanese food culture’s affinity for tea by brewing an IPA that would
feature green tea from Japan.
“This beer was beloved when it was first released, but due to the hop
availabilities and creative nature of collaborations, we decided to swap
out the original beer's now very rare Pacifica hops from New Zealand
for Helga hops from Australia,” explains Steele. “We brewed exactly the
same recipe, targeting the same original gravity; however, since we’ve
improved our brewing and fermentation processes, the alcohol by volume
rose from 9.2 percent to 10.1 percent. The result is a heftier beer that
perfectly highlights the earthy spice flavors that the Japanese green
tea provides.”
The beer has a massive hop presence, both in flavor and bitterness. It
was dry-hopped twice, first with Aramis, Crystal and Helga, all of which
contribute spice notes and the aromas and flavors of mango and
pineapple. The second dry hop consisted of Sorachi Ace hops and the
Japanese green tea addition. Sorachi Ace provides lemon and dill
flavors, while the tea provides dry, herbal and, understandably, rich
green tea notes. With a mild barley character thanks to the exclusive
use of pale malt, the brewers were able to highlight a hop profile
that’s harmoniously paired with distinct green tea qualities.
To fully enjoy the seamless marrying of hop and green tea flavors,
Baird / Ishii / Stone Japanese Green Tea IPA should
be enjoyed as far ahead of the beer’s “enjoy by” date (stamped on the
bottle neck) as possible. Those who savor the bright, herbaceous and
bitingly hoppy IPA will understand why this crowd pleaser was revived
for a second go-round.
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| Photo:Stone Brewing Co |
Baird / Ishii / Stone Japanese Green Tea IPA Quick Facts:
Name: Baird / Ishii / Stone Japanese Green Tea IPA
URL: stonebrewing.com/collab/greentea
Stats: 10.1% ABV, 75 IBUs
Availability: Limited 22-ounce bottles and draft, beginning January 12
Hops Bill: Aramis, Crystal, Helga, Sorachi Ace and Warrior
National Distribution: AK, AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA,
HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NE, NH,
NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA and Puerto Rico
International Distribution: Alberta and British Columbia, Canada; United Kingdom; Japan; and Singapore
Find Beer: find.stonebrewing.com
For more information on Stone Brewing Co., please visit
stonebrewing.com or the company’s social media sites:
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Google+,
Instagram,
Pinterest,
Twitter and
The Stone Blog.
