We had such a good time brewing an Unfiltered Lager with BKS Artisan Ales this past January that we invited them to brew the first collaboration beer at our own brewery!

Earlier this year Brian and I starting talking about where we think we are getting the most out of our hops in the process of making Pale Ale and IPA. As brewers we often have preconceived notions of when and how to use hops to obtain flavor and aroma. With the emergence of New England style IPA in the last couple years we’ve seen a variety of techniques for using hops throughout brewing and fermentation. As much as the style is bashed in some brewing circles, there is no denying that 1) it has continued to get more folks into IPA that typically stayed away from the style category and 2) we are learning more about hop utilization and water profiles than ever before (or at least being more conscious about it).

Ultimately we decided to make a pale ale with hop additions ONLY on the cold side (i.e. dry-hopping) and no hot side additions (i.e. kettle/ whirlpool hops). This beer pushed me out of my comfort zone in regard to how I have traditionally brewed hoppy beers……which is the purpose of collaborations, right? The progressive thinking that Brian brings to the table is why BKS Artisan Ales continues to stand out in the Pale Ale/IPA realm and we’re both very pleased with how the beer turned out. Pale Ale is a style that we love because of the drinkability and we feel it is having a bit of a reemergence amongst brewers and beer drinkers. As for the details of our beer:

Starting at the End is a hazy pale ale (5.8% abv) brewed with 2-row, wheat and oats and triple dry-hopped with Citra, Simcoe and Amarillo. The aroma and flavor on this beer is pineapple, candied orange, and grapefruit. It finishes dry but still has body from the wheat and oats. Hope to see you at the release this Wednesday!

Cheers,

Nick Mader