Terrapin Side Project # 21 – Pineapple Express Arriving Soon

ATHENS, Ga.,

Dec. 17, 2013-

All Aboard!! Arriving soon is Pineapple Express, the winner of Terrapin’s first annual Employee Homebrew Challenge. 

The Employee Homebrew Challenge is the brainchild of Terrapin VP Sales/Marketing Dustin Watts. The Challenge splits all Terrapin employees into assigned teams containing members from each department. The mission is straightforward: formulate a beer recipe and brew a 5-gallon batch, choose a name, design a label concept, develop a marketing strategy, and present the brew as creatively as possible in a skit to all coworkers and a panel of judges at the company holiday party. There are no style guidelines or rules, though the project must fit the "Side Project" line of inventive, unique beers, must be feasibly brewed on a commercial level, and all aspects of the project (brew ingredients, marketing materials, etc.) must stay within the provided $75 budget.

"I saw the Employee Homebrew Challenge as a great way to get our employees working together across departments on a fun project that has a real reward," said Watts. "Employees get to see how other departments in the brewery contribute to each step required to get a beer on shelves from start to finish, so it’s also educational. Besides that, all these skits make our holiday party a ton of fun!"

The 2012 winning team was comprised of: Andy Dupras (packaging), John Lane (brewer), Rainey Lynch (tour), Lily Swindle (tour), Mike Wallace (sales), Julia Weckback (marketing), Chris Wright (packaging).  

Pineapple Express was inspired by a late night grilling session with friends. A couple chunks of pineapple got thrown into the mix, and an idea for a new beer style was born. The team brewed up a Helles lager for the base brew and used real pineapple and smoked malt to concoct the winning recipe. 

ABV: 5.4%
IBU: 38 

OG: 12.6

Malts: 2-Row Pale, Wheat, Caramalt Pilsner, Smoked Malt, Acidulated

Hops: Perle, Hallertau Hersbrucker

Other: Pineapple Puree, Natural Flavor

The second annual Employee Homebrew Challenge is currently underway; beers will be judged in January and the winning brew will be released as Side Project 24 in late 2014.