Alchemist / Stone / Ninkasi More Brown Than Black to Benefit Hurricane Irene Victims

I brought you a peek at the front and backing labels for the Stone, Ninkasi, The Alchemist co-brewed More Brown than Black back on Dec 1st, so I wanted to follow up with the official press release and details on how this beer will benefit the victims of Hurricane Irene.  It looks like our pal Mitch Steele has another great beer here….this from Stone:

Stone collaboration beer for Hurricane Irene victims

ESCONDIDO, CA | December 19 – Stone Brewing Co. is releasing yet another exciting collaboration beer today—the fifth this year!—dubbed "The Alchemist / Ninkasi / Stone More Brown Than Black IPA."

One of the many unfortunate casualties of Hurricane Irene was the destruction of The Alchemist Pub and Brewery in Waterbury, VT. When Stone Brewing Co. Brewmaster Mitch Steele heard of the loss, he immediately sent out an email to The Alchemist Head Brewer John Kimmich asking if there was anything he could do to help.
 
"John’s wife, Jen, wrote back suggesting that John fly out to Southern California for a few days… just to get a break from the reality of everything," recounts Steele. "And almost as an afterthought, she casually mentioned that maybe we could even brew something together. I ran with it."
 
Fresh off the tails of brewing the "Baird / Ishii / Stone Japanese Green Tea IPA"—another collaboration beer that raised $64,000 for victims of the earthquake and tsunami tragedy in Japan—Steele reached out to Jamie Floyd, Brewer/Co-founder of Ninkasi Brewing Company in Eugene, OR, who was happy to come onboard to complete the brewing trifecta.
 
"That’s what this entire industry is all about. No matter what the ‘competitive’ side is, we care about humanity, and we care about each other," offers Floyd.
 
Proceeds from the beer will go directly to the Waterbury Good Neighbor Fund, a non-profit organization aiding families affected by the hurricane. "It’s a small town," says Kimmich. "Even the influx of a few thousand dollars will have a huge affect. There are very low-income people who lost everything. And the idea of coming out to Stone and making a beer that will directly impact our town… it’s heartwarming to say the least."

The Alchemist / Ninkasi / Stone More Brown Than Black IPA
 http://www.stonebrew.com/collab

Stats: 7.4% abv, 80 IBUs
Availability: Limited 12oz bottles & draft, beginning December 19th
Distribution: AZ, CA, CO, FL, IL, MA, NC, NM, NY, OH, OR, PA, SC, TX, VA, VT, WA
Malt bill: Maris Otter Pale, Light Munich, Carafa III Special Dark, and Cara-Helles
Hops bill: Super Galena hop extract for bittering, Nelson Sauvin and Delta for flavor,  dry-hopped with a blend of Citra and Galaxy.

Brewers:
  The Alchemist Pub and Brewery – John Kimmich (Head Brewer);
  Ninkasi Brewing Company – Jamie Floyd (President/Head Brewer);
  Stone Brewing Co. – Mitch Steele (Brewmaster)

Tasting notes, provided by Brewmaster Mitch Steele

Appearance: Deep brown, a bit hazy, with tan foam.

Aroma: Whoa! This beer is all about, resiny, piney, dank and citrusy hops! The first shot is intense blend of pine and orange rind, and then as your sense of smell just starts to recover, the dankness and resiny herbaceousness come through with hints of grapefruit.  This is a powerful hop blend!

Taste: The hops also dominate the flavor of this beer. Orange and grapefruit rind take center stage in the flavor, followed by, you guessed it: piney / resiny notes. The beer has a modest body…not sweet at all…and has a lingering bitter, drying end. Beyond the bitter end there are light hints of roasted malt and chocolate in the finish.

Overall: The hop character in this beer is unique and very pronounced.  Galaxy is a newer hop variety from Australia that we think has strong tropical fruit and stone fruit characteristics. Citra and Delta are newer American hop varieties — Citra possesses strong citrus and dank flavors, while Delta has a milder profile with melon and berry notes. And of course Nelson Sauvin from New Zealand has its intense namesake’s white wine notes along with—surprise!—more dank notes. They all blended together well in this beer, a tribute to one of our favorite styles.

Suggested pairings, provided by "Dr." Bill Sysak

Appetizers: Bacon-wrapped figs, Prosciutto di Parma, Texas caviar
Entrees: Roquefort pear salad, fried chicken, vegetable chili, roasted pork, Thai Satay with peanut sauce
Cheeses: Aged Cheddar, aged Gruyère or Comté, raw sheep’s milk cheese such as Abbaye de Belloc or Etorki
Dessert: Apple pie, gingerbread, carrot cake
Cigars: Amilcar Perez Castro Robusto, Montecristo No. 2, Ashton Virgin Sun Grown Très Mystique, Arturo Fuente Hemingway Work of Art