Terrapin Beer Co. Releases Side Project 24: Turtleneck Gingerbread

As the air grows winter-crisp and the mercury continues to drop, Terrapin Beer Co. helps fans bundle up with Side Project 24: Turtleneck Gingerbread Winter Warmer. Turtleneck was the winner of Terrapin’s second 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 members of the winning team are Abigail Agati (sales), Erin Appel (marketing), Henry Friederich (packaging), Jennifer Gresenz (tour), Kelly Guglietta (tour), Lee Maine (tour), Morgan Maine (tour), Andy Rattner (sales), David Stock (packaging), and Brandon Stull (brewer).

Malt: 2-Row Pale, Malted Wheat, Crystal 85, Honey Malt, DH Carafa II
Hops: Warrior, Nugget

Other:

Gingerbread spices including Ground

Cinnamon,

Chicory,

Ginger,

Allspice,

Clove,

Nutmeg

ABV: 8.4%
IBU: 35
OG: 19.5

The third annual Employee Homebrew Challenge is currently underway. The winning beer will be chosen at Terrapin’s holiday party and released as Side Project 26 in late 2015. A new twist has been added for this year; all beers must feature peppercorn.