Dogfish Head Craft Brewery & Rodenbach to Release Vibrant P'Ocean, a First-of-its-Kind Collaboration

Discussion in 'Beer Releases' started by Todd, Jan 10, 2020.

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  1. Todd

    Todd Founder (13,254) Aug 23, 1996 Finland
    Staff Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    225 Years of Experience in One Beer – Now that’s Magic! Dogfish Head Craft Brewery & RODENBACH to Release Vibrant P’Ocean, a First-of-its-Kind Collaboration

    Milton, Del., Jan. 10, 2020 – Delaware’s (almost) 25-year-old Dogfish Head Craft Brewery joins forces with Belgium’s (almost) 200-year-old Brouwerij RODENBACH to release Vibrant P’Ocean, a 4.7% ABV blended sour ale. A beer for the history books,Vibrant P’Ocean is RODENBACH’s first-ever collaborative brew. “As America’s number-one brewer of sour beers, we atDogfish are absolutely honored to be the first to collaborate and create a beer in partnership with RODENBACH, the world’s most well-respected maker of sour beers,” said Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head. “I’m proud to say that our teams contributed equally on every creative facet of this beer – from the brainstorm to the brew to calibrating the vibrant, red hue of the beer though specific grain and fruit blends. We really took our time and focused on creating a mouth-puckeringly magical drinking experience.”

    Vibrant P’Ocean is a complex, ruby-colored beer with tart, dry flavors of jammy berries and floral lemon. To create this trans-oceanic potion, the breweries carefully combined two unique base beers – one developed by RODENBACH and the other by Dogfish Head. RODENBACH’s portion, a two-year, foeder-aged sour from its legendary, standing oak casks, was brewed in Belgium before making its 3,400-mile (or 1,000-nautical league) voyage to Milton, Delaware. There, it was blended with Dogfish Head’s portion, a kettle sour brewed with pilsner malt, malted wheat, elderberry, elderflower, sliced lemons and Belgian fleur-de-sel. Vibrant P’Ocean will be available nationwide in 6pk/12oz cans starting in late January. The breweries are also exploring a future, limited release of Vibrant P’Ocean that will be available in Belgium.

    “Our relationship with Dogfish Head blossomed over a few good sour beers and Vibrant P’Ocean captures all that we hoped for in this collaboration,” said Rudi Ghequire, Master Brewer of RODENBACH. “It signifies the vibrancy and mutual respect of our beers and two cultures coming together, inspired by the ocean which connects us. The result is an innovative and refreshing sour beer that captures Dogfish Head’s history of creativity, while staying true to the RODENBACH brand and its oak-aging process which gives RODENBACH its distinctive character.”

    Sour and wild-fermented ales is now the fastest-growing style of craft beer, but both Dogfish Head and RODENBACH have been producing and perfecting lip-smackingly tart libations since way before it was considered ‘cool.’ Dogfish Head’s ‘sour story’ began nearly 17 years ago, when Calagione first brewed Festina Lente. A small-batch, spontaneously-fermented beer brewed with more than 400 lbs. of locally-grown peaches, this award-winning wild ale was the brewery’s springboard for entry to the sours category.

    In 2016, Dogfish Head released SeaQuench Ale, which quickly became the fastest growing beer in the company’s history. A session sour mash-up of a crisp Kolsch, a salty Gose and a tart Berliner Weiss, this citrusy thirst-slayer holds the title of America’s number-one selling sour beer. After witnessing the continued success of SeaQuench Ale, Dogfish Head put the pedal to the metal on a slew of its other ‘wild’ ideas. In early 2018, the brewery introduced SuperEIGHT, a super Gose made with a bevy of heroic ingredients, including prickly pear, mango, boysenberry, blackberry, raspberry, elderberry, kiwi juices, toasted quinoa and red Hawaiian sea salt. Later that same year, it unveiled its ‘Wooden … it be nice!’ wild beer program and has since released seven small-batch sour beers within the Mid-Atlantic region.

    Ironically, it was through its ‘Wooden … it be nice!’ initiative that Dogfish Head and RODENBACH’s relationship began. At an annual meeting of the world’s leading brewers, the Craft Brewers Conference in 2018, Ghequire and the head of Dogfish Head’s ‘Wooden … it be nice!’ wild beer program, Bill Marchi, sat on the same brewing panel. During the conference, fleeting conversations of a future collaboration ensued and – little did they know – the rest would become history. First, Ghequire and members of RODENBACH’s team made a trip to Dogfish Head’s production facility in Delaware to further solidify the breweries’ partnership. Brainstorming continued and then, Calagione and members of Dogfish Head’s team visited RODENBACH’s brewery in Roeselare, Belgium, to finalize the details for Vibrant P’Ocean. During that trip, Calagione and Ghequire spent time touring RODENBACH’s legendary brewery and cooperage, sampling traditional cuisine from the surrounding region, learning about the country’s brewing history and soaking up every possible drop of inspiration.

    “It’s a little-known secret that the acidity levels in a sessionable sour beer, such as RODENBACH Classic, SeaQuench Ale and now, Vibrant P’Ocean, offer consumers a delicious beer experience with a higher level of refreshment,” added Ghequire. “Generations of Belgians have known this to be true, and we’re excited that American consumers have the opportunity to try and enjoy even more quality-produced sessionable sours.”

    “Dogfish Head’s journey with RODENBACH sure has been a memorable one,” said Calagione. “I am so eager for Vibrant P’Ocean to be released and to enjoy a celebratory six-pack with Rudi and the co-workers that make up our brewing teams.”

    For more information about Vibrant P’Ocean, Dogfish Head’s collaboration with RODENBACH or Dogfish Head’s portfolio of sours, visit www.dogfish.com.

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  2. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    “As America’s number-one brewer of sour beers, we at Dogfish…”

    Is Sam Calagione basing this claim of “America’s number-one brewer of sour beers” based upon beer volume? Does Dogfish Head produce more barrels of sour beer than any other American brewer? @jesskidden

    It would have been intriguing if they could have created a mix pack (e.g., 6-pack) which included the Dogfish Head product (kettle sour brewed with pilsner malt, malted wheat, elderberry, elderflower, sliced lemons and Belgian fleur-de-sel), The Rodenbach product (a two-year, foeder-aged sour from its legendary, standing oak casks) and the blended final product (Vibrant P'Ocean).

    Cheers!
     
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  3. BoldCars

    BoldCars Initiate (0) Apr 5, 2018 Maryland

    That... Would be an absolutely brilliant idea!!!!
     
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  4. HouseofWortship

    HouseofWortship Pooh-Bah (2,629) May 3, 2016 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    "P'Ocean"? Let's rethink the name...especially if served warm...
     
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  5. Eefinn

    Eefinn Initiate (0) Oct 19, 2019 Vermont

    I had the same thought, SeaQuench being the only sour beer I've had from Dogfish Head.

    I will probably buy some Vibrant P'Ocean if I see it, but a mixed pack like you describe would certainly be a must have, if they made one.
     
    Rug likes this.
  6. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    For some reason I am reminded about the joke of two Irishmen are lost at sea in a lifeboat & Guinness.:flushed:

    Cheers!
     
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  7. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Maybe Sam will contact me first to help with the marketing of their next collaboratively brewed beer!?!:wink:

    Cheers!
     
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  8. oldbean

    oldbean Initiate (0) Jun 30, 2005 Massachusetts

    I would think that ideally your beer name shouldn't also sound like a plausible Pornhub user name, but hey, I'm not in marketing.
     
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  9. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,071) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Seems possible, I guess. After a bit of Googlin' hit some obscure website :wink:
    that said:
    https://www.beeradvocate.com/articl...th-new-brands-line-of-wild-barrel-aged-beers/

    Who else in the US could top over 50k bbl of "sour" beers? Or be crowned The Sultan* of Sours (*do sultan even wear crowns?).

    EDIT - Oh, yeah, they did.

    (Man I really hate that catch-all term, "sour beer"...).
     
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  10. HouseofWortship

    HouseofWortship Pooh-Bah (2,629) May 3, 2016 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Is this the idea for the asparagus variant called Funky P'Ocean?
     
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  11. GuyFawkes

    GuyFawkes Grand Pooh-Bah (5,364) Apr 7, 2011 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

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  12. cjgiant

    cjgiant Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,560) Jul 13, 2013 District of Columbia
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I admit I may be twisting the already twisted wording, but I know DFH likes to claim they were "the first" to do things. So could this claim to number one be in the vein of something like "the first to brew a sour style." Right or wrong, I think they have made this time-sensitive (i.e. starting with 1990s revival) claim for Festina Peche.
     
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  13. Oktoberfiesta

    Oktoberfiesta Initiate (0) Nov 16, 2013 New Mexico

    They love to hype themselves up. #1 sour maker? You make one or two kettle sours. Stop it.

    I admit I was buying SQ 9 to 10 times more than their other products. What does that say about their lineup? It’s a slightly tart barely sour mash up. It’s refreshing. It’s decent. But the best? Not even close.

    Also, Is GI the # IPA maker because of GI IPA?

    People can read through your crap Sam. stop.
     
  14. Roguer

    Roguer Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,757) Mar 25, 2013 Connecticut
    Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    This is fascinating news, right up there with the Utopias-aged WWS. Very few, if any, breweries are more respected than Rodenbach. I'm not sure how the final product will turn out, but that is part of what makes it interesting.

    As for DFH's claim to be the top sour producer .... well, yeah, they're obviously talking about volume. SeaQuench I suppose is a sour ale, but it certainly doesn't occupy the same space as Rodenbach's classic red ales. I don't personally know anyone who would claim that DFH brews the best sours in the US, but the most sours is certainly a plausible claim, and one I wouldn't expect them to make if the facts weren't on their side.

    I'd prefer it if their wording were more direct, though: "As America's top seller of sour ales," or highest producer, or something to the like. "Top" can definitely be interpreted as best, and no one's buying that. :wink:
     
  15. jayrutgers

    jayrutgers Zealot (699) Oct 29, 2011 New Jersey

  16. rgordon

    rgordon Pooh-Bah (2,677) Apr 26, 2012 North Carolina
    Pooh-Bah Society

    My best friend in the world ever was Brad from Wilmington, Delaware. We met in college and we were just connected by genetics and brain. He used to bring 60 Minute to our gatherings and I think he was rather close to a genius. He died in 1999. His family still has a place at Dewey's Beach where the forest meets the ocean. He taught me about birds and I taught him about literature. I really miss his kind soul....
     
  17. Immortale25

    Immortale25 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,549) May 13, 2011 North Carolina
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    https://www.dogfish.com/brewery/beer/festina-lente
    Lente came out even earlier than Peche, on albeit a much smaller scale
     
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  18. Ahonky

    Ahonky Initiate (0) Feb 13, 2018 New York

    From a trackable POV, I do believe it has been cited that Sea Quench Ale is the number one "sour" beer in America
     
  19. Ahonky

    Ahonky Initiate (0) Feb 13, 2018 New York

    The claim is based on units, not quality, and those brands that register in sales tracking are generally full-scale distribution brands, meaning the competition to make these claims is narrow

    With a little effort I could probably get my hands on this data, as I work at a Fragrance & Flavors house. My counterparts in the Flavors division have this data
     
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  20. Oktoberfiesta

    Oktoberfiesta Initiate (0) Nov 16, 2013 New Mexico

    I’m just saying the units argument is very McDonald’s or Bud light of them. I don’t see many craft giants touting their ‘top’ stout or ‘top’ ipa.

    i know in N.M., for years the best selling craft beer was Santa Fe’s happy camper IPA. I never knew of them to say it was a top or best of anything really. The beer is quite mediocre. So I think they knew that.
     
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