Brewery collaborations the good and the bad

I second the 2014 3 way. Reuben's and Bale Breaker collaBEERation ipl was really good.

 

I like the idea of collaborations but the beer still needs to be good. I really enjoyed boulevards collabs, the collab 4 which was a Saison was very good.

 

Mostly the let downs come to mind. You're right that we expect the sum to be greater than the parts, but they usually end up being (often lower than) the lowest common demoninator.

I remember liking Collaboration Not Litigation (the original collab), and most recently I was underwhelmed by Justin Blåbær from Evil Twin and Westbrook.

 

I've had a few. Blakkr was pretty good. Collaboration Not Litigation Ale was damn good. The last Beer Camp was hit or miss, and a lot of miss. There was also a collaboration with Cigar City and New Belgium Brewing that was good. I was turned off of chili beers after Cave Creek, that one got me back into them.

So, I guess on a whole, they have been good for me.

 

Collab done right: recent Devils Backbone sampler with NoDa, Sun King, Surly etc (http://dbbrewingcompany.com/dbb-news/collabadventure/). All the collab styles I was interested in. Wish they could have lost the Vienna Lager to throw another collab beer in there.

Collab done wrong: seriously, the Beer Camp. It seems overpriced to pay for maybe one of he collab styles in the pack that looks interesting.

 

So your complaint isn't about a collaboration beer but the variety pack itself? With the large number of variety packs we see here in PA there are lots from a single brewer that I've passed on for much the same reason.

 

Last collab that sticks out in my mind that i loved was evil twin / westbrook mini growler.

 

Recently Heavy Seas here in Maryland started a PartnerShips program where they collaborate with different breweries. The first beer in the series was a Red IPA that was made with Maine Beer Company. I'm usually not a Red IPA fan but that beer was phenomenal!

 

I have had a few beers that were collaboratively brewed that I really enjoyed drinking but the majority of collaboratively brewed beers that I have drunk have only been OK. I tend to think of the old saying: too many cooks spoil the broth.

Cheers!

 

Valid points all around as there seem to be many variations on a single theme here. It stems from the idea that different Brewers have different takes about what the term 'Collaboration' should mean.

In my opinion, one of the greatest assets of a collaboration is when two sets of brewers get together and brew an agreed to new recipe (a collaboration) on one of their respective systems (more collaboration). While virtually all Brewers know how to make beer by going from Point A to Point B, they all take a slightly different route. This can include differences in technique in;

• Mashing in & Temp variations
• Sparging
• Yield efficiencies
• Boil style & duration
• pH targets

...well, you get the idea. The sharing of techniques and the reasons behind them are, in my opinion, one of the very best reasons for Brewers to do collaboration brews.

Will the collaboration beer be better than any other beer made by this two sets of Brewers? Maybe...maybe not.

Will most of the beers made by these Brewers improve in the future because of what they learned? Almost definitely.

 

street green was a great collaboration between other half and trillium. Its the only beer ive thoroughly enjoyed from other half

 

Last one I had was Prairie/Brewfist Spaghetti Western, underwhelming at almost $10/12-oz bottle

 

I've only had a couple. Less than memorable (to me) was the Victory variant of Saison du Buff. While I liked the Dogfish version quite well, the Victory variant seemed to lack direction of what it wanted to be. Seemed more of a reinterpretation rather than a collaboration - maybe that was the intent, but then it wasn't really a collaboration. If it was just a shared recipe brewed different places, it's hardly collaboration I guess.

One that I thought was very good was Harpoon's Nordic Saison brewed by Harpoon, Anders Kissmeyer, and Will Meyers (Cambridge Brewing Company). The other brewers brought things to the party that Harpoon probably would not have hit upon on their own. That's more of how I think of a collaboration - what unique things does each contributor bring to the show?

I'd think the value, when it works, comes from sharing different knowledge, expertise, experiences, mind sets, and technique. Then finding common ground and transforming and synthesizing all of that into something new. I like the concept, but execution needs to be there (ie, good beer reflecting the intent of the collaborators).

But I totally agree it can be wreckage a la what @JackHorzempa stated. It could be like cooking with the missus - certain recipe for non-harmonious relations, at least in my house .

 

The Bruery and Maine's Fourthmeal was a home run IMO.

 

Larry, an interesting story here.

Last evening my wife 'educated' me that it was my 'turn' to cook dinner. So I went into the kitchen and started things. After a few minutes she asked: What are your plans? My response was: to cook dinner! I then followed up with: get out of the kitchen, I don't need your help.

Collaborations are totally overrated!

Cheers!

 

Yellow Belly, collab between Omnipollo and Buxton, is absolutely amazing, and one of the coolest stouts that I've had.

I've also enjoyed-
Oat Overdose (Tired Hands/Other Half)
Square Grouper (Pipeworks/4 Hands)
Cellarman (SARA/Triple Rock)
Works of Love (Hill Farmstead/De Molen)
SN/Brahaus Reigele Oktoberfest
Fritz and Ken's Ale (Sierra Nevada/Anchor)
Blakkr (Surly/FFF/Real Ale)
Calabaza Boreal (Anchorage/Jolly Pumpkin)
Milkman (Cigar City/Hardywood)
3 Way IPA (Ft. George/Boneyard/Block 15


I'm not sure if Xocoveza is a collab anymore, but it's certainly a great beer.

 

The idea of collaborations seems great, but in practice, so many of them are average at best with an above average price. It seems like the old adage of "Too many cooks spoil the broth." I doubt many of them even do a pilot batch.

 

One of the best ever (Russian River / Avery)!
Also liked the recent RyePA from Bear Republic / Coronado.

Cheers!

 

Frequently disappointed with Collabs. Last two I remember being decent were MBC and Half Acre. They made 2 beers thay were good.

 

Actually just went to a collaboration festival couple weeks ago and I rather enjoyed the offerings. I'm not going into a collab beer looking to have my mind blown, just as I don't do that for a beer in general. I drink/taste/try a beer because I find it interesting or unique. I think they are a fun way to see how two potentially different brewers work together, maybe influence one another even.