In honor of American Craft Beer Week, Nine breweries from Ft Collins, CO joined together in what may very well be the largest collaboration of beer ever made. OK, I actually don't know if this is even remotely true, but nine seems like a lot of breweries to work together and create a beer.
In April, brewers from C.B. & Potts, Coopersmith, Crooked Stave, Equinox Brewery, Fort Collins Brewery, Funkwerks, New Belgium Brewing Co., Odell Brewing and Pateros Creek Brewing got together and created what has been named Collusion 2011. They used ingredients that were sourced locally such as Schezwan peppercorns from the Old Town Spice Shop, as well as Elderflower and Chrysanthemum from the Happy Lucky’s Teahouse. The ingredients were then brewed at both the Coopersmith and Equinox Breweries.
In a town that prides itself on its exceptional breweries, this has created quite a stir in Ft. Collins. I had the opportunity to sit down at Funkwerks to try the Collusion 2011. It is a Pale Ale with strong herbal aroma, the appearance is a hazy golden color with a creamy white head. When I first tasted the beer, I was taken back by the strong peppercorn flavor. It also seemed to have a back flavor of ginger, even though I do not believe there is any ginger in the beer. The floral and herbal flavors were reminiscent of a tea as they overpowered any hint of malt.
Although the Collusion 2011 has received some wonderful reviews and is obviously a creative and well brewed beer, It was not really my cup of tea, (pun intended). This may be because peppercorns and ginger are two flavors that I have never been overly fond of, especially in my beer. Regardless, The people of Ft Collins and the brewers should be very proud of what they have created and the example they are setting for the rest of the country. Keep it up, I can't wait to try Collusion 2012 in the next year.
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