It’s a collaboration fitting for the Country Mouse and City Mouse, as NYC Brewer’s Choice returns to NYC Beer Week on Wednesday, March 1st (tickets are on sale here). Among the many features of this year’s event are SMASH (State Malt and State Hop) beers that several brewers are collaborating on.
We recently sat down with Jesse Ferguson, Founder and Brewmaster/Distiller at Interboro Spirits and Ales in Williamsburg, and Stuart Morris, owner of Indian Ladder Farmstead Cidery & Brewery near Albany, who are teaming together to bring their collaboration beer to NYC Brewer’s Choice.
In a recent interview, they discussed the process of working together.
GBS: What style of beer will you be making and what are the the grains you’ll be sourcing locally?
Jesse, Interboro: We’re going to brew an American Pale Ale. We’re going to be working with Synergy base malt, malted oats and wheat. The hops will be Cascade, Chinook, Centennial and Nugget.
Stuart, Indian Ladder Farmstead: The 2-row Synergy malt barley and all hops are grown at Indian Ladder Farmstead in Altamont, NY. The barley is then malted at Hudson Valley Malt in Germantown, NY, and our hops are pelletized at Northern Eagle in Oneonta, NY.
GBS: What brought Interboro and Indian Ladder together to do collaboration brewing? Have you collaborated previously?
Jesse: We met while I was brewing at Other Half. I reached out to them originally about sourcing cider that I could distill into apple brandy here at Interboro. They let me know the hops and malts that they had available, and I jumped at the chance to brew with them with NY State-grown raw materials. That was for our colaboration, Tastes Like Upstate, which was a malty harvest ale.
GBS: What makes Brewer’s Choice special for you as a participant, especially as compared with the “festival” style beer events throughout the city?
Jesse: I enjoy Brewer’s Choice because it’s a good opportunity to see a lot of my friends and family in the NY brewing community all in one place, share some of my freshest beers and taste what they’re all up to.
GBS: What would you suggest as a favorite food pairing with this beer you’re making together?
Jesse: I’d say this should go nicely with a burger, a pizza, Thai or other Asian cuisine. Anything that’s a little spicy and a bit greasy – the hop bitterness will cleanse the palate – and the clean dry finish will leave you ready for another bite.
We can’t wait to try this beer at NYC Brewer’s Choice! For a full list of this years brewers and food purveyors, visit the NYC Brewer’s Choice website.
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