Pike Brewing’s anniversary in October has prompted a reunion of sorts, bringing Pike’s alumni brewers together to collaborate on an anniversary brew.
Seventeen alumni brewers were invited to participate on Pike Reunion IPA. While not everyone could actually participate on brew day, they all collaborated via email to come up with the recipe. Seven were able to join on brew day.
“There were a lot of great ideas thrown around for a collaboration brew, from a Thai flavor-inspired Gose (think tamarind, lime, and chilis), to a classic Bitter,” said Stasia Brewczynski, Pike Director of Communications. “Drew Cluley and Dick Cantwell liked the idea of a Belgian-style Quad, but current Pike head brewer [Art Dixon] had actually just brewed one! So an IPA was landed on for the Reunion beer, and the crew raised glasses of Art’s Pike Third Story Quad over lunch on brew day. It’s a really beautiful example of the style, so everyone was appropriately impressed!”
Pike Reunion IPA is brewed with Centennial and dry-hopped with El Dorado and Warrior hops, a collaboration of Pike’s brewers, past and present, who are still making strides in the craft beer industry elsewhere.
“We hope drinking Pike Reunion IPA will remind folks of what first drew them to Pike, and what keeps them coming back,” Brewcyznski said. “I never get tired of hearing people’s first memories of Pike — which are often quite personal and touching, since it’s often the first brewery folks discover when they visit or move here.”
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