Drake’s Brewing Company and Beachwood BBQ Brewmasters John Gillooly and Julian Shrago have much in common when it comes to brewing hoppy beers. They are logical about it. Make it clean. Make it dry. Create a prominent bitterness that’s sharp and calculated. Amplify hop aroma. And always showcase the hops first and foremost. They both see no other rational way to go about it.
So, when they came together on a collaboration IPA, it didn’t take much mental energy to achieve the perfect Mind Melder IPA.
John beamed himself down to Long Beach last night, and as you read this, they are brewing their collaboration at Beachwood BBQ. For his part, Julian offered up his thoughts on the most reasonable brewing methods for bringing the beer to their mutual standards on his system, and John brought in sexy hops, El Dorado and Nelson, to intensify the fresh lemon and tropical fruit aromas to their utmost potential.
Who’s Spock in this analogy? Who’s Kirk? Who’s Sulu? We couldn’t care less, but you can nerd out about it for a few hours over some Mind Melder IPAs at the beer’s release on Friday, September 20th from 5-10pm at Beachwood BBQ. We’ll be kicking off LA Beer Week in the only logical way—with fresh Mind Melder IPA, Beachwood’s always stellar lineup of beers, and a hefty assortment of Drake’s brews including rare specialties and seasonals. Go to warp if you want, but make sure you get there in September for a taste. We’ve set the phasers to stun. Ok… we’re done now.
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