Back in October, Terrapin Beer Company’s co-founder and brewmaster “Spike” Buckowski traveled to New Belgium to create the first half of this new collaboration, Black is the New Wit. Weeks later, New Belgium’s Peter Bouckaert travelled to Terrapin’s Athens, Georgia home.
Peter Bouckaert and Spike have been wanting to collaborate for some time now. Their biggest issue wasn’t geographic distance, but style. After kicking around style ideas, the duo decided on an imperial witbier. This style is light bodied enough to allow the wood aging to shine through in the finish. Black is the New Wit is no exception.
“Peter and I have been wanting to do a collaboration for about three years now,” said Terrapin’s Brian “Spike” Buckowski. “We originally wanted to brew something with muscadine, but the timing didn’t line up right. We kicked around a couple of ideas like a Baltic porter that didn’t really have a dark color, but got its dark flavor from wood. From that popped out the idea of doing an imperial black wit brewed with rye and aged on cedar.”
There will be two editions of Black is the New Wit released. Both versions are essentially the same beer, but with each aged on different wood. New Belgium aged on cedar, Terrapin on sassafras.
In the Beer Street Journal exclusive video above, you can join Spike and Peter on brew day in Athens.
Style: Witbier (Coriander, Orange Peel. Wood Aged.)
Hops: Sorachi Ace, Lemondrop, Mandarina Bavaria
Malts: 2-Row Pale, Torrified Wheat, Malted Wheat, Rye, Midnight Wheat, DH Carafa III
Availability: 22oz Bombers, Draft.
Arrival: February, 2015
8.2% ABV
