In 2016, Baltimore, Maryland’s Heavy Seas Beer announced a new collaborative series they call “Partner Ships.”
The series kicked off in February with a red India pale ale, brewed with Maine Beer Company. That release was followed with an “aggressively hopped” doppelbock, aka Hoppelbock in May.
August saw A Rye Wit brewed with Athens, Georgia based Terrapin Beer Company, followed by this winter’s Imperial Brown IPA brewed with Stone Brewing.
That was 2016.
Coming in 2017 are three more collaborations coming to the Heavy Seas Partner Ships Series. This first is in February with neighboring Union Craft Brewing.
In July, the Floridians of Cigar City Brewing (Gulf of Mexico waters) will collaborate with the brewery on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
Rounding out the year will be Madtree Brewing out of Cincinnati, Ohio. (To keep them from feeling left out of the waterway association theme we arbitrarily started, their closest body of water is the Ohio River.)
Heavy Seas tells Beer Street Journal that the first release’s style (with Union Craft Brewing) has been decided. The beer will be an 8.5% alcohol by volume old ale, brewed with locally based Domino Brown Sugar.
Hints of nuts, cocoa, molasses and dried fruits oat over a chewy, luscious body of English malt goodness. Inspired by the rich, warming brews of a bygone era, the addition of local Domino Brown Sugar and neighborly camaraderie helped us produce a true comfort ale that should kindle its own Baltimore nostalgia.
Each release will be available again in 22 ounce bottles.