American Beauty, a collaboration between Delaware’s Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and the Grateful Dead, will be hitting taps and shelves over the next few weeks.
The brew is named after a top-selling album by the band known for its loyal followers who were dubbed “Deadheads.” The Grateful Dead became legendary for concerts that featured long instrumental jams. The band toured long after the 1960s and early ’70s spawned a host of counterculture bands.
The band took the lead on deciding the style of beer, and they opted for a bold pale ale made with 100 percent U.S.-grown ingredients, according to a Dogfish Head release.
. The brewery and the band asked their supporters to help decide on one ingredient to add to the recipe that would complement the pale ale base. More than 1,500 suggested an ingredient idea and the Dead-inspired story behind it.
The winner was Thomas Butler, a chemist and home brewer by night who suggested a Deadhead fan favorite, Granola.
Grizzlies in Eugene, Ore. was chosen, with an organic mix lends American Beauty light almond notes and touches of orange-blossom honey, according to the brewer.
“The components of granola – honey, toasted grains, oats – offer a lot from a beer perspective,” says Thomas, who visited Dogfish Head in coastal Delaware to brew a test batch. “It was fun brewing with these guys. The Dead built their own institution, their own identity. It’s a family. And Dogfish culture is big, too. They’re the pioneers of playing with beer.”
American Beauty will be available on draft and in 750-ml bottles throughout Dogfish Head’s 27-state distribution network.
To find retailers who have received shipments in the past 60 days, try Dogfish Head’s “Fish Finder” at www.dogfish.com.
