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Well since they’re already owned by MillerCoors why wouldn’t they? But a Brut IPA with Miller High Life? That’s kinda interesting.
Here’s the deal…
According to Behind the Beer, a MillerCoors blog, Spike Buckowski, the co-founder and brewmaster of Terrapin Beer Co., has partnered with Miller High Life (that’s right the original “Champagne of Beers”) to brew a beer style defined by its Champagne like qualities.
Terrapin’s Brian “Spike” Buckowski
Buckowski’s a fun guy, a huge Phish fan with a stoner ambience and a love of hop-forward IPAs as well as dive bars. He also calls Miller High Life his ‘go-to American lager…
“I’m a big fan of familiar, well-worn bars,” Buckowski says. “And when I’m in one of them, I’m looking for a High Life bottle.”
Given that the Brut IPA owes more to Miller High Life’s dry finish and effervescent characteristics than it does the juicy/hazy/ New England IPA style so popular today…and the fact that both breweries are now owned by MillerCoors …Terrapin’s new beer was a logistical and marketing natural.
“It was a no-brainer to go in this direction,” Buckowski says. “We wanted to make a beer that finishes dry and Champagne-like, and the style just fit.”
As Peter Frost explains in the MillerCoors blog, “Hoppin’ Bubbly Brut IPA, marries elements of two originals: the recipe is built with the grain bill of Miller High Life and the hops (Cascade and Amarillo) used to make Terrapin’s Rye Pale Ale.”
The beer which was brewed at Terrapin’s Athens, Georgia location also features Citra and Mosaic hops for aroma, and a touch of flaked corn and flaked rye to round out the Brut IPA’s mouthfeel and flavor.
Terrapin’s new collaboration with Miller High Life will make its debut at Terrapin’s ATL Brew Lab, the company’s five-barrel experimental brewhouse at the Atlanta Brave’s SunTrust Park on May 1st shortly thereafter in both brands’ home markets of Wisconsin and Georgia.
