From BrewDog:
Last week we dialled in the latest in our collaboration series, as we invited the guys from one of Europe’s best breweries to Ellon to take the brewhouse reins. Our brewers joined forces with the amazing Omnipollo, who made the long journey from Sweden to Aberdeenshire and immediately rolled up their collective sleeves and mashed in. As they’d come a long way, we figured a single beer wouldn’t cut it – so in true Omnipollo style we went a step further.
Fresh in our fermentation tanks are not one, but two collaboration beers.
Collaborations are something we truly love, and more than any other brewery Omnipollo embody the spirit of brewhouse alliance. Right from the get go, they started out as a collaboration between brewer Henok Fentie and designer Karl Grandin – their very DNA is run through with the juxtaposition of beer and art. Omnipollo beers are inventive and really stand out from the shelves. We love what they do, so it was a real pleasure to welcome them to Scotland and get brewing!
So what did we make?
Well, after the guys had taken a look behind the scenes at Ellon we went straight to work on the first of the beers – a style-busting Raspberry Smoothie IPA. To take on the creaminess, depth of flavour and fruit overload of a smoothie it is brewed with raspberries, vanilla and milk sugars for a rich, redolent beer. Christened Flat-Pack Fruit Bat, this Mosaic single-hopped IPA will be un-centrifuged to retain the look and flavour of the smoothies that are its inspiration!
The other brew is one that will be spending some time locked away in barrels, taking on entirely new dimensions of flavour. We have worked together to harness the spirit of a rich, decadent dessert and brewed an enormous pecan and vanilla imperial stout which is destined for our barrel store for as long as it needs to take on all the flavours the oak can give it. This beer pushes the limits in every sense and will be one very definitely worth waiting for.
The Swedish beer scene is crazy at the moment – the passion towards craft beer shown by the beer drinkers there is amazing. So who better to ask as to why this is than Henok himself?
“Sweden has the most knowledgeable and information-seeking beer crowd in the world right now. That sounds like a bold statement but anyone in doubt should come here and see for themselves. Part of the reason for this I guess is that Sweden is a small nation with a big appetite for traveling and exploring in general!” Exploration is certainly a part of it – it’s no coincidence that it’s the country with more International BrewDog bars than any other.
Both of these beers sum up the shared approach to brewing we have here at BrewDog and Omnipollo – as Henok said during a break in the brewday “We aimed for the fence with these two beers and I think they capture the spirit of both brewers beautifully and inspiringly!” It was a huge pleasure to welcome them to Ellon and we can’t wait to hit the brewkit on another collaboration very soon. Check out Flat Pack Fruit Bat when released – and if there are any other breweries you’d love to see us collaborate with, let us know in the comments!
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