Following partnerships with rock band Pearl Jam last year and hip-hop group Deltron 3030 in June, Dogfish Head is once again collaborating with an iconic musical act for a limited edition beer release. The Milton, DE-based brewery is working with Grateful Dead Productions, the marketing arm of the eclectic rock band, to brew “American Beauty,” a strong pale ale brewed with all-American hops and barley, as well as a special ingredient to be voted on by fans of band and brewery. Dogfish Head founder and president Sam Calagione told Brewbound.com that the brewery will produce 1,200-2,000 barrels of the beer – more than double its output for any other music-inspired collaboration brews – and hit the market in September 2013.
For Calagione, a long-time follower of Grateful Dead, the collaboration offered an opportunity to reach out to the band’s passionate fan base, many of whom also share an affinity for Dogfish Head beer.
“If I see a trend of the two brands actually being tattooed onto people’s bodies, that tells me that there’s a good chance the collaboration will work,” he said. “It’s all about going after the followers of certain brands that we think have a high likelihood of digging our beers,” he said.
Here is Dogfish Head’s press release about the collaboration:
Milton, DE (October 16, 2012) — Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and Grateful Dead, two pioneers who built their followings by connecting directly with beer lovers and music lovers, are collaborating on the newest beer in Dogfish’s line of off-centered ales.
Working in that happy place between creative ideas and like-minded people, the off-centered brewery and free-spirited band have been trading ideas for a beer they’re calling “American Beauty.” They’ve settled on a strong pale ale with all-American hops and barley, and now they’re asking their loyal fans to suggest a special ingredient – and the Dead-inspired story behind it.
“Grateful Dead Productions is extremely pleased to be partnering with Dogfish Head Craft Brewery on the American Beauty pale ale. We’ve looked for a long while for the perfect brewery to team up with for a Grateful Dead-inspired brew, and feel we’ve finally found the right fit. Aside from Dogfish’s history with music-themed brews, we love their beer, and think it’s the best around. Plus, these are really good people and are the type of folks we want to work with,” says David Lemieux, legacy manager for Grateful Dead.
“The feedback the band got from Dead Heads was always an important factor in their shows,” says Dogfish Founder and President Sam Calagione. “And at Dogfish, we’ve always thought of our pub regulars and brewery tour guests as an informal focus group, so we’re sending a shout out to all those Dead Heads and Dogfish Heads by making them a driving force behind this beer.”
Did you trade a bushel of fresh clementines for tickets to a two-night-stand at Long Beach Arena? Or maybe your dad first laid eyes on your mom sipping a cup of green tea in the parking lot of the legendary Cornell ‘77 show? Jog your memory, tell the story, and suggest the ingredient at the heart of that story. You could help bring this counterculture collaboration to life.
Suggestions for American Beauty’s final ingredient will be taken online in December. A panel from the Dogfish Head and Grateful Dead teams will pick the ingredient they feel works best in the context of a strong pale ale recipe. The brewery and band hope to invite the fan who suggested the ingredient to Dogfish’s coastal Delaware brewpub in the spring of 2013 to help brew a test batch.
“My wife, Mariah, and I went to our first Dead show together in the summer of ‘91,” says Calagione, “and I’ve been listening to Workingman’s Dead and Shakedown Street, two of the earliest albums I ever owned, on my morning kayak trips. It’s amazing how timeless those albums are.”
American Beauty is expected to hit taps and shelves throughout Dogfish’s 27-state distribution network in October 2013. Stay tuned to www.dogfish.com for details on how to be a part of this grassroots brew.
For information, contact Dogfish Head Marketing Manager Maria Grieshaber at mgrieshaber@dogfish.com.
For more information on Grateful Dead Consumer Products & Brand Licensing contact: Sara Nemerov,sara.nemerov@wmg.com or Jasen Wright, jasen.wright@wmg.com
About Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Dogfish Head makes off-centered ales for off-centered people. Since 1995, Dogfish has brewed with nonstandard ingredients such as raisins, chicory, maple syrup and grapes, changing the way people think about beer. Dogfish believes beer can have as much flavor, complexity, diversity, food-compatibility and ageability as the world’s finest wines. To discover your favorite off-centered ale, visit www.dogfish.com.
About Rhino Entertainment
Based in Burbank, California, Warner Music Group’s Rhino Entertainment was founded in 1978 and is the world’s leading pop culture label. Emphasizing flawless sound quality, bonus tracks, informative liner notes, award-winning creative packaging, an offbeat sense of humor, and a strong social conscience, Rhino continues to set the standard for excellence in the reissue business it pioneered in both the physical and digital worlds. Rhino is also expanding the definition of what a catalog music company is, as evidenced by the label’s recent name and likeness representation deal with Frank Sinatra and its multi-faceted relationship with Grateful Dead. The vast Rhino catalog of more than 5,000 CDs, videos, and digital exclusive albums features material by Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, The Doors, Chicago, Black Sabbath, John Coltrane, Yes, Alice Cooper, Linda Ronstadt, The Ramones, The Monkees, Carly Simon, Curtis Mayfield, among many others.
