BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — We love our Brooklyn Center brewery. This is not to say we don’t love our big, shiny Prospect Park brewery. It’s what brings the world Furious and Xtra-Citra and hog frites and pizza, it’s where people bring their excellent dogs to the beer garden in the summer, and it was a reason for changing an antiquated state law.
But Brooklyn Center is where it all began. It’s a repurposed abrasives factory located at a dead end in an industrial park. What kind of a monster wouldn’t love that? It’s where our experiments became our flagships. It’s where many of our most popular beer hall-only brews get made.
With that in mind, we’re going back to the lab and sharing the results with you.
In case you hadn’t already guessed it, this is a press release announcing our BC Small Batch series, a monthly release of 4-pack tallboys showcasing the work of our restless, talented crew of brewers.
“The whole idea is having the opportunity to experiment and package the beers on a smaller scale,” says Jerrod Johnson, head brewer, Surly Brewing Co. “The Brooklyn Center brewery, the same brewhouse we’ve been operating since Day One, affords us this opportunity.”
And by small, we mean small. Each release will max out at 120 barrels.
As for the beers themselves, they’ll include: Styles we’re known for. Styles we’re not. Variations on variations. Collaborations. Stuff we’ve never canned before. Weird-ass shit that’s going to blow your mind. Beautiful mistakes. Next Big Things.
The first beer? Inside the Upside Down, an imperial kettle sour brewed with strawberry puree and whole raspberries. It’s a collaboration with the fruited-beer geniuses at Miami’s J. Wakefield Brewing, and a variation on a beer Surly brewer Josh “JAWSH” Lemke made with them last winter.
“It’s a true attempt to marry Surly’s style and Wakefield’s style,” says Lemke. “They’re known for their fruited Berliners and we’re known for our hop-forward beers. This collaboration perfectly showcases both.”
The run on Inside the Upside Down is 60 barrels, so distribution on this one will be limited to Minnesota and North Dakota. The footprint for future 120-barrel releases will roughly be MN, ND, Wisconsin, and the Chicago area.
Speaking of which, here’s the 2018 rundown, subject to change if we feel like it:
- Inside the Upside Down — imperial kettle sour ale with strawberry and raspberry.
- Zest Crazed — American pale ale with grapefruit and lemon.
- Stunner — tropical session ale.
- Frisson — Champagne-inspired black currant lager. A Beer Hall favorite.
- 3DH — triple IPA.
- Damien — American black ale.
- Furious Black — black IPA.
- Grindcore — espresso milk stout.
Inside the Upside Down will hit local shelves the week of April 30th. It will also be on very limited draft at our beer hall starting May 9.