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One of the things that have made the American craft beer scene so unique and so exciting is its collective nature, its willingness to share, and its openness to collaborate. And unlike other industries, where secrets are held close to the vest and competitors kept at a distance, the craft beer biz is not only open to learning and working with others- they actively celebrate it.
Which brings me to Old Chicago Pizza and Taproom and the latest brew they recently collaborated with Summit Brewing on.
Old Chicago is a national restaurant chain that’s been around since 1976. They’re known for their hand crafted pizza, local neighborhood feel and the craft beer they’ve been tapping for years in their restaurants. Recently, Old Chicago initiated a program called the “Explorer Series” with the idea of introducing craft beer-loving patrons to diverse breweries and intriguingly different beer styles.
Summit Brewing is kind of a legend in the Midwest…Based out of St Paul, Minnesota, they’re the largest brewery in the state and considered one of the founders of the craft beer movement. Summit is ranked the 28th largest producer of craft beer by the Brewers Association last year and is currently distributing beer in 17 states. Even with these sorts of accolades, Summit Brewing is all about new opportunities and welcomes exciting opportunities like Old Chicago’s proposal to work on a special collaboration beer to only be available for a limited time at select Old Chicago taprooms.
Sometimes collaborations are more of a conceptual thing – a marketing idea, rather than real people taking the time to actually work together at the source. Not so with the Old Chicago / Summit collaboration… This is the real deal.
Seven people from Old Chicago’s team travelled up to the Twin Cities, and worked with Summit’s brewers at every stage of the process. This is a true partnership and their goal is to come up with something special with limited quantities to celebrate the coming of warmer weather – and it sounds like they did.
Cracking Wit an exclusive take on the Witbier and the newest “Explorer” brew. Old Chicago and Summit Brewing worked in partnership on combining the traditions of the Belgian White Ale with an exciting new hop variety and a unique strain of yeast. Fresh ground coriander and lemon peel all add to the beer’s complexity and aroma. However the star ingredient is the Equinox hop (which Summit’s Head Brewer Damian McConn has mentioned may be the first time it has been used in a Belgian White Ale) takes this refreshing seasonal someplace else altogether!
Beginning May 20th, Old Chicago will be debuting Cracking Wit on tap, along with three other Summit favorites, at 43 Old Chicago locations in Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and of course, Minnesota. This is a very limited one-time release and just like previous “Explorer Series” collaborations it could disappear fast – so you’ve been warned.
