Oregon Brewers Guild members launches the Quarterly Collaboration series, starting with State of Excitement No. 2
How do you collaborate on a beer during a global pandemic?
Very carefully.
Twenty-seven Oregon’s breweries recently united to brew a statewide collab, State of Excitement No. 2, a hazy IPA brewed at Portland’s Baerlic Beer Co. The beer release marks the launch of the Guild’s quarterly collaboration series, which builds on the fun everyone had cranking out the Zwickelmania beer the past two Februaries.
“Collaborations are a little different right now, but I suppose just about everything is,” said Baerlic Beer Co. Brewer Stephen Helwig, who led the charge on brewday. “Fortunately, the modern miracle of the internet helped us to communicate, stay organized, and craft a damn delicious beer that shows off the best ingredients Oregon has to offer.”
The 6.5 percent hazy IPA includes Crystal, Cascade, Amarillo, Idaho 7 and Triumph hops donated by Crosby Hop Farm, Goschie Farms and Yakima Chief Hops; malts donated by Mecca Grade Estate Malt and Skagit Valley Malting; the Barbarian/Juice yeast strain combo, pitched in by Imperial Yeast; and printing, cans and packaging donated by Rose City Label, Craft Canning and WCP Solutions. State of Excitement No. 2 will be available for purchase at each of the particiatping breweries and all of the proceeds benefit the Oregon Brewers Guild, and its efforts to protect and promote the state’s craft beer industry. Like many organizations, the Guild has experienced financial turmoil as all of its annual events have been canceled due to COVID-19.
“We're honored to have the opportunity to support the Oregon Brewers Guild during this challenging time,” says Crosby Hop Farm CEO Blake Crosby. “OBG is a leader in driving education, guidance, and connection for the Oregon brewing industry and its stakeholders. We expect this project to resonate with craft beer drinkers across the state and contribute to the continued excellence that OBG represents nationally.”
Brewers communicated via email and met via Zoom meetings to determine the style of beer and formulate the recipe. Participating breweries include: Allegory Brewing, Baerlic Beer Co, Barsideous Brewing, Bend Brewing Co, Bevel Brewing, Breakside Brewery, Brewery 26, Buoy Beer Co, Deschutes Brewery, Gateway Brewing, Gigantic Brewing, Heater Allen Beer, Hopworks Urban Brewery, Laurelwood Brewing, Leikam Brewing, McMenamins, Ninkasi Brewing, Sasquatch Brewing, Stickmen Brewing, Three Mugs Brewing, Threshold Brewing & Blending, Unicorn Brewing, Von Ebert Brewing, Weekend Beer Co, Wild Ride Brewing, Wolf Tree Brewing, and Yachats Brewing.
“The Oregon beer industry has been built on community coming together for the love of craft beer,” says Christina LaRue, Executive Director of the Oregon Brewers Guild. “This project is an exciting way to bring our brewers and industry partners together, even if only virtually for now, to celebrate that community through the art of collaboration. Stay tuned for two additional beers this year.”
The State of Excitement collabs, launched in February for Zwickelmania, will now be released four times a year, and sold at participating breweries. State of Excitement No, 3 will be a fresh hop beer released in the fall.
About the Oregon Brewers Guild
The Oregon Brewers Guild is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote and protect the state’s craft brewing industry and the common interests of its members. Founded in 1992, the Oregon Brewers Guild is one of the nation’s oldest craft brewers associations.
