Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Milton, Delaware) has officially announced that it will begin the Limited Release of Vibrant P’Ocean, a blended Sour Ale brewed in collaboration with Brouwerij RODENBACH (Roeselare, Belgium), in late January 2020.

Dreamed up back in 2018 when representatives of Dogfish Head and RODENBACH enjoyed a few Sour Ales together while serving on the same brewing panel at the Craft Brewers Conference, Vibrant P’Ocean is a “trans-oceanic” Sour Ale that “carefully [combines] two unique base beers – one developed by RODENBACH and the other by Dogfish Head.” For their contribution to their “first-ever collaborative brew,” RODENBACH brewed “a two-year, foeder-aged sour” in Belgium and then sent it on a “3,400-mile (or 1,000-nautical league) voyage to Milton, Delaware.”  Once it got to Dogfish Head’s facility, the beer was then “blended with Dogfish Head’s portion, a kettle sour brewed with pilsner malt, malted wheat, elderberry, elderflower, sliced lemons and Belgian fleur-de-sel.”  Weighing in at a light and sessionable 4.7% ABV, Vibrant P’Ocean comes together to be a “complex, ruby-colored beer with tart, dry flavors of jammy berries and floral lemon.”

“As America’s number-one brewer of sour beers, we at Dogfish are absolutely honored to be the first to collaborate and create a beer in partnership with RODENBACH, the world’s most well-respected maker of sour beers,” said Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head. “I’m proud to say that our teams contributed equally on every creative facet of this beer – from the brainstorm to the brew to calibrating the vibrant, red hue of the beer though specific grain and fruit blends. We really took our time and focused on creating a mouth-puckeringly magical drinking experience.”

 

“Our relationship with Dogfish Head blossomed over a few good sour beers and Vibrant P’Ocean captures all that we hoped for in this collaboration,” said Rudi Ghequire, Master Brewer of RODENBACH. “It signifies the vibrancy and mutual respect of our beers and two cultures coming together, inspired by the ocean which connects us. The result is an innovative and refreshing sour beer that captures Dogfish Head’s history of creativity, while staying true to the RODENBACH brand and its oak-aging process which gives RODENBACH its distinctive character.”

Vibrant P’Ocean is rolling out now and will reach Dogfish Head’s full distribution by February 2020.  You can expect to find this new Occasionals Release available in 6-packs of 12 oz. cans and on draft at select craft beer-focused establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Delaware and throughout the rest of Dogfish Head’s nationwide distribution network.  Dogfish Head and RODENBACH are “also exploring a future, limited release of Vibrant P’Ocean that will be available in Belgium.”  Prost!

Vital Information for Vibrant P’Ocean from Dogfish Head Craft Brewery & Brouwerij RODENBACH

Release – Limited/Occasionals Series; late January – May 2020
Style – Blended Sour Ale
ABV – 4.7%
IBUs – 12
Added Ingredients – Elderberry, elderflower, sliced lemons & Belgian fleur-de-sel
Fun Fact – On the development of Vibrant P’Ocean: “Ironically, it was through its ‘Wooden … it be nice!’ initiative that Dogfish Head and RODENBACH’s relationship began. At an annual meeting of the world’s leading brewers, the Craft Brewers Conference in 2018, Ghequire and the head of Dogfish Head’s ‘Wooden … it be nice!’ wild beer program, Bill Marchi, sat on the same brewing panel. During the conference, fleeting conversations of a future collaboration ensued and – little did they know – the rest would become history. First, Ghequire and members of RODENBACH’s team made a trip to Dogfish Head’s production facility in Delaware to further solidify the breweries’ partnership. Brainstorming continued and then, Calagione and members of Dogfish Head’s team visited RODENBACH’s brewery in Roeselare, Belgium, to finalize the details for Vibrant P’Ocean. During that trip, Calagione and Ghequire spent time touring RODENBACH’s legendary brewery and cooperage, sampling traditional cuisine from the surrounding region, learning about the country’s brewing history and soaking up every possible drop of inspiration.”
Availability – 6-packs of 12 oz. cans & draft
Beer Finder – https://www.dogfish.com/brewery/fishfinder