Behind The Brewers Series: Boundary Pushing Pints
In over 13 years of creating ice creams, few endeavors have been as intricate and rewarding as our Brewers Series. When I first embarked on the quest to marry the worlds of craft beer and ice cream, I thought it would be a straightforward endeavor—just pour beer into ice cream. But what I encountered was a challenge: finding the delicate balance between beer's nuanced flavors and ice cream's rich, fatty composition. Celebrating different beers in ice cream required deconstructing each brew and reassembling it in sweet, creamy form, ensuring that the brewer's original creation shone through in every scoop. This year, we had the honor of tapping five of the most amazing microbreweries in the country to create one incredible flight of delicious beer-based ice creams.
Métier Brewing - Seattle, Washington
Working with Métier Brewing was a joyous collaboration, rooted in a shared commitment to quality and creativity. Co-founded by Rodney Hines, Métier Brewing is one of the only Black-owned breweries in America and has a rich history of crafting exceptional beers. Their Black Stripe Coconut Porter serves as the foundation for Métier's Black Stripe Porter & Bread Pudding ice cream. Through a meticulous process of boiling malts, barley, and toasted coconut, we create a concentrated syrup akin to beer wort, infusing our ice cream base with layers of depth and complexity. The secret star? Gooey bread pudding from Chef Donna Moodie's (of Seattle's Marjorie Restaurant) famous recipe. Add in little bites of crispy brioche toffee and you get a symphony of flavors that dances on the palate.
Breakside Brewery - Portland, Oregon
In our 12th year of collaboration with Breakside Brewery and head brewer Ben Edmunds, we crafted a masterpiece: Breakside's Barrel-Aged Chocolate Stout ice cream. Our journey behind their oak barrels led us to create a custom beer, Shasta Taffy, a chocolate stout of unparalleled complexity. To create the ice cream, we steeped the custom Shasta Taffy beer with cocoa nibs for four days before folding them into a decadent chocolate bark. The steeped beer, enriched with cocoa flavors, is then incorporated into the ice cream base, along with a luscious tres leches cake swirl. It's a triple-intensity indulgence that tantalizes the taste buds with its chocolate malty goodness.
Russian River Brewing - Santa Rosa, California
Russian River Brewing is revered among beer aficionados as one of the best breweries in the world. Over the years, head brewer Vinnie Cilurzo has become known for his iconic hop-forward brews like Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger, along with many Belgian-inspired sour barrel-aged beers. In our collaboration, we showcase their Supplication Ale, which is aged in Pinot Noir barrels with dried cherries. Our housemade fudge is infused with this ale, then gently swirled throughout the ice cream, adding a touch of tangy sweetness to each spoonful. This is complemented by a touch of savory manchego cheese and a ribbon of tangy cherry marmalade. Russian River's Supplication Ale w/ Manchego is a refreshing and sophisticated treat that delights with every bite.
Monkish Brewing - Los Angeles, California
From the sun-soaked streets of Los Angeles comes Monkish Brewing's Space Cookie, a whimsical creation by Henry Nguyen that captures the essence of Southern California cool. Mimicking the process of brewing a double dry-hopped beer, we create a simple syrup infused with Centennial and Amarillo Hops, resulting in an ice cream that perfectly embodies the flavor profile of this "stoner's IPA." With fresh grapefruit zest and a swirl of 'nilla cookie butter, Monkish's Space Cookies & Cream Hazy IPA transports the taste buds to a state of blissful indulgence.
Cerveceria La Tropical - Miami, Florida
Steeped in history and tradition, Cerveceria La Tropical brings a taste of the Caribbean to the states with their La Original Ámbar Lager. Originally founded in Cuba in 1888, La Tropical was a family-owned, world-renown brewery before going dormant during the Cuban Revolution in 1960. A true testament to their perseverance, La Tropical re-opened in Miami in 2020 by dedicated 5th generation family members. We pay homage to this iconic brew by infusing it with the essence of flan and succulent guava, creating a sunny syrup that evokes the vibrant spirit of Miami's cultural melting pot. Underlying notes of honey, perfectly balanced with noble hops, will make you raise your cone of La Tropical's La Original Lager w/ Guava, and cry "Viva La Tropical!"
The Brewers Series is available in all scoop shops, for local delivery, and online for nationwide shipping for the month of June. This collection is the perfect way to celebrate Father's Day, graduations, or any occasion deserving of a cold one.
