Parallel 49's Brews Brothers Vol. 2 collaboration a certified hit

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      At the risk of stating the obvious, the Brews Brothers Vol. 2 sampler pack might be—sorry Jack Daniel’s—the most rock ’n’ roll thing on the floor of your local liquor store. 

      The collaboration between East Van’s Parallel 49 and 11 other craft breweries comes in a box designed to look like an amp, complete with a volume button that does Spinal Tap one better by going up to 12. 

      “In the liquor store, it looks like a giant stack of Marshall amps that you’d see at a rock show,” Parallel 49 brewmaster Graham With said in an interview with the Straight

      The labels on the 12 beers inside the amp–err, box, are equally rock ’n’ roll cool. All are emblazoned with red thunderbolts, Harley Davidson–style wings, and guitars that look like a cross between Gibson’s Flying V and Explorer models. 

      The colour schemes of those labels vary from beer to beer. Cannery Brewing’s Gimme Shelter— a crisp Apple I.P.A.—comes in green-apple green; Fernie Brewing Co.’s Spirit in the Sky—a knockout stout made with Havana Club—is fittingly sky-blue. And even the most casual Jimi Hendrix fan should be able the guess the label colour of Moody Ales’ black-current-sour offering dubbed Purple Haze. 

      As noted by the Vol. 2 on the box, this marks the second time that Parallel 49 has teamed up with outside breweries for a Brews Brothers collaboration.

      “Last year we did blues music—that’s why we called it Brews Brothers,” With says, naming Parallel 49’s in-house designer Steve Kitchen as one of the collection’s behind-the-scenes stars. “You can’t trademark a song title; we just figured ‘We’ll just do a whole bunch of blues songs, and then we’ll get away with it.’ This time we went with classic rock. Steve showed us some concept art, and we were like ‘Oh my God—that looks so good.’”

      One of the major goals is to spotlight smaller breweries from around B.C. Beers are brewed on-site at Parallel 49 by brewmasters who come from around the province. The strictly organic Crannóg Ales Brewery, for example, is based in Sorrento, British Columbia; its contribution to Brew Brothers Vol. 2—Suspect Device gruit ale—is as one might imagine made with strictly organic ingredients. 

       This year’s contributions also include Hearthstone Brewery’s black I.P.A. Sympathy for the Devil, Category 12’s rye old ale Comfortably Numb, and Axe & Barrel’s oaked pilsner Paranoid.  

      “We try and fly ’em down, put ’em up in a hotel, do a big brew day, and then this the town to check out some breweries and bars,” With says of working with the project’s various brewers. “After that it takes a lot of logistical coordinating to make sure  that all the beers are ready at the same time because the beer has to be fresh.”

      This year’s Brew Brothers collaboration was shipped across Western Canada, with With suggesting that there’s a good reason the collection has been in demand. 

      “The price is really quite affordable,” he says. “I think it’s 23 bucks plus tax, which is kind of a steal. We’ve all gone ‘The sky’s the limit’ with this, and we’ve got some pretty high-end ingredients and complicated beers that normally would cost a bit more. Part of this is not about making a bunch of money—it’s  more about exposure marketing wise. To be able to try 12 different beers by 12 breweries, all brand new and all unique—anybody who is savvy about beer is definitely going to pick it up.”

      That’s borne out by the way that the Brews Brothers have been  flying  out of liquor stores since arriving on shelves at the beginning of April. Close to 12,000 cases were brewed, with the Marshall-like stacks around town shrinking daily.

      “We’re down to our last 30 in that tasting room at the [Parallel 49 Brewery],” With says with a laugh. “We just got a call from a liquor store who was mad because they wanted more, and we were like ‘We don’t got any more.’” 

      Consider that a sign that Brews Brothers Vol. 2 has been a certifiable hit, the good news being that beer aficionados can look forward to a third instalment next year. 

      “We’re  thinking classic hip-hop would be pretty great as a theme,” With says. “We could do a 2-by-6 box so it looks more like a classic boom box.” 

       

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