Grateful Dead Beer’s Secret Ingredient Is Something Very Grateful Deady
A new Grateful Dead beer will be hitting the market this fall. The band worked with Dogfish Head Craft Brewery to create American Beauty, a "bold pale ale made with 100 percent U.S.-grown ingredients." But it took a suggestion from a fan to get the mix just right.
The Dead and the brewery reached out to fans for advice and received more than 1,500 replies. Home brewer Thomas Butler came up with the winning formula. He suggested adding granola to the mix. “The components of granola -- honey, toasted grains, oats -- offer a lot from a beer perspective,” Butler told Brewhound.
But it didn't stop there. It took the perfect granola to get the flavor just right. Dogfish discovered an organic mix at Grizzlies in Eugene, Ore. So thanks to that perfect combo, you can expect "light almond notes and touches of orange-blossom honey" with each sip. Other fan suggestions included red grenadine, rose hips and jalapenos.
Butler, a chemist by day, got to brew a test batch of American Beauty at the Dogfish Head brewery in Delaware. And now the beer is ready to hit shelves within a few weeks. It's scheduled to be available in 27 states, with launch parties, hosted by the band and brewery, slated in California, New York and Virginia.