Deschutes Brewery

Class of ’88 Collaborations Five Breweries Celebrate 25 Years

By March 5, 2021No Comments

Class of ’88: Collaborations Help Five Craft Breweries Celebrate 25 Years
Deschutes Brewery creates collaboration brews with North Coast Brewing Co., Rogue Brewery, Goose Island Beer Co. and Great Lakes Brewing Co. to be released throughout 2013

10 December 2012 – Bend, Oregon – Twenty-five years ago marked a seminal time for the budding craft brewing industry in the United States. Deschutes Brewery is working with four other craft breweries founded in 1988 (North Coast Brewing Co., Rogue Brewery, Goose Island Beer Co. and Great Lakes Brewing Co.) to create a selection of commemorative beers to celebrate their shared 25th anniversary.

Each of the breweries participating in the project will brew its own version of the recipe they collaboratively come with.  The respective beers will have a common heritage and ingredients with the brewers working together to brew the beer that will ultimately end up in your glass.

Deschutes Brewery will partner with the following breweries for the limited Class of ’88 series beers:

Brewery Partners: North Coast Brewing Company (Ft. Bragg, CA) & Rogue Ales (Newport, OR)
Beer Style: Barley Wine
Planned Release Date: March 2013Story: In the same year these breweries were born, renowned beer connoisseur Fred Eckhardt published The Essentials of Beer Style which included a barley wine style guideline which will provide the basis for this collaboration. All three versions of the barley wines that will result from this unique collaboration will be packaged in 22-ounce and 750 ml bottles, plus draft.

Brewery Partner: Great Lakes Brewing Company (Cleveland, OH)
Beer Style: Smoked Imperial Porter
Planned Release Date: May 2013
Story: Building on a history of great porters – Great Lakes Brewing Company’s Edmund Fitzgerald and Deschutes Brewery’s Black Butte Porter – this Smoked Imperial Porter promises to be exceptional. Both beer versions will be available for a limited time in 22-ounce bottles and draft.

Brewery Partner: Goose Island Beer Company (Chicago, IL)
Beer Style: Belgian-Style Strong Golden Ale
Planned Release Date: Q4 2013
Story:  Brewers and owners are still working out the details on this beer, which they plan to brew with Riesling juice and Pinot Noir grapes. It will be aged in barrels that previously held Muscat wine in them for 10 years. Again, each brewery will produce its own version of the brew in bottles and draft.

Gary Fish, owner and founder of Deschutes Brewery said, “I’m very excited about all the Class of ’88 offerings.  I have known personally most all of the principals involved with these breweries for a long time and each them has made substantial and substantive contributions to the world of craft beer in their 25 year history.  Although these companies have taken different paths, all have distinguished themselves through the beers they produce and the way they have taken care of their communities and their brands.”

Stay tuned for more details on the collaborations and the celebrations as they unfold and as we get closer to their respective release dates.

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