There is a beautiful thing happening in the craft beer industry – other than delicious beer: collaboration. Collaboration between breweries and networks is on the rise, and as a result fans are in for a treat when it comes to fan-based beers.
Brewery Ommegang brought us Game of Thrones themed, and to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Star Trek franchise, New York brewery Shmaltz Brewing has created three special blends of beer to take your taste buds to another universe. We had the chance, during Star Trek: Mission New York, to stop by Beer Culture in Midtown and taste a few of the delicious brews, as well as chat with the brewing genius himself.
The three Golden Anniversary Ales are: ‘Voyage to the Northeast Quadrant,’ ‘Vulcan Ale: The Genesis Effect’ (red session IPA), and ‘The Trouble with Tribbles.’ Each of them bring their own taste and own spin on craft beer, and there is no doubt something for everyone among the three.
I ordered a pint of ‘Voyage’, and as a Pacific Northwest Native, the heavy hops and bitter sting was a delight and a contrast to a number of mainstream consumer beers. It made a statement, and according to brewer Ivan Dedek, it did not actually turn out quite as he had hoped.
We talked with Ivan about his creation, and he explained some of the fascinating process that goes into choosing the different ingredients. He admitted he hadn’t meant ‘Voyage’ to be quite so bitter, but in my personal opinion it ended up working for it and made an impact. It is an in-your-face beer, true to the theme of Star Trek which pushes past the usual into the unusual. It does not always work for beer, but in this case, it did.
Fan favorite at the event, and according to those on the convention floor, was ‘The Trouble with Tribbles,’ which offered an easy-to-drink red that could be paired with anything, or nothing, and still satisfy that need for craft beer.
The jury still remains out when it comes to ‘Vulcan Ale: The Genesis Effect,’ and most of the people at the tasting were not fans of ‘Voyage,’ which is understandable given bitter beer doesn’t appear to be as favorable out East as it does back in the Pacific Northwest. However, regardless of the taste, all three beers have something going for them: they’re collectible.
Even if you’re not a big beer drinker, if you’re a fan of Star Trek, you’ll at the very least want to snag one of each bottle to add to your paraphernalia collection. If you are a beer drinker and a collector, never fear: the marketing director says once you pop open the beer and drink it, you can e-mail the company and they’ll send you a brand new bottle top to recap your empty bottle.
The best thing about Star Trek is the creativity it has inspired in its fans, and Shmaltz’s work on their 50th anniversary brews are a perfect example of bringing worlds together, as is the Star Trek way. So if you’re planning a 50th anniversary party, you should check out their distribution list and make sure you pick up a few packs of Star Trek beer from Shmaltz brewing and check out the other great work they are doing for the craft brew world.
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