So this beer has been in the works for awhile now. We’ve been friends with the crew at Burke-Gilman since we met them at their very first festival, the Winter Beer Festival in December 2018. They had asked us to Come on Over and brew a beer together, and we finally both had time to make it happen in March 2020 when … the viral droplets hit the fan. Now we’re almost 2 Years On, both breweries have won a few awards, and thankfully both businesses are still Stayin’ Alive so we have another chance to brew together.

We’re excited to finally share Bee Gee IPA with you.

Brewers Phil Pesheck (also known as the 2020 Alpha King!), Julia Davis, and Evan Watts put their heads together to create a new breed of IPA. The core of this beer is the thiol yeast Phil has been experimenting with in his hazy IPAs. Based on an English ale yeast popular in New England-style IPAs, Berkeley Yeast Labs bred this yeast to contain Carbon-Sulfur Lyase, an enzyme that frees thiols such as 3-Mercaptohexan-1-ol (3MH) and 4-methyl-4-mercaptopentan-2-one (4MMP) from their precursors found in the hops. Besides having unpronounceable names, these thiols create a tropical aroma reminiscent of grapefruit, passionfruit, and guava. And it tastes really good! While this yeast is beginning to see use in hazies, Evan of course suggested we bring it to a more West Coast-style IPA.

This recipe uses a blend of the thiol yeast and the classic Chico yeast, while the hops and malt follow the hybrid approach. The grist is primarily a blend of Skagit Valley Pilot pale ale malt and Thomas Fawcett Golden Promise, with a delicate sprinkling of biscuit and light crystal malts, and a touch of flaked oats for a creamy finish. These malts form a light, crisp background for the hops to take center stage. An early addition of whole-cone Cascade hops provides the precursors necessary to produce the thiols, then Nelson Sauvin and Waimea—both exciting new varieties from New Zealand—drop the hammer with pineapple, tangerine, and white grape. Add in the passionfruit and guava released by the yeast, and you have a beautiful tropical mélange with a crisp west-coast finish.

You can find the beer on tap at the Burke-Gilman taproom or at select accounts across the Seattle area. Stay tuned on social media to see where these kegs end up! As always, please remember to drink responsibly, it’s possible to have Too Much Heaven.