Brewmaster, Matt Bryndilson, explains in the video above that to get to the new double IPA,

Firestone Walker Double Jack

, the brewery took the Union Jack recipe and concentrated it into a 35 barrel batch instead of the typical 55 barrels. They are aiming for 100 IBUs and 9.5% ABV though I got a bit crossed up because Matt had just implied that a lot of breweries claim 100 IBUs despite it being nearly impossible. The beer first went into the tanks in early May and after the multiple dry-hopping stages have finished (dry-hopped at least four times), will arrive in the form of five gallon kegs later this summer. Hops used during the boil include Columbus, Warrior, Chinook, Cascade, and Centennial. No bottles will be produced so this will only be found in better beer bars (and maybe at some fests) in California and potentially in the brewery’s new markets: Portland, Seattle, and Phoenix.

In a recent post, I mentioned that 100,000 bottles of beer were ruined at 3 Fonteinen recently due to a thermostat issue. Dogfish Head‘s Sam Calagione happens to be friends with the owner, Armand. So to help him out, he, along with DFH Head Brewer, Bryan Selders, worked with Birra del Borgo’s Leonardo DiVincenzo to craft a pub brew that would help put some money back into Armand’s pocket. A portion of the proceeds for Dogfish Head Namaste will go to Armand at 3 Fonteinen. As for the beer, “The beer we are brewing together at our Rehoboth pub is a Belgian White made with dried organic orange slices, fresh cut lemongrass and a bit of coriander. The brew is scheduled for this Thursday, (6/11/09) and it should go on tap at our pub in about three weeks. Mariah had the idea for the lemongrass and orange slices and also the name: Namaste.”

Finally, I got a tip from reader, Joe. He spotted an interesting post by Jack Curtin over at the Liquid Diet blog. According to an article in All About Beer, Sly Fox Brewing is considering releasing the first U.S.-made “16-ounce ‘widget’ beer cans”. Guinness introduced such cans to the U.S. market in 1991. Look for Sly Fox O’Reilly’s Stout in the new format by St. Patrick’s Day, 2010 (Denied, see Jack’s update below).