SIXPOINT BREWERS LAUNCH MAD SCIENTISTS #2 – THE “BERSERKER BOCK” BREWED WITH NEIGHBORHOOD FRIENDS FROM STUMPTOWN COFFEE ROASTERS

(Brooklyn, NY) – The Sixpoint Brewers today announced the second incarnation of its Mad Scientists line of beers. This second offering in the ongoing series is named the “Berserker Bock” in reference to an obscure but significant cultural fact – beer played a significant role in the very influential Viking period in Medieval Europe. The “Berserkers” had brewers accompany them on their voyages, and the brewers would collaborate with local medicine men and forage for herbs, spices, and extra ingredients to place into their brews. In a similar analog, the Sixpoint Brewers of Red Hook, Brooklyn have also added a special additional ingredient – fresh roasted Guatemala Finca El Injerto beans from Stumptown Coffee Roasters in Red Hook.

The Guatemalan beans are a special varietal from the Huehuetenango region. This particular coffee-growing estate in Huehuetenango is managed by Arturo Aguirre and his son, Arturo Junior, and the duo have a scrutinizing eye for bean selection and quality control. Their commitment and passion to the coffee attracted Stumptown and convinced them to strike a relationship with them. Stumptown Founder and Owner, Duane Sorenson, is effusive in his praise of the Finca El Injerto varietal. “No one in their right mind would dispute it as being….totally radical” claimed Sorenson. Sixpoint Head Brewer Ian McConnell concurred. “That aroma is…intoxicating” remarked McConnell, as the rich smell of the Bourbon varietal was wafting below his nose while making the Berserker Bock.

Unlike most coffee beers, the Sixpoint Brewers decided to brew a lager beer instead of the traditional Coffee Stout or Coffee Porter for the Berserker Bock. One of the difficulties accompanying this decision is Lager beers are cold-fermented and therefore have a cleaner flavor profile, lacking the complex esters that usually accompany ale fermentation. This inspired Shane Welch, Sixpoint President and Founder, to utilize a “cold-brew” approach to the El Injerto coffee as well, under the suggestion of Sorenson. The cold-brewed coffee would then be infused into the cold-brewed Bock, and the result would be a cleaner-tasting coffee Bock beer rather than the traditional roasted, charcoal and intense acidic flavor of a typical coffee Stout or Porter. “Being able to share not only ideas and concepts for this collaboration, but actual production techniques, was one of the reasons why this collaboration was so much fun. We were able to share insights as to how to properly put together a novel beverage, based upon our respective experiences. That is the true essence of collaboration,” remarked Welch.

A full documentary of the Berserker Bock can be viewed on Sixpoint’s YouTube page. The beer is available for consumption at select bars in NYC, and will be available in Philadelphia and Massachusetts next week.

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