Beer of the Week: Crooked Tree

From the Beer Writer: In some cases, a beer goes far beyond the boundaries of great taste and thirst-slaking. Such is the case with this week’s featured beer, Crooked Tree IPA. For the third year in a row, a contingent of local brewers who either work or live in Ocean Beach (see below) got together to work out a recipe for this red IPA. Money raised through sales of the hoppy, copper-hued collab beer will be donated to the Ocean Beach Town Council and used to fund wintertime community initiatives such as the OB Holiday Parade and the lopsided icon the IPA is named after. To further its reach and fundraising ability, two batches of the beer were made at two different breweries, allowing cans and kegs to be available throughout the neighborhood so parade partakers can enjoy the festivities along with the IPA that helped make it all possible. It’s a sterling San Diego tradition steeped with the spirit of the holidays…and lots of hops!

From the Brewer: “This holiday red IPA was inspired by and brewed in the spirit of Sierra Nevada Brewing‘s Celebration Ale. It has light caramel notes from malt that was also used to give the beer its red color. A blend of classic and other flavor-specific hops including Cascade, Chinook, Amarillo and Strata, which provide a balance of pine, citrus and subtle fruity aromas to the beer’s profile. This is the third-annual version of this collaboration and, as always, was brewed by brewers who either work or live in Ocean Beach’s 92107 ZIP code. Pizza Port OB brewed a draft version of this beer under the helm of Matt Palmer, which will be on tap for enjoyment at multiple locations around Ocean Beach (see below) during the parade this Saturday, December 4. In addition, Shawn Steele brewed a second batch of the beer for canning at Thorn Brewing in Barrio Logan.”—Jim Millea, OB Brewery

Participating Brewers: Matt Palmer & Alexis Gutierrez (Pizza Port OB), Shawn Steele & Josh Coomb (Thorn Brewing), Jim Millea & Brian Carl (OB Brewery), Bill DeWitt (California Wild Ales), Matt Dale (Rincon Reservation Road Brewery), Brian Crecely (Kilowatt Brewing), Marlow Myrmo (Hodad’s Brewing), Sam Billingheimer (Ketch Brewing), Bart Gumpert (Coronado Brewing), James Hodges & Ignacio Cervantes (Chula Vista Brewery), Ian Erskine (Kové Hard Yerba Maté), Stephanie Kane (OB Town Council)

Crooked Tree Accounts: Abbott Liquor, Bar 1502, Chris Liquor & Deli, Hodad’s, The Holding Company, The Joint, Liticker’s Mexican & Vegan Cuisine, Newport Farms Market & Liquor, OB Brewery, OB Quik Stop, Olive Tree Marketplace, Pat’s Liquor Store, Pizza Port Ocean Beach, Raglan Public House, Sunshine Company Saloon