Members of the URGE American Gastropub crew carpooled up to Mother Earth Brew Co. on January 8 to learn about brewing and help create a new Peanut Butter Chocolate Imperial Stout they’re calling Don’t Make It Weird. The beer will be released tomorrow in nitro and CO2 form at URGE’s second annual “Black Out” event that showcases only dark brews. A portion of the 10 barrels will be racked into once-used Serpent Stout bourbon barrels courtesy of Tomme Arthur from The Lost Abbey for release this summer at URGE’s third anniversary celebration.
Inspiration for the beer struck URGE Proprietor Grant Tondro’s tongue as he tasted a peanut butter-infused Belgian ale at the Great American Beer Festival two years ago. He immediately called up Daniel Love, Mother Earth Owner and Head Brewer, to discuss his vision. Both men recall that such conversations usually start with enthusiastic-bordering-crazy ideas from Tondro and finish with tweaked, brewer-friendly recipe outlines from Love.
Creating proper peanut butter flavor in a beer has been Love’s latest task, and unfortunately adding a big jar of Jif just won’t work. The oils in classic PB kill beer’s head of foam, and nobody likes a big, dark pint without the pillowy top. Love credits Karl Strauss Brewmaster Paul Segura with cluing him into the secret method; Segura’s squad brewed a delicious Peanut Butter Cup Porter for San Diego Beer Week 2012 in November, and it was the most talked-about beer at the kick-off Brewers Guild Festival.
Certainly having beer reflect food is fun. URGE gets that; all six URGE/MEBC collaborations have had a culinary focus. One of the restaurant’s second anniversary beers, released last August, featured grapefruit honey, agave nectar and coriander in a Saison. One year prior, California golden raisins and Canadian maple syrup were both used in a Belgian Golden Ale.