Dogfish Head goes deep into woods for Pennsylvania Tuxedo release
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery recently announced that Pennsylvania Tuxedo has begun hitting taps and cooler shelves. Clocking in at 8.5 percent ABV, this pale ale is brewed with massive additions of fresh spruce tips from the forests outside the Woolrich clothing factory, and its name pays homage to the red-and-black flannel-suited hunters and gatherers who dwell deep in the winter-frigid backcountry of north-central Pennsylvania. Brewed in collaboration with the outdoor clothing company Woolrich, Pennsylvania Tuxedo has a grassy citrus kick complemented by the resinous conifer notes of fresh green spruce tips. A dry, yet doughy malt backbone lets the hops and spruce shine while balancing out the bitterness, making Pennsylvania Tuxedo a classic hunting cabin sipper.
The idea behind the collaboration was inspired by a story from the mid-19th century when Michael Bond Rich, grandson of Woolrich founder John Rich, had an unforgettable encounter with spruce beer. "I read the Woolrich family journals, and in it they talked about farming for wheat and rye, and that the young Rich almost died falling off the rafter drinking his homemade spruce beer - so I was like, let's see if we can do something to bring that beer back to life," said Sam Calagione, founder and CEO of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery.
Originally released in 2014 as a brewpub exclusive in Rehoboth Beach, this outdoorsy ale has fresh spruce tips added at the end of the boil, so there is some spruce in the taste and in the aroma. "Pennsylvania Tuxedo smells like Paul Bunyan's cologne and tastes like tongue-kissing Mother Nature," said Calagione. "It's a labor of love that we hope you'll share with friends this winter." To find and enjoy Pennsylvania Tuxedo and other off-centered Dogfish Head brews, go to www.dogfish.com/brewery/fishfinder.
