E-Malt.com News article: USA, CA: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Victory Brewing Co. and Stone Brewing Co. release “Saison du BUFF”

In 2010, the masterminds behind Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Victory Brewing Co. and Stone Brewing Co. came together to formulate a most glorious collaboration beer, taking some serious culinary inspiration with their inclusion of parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme in the boil. Now, after a two-year hiatus, this beer at long last makes a glorious return, Craftbeer.com reported on June, 25.

Dogfish Head / Victory / Stone “Saison du BUFF” was born out of an ad hoc group formed way back in 2003 being brewed by Sam Calagione (Dogfish Head), Bill Covaleski (Victory), and Greg Koch (Stone).

"We called it BUFF, an acronym for Brewers United for Freedom of Flavor," explains Koch. "We wanted to protest the flavorless, mass-produced, fizzy yellow lagers that dominated the marketplace, and we thought if these three brewers from different parts of the country banded together, we could really get the media to notice the incredible revolution that was going on in the craft beer world."

While not a lot of media coverage arose from the formation of their group, the idea stayed alive and well in each of the brewers' minds, ultimately becoming the impetus for this collaboration beer that was first brewed in 2010. "The reaction we got to it was amazing," says Koch. "So much so, that as soon as I knew Bill and Sam were coming back to San Diego for the Craft Brewers Conference this year, we immediately made plans to rebrew it!"

All three breweries recreated their own ever-so-slightly tweaked versions of the recipe, with Stone's being the final version to be released.

Stone Brewing Co. was founded in 1996 by Steve Wagner and Greg Koch in North County San Diego, CA. It is the 11th largest craft brewery in the United States. A recently announced $50 mln expansion plan is underway, as are developments to become the first American craft brewery to open a brewhouse in Europe.


29 June, 2012