E-Malt.com News article: USA, MI & CO: Brewery Vivant collaborating with New Belgium Brewing Co. on 'Escoffier'

Georges Auguste Escoffier has been called, among other things, the “emperor of chefs” and is credited with revolutionizing modern restaurant kitchens and cuisine. As a nod to this legacy, Brewery Vivant of Grand Rapids has teamed with the nation’s third largest craft brewery, New Belgium Brewing Co. of Fort Collins, Colo., on a collaboration beer named “Escoffier", Vivant’s first collaboration brew, Mlive.com reported on July, 31.

“We’re celebrating how beer and food go together,” said Vivant co-owner Jason Spaulding.

The beer, a collaboration made possible after Vivant’s recent doubling of production capacity with new fermentation tanks, will be a high-gravity, 9.5 percent alcohol by volume Belgian style amber beer brewed with two yeast strains.

“This beer will have a taste of both breweries when it’s all done.”

Vivant’s product will be canned in Grand Rapids and distributed through the brewery’s regional network, and vice versa on the Colorado side, although New Belgium’s product will go through their national distribution network.

New Belgium, which started commercial brewing in 1991, is distributed in 28 states and the District of Columbia. The brewery is operated as an Employee Stock Ownership organization that practices open book management.

Spaulding said he met the New Belgium folks when they were in Grand Rapids recently establishing accounts and agreements for expansion into Michigan. They visited Vivant and struck up a conversation about similarities between the two breweries, in terms of beer style and sustainable business practices.

“Somewhere along the line we started talking about doing a collaboration beer together to coincide with their debut in Michigan,” Spaulding said. “That sounded like a great idea to us.”

“We love that we are in an industry that we can do things like this together.”

Escoffier will be available in September, when Vivant begins distribution in Illinois.


01 August, 2012