I see a Rainbow Rising… #RainbowProject16

This weekend sees the latest instalment in what has become one of the most exciting beer events in the modern beer world, the International Rainbow Project. Last night Siren Craft Brew had the beer Twitterati glued to their screens during #CraftBeerHour as one by one they announced the beers that each collaborative brewery pairing had created, which all of you I’m sure will agree sound amazing. I’ve collated the best bits for you here, along with various links to brewery blogs where available, plus a bit of insight into the project from the Rainbow Project website for those of you who have not yet had the pleasure. 

International Rainbow Project

The Rainbow Project began in 2013 and was initially the brainchild of Ryan Witter-Merithew (then Head Brewer at Siren Craft Brew). Since its humble beginnings this celebration of collaborative and innovative brewing has become a key fixture in the annual beer calendar, with 2016 being our most eagerly awaited yet.

The International Rainbow Project pairs seven of the best breweries in the United Kingdom with seven of the best breweries from a chosen country or region each year. Each pairing is randomly drawn a colour of the rainbow which is used to inspire a collaborative brew. This year we’re hugely excited to be working with seven of the most exciting breweries in New Zealand. Here are how the pairings and colours worked out:

On September 17th 2016 we’ll be releasing 1,500 mixed cases, which include all seven of this year’s beers along with a souvenir Rainbow Project 2016 glass. The mixed cases will be available from official brewery party launch events, which this year are being held at Siren Craft Brew, Magic Rock and Beavertown.

THE BEERS!

Red: Beavertown and Parrot Dog – Universal Mind. 10.5% Adambier, aged in Marsala barrels. Read the story here..

Orange: Burning Sky and Liberty – Descent into the Maelstrom. 6.66% Eclectic Borderless Beer. Story not yet available, I’ll add it as and when it is..

Full @burningskybeer @LibertyBrewer #RainbowProject16 Story revealed tomorrow. Here's a taster. #CraftBeerHour pic.twitter.com/eZ1ogfI7p6

— SirenCraftBrew (@SirenCraftBrew) September 13, 2016

Yellow: Magic Rock and Fork Brewing –  The Upside Down. 6% Sour Tropical Fruit Witbier Hybrid. Magic Rock blog details here..

Green: Hawkshead and Yeastie Boys – Kai Moana Gose – Full story: https://www.hawksheadbrewery.co.uk/news/articles/2016/9/green-green-yep-green-again-2016-rainbow-project.aspx …

Blue: Wild Beer Co and 8 Wired Brewing – Black & Blue. 5% Raw + Charred + Barrel Aged Sour. < Yes – Raw! Wild Beer story here..

Indigo: Siren Craft Brew and Garage Beer – Blacklight Banana. Stout with Banana, Molasses and Barrel Aged Coffee. Read more here..

Violet: Partizan Brewing – Royal Ale. 8.5% Barley Wine with Riesling grape juice. Read here all about the beer, plus the reasons why this as you may have noticed, is not a collaboration brew..

Quite a lot to take in, but hopefully interesting. As you can imagine we are trying to get hold of a few Rainbow Project packs in the shop, which include one each of the beers and a commemorative glass, nothing confirmed as yet, but keep an eye on social media for details. We are ourselves hot-footing it up to the Magic Rock Tap as soon as we close on Saturday afternoon, we hope to see some of you there.

Full details of all the launch events are listed HERE. Cheers