"We should make a beer together." Six little words uttered over beers at the 3rd annual Burning Snowman Festival in Port Clinton, Ohio, with the only possible response being "Absolutely." and just like that, a collaboration brew with Catawba Island Brewing Company began.
Deciding on a beer to brew was easy. Based on the number of gingers at both breweries, we knew we had to brew a ginger beer. Luckily, we were both already working on a recipe. Deciding on the name took a little longer. Between the two breweries reside a number of railroad crossings that always seem to have trains running and both breweries have an eerie or (Lake) Erie connection. The Eerie Crossing was born.
Eerie Crossing is a traditional cream ale brewed with fresh ginger, carapils, 2-Row and flaked maize with mild additions of Magnum hops and infused with lime zest. The light ginger flavor and the pop of citrus from the lime zest combine to create an almost shandy-like summer delight. At 4.5% ABV, it is perfect to enjoy on lake or land. Artists from both breweries developed and collaborated on the logo to represent each brewery and capture the spirit of the beer.
The last detail was deciding on a release date and planning a party. The obvious location was Eighteen-O-Three taproom in Galion, since they were on hand for both brew sessions and feature both breweries on tap. The only thing better than brewing a beer you are really proud of, is collaborating on a delicious beer with an awesome brewery like CIBC. Well, drinking that beer might be a little bit better than both.
