Questions about Epic Brewing, Ska Brewing new hoppy barrel-aged fruit beer

Did I hear that right? Are Epic Brewing and Ska Brewing collaborating to make a beer that focuses on their combined strengths of hoppy IPAs, fruit beers and barrel-aging?

Oh, looks like I did.

Are they friends? Why? Can some old skate punks from Durango and some sinners from the land of saints and salt lakes really come together to make a decent beer? Isn’t Epic from Utah? What’s up with that? Are they even allowed to drink there? But wait, don’t they also have a brewery in Colorado? Am I confused? Do those guys down in Durango get off the slopes or their mountain bikes often enough to even make beer?

And what’s this about combining bright, fresh hop flavors and barrel-aging? Isn’t that a bad idea? Aren’t those flavors mutually exclusive? Could you actually make that combo great by making two versions of a 7 percent beer, one aged in peach brandy barrels from Peach Street Distillers and one heavily hopped with Nelson Sauvin, then blending them together? What? And why the hell would you add fruit to that mix? Could a subtle touch of peach actually highlight the almost stone fruit flavors and aromas of those hops?

RELATED: The trial and error of a sour beer program, by Epic Brewing 

Where would you be crazy enough to debut such a concoction? Has anyone heard about the Collaboration Fest put on by the Colorado Brewers Guild (CBG)? Steve who? Will a portion of all sales go to the CBG? Is that crazy event on March 19th at that big football stadium in Denver? I wonder if after that you could find the crazy concoction across Colorado and in select locations around the country?

Believe it … what, really?

Malt Bill: Ultra-premium Muntons Maris Otter, 2-Row Brewers Malt, Carapils, Caramalt
Hops: Horizon, Nelson Sauvin
Dry Hops: Nelson Sauvin
Fruit: Natural Peach Puree
Aged in Peach Street Peach Brandy Barrels