M-A-R-S: A Collaboration Fest Beer with Wibby Brewing

We were excited to link up with the guys up at Wibby Brewing in Longmont for our Collaboration Fest brew this year. The guys and gals at Wibby are known for making excellent lagers in both classic and more unique styles, and we were stoked to get up into their brewhouse to work on a Biere de Mars for this year’s Collaboration Fest, titled M-A-R-S (any Dave Chappelle fans out there?).

M-A-R-S was made with Crystal, Huell Melon, and Mandarina Bavaria hops, and a robust malt bill including pilsner, Munich I, and Chateau Biscuit malt. The yeast is a Biere de Garde strain from Brewers Science Institute, and we expect the yeast to play a significant role in the beer’s character. The beer fermented warm at 72 degrees Fahrenheit and finished up quickly on a 12 day timeframe. The final product is light orange in hue, 6.5 percent ABV and 35 IBUs.

The yeast-driven nature of the beer has produced a clean and crisp French ale that compliments the hop and malt flavors very well. We were looking for an “effervescent bouquet of American hop aroma” and a beer that is “perfect for a warm spring day,” as Ryan Wibby put it to me, and I can say confidently we nailed that part.

We came up with the idea for a Biere de Mars, well, because March, and because we thought it would be a fun beer to make that’s a different style for both of our breweries. We had an awesome day up at Wibby, and really look forward to sharing this beer in both of our taprooms and at Collaboration Fest on March 31.