Looking for a 3-Way? Your Wait is Nearly Over

One of the most popular summer seasonals is preparing for another road trip. The fourth rendition of 3-Way IPA, a collaboration between Astoria's Fort George Brewing and two rotating breweries, will hit tap lines and store shelves in the next few weeks.

If you don't know about 3-Way IPA, you may not have been paying attention. It's been a sought-after beer since first launched in 2013. Each year features a new collaboration, new recipe, new can design, but with the same name. It's available in 16-ounce four-pack cans and on draft from June through September,

Past collaborators
2013 – Gigantic, Lompoc
2014 – Boneyard, Block 15
2015 – Georgetown, pFriem

Hardcore hopheads will readily recall the 2014 collaboration, which featured what you might call the best aspects of the three breweries. Fort George had a tough time keeping up with the demand for that beer. Last year's follow-up was a completely different beer, as advertised, and didn't quite reach the standard set in 2014.

The collaborating breweries this time around are Barley Brown’s of Baker City and Melvin Brewing of Jackson, Wyoming. In other words, another great trio of breweries and brewers.

The Beer
"The goal with the grain bill was to produce an ultra-pale color, creating a simple, yet solid canvas for maximum hop expression," the press release says. "A lower than average mash temp decreased the amount of residual sugar. This lets the beer to have sweetness derived from the hop character rather than the malt."

Hop additions (again from the press release) include:
1st - Apollo for bittering - a high alpha hop that tends to exude grapefruit notes and contributes to an elaborate citrus character as it interacts with the aroma hops.
2nd - Simcoe, and a lot of it. This addition is twice the quantity of the 1st addition.
3rd - Simcoe, Citra, and Mosaic, added later than the average 3rd addition to decrease bittering and magnify the pleasant citrus character.
Dry Hopping – Double dry-hopped with Galaxy, Mosaic, and Citra. These hop additions create peach, pineapple, and grapefruit taste and aroma. The second dry hop addition is roused with CO2 to boost the hop efficacy.

Portland Release Party
Four-packs and draft of the new 3-Way will be available starting the week of June 13. Keep in mind that Fort George beer is distributed exclusively in the Pacific Northwest. A Portland release party is set for Friday, June 10, at the White Owl Social Club. Collaborating brewers will be in attendance, along with an assortment of beers from each brewery.

It'll be interesting to see how this year's beer holds up. If it comes close to matching what 3-Way was two years ago, a lot of people will be hoping Fort George has enough cans and enough hops to keep the beer flowing through the summer.