Fort Collins Brewery, Black Bottle to Release The Last Polka Wheat Pale Ale

Fort Collins, CO – On May 18th, Fort Collins Brewery (FCB) will be rolling out another hybrid beer, The Last Polka, a collaboration brew with Black Bottle Brewery. Coming off of their recent success with “Free to Be Renegade and FCB,” a collaboration brew with Renegade Brewing, FCB Owner Tina Peters decided to continue the series with the goal of a collaboration brew once a quarter for 2016.

“The collaboration beer with Renegade was a cross between a wheat lager and Hefeweizen which people really enjoyed,” said Peters. “As we expand out with this Hybrid series, we’re looking to blur the lines among styles and the best way to do that is to partner up with breweries that we know and love.”

To help blur those lines, FCB reached out to long time friends Black Bottle Brewery. “Ever since Black Bottle has been on the beer scene, I’ve always enjoyed their weird, experimental beers and attitude,” said FCB Brewer Shaun Salyards. “Thankfully, the opportunity arose for us to come together and brew a beer that partially reflects FCB’s love of tradition and partially reflects Black Bottle’s disregard for it.”

Called The Last Polka, the beer is a hybrid between a wheat beer and pale ale with both German and American influences. In naming the beer, Black Bottle Brewery Owner and Head Brewer Sean Nook wanted to pay homage to The Last Polka, a 1985 TV mocumentary about a polka duo called the Happy Wanderers.

“John Candy was one of the funniest people ever and in the show he and Eugene Levy play the Schmenges brothers, two great Polka kings,” said Nook.