Hops? Where We’re Going, We Don’t Need Hops

Great Scott! When we first brewed “Downtown After Dark” Brown Ale at our Columbia St. Brewpub, the year was 1989 and hoverboards seemed like a distant but totally plausible reality. It was part of our original lineup, which also included our classic Amber Lager and Gaslamp Gold. The American Brown ale was a shock to a city who had been weaned on American Light Lagers and were legitimately afraid of the world of “dark” beers. Luckily, like hair metal bands, that fear has faded to the annals of history and we find ourselves surrounded by amazing craft beer of all varieties all across the country. It’s been nearly 20 years since Downtown After Dark was brewed, and when we realized that another classic we hold near and dear was going to be celebrating a big anniversary we figured we would join in the party by going back…to the future (of beer)!

To celebrate Back to the Future day on 10/21/2015 (the same day Marty McFly traveled to from 1985 in Back to the Future II) our brewmaster Paul powered up the Delorean and traveled back in time to retrieve the original Downtown After Dark recipe to re-brew at Columbia St. Fortunately for us, the Flux Capacitor received the 1.21 gigawats needed to return to 2015 and he was able to brew up a batch of what we’re affectionately calling “Downtown After Doc Brown”. Our updated version is medium-bodied with a deep brown color and was brewed with caramel malts and roasted barley for flavors of chocolate, sweetly toasted malt, and a clean finish.

It will be available starting 10/21/2015 at our Columbia St. brewpub and at our Main Brewery and Tasting Room. Grab some soon, it’ll be gone faster than a Delorean traveling at precisely 88 miles per hour.