New Belgium Made a Negroni-Flavored Beer

Negroni Week is almost upon us! Set to take place June 6-12th, the annual event brings together bars around the country, and has them all making Negronis, with a $1 from each sale going to a charity of the bar’s choosing.

This year there’s an interesting new participant: New Belgium Brewing.

The brewery’s blending and barrel maestro, Lauren Salazar, created a brew that mimics the flavors of the classic Negroni, while adding a beer twist.

The end result was a base beer that incorporated herbs, fruits, and spices to mimic the flavor is of gin and Campari. For the vermouth flavor, they used blackberry barleywine (December’s Lips of Faith release), and infused medium oak spirals into it. The two beers were then blended together (just as you might blend together gin, Campari, and vermouth to make a Negroni), and a new beer was born.

Ultimately the brew ended up having around 30 ingredients in it, including orange/red conchineal bugs (!), which help give it that bright red Negroni color. Just like the cocktail, the beer will be served with an orange twist, something Salazar says is key to finishing the citrus character of the drink.

New Belgium’s Negroni beer will be available draft-only in select cities around the country during Negroni Week. Run into it at your favorite bar? Be sure to tell us what you thought about it in the comments.