Beer’d Brewing Company: Dogs Vs. Shinobi

Beer'd Brewing Company: Dogs Vs. Shinobi

Style: New England-style IPA

Special Notes: Collaboration with Pipeworks Brewing Company. Guava added.

Hops: Citra, Simcoe, Mosaic

ABV: 6.4%

IBU: 5

Availability: Limited

@untappd says: 4.08/5

There’s an epic battle on the Windowsill today. Who will win?

If you know anything about me, you know that I love collaboration beers with a passion. Can you imagine my absolute joy when I saw that one of my new favorite breweries, Beer’d Brewing Company, had decided to collaborate with one of my other favorite breweries, Pipeworks Brewing Company? That’s what we have on the Windowsill today… the Dogs Vs. Shinobi, a New England-style IPA with guava puree added that essentially mashes together the two breweries’ most iconic brews—the Dogs & Boats from Beer’d and the Ninja vs. Unicorn from Pipeworks.

I spoke to Beer’d’s Aaren Simoncini about this collaboration. Here’s what he had to say:


How did the partnership with Pipeworks come about?

Mike from Pipeworks has family in CT and had planned a trip back home to visit them. As luck would have it, Sarene Craft Beer Distributors, our Western CT distributor, also carries Pipeworks here in CT and thought it would be a great idea to put us in touch. We started the conversation and it was pretty obvious early on that our brewing styles were similar. We discussed some of our favorite ingredients and techniques and Dogs Vs. Shinobi was born!

How did you incorporate the two brands to make this one beer?

The final product is certainly a mashup of the two brands (there’s an IP issue preventing us from calling it Dogs Vs. Ninja). We talked about the beer we like to drink, and how we wanted those brands in a bit more of a sessionable ABV range.  We also wanted a fruity punch to be included in the final product, and we both immediately gravitated to the Guava, as it plays so well with the Citra, Simcoe and Mosaic.

Beer'd Brewing Company: Dogs Vs. Shinobi
Check out the awesome label, created by Dan Hamilton. (Credit: Martin Stezano/Beers on Windowsills)

Who did the label for this can?

Dan Hamilton created the imagery for the can label. We started working with Dan a few years ago and love the fact that we can pitch him a cool name or concept and set him loose. We wanted to incorporate both brands without loosing our style and this is where we landed!

Anything else cool about this collaboration?

We love collaborations because they get us outside of our wheelhouse.  They’re a great opportunity to learn a new technique or incorporate unfamiliar ingredients in someone else’s workshop.  With all that said, it’s time for us to get outside of our wheelhouse, wink, wink, so keep your eyes out for the next step.


As for the Dogs Vs. Shinobi itself? I think you already know… It was awesome. Great mix of hops, and the guava made everyone so nice and fruity. Great collaboration!

Thanks to Aaren! I can’t wait to visit Beer’d myself in a couple of weeks!

Check this one out on Instagram. Make sure you follow Beers on Windowsills for more great craft beer!

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. Beer’d Brewing Company: Dogs vs. Shinobi . There’s an epic battle on the Windowsill today. Who will win? . If you know anything about me, you know that I love collaboration beers with a passion. Can you imagine my absolute joy when I saw that one of my new favorite breweries, @beerdbrewing, had decided to collaborate with one of my other favorite breweries, @pipeworksbrewing? That’s what we have on the Windowsill today… the Dogs Vs. Shinobi, a New England-style IPA with guava puree added that essentially mashes together the two breweries’ most iconic brews—the Dogs & Boats from Beer’d and the Ninja vs. Unicorn from Pipeworks. . I spoke to Beer’d’s Aaren Simoncini about this collaboration. Here’s what he had to say: . Me: How did the partnership with Pipeworks come about? . Aaren: Mike from Pipeworks has family in CT and had planned a trip back home to visit them. As luck would have it, Sarene Craft Beer Distributors, our Western CT distributor, also carries Pipeworks here in CT and thought it would be a great idea to put us in touch. We started the conversation and it was pretty obvious early on that our brewing styles were similar. We discussed some of our favorite ingredients and techniques and Dogs Vs. Shinobi was born! . Me: How did you incorporate the two brands to make this one beer? . Aaren: The final product is certainly a mashup of the two brands (there's an IP issue preventing us from calling it Dogs Vs. Ninja). We talked about the beer we like to drink, and how we wanted those brands in a bit more of a sessionable ABV range. We also wanted a fruity punch to be included in the final product, and we both immediately gravitated to the Guava, as it plays so well with the Citra, Simcoe and Mosaic. . Me: Anything else cool about this collaboration? . Aaren: We love collaborations because they get us outside of our wheelhouse. They're a great opportunity to learn a new technique or incorporate unfamiliar ingredients in someone else's workshop. With all that said, it's time for us to get outside of our wheelhouse, wink, wink, so keep your eyes out for the next step. . Thanks to Aaren! . ABV: 6.4%, IBU: 5, Limited availability . @untappd says: 4.08/5

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Clown Shoes: Don’t Fear the Blender

Clown Shoes: Don't Fear the Blender

Style: Tropical Fruit Smoothie IPA

Special Notes: Brewed with guava, mango, pineapple puree and lactose sugar

ABV: 7.0%

IBU: N/A

Availability: Rotating

@untappd says: 3.87/5

My Milkshake has brought you all to the Windowsill today! Damn right!

So what’s a Milkshake IPA, anyway? According to Denver Westword, it’s an IPA made with milk sugar and lactose, which gives it a creamy, milkshake-like mouthfeel and appearance. The style also typically includes “the kinds of sweet treats you would find in a Milkshake: strawberries, peaches, chocolate, vanilla, mangoes and the like.” Most milkshakes are also spinoffs on New England-style IPAs, because they’re inherently tropical and low on bitterness. The exact inventor of the style is hard to nail down, but Westword says that Milkshake IPA, a 2015 collaboration between Tired Hands Brewing Company and Omnipollo, is often credited as the first.

Clown Shoes: Don't Fear the Blender
The reaper’s having a beer with us! (Credit: Martin Stezano/Beers on Windowsills)

Cut to four years later, and milkshakes have been popping up all over the place, and in great abundance. The one on my Windowsill comes from Massachusetts’ Clown Shoes. They bill it as a Tropical Fruit Smoothie IPA, but a milkshake by any other name, is still a milkshake. This one is made with guava, mango and pineapple puree. Solid fruity flavors and good mouthfeel to boot. I enjoyed it very much!

In case you’re wondering about that badass label art, it’s designed by Michael Axt and depicts the following, according to Clown Shoes: “The Grim Reaper has grown weary of being Death. Here we find him festive, semi-retired, and at the beginning of a craft beer journey.” We’ve all been there, Grimmy. Welcome to the craft beer community!

Make sure you like this one on Instagram, and follow Beers on Windowsills for more great craft beer!

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. Clown Shoes: Don’t Fear the Blender . My Milkshake has brought you all to the Windowsill today! Damn right! . So what’s a Milkshake IPA, anyway? According to @denverwestword, it’s an IPA made with milk sugar and lactose, which gives it a creamy, milkshake-like mouthfeel and appearance. The style also typically includes “the kinds of sweet treats you would find in a Milkshake: strawberries, peaches, chocolate, vanilla, mangoes and the like.” Most milkshakes are also spinoffs on New England-style IPAs, because they’re inherently tropical and low on bitterness. The exact inventor of the style is hard to nail down, but Westword says that Milkshake IPA, a 2015 collaboration between @tiredhandsbrewing and @omnipollo, is often credited as the first. . Cut to four years later, and milkshakes have been popping up all over the place, and in great abundance. The one on my Windowsill comes from Massachusetts’ Clown Shoes. They bill it as a Tropical Fruit Smoothie IPA, but a milkshake by any other name, is still a milkshake. This one is made with guava, mango and pineapple puree. Solid fruity flavors and good mouthfeel to boot. I enjoyed it very much! . In case you’re wondering about that badass label art, it’s designed by @axtimusprime and depicts the following, according to @clownshoesbeer: “The Grim Reaper has grown weary of being Death. Here we find him festive, semi-retired, and at the beginning of a craft beer journey.” We’ve all been there, Grimmy. Welcome to the craft beer community! . ABV: 7.0%, IBU: N/A, Rotating availability . @untappd says: 3.86/5

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