3-WAY IPA

THE STORY
Fort George’s 3-Way IPA has become a signal to the start of summer. Once a year Fort George extends an invitation to two breweries, chosen for their mastery in the art of IPAs. The goal is to come together, exchange knowledge, forge lasting friendships, and along the way create an IPA that everyone is excited to drink. That collaboration is then brewed, packed into a brilliant new 16-ounce can, and sent out for the pure enjoyment of the Pacific Northwest.

We start by brainstorming beer sessions, brewing Beta IPAs, tweaking the recipe until it’s perfect, and then putting the newly-minted star on stage.

The result is like a fine-tuned orchestral composition, or a classic country tune, or a really tight power trio. The line-up changes each year and no two 3-Way IPA collaborations are the same.

Be sure to check it out every summer- this year’s beer may be your favorite performance yet.

2023

In ancient times, rituals and rites marked the passing of the seasons. At Fort George we adhere to the ancient ways. We mark the beginning of summer each year with a 3-Way IPA: our most popular, most loved summer seasonal. This year’s recipes were dreamed up with the help of Anchorage Brewing and Cellarmaker.

3-Way HAZY LONDON TROPICS (Green): Hazy IPA with London Tropics Yeast is mildly sweet and slightly bitter with a punch of guava and the bright bright taste of cotton candy.

Hops: Citra, HBC 586, Crosby Comet CGX, Simcoe
Malt: GW Premium 2-Row, Rarh Pils, GM Flaked Wheat,Weyermann Acidulated
Yeast: London Tropics
ABV: 7%

3-Way WEST COAST STYLE (Purple): West Coast IPA with Kölsch Yeast is packed with Citra, Cascade and Riwaka hops for bursts of berry and fresh cut grass, with a lingering warmth not unlike an afternoon nap in the sun.

Hops: Citra, NZ Cascade, Pikimai Riwaka, HR Riwaka, Simcoe
Malt: Rahr Pils, Gambrinus Rye Malt, GM Flaked Wheat, Weyermann Acidulated
Yeast: Kaiser Kölsch
ABV: 7%

3-Way HAZY CHICO (Blue): Hazy IPA with Hazy Yeast boasts dank, tropical aromatics and a smooth, perfectly re-sippable bitterness.

Hops: NZ Cascade, Strata, Citra, HBC 586
Malt: GW 2-Row, Rahr Pils, Gambrinus Rye Malt, GM Flaked Wheat, Weyermann Acidulated
Yeast: Hazy Chico
ABV: 7%

 

2022

We thought, we fought, we took votes, we did blind tastings, we did sniff-tests and lab-tests, color-tests, speed-tests, and intelligence-tests. After months of conversation with our friends at Ravenna & Alvarado Street, this year’s 3-Way IPA is both a WEST COAST STYLE IPA & a HAZY NEW ENGLAND STLYE IPA.

2022 3-Way IPA is an explosion of fruity juice flavors, with all the bright clarity of a West Coast IPA and a rich, smooth texture, it retains a perfect, creamy white head through all the sips.

2021

Pour yourself a pint and you’re captivated by the vivid body on full display, an effervescent bright-orange capped with a white tufted head. Waves of peach and sweet orange peel lift your senses. On the beak, a feathery soft citrus zest blends with lush berry notes, white grape, and just a tickle of grapefruit. And all the while, 3-Way IPA remains as graceful and balanced as a sage grouse in the desert shrub strumming on a headless guitar. Brewed in collaboration with Moonraker BrewingVarietal Beer.

2020

You can’t stop 3-Way IPA. You can only hope to contain it. Built on a structurally sound foundation of pilsner malt, spelt, and flaked oats, and dry-hopped with ridiculous levels of Simcoe, Azacca, Citra, and Chinook hops, this juicy beast is coming to crush your summer. 3-Way IPA has enough tropical fruit flavors to satiate a giant lizard, playing on pleasant notes of melon & fresh orange peel, and a soft finishing touch, like a gorilla on the bongos. Brewed in collaboration with Structures Brewing and Level Beer.

2019
3-Way IPA 2019 combines all of the fruit-forwardness of a hazy, but with that classic touch of bitterness you find in a West Coast IPA. The result is a bright, citrus fruit bomb that doesn’t finish too heavy or sweet. And it also doesn’t hold back on any of the hops.

As an added layer to this year’s collaboration, the dominant dry hop will rotate throughout 3-Way IPA season. You’ll be able to see which hop is dominant by checking the bottom of your can. This year’s 3-Way IPA is a collaboration with Ruse Brewing and Cloudburst Brewing

2018
Among the swelling base and heavily hopped riffs, a uniting dissonance appears. Wheat and oats load in sustained distortion and vast amounts of feedback. From the Juice yeast emerges an ethereal realm with suspended ambient fruit and lupulin resonance. Aromatic and resinous, the primal essence of Modern Times, Holy Mountain, and Fort George rises like a Monolith….no, make that a Triolith of IPA reverence. 3-Way IPA, reverbating across the Pacific Northwest starting June 2018.

Image of Fort George 3-Way IPA

2017
This fruit-forward haze of Azacca, X331, Mosaic, and Citra hops plays on a balanced bassline of malt with a wicked unfiltered keytar solo. 3-Way IPA 2017 is a juicy collaboration between Fort George, Great Notion, and Reuben’s Brews that strikes a smooth, electric gold riff on a Vermont style.

2016 
Pale in appearance, balanced juicy body, superb lacing, and packed with every citrus fruit aroma you can imagine, our 2016 edition of 3-Way IPA was an unfiltered Fort George collaboration with Barley Brown’s Beer and Melvin Brewing.

2015
From the moment you pop the can, hop aroma hits you right in the nose. Fruit forward, with a crescendo of tropical and citrus flavors, 3-Way IPA 2015 presented an ensemble of Simcoe, Meridian, Citra, and Equinox hops. A lustrous and lively play across the palate. A Fort George collaboration with Georgetown Brewing Co. and Pfriem.

2014
Organic 2-row barley gave the beer a solid, crisp malt profile with a clean, straw-colored hue. A well-rounded IPA with plenty of citrus notes and earthy hop undertones. The 2014 release of 3-Way IPA brought together Fort George Brewery, Block 15, and Boneyard Beer to fulfill every beer lover’s fantasy.

2013

Great things come in threes. Grain, Hops and Yeast. Fort George, Gigantic and Lompoc. Beer, beer and beer. Organic two-row (we couldn’t get 3-row) malted barley created a solid, crisp profile and a clean, straw-colored hue. A fine balance of aromatic hops treats your senses to a symphony of fragrances and flavors. Add a hardworking California Common yeast and some of Astoria’s slow sand-filtered water, and the 3-Way IPA becomes the perfect summertime beverage.