What does it take to brew a truly massive beer? Well, it might involve several tons of grain (literally… 7,068 lbs to be precise), or consecutive days of double mashing and extended boils. For us, it came down to having a good friend and fellow brewer who shares a passion for crafting robust stouts and barrel-aged beers, join us for a collab brew.

While attending brewing school in 2015 at the American Brewer’s Guild in Vermont, we met Ben! Much like ourselves, Ben is a homebrewer-turned-brewery-owner who now owns Forgotten Road Ales, boasting two taprooms throughout North Carolina.

A few months of back & forth discussions eventually led to Ben making the long journey up to Delaware in July of 2022 for our first-ever collab. We brewed “Tactical Exploit”, a Double Dry Hopped Hazy Double IPA featuring white peach, yellow peach, & tangerine. The collab was a blast, the beer was delicious, and it instantly got us thinking - what’s next?

What came next was the biggest beer we’ve ever brewed here at First State. “Critical Assets” is a 15% Imperial Stout brewed with Ecuadorian Cacao Nibs, Toasted Coconut, Saigon Cinnamon, & Madagascar Vanilla.

When brewing beer, you can only extract so much sugar out of a given amount of grain (more sugar = more alcohol). Over two long days we mashed in four separate times and extended the length of our boil to twice as long as we usually do. The resulting wort (the sugary liquid we get before it ferments and becomes beer) was super concentrated.

After several weeks of fermentation, the resulting brew was just what we were hoping for. “Critical Assets” pours jet-black and is crowned with a beautiful tan head. Aromas of dark chocolate, coconut, and vanilla set the stage, while the taste delivers a blend of vanilla, dark chocolate, and a hint of cinnamon.

Ironically, a few days before we packaged this beer we took delivery of a few rye whiskey barrels. Coincidence? That’s a story for another time…