GOWANUS — A band known for artfully mopey songs is helping fans drown their sorrows in a distinctly Brooklyn way.
Members of The National recently collaborated with local brewery Threes Brewing to create a canned craft beer called Day of the Dead IPA. The brew celebrates the recent release of "Day of the Dead," a compilation album of 59 Grateful Dead covers curated by guitarists Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National.
The Dessner twins are old pals of Threes Brewing co-owner Justin Israelson, and for the past year the band's bassist, Scott Devendorf, has DJed a monthly Grateful Dead night at Threes that features both Dead recordings and a live cover band, said Threes Brewing co-owner Josh Stylman.
“Scott told us about the album, and we were really excited about it," Stylman said. "Someone said, 'Why don’t we do a beer to celebrate it?'”
It reportedly took the Dessners five years to curate the "Day of the Dead" record — a fitting timeline given that the Dead was known for marathon live gigs — but making the beer to honor the album was a lightning quick process in comparison.
Threes Brewing brewmaster Greg Doroski spent a day making the beer with help from Devendorf, who worked as a brewer under Doroski's supervision, a process akin to a Dead show in that it involves "banter throughout the day," Stylman said.
The beer's official (tongue in cheek) description says it has elements of "pineapple, spruce tips, pungent and coaxing," Stylman said. It also has some traits inspired specifically by the famed jam band.
“Scott wanted to make sure it was representative of the Dead in whatever way it could be,” Stylman said. "We wanted to make sure it was dank, for example."
Members of The National also helped design the can's label.
The canned Day of the Dead IPA was one of two brews the brewery created recently in its first foray into packaging its beer. Until now Threes Brewing has only sold its beer inside its combination brewery, bar, restaurant and event space at 333 Douglass St., as well on tap at about 100 bars and restaurants across the city.
There was apparently pent-up demand for cans of the brewery's creations, said Stylman, because about 50 or 60 customers lined up an hour before Threes Brewing released the Day of the Dead IPA and another canned beer, Vilet Pilsner, earlier this month.
The brewery has sold much of its 5,000-can run of the Day of the Dead IPA, but there's a stash of the cans left and they'll be on sale this Wednesday at Devendorf's monthly Grateful Dead tribute night.
Threes Brewing has collaborated with other breweries such as Other Half Brewing and Allagash Brewing Company to create beer, but Day of the Dead was its first partnership with a band.
"This is the first collaboration we've done with a non-brewing entity, but it won’t be the last,” Stylman said. "You get someone like Scott and the guys from The National, they're creative people with other itches to scratch. Now he can add professional brewer to his resume."
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