New beer created at each brewery for a week of celebration July 25 - 31ALTON - Five local craft breweries have joined forces to create a special craft beer in honor of Great Rivers & Routes Craft Beer Week July 25 - 31.

This collaboration will produce Farmhouse 66, a Saison-style beer brewed using 100 percent Illinois-grown products. Working on the recipe are head brewers James Rogalsky of Old Bakery Beer Company, Alton; Tracy Hutton of Recess Brewing Company, Edwardsville & Mississippi Culture, Staunton; Brandon Valentine of Peel Brewing Company, Edwardsville; Derik Reiser of Old Herald Brewery & Distillery, Collinsville; and Tony Marcolini of Opera House Brewing Company, Hillsboro.

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The beer is brewed using 100 percent Illinois-grown ingredients including Violetta barley grown in central Illinois and malted by Gateway Custom Malt in Montgomery County, MO; Brewer’s Gold and Challenger Hops from 3.9 Hops, Millstadt; honey from Dow on the Farm, Dow; Raw Wheat from Janie’s Mill, Ashkum; and Saisonstein Monster yeast from Omega Yeast, Chicago.

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Each brewery put its own spin on the beer, so you can taste your way through the region with their special offerings! The Old Bakery Beer Company’s version will feature locally grown anise hyssop and lemongrass from Flourish Farm. Recess Brewing Company will feature habanero hot honey. Peel Brewery and Old Herald are featuring seasonal fruit with white peach and watermelon respectively. Opera House Brewing will be featuring the unadulterated base version of the beer, which features complex spicy and fruity flavors!

The beer will be available only at the participating breweries during Great Rivers & Routes Craft Beer Week. Grab a pint and you’ll be able to keep a commemorative glass (while supplies last!).

For more information go to: https://www.riversandroutes.com/events/craft-beer-week/ or @RiversAndRoutes on Facebook.