I just love collaboration beers. Don’t you just love collaboration beers? Come on, work with me on this one. That was a pun, in case you didn’t get it. Sigh. OK, well, whether you get it or not, you could do a lot worse than to pick up 40 Mile to the Border Agave IPA, a collaboration beer between the Three Notch’d Brewing Company of Charlottesville, VA and the O’Connor Brewing Co. of Norfolk, VA.

From the label:

A collaboration beer like no other, this beer combines the hop and barley profile of our “40 Mile” IPA and O’Connor’s “El Guapo” Agave IPA. The El Dorado hops from the 40 Mile provide a tropical profile that is layered with citrus and grapefruit from El Guapo’s blend of West Coast hops. The malt backbone is a unique caramalt blend with an abundance of agave.

2 flagship beers blended into one awesome IPA!

Three Notched O Connor Brewing 40 Mile to the Border Agave IPA has an alcohol content of 7% by volume and my 16-ounce can was packaged on 05/17/15. I drank my first one on March 14^th 2016, and it held up amazingly well over almost a year. Total wine sells this one for $12.99 for 4-16 ounce cans, a little high I think. Thanks to Chuck Triplett for this wonderful beer that is not sold in my area.

Three Notched O Connor Brewing 40 Mile to the Border Agave IPA pours to a bright orange color with a thick creamy head of foam and an intense vegetal agave nose with a strong citrus pop. Taking a sip, the beer is thick and chewy with caramel malt up front followed by the distinct green vegetal agave, grapefruit and pine and a sharp hop bitterness in the finish. The defining characteristic here is the agave, it really permeates and is omnipresent. Indeed, the agave combines with the citrus for lime like notes. I didn’t get the tropical fruit notes, though that might be the age of the beer.

Beer and tequila, all in one glass, what’s not to like? I liked this one very much, and if you get a chance to try it, I think you will, too.

Update 10/13/2016: This one is still going strong, its much as I described it above and still very refreshing and delicious with well over a year of age on it.

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