A big slow sipper for the snowy season!

Y-Series collab with CES (@ces4wish)
Proceeds benefitting the Humane Society of Westchester (@humanesocwestchester)

If you think about it, beer and art are pretty parallel mediums. Both take time, the right tools, a vision. Both have periods of time where some styles are more popular than others. When the product is finished, sometimes it turns out as you had planned – sometimes it doesn’t.

And just like we at the brewery know all of these things to be true – so does Bronx native graffiti artist CES – the first artist to create a label for our new Y Series.

We’ve brought it back to an annual favorite on this first release of 2022 with Blacktop Imperial Stout – a rich and roasty stout conditioned on Grady’s Coffee and Cacao nibs. This malt-forward, slow sipper lends itself to this time of year as the serving temperature is slightly higher than lagers or ales which allows the coffee and chocolate flavors to open up. We also added a small bit of lactose for added body and creaminess.

We’re also simultaneously releasing a Barrel Aged version of Blacktop, rested in Pitorro barrels from the Port Morris Distillery.

Since CES designed the label initially, we knew there wouldn’t be anyone better to revive the art for the Y Series. An almost 40 year veteran graffiti artist, Ces had just finished a piece that’s currently on display at a museum in Brooklyn and felt it was also the perfect piece to live on the new Blacktop can.

“This embodies everything I love about graffiti,” he said. “The classic graffiti [style], the bold beautiful colors, this is a combination of the whole universe to a true graffiti writer.”

But CES isn’t just passionate about his art, he’s also a big animal lover – especially when it comes to his 14 year old Pomeranian, Mooshi. Mooshi played a big role in CES’ decision to support the Humane Society of Westchester through Blacktop sales.

“I heard that a lot of people got pets during the pandemic, but [they] couldn’t handle it so they were giving them back,” he said. “It’s not for everyone, it’s pretty serious to own a pet, there’s a lot that goes into it and I came home and looked at Moosh and thought, ‘Damn, who’s helping them?’”

To celebrate the release of Blacktop and the connection between the beer, the art, and the Humane Society, we’re hosting a pet-inspired mural battle at the brewery on Saturday, January 15, 2022. Three participants will create pieces using the theme “Pets in NYC,” pieces will be judged by CES and the winner will receive a $250 cash prize and a case of Blacktop. All three pieces of art will be donated to the Humane Society of Westchester for display in their offices.

Malt: 2-Row, Chocolate, BlackPrinz, Roasted Barley, Caramel Malt, Oat Flakes, Lactose
Hops: Caliente
What Else: Cacao Nibs, Grady’s Cold Brew Coffee