NJ beer: Touch of Grey a Grateful Dead-inspired brew

It’s hard to find two more dedicated fan bases than Deadheads and craft beer lovers. Now there’s a brewery creating a product specifically designed to keep both camps feeling groovy.

New Jersey Beer Company, based in North Bergen, unveiled Touch of Grey IPA earlier this month; it’s the latest addition to a constantly rotating selection that features two to three new beers each month.

Named after the legendary jam band’s 1987 hit single, the beer is described by New Jersey Beer Company general manager Colby Janisch as a “dank and hazy” India Pale Ale, double dry-hopped with Columbus hops and weighing in at 6.2 percent ABV.

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“I think a lot of Deadheads are kind of synonymous with dank and weed stuff, so we kind of wanted to use a hop that emulated the smell of pot,” Janisch said. “And a lot of IPAs are getting a lot hazier now, (with) a certain yeast we use and it makes a very hop-forward beer that’s flavorful and not bitter.”

The beer also serves as a sonic gateway of sorts: the 16-ounce cans of “Touch of Grey,” decorated with the Dead’s iconic dancing bear imagery, also feature a QR code that, when scanned on your smartphone, brings you to the Grateful Dead radio station of streaming service Pandora.

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Touch of Grey is currently available on draft at the brewery's Tonnelle Avenue tasting room, and there are a limited number of $13 four-packs of cans from the 100-case production run still available on site. Cans also have made their way to retail locations in Hudson, Bergen, Sussex and Union counties.

Touch of Grey is not a one-hit wonder; Janisch said the brewery is currently considering a number of other classic rock-themed, limited release beers, including a harvest ale inspired by Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” (1992).

“People who like craft beer tend to usually like music as well, so we’re trying to get that association really instilled there,” he said.

New Jersey Beer Company, 4201 Tonnelle Avenue, North Bergen, 201-758-8342, njbeerco.com.