via Dogfish Head
Have you noticed that everyone is enjoying martinis again? It’s become the in vogue drink of the times in a way that feels almost aggressive. Go to any bar right now, and the sea of Hazy IPAs and vodka sodas has parted to reveal an ocean of stemware filled with cloudy, briny olive juice.
It wasn’t long ago that we were living through the Great Hard Seltzer Wars, where ABV was low and flavor was “hint of lime.”
Before that, we suffered through the era where every beer had to be bitter enough to strip the enamel off your teeth. But now, we are creatures of old school tastes. We’ve pivoted. We want sophistication, but we want it a little glitzy and a little filthy, like it was in the Jazz Age. The Espresso Martini kicked the door down, but the Dirty Martini walked in and took the head of the table.
Breweries are reading the room. They know we aren’t just looking for a six-pack of lager for the holiday party anymore. We want cocktails, but we’re also lazy. Enter the Ready-to-Drink (RTD) revolution.
Just in time for the holiday chaos, Dogfish Head—the Delaware brewery that basically invented “off-centered” brewing—is celebrating the last month of its 30th year by bottling (well, canning) this exact energy.
Meet the Dogfish Head “Drrrty Thrrrty.”
Unlike other watered-down canned cocktail that tastes like aluminum and regret, this thing is a beast. It clocks in at a heavy-hitting 19.5% ABV, a legitimate two-serving martini in a can. It’s made with Dogfish Head’s own Awe Spray Vodka macerated with fresh rosemary, blanched garlic, and red chili flakes. They mixed that with Greek olive brine and a house-made vermouth infused with Italian herbs. It’s herbaceous, it’s got that salty umami thing going on, and the chili gives it a little heat on the back end.
To bring this beast to life, they partnered with the only publication that parties harder than they do: CREEM Magazine. If you aren’t familiar, this is the legendary Detroit rock rag that basically invented the attitude of music journalism. It’s the magazine where the late, great Lester Bangs made his name (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman in Almost Famous for the uninitiated). It’s loud, it’s back in print, and it’s arguably the coolest thing to come out of Detroit since the Model T. The collab is a no-brainer, especially considering Dogfish Head has always operated with that same middle-finger-to-the-status-quo energy, as I recently experienced.
To match the release, CREEM curated a playlist of the “30 dirtiest rock ‘n’ roll songs” ever released. We’re talking a mix of the absurd and the aggressive—everything from Chuck Berry’s “My Ding-A-Ling” and ZZ Top’s “Pearl Necklace” to Prince’s “Darling Nikki” and The Velvet Underground’s “Heroin.” If you’re looking for a soundtrack to alienate your in-laws during Christmas dinner, this is probably it.
The Drrrty Thrrrty drops on December 11. If you aren’t lucky enough to live near their coastal Delaware spots, you can snag a 4-pack for $19.99 online at GiveThemBeer.com.
So, put down the seltzer. It’s the holidays. You deserve a drink that bites back.