Melvin Brewing and Toppling Goliath Collaborate on Vladimir Gluten Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout

Melvin Brewing in Alpine, Wyoming has announced a collaboration with Toppling Goliath in Decorah, Iowa. The resulting beer is Vladimir Gluten, a barrel-aged imperial stout. Full details on this extremely limited release are below.

ALPINE, Wyo. — Wyoming’s Melvin Brewing released a limited edition beer called Vladimir Gluten in collaboration with Iowa’s Toppling Goliath on Saturday, April 4 at 9 am PST. Only 100 16 oz. cans will be available for sale at $11.99 per can on Craft Beer King’s website. Anyone who purchases a can will be invited to a virtual tasting and Q&A with the brewers on May 1st.

Vladimir Gluten is a massive barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stout with cacao nibs and vanilla. After finishing the beer, Melvin founder Jeremy Tofte decided to take the collaboration one step further, and reached out to legendary friend and chocolatier Pete Slosberg of Pete’s Wicked Ale fame. Pete took the cacao nibs used in the brew and repurposed them into a personal collection of fine chocolate bars.

Plus, 10 lucky recipients will receive a golden ticket in their order of Vladimir Gluten for a private chocolate tasting and one-on-one chat with Pete Slosberg at a future date.

The Back Story

The Melvin and Toppling Goliath (TG) crews met two years ago and bonded over a mutual love of bold IPAs and massive stouts. TG is the assassin of the barrel-aged stout game, so it seemed fitting for them to join Melvin’s brewing ninjas in Alpine, WY, and create a powerful Russian Imperial Stout. The recipe and brew day were a true collaboration of ideas and processes, and the end result was a 12% ABV, autocratic RIS. As Clark from TG put it, “Both teams agreed twelve months was the minimum sentence for barrel incarceration of the liquid and after the beer had served its time in bourbon barrels, we added toasted cacao nibs and vanilla to reward its good behavior.” Available in 16 ounce single cans, Vladimir Gluten is a real Cold War-mer, darker than the Deep State but delightfully delicious beer. Nostrovia!

Additionally, a percentage of all Melvin beer sales in the month of April are being donated to support Melvin’s front of house staff as well Jackson Hole’s Community Foundation which funds a host of worthy organizations.

The Community Foundation of Jackson Hole has been helping to make giving smarter, nonprofits more effective and our community stronger for over 30 years. The Foundation manages $70 million in assets and our annual collaborative event, Old Bill’s Fun Run, has raised over $173 million for local nonprofits. Since  inception, donors have relied on the Foundation’s experienced staff to assist with current and planned giving by simplifying administration and providing insight about community needs.
 
Limited Can Release

Where:  Craft Beer Kings

When:  Pre-sale starts this Saturday at 9am on Craft Beer King’s website (beer ships to customers mid-April). Virtual Release party on May 1st, 6pm MST on Zoom (limited to first 100 people that buy a can)

Who:  Toppling brewers, Melvin brewers, Pete’s Wicked Ale founder, Pete Slosberg, and 100 lucky customers