Because it’s 4/20, you know there’s a, shall we say, terpene-themed beer to write about. (After all, I had themed posts the past couple of years.) This time around, it’s Elysian Brewing providing the dank with its newest IPA officially released today, Dank Dust IPA.

Elysian had sent out a media kit last week for another in the brewery’s virtual media tastings (recall that Elysian did this last year for its 25th anniversary, as well as with pumpkin beers for Halloween), this time to promote the launch of Dank Dust. Inside the kit were a can each of Space Dust IPA, Dank Dust, a tasting snifter, a hat, some stickers, and some munchies. (Photos towards the end of this post of the kit I received.)

Dank Dust is based on Space Dust, hence the idea of a side-by-side tasting.

It was a Zoom-based tasting led, as with the previous ones, by co-founders Dave Buhler and Joe Bisacca, who walked us through the history behind Space Dust as well as the tasting of each beer. I’ve already covered a bit of Space Dust from last year’s virtual event (we heard much of the same history), so I’ll focus on Dank Dust.

Simply, it is now the winner for the most overtly in-your-face aroma of cannabis I’ve ever smelled in a beer. (The previous winners are 420 Strain Insane OG Mexican Lager from SweetWater Brewing and Maiden the Shade from Ninkasi Brewing.) Seriously, it is incredibly dank, as they say, and smells exactly like pot, with some fresh mint, fresh herbs, and that signature “diesel” aroma (Bisacca, I believe, was the one who suggested this descriptor).

How did they get that character into the beer? Terpenes. Bisacca has been the driving force exploring terpenes at the brewery, not just for characteristics like cannabis but for other aroma compounds such as vanilla, chocolate, etc. The blend they settled on for use with Dank Dust starts with a citrusy/grapefruit profile and then the diesel terpene group is added in. It’s proprietary, of course, but it works.

The interesting angle on the beer is that Dank Dust is just the same recipe as Space Dust; only instead of dry-hopping with Amarillo hops, Elysian “dry-hopped” with the terpenes (or “terpened” as someone suggested). So in all other aspects, it’s the same beer. The brewery played off that with the name (clearly) as well as the label, which riffs on Space Dust only has a… sleepy… hop with something other than dust emanating from its mouth.

During the course of the tasting I didn’t review the beers as I normally do, but I did sketch out some notes. Here’s what I wrote for Dank Dust:

It smells EXACTLY like cannabis! There’s a touch of fresh mint, fresh herbs. Touch of fruit but really that dank aroma is the star.
Freshly herbal in flavor too, with a softer bitterness than the base Space Dust, a gentle sweetness in the malts; some lemon, and while it’s not “cannabis” per se I keep getting that fresh, green herb note which is really good– reminds me of chewing on fresh herbs from the garden.

Bottom line: It’s a good beer (so is Space Dust), and worth checking out. Especially on this date.

As far as the marketing goes, Elysian’s campaign with Dank Dust is to partner with rapper and chef Action Bronson (disclosure: I’m out of touch enough that I didn’t know who this was), and to really play up the work “dank.”

Here’s the official press release:

ELYSIAN BREWING DEBUTS DANK DUST IPA, TAPS ACTION BRONSON AS FIRST-EVER “DIRECTOR OF DANK”

World-renowned chef, rapper and author leverages his dank dossier to create snacks that perfectly pair with Dank Dust IPA

Elysian Brewing has introduced Dank Dust IPA to the brewery’s nationwide sales footprint. The 8.2% ABV pine-forward India Pale Ale oscillates with aromas of lush grapefruit, mango, and orange, and is brewed with proprietary terpenes providing the beer with the pungent, dank, citrusy, earthy aroma. The sweet hop flavor and low bitterness turn the classic Space Dust IPA feeling we all know and love up a notch. Once poured, it fills the room with an unmistakably dank presence – cracking the can and pouring a glass is the first step on an epic journey into Elysian’s newest IPA.

Because beer and snacks go hand-in-hand and no dank occasion is complete without the two, Elysian has tapped Action Bronson, as its first-ever “Director of Dank.” As a world-renowned chef, rapper, author, and dank-isseur, Bronson is the best person to create recipes worthy of pairing with Dank Dust IPA.

“Dank is a lifestyle,” says Bronson. “I even have a dank dossier, which is why I am Elysian Brewing’s Director of Dank. I worked with the brewery to create two recipes to pair with Dank Dust. The flavors, aromas and creativity that you’ll see in the recipes are inspired by the dankness of the IPA.”

Designed to be recreated at home, the recipes include Sticky Short Ribs and Funkified Funnel Cake, each featuring ingredients readily available at your local grocery store or bodega (ahem, bo-Dank-a). Once you grab them, all that’s left to do is find your favorite spot on the couch, crack open a can of Dank Dust, and enjoy the ultimate food developed by the Director of Dank.

STICKY SHORT RIBS

• Ingredients needed:
  • Short ribs
  • 1 cup turbinado sugar
  • 1 tbsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp Kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• Directions:
  • Prep short ribs (cutting Korean Style)
  • Mix sugar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a bowl and combine well
  • Cover the meat with the mixture
  • Preheat oven/air fryer 420 degrees
  • Roast for 30 to 35 minutes checking them around 20 minutes, keeping an eye on it so the sugar doesn’t burn
  • Cut the ribs into pieces, let cool and drizzle with hot Chinese mustard

FUNKIFIED FUNNEL CAKE

• Ingredients needed:
  • ½ cup of Elysian Brewing Dank Dust IPA
  • 1 cup flour
  • ¼ tsp baking powder
  • 1 pinch salt
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • Powdered sugar
  • Extra virgin olive oil to fry
• Directions:
  • Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl
  • Add Dank Dust IPA slowly to the mix until the texture is that of a paste
  • Once mixed, transfer into a large plastic sealable bag and refrigerate for two hours
  • Heat oil in a shallow frying pan
  • Test the oil before frying
  • Once ready, cut a little piece of the plastic bag corner and use it to pipe batter funnels into the hot oil
  • Let fry, flip then remove and place on a wire rack to cool
  • Dust with powdered sugar and top with your favorite sweets (Action suggests gummy bears and chocolate sandwich cookies)

“We took putting the ‘Dank’ into Dust seriously,” said Joe Bisacca, Elysian Brewing’s co-founder. “Nailing the earthy, citrusy, piney, dank aroma took trial and error and we love how Dank Dust turned out. To really make sure our drinkers had the dankest occasion, we hired Action Bronson as our Director of Dank to create snack recipes worthy of pairing with the beer.”

Ready to enter the bo-Dank-a? Visit www.DankDust.com to access recipes, Dank Dust merch, content and more. Tag Elysian on socials using #DankDust and @ElysianBrewing and Action Bronson at @bambambaklava.

To find Dank Dust IPA near you, visit www.elysianbrewing.com or www.buybeeronline.com/elysian.

As promised, pictures of the media kit:

Finally, one of the brewery’s marketing shots which I thought was too good to pass up, and kind of encapsulates the whole thing: