When The Surly Goat opened in 2010, co-founder Ryan Sweeney collaborated with Eagle Rock Brewery on Eagle Goat Bock. Sadly, producing this house beer wasn’t sustainable.

The Goat Group now spans from Pasadena to Encino and Long Beach. They’ve built up a vast network in the craft brewery community over the years, allowing for five or six other collaborations. The latest collaboration, a crisp, refreshing 5.5% ABV India Pale Lager called Pilot Batch, came out of their September foray to New Belgium in Fort Collins, Colorado.

According to Ryan Sweeney, “The idea was an over hopped Blue Paddle with all Southern Hemisphere hops (Citra, Mosaic, and Galaxy). We did a pilot batch on a 15-barrel system and got the majority of the kegs…I was really excited about the project, I love those hops and I love a good Pils.” Pilot Batch is a placeholder name that stuck. Sweeney and the crew officially decided on the name Menagerie, “an ode to all the animals that would get the beer.” He was referring to other group bar names: The Surly Goat West Hollywood, The Blind Donkey Long Beach, The Blind Donkey Pasadena, and Der wolfskopf.

I enjoyed the beer at Verdugo Bar. If Pilot Batch performs well, they may re-brew. In that case, Sweeney hopes to reduce the alcohol a bit and make the beer slightly less hoppy.