Gigantic Brewing + Ex Novo Brewing Collaborate on Cobra Fang IPA

This week’s First Taste Tuesday from Gigantic Brewing will be a bittersweet one. Cobra Fang IPA was brewed in collaboration with the late Ryan Buxton and his team from Ex Novo Brewing.

Unfortunately Ryan will not be here for this beer release as his life was heartbreakingly cut short this past weekend. Ryan tragically passed away just days before the scheduled release of this beer and Gigantic would like to honor his memory by sharing it with the world. Gigantic plans to donate a portion of the sales of this beer to benefit his family and charities of which he was fond. Out of respect for his family and Ex Novo Brewing, we will let them choose to whom and how we donate funds.

Ryan was a father of two boys, a friend and a very good brewer. A lover of tiki bars and tiki drinks, kickball and the outdoors, Ryan came to Oregon a half dozen years ago and instantly became a beloved and valued member of the Portland brewing community and beyond. We will miss him dearly.

“Ryan was an Oregon brewer, and fittingly the beer is an IPA – does anything else really matter?” stated Van Havig in today’s announcement. “I can tell you that he turned us on to the experimental hop 586, which we combined with another thiol rich hop (Strata) to make a lovely beer with notes of blah, blah, blah. But all I can really think about is that we’re just the brewery that happened to collaborate with him in early May. Gigantic isn’t special – Ryan was. I can think of no better tribute to a brewer I respect than to drink a beer that we brewed together.”

“I met Ryan a number of years ago when he was at Epic Brewing running their Denver brewery,” stated Ben Love in today’s annoucment.  “From the very first time we met I could see the intense passion Ryan had for his craft. Literally, you could see the glint in his eyes. I could also hear it to, he loved to discuss beers and brewing and was endlessly inquisitive. His passion was palpable. Besides being a genuinely sweet soul and incredibly generous person, Ryan always rocked amazing haircuts and had a unique fashion sense. I’ll always think of him with the “Richie Tenenbaum” haircut – a wicked mullet, shaved tight on the sides with a rad sweatband, or wearing a sleeveless t, short jean shorts and cowboy boots. You are a unique soul and I will miss you profoundly.”

The label for Cobra Fang IPA was created by local artist Brad Delay. He can be found tattooing at Historic Tattoo in SE Portland – not far from the brewery. Delay is known for his  colorful traditional tattoos. In addition to his prolific tattoo work he also creates incredibly detailed dreamlike oil paintings. Check out his work at www.instagram.com/bdelay.

Cobra Fang IPA is on tap at both The Brewery and Champagne Lounge and Robot Room at the Rocket Empire Machine.  You can also find Cobra Fang IPA on draft and in 16.9oz refillable bottles in the Portland metro area and throughout Oregon, as well as along the west coast in Washington and California.

As always, Gigantic beer is packaged in BottleDrop Refillable bottles. BottleDrop Refillables are sorted, washed, inspected, and delivered back to Oregon’s craft beverage producers to be refilled.  By choosing beverages in refillable bottles, you help keep our air clean, our beaches, parks and roadsides litter-free, promote a circular economy, and set a model for future generations.

Gigantic Brewing Taproom & Brewery
5224 SE 26th Ave
Portland, OR 97202

Gigantic Robot Room at REM
6935 NE Glisan St
Portland, OR 97213