More Than Just Beer – The History Behind Igor’s Dream

Made for a man who took the road less traveled, Two Roads Brewing Company is set to release their “11th Flight” of Igor’s Dream Imperial Stout aged in bourbon and rye whiskey Barrels and blended with 2021 & 2022 vintages of Igor’s Dream. The result – a complex and full-bodied masterpiece.

2023 Release of Igor’s Dream.

Why Igor’s Dream?

So – where did the whole concept of Igor’s Dream start? In 2012 when Two Roads opened, we decided to pay homage to Igor Sikorsky, Stratford’s legendary aviation pioneer, with a commemorative beer. Named in his honor and representative of his heritage, we created a unique Imperial Stout.

However, Igor’s Day is about much more than beer. Sikorsky Aircraft, which stands a little over a mile from the brewery, is where the world’s first practical helicopter took flight back in September of 1939. Sikorsky designed, built, and piloted the aircraft – the first to incorporate a single main rotor and tail rotor design.

The first flight of the VS-300 on September 14th, 1939. It reached an altitude of eight inches off the ground for a duration of possibly 10 seconds. 

Even before then, Sikorsky was exemplary of what it means to take the road less traveled. In 1919, he arrived in New York as an immigrant. He started as a lecturer and schoolteacher and later formed his own company, the Sikorsky Aero Engineering Corporation, on Long Island. In 1929, the company, now named The Sikorsky Manufacturing Company, moved to Stratford, CT, where it still stands.

The imperial stout made for Sikorsky also speaks to what it means to take the road less traveled. A twist on a traditional imperial stout – the 2023 release is aged in bourbon and rye whiskey barrels. For the 11th year, the offerings are Igor’s Dream Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon & Rye Barrels, Igor’s Dream Imperial Stout aged in Amburana Wood Barrels, and Igor’s Dream Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon and Rye Whiskey Barrels with vanilla, cocoa nibs, cinnamon, and chili pepper.

Sikorsky purchased land in 1928 in Stratford, CT across from the Bridgeport Airport in close proximity to the Housatonic River with access to the Long Island Sound – very important for the development of larger seaplanes.

The 11th Flight of Igor’s Dream

The 2023 release of Igor’s Dream pays tribute to Sikorsky’s second helicopter design from 1910, the H-2. This was the first helicopter he designed that was able to lift itself in the air –  a breakthrough in all of aviation history.

From when Two Roads brought and re-purposed the iconic U.S Baird Factory in 2012, the brewery’s core mission was to celebrate the successes of Connecticut. We continue to do so with the imperial stout made in Sikorsky’s honor. Over the years, Sikorsky’s sons have come to the brewery to support the release day, hand-signing bottles and postcard-sized labels of the imperial stout featuring the image of their father.

Igor Sikorsky at the controls proudly wearing his legendary “flight helmet” during his last ceremonial flight of the VS-300 on October 6th, 1943.

The “11th Flight” will be released on February 4th & doors will open at 10 AM. Bottles are available for pre-sale for club members on January 20th and the general public on January 27th. Find more information on the event here.

Here’s to another year of taking the road – and skies – less traveled.