We talk with Niko Tonks, head brewer at Fair State Brewing Cooperative in Minneapolis about his Black is Beautiful variant, which is a blend of the suggested imperial stout recipe blended with a previous batch of barrel-aged Pecan Pie Stout. Niko shares his process ideas for brewing big imperial stouts. He also talks more in general about collaborations both virtual and in-person, and a bit about how his brewery has pivoted in the time of the pandemic. Hoping to release a brew day video and follow-up interview with Marcus Baskerville soon as part of this series.