From Dec. 1 to Dec. 31, Dead Heads and Dogfish Heads are encouraged to help put a few finishing touches on the American Beauty collaboration.

We've settled on a strong pale ale with all-American hops and barley, and now we're asking loyal fans to visit submityourstory.dogfish.com to suggest the final ingredient – and the Dead-inspired story behind it.

Did you trade a bushel of fresh clementines for tickets to a two-night-stand at Long Beach Arena? Or maybe your dad first laid eyes on your mom sipping a cup of green tea in the parking lot of the legendary Cornell '77 show? Jog your memory, tell the story, and suggest the ingredient at the heart of that story. You could help bring this counterculture collaboration to life.

A panel from the Dogfish Head and Grateful Dead teams will pick the ingredient they feel works best in the context of a strong pale ale recipe. We hope to invite the fan who suggested the ingredient to our coastal Delaware brewpub in the spring of 2013 to help brew a test batch.

American Beauty is expected to hit taps and shelves throughout Dogfish’s 27-state distribution network in October 2013.