Friday, April 12, 2013

When Good Beer Ideas Go Wrong

As brewers push the boundaries there's going to be a few offside calls from time to time.  Sometimes this is from pushing the envelope too far.  Other times it's a direct result of either a bet gone wrong or finalizing your next brew when a few too many into the day or night.


This post will focus on, what I perceive to be, odd combinations for beer.  Some of these work.  And some don't.  And as I've previously said; just because I or anyone else doesn't like it, doesn't mean it's a bad beer.  But most of these were probably met with, "well, it seemed like a good idea at the time" from the brewers after recovering from a two day bender.


While I haven't tried many of these beers, they stood out in the realm of beerdom as relatively insane ideas.  If your beer is listed and you want to avenge your honor, send me one to try and I will give and post an honest review.

(Note: two of my goals in blogging is for someone(s) to give me beer to try/review and get media credentials to a hockey game.  If someone gives me a beer at a hockey game that I have media credentials, that would be the best night ever.  Just saying.  And my birthday is coming up, if you're wondering what to get the blogger that has everything, except credibility.) 

Beer: Sprecher Brewing Company's Mamma Mia! Pizza Beer
Virtue: It's beer with 4.7% alcohol and I like pizza
Sin: Pizzas are round, not liquid.  Has the herbal scent of an Italian kitchen with all the ingredients of pizza and all the artificial flavors of the same.
Rate Beer Average Score: 2.51

Rate Beer Score Range: 0.5 - 4.6


 My Thoughts: This is like watching someone play golf/hockey opposite handed.  It's just awkward for everyone.


 
Beer: ShockTop's Campfire Wheat
Virtue: Promotional packets of camping gear were sent out to some lucky individuals
Sin:  The beer was included in said promotional packets

Review (from Jessey Hughey and posted on the Dallas Observer):
Oh yeah, the beer. It was horrible. Beyond awful. The nose presents an immediate blast of marshmallow, and it's so sickeningly sweet that I almost gagged at the first sip. The three s'mores elements are definitely there, a testament to the power of artificial flavoring. I have polished off entire 40s of Steel Reserve and 24-ounce cans of Four Loko, but this was too disgusting even for me. I barely got through half a bottle before pouring it down the sink.
 My thoughts: On the surface, much how I like pizza and beer, I like S'mores and beer.  However, I think I'd rather eat my sugar and drink my alcohol.  And to be fair, I'd be just as negative on alcoholic candy.  Lastly, if someone who can take down Steel Reserve is unable to handle this this beer.  I believe this is a beer that, if Genevieve conventions allowed it, could be used for interrogating people perceived to be threats to national security.

Beer: The Bruery Autumn Maple
Virtue: Yammy! This is an excellent breakfast beer...
Sin: ...if you're having pancakes or waffles
Rate Beer Average Score: 3.51

Rate Beer Score Range: 0.5 - 5.0

My Thoughts: Yammy!  As in yam-filled flavor and sweetness.  Not sure I like a beer described like that, although I'm going to use that term as much as I can from now on.  I'm also not a fan of ultra sweet beers and the lower end of the scores agree with me.  However, the upper end (and even average) scores suggests that I should kick rocks.   The reviewers at the bottom complained of tasting bacon.  Maybe they were confused with our next beer.  Or they added their own Baco's.


Beer: Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Beer
Virtue: Intriguing artwork and name of the famous Portland Doughnut shop.  6.5% ABV
Sin: Maple.  Bacon.  Beer. 
Rate Beer Average Score: 2.92

Rate Beer Score Range: 0.5 - 4.8 (I'm discounting the guy who said he overrated it on purpose, although he did seem to enjoy it.  I'm presuming after the alcohol started hitting him.
My Thoughts: Yammy!  Actually - just replace "Yammy!" with "Bacony" and "Maplely" and read my view on The Bruery Autumn Maple again.  Except for the being confused with the presence of bacon.  That, my friends, is here and it's real. 

Beer: Cave Creek Chili Beer
Virtue: Chili beers can be amazing with a whisper of heat to complete face melters
Sin: This isn't one of those beers.  
Rate Beer Average Score: 1.3

Rate Beer Score Range: 0.5 -5.0
My Thoughts: Maui Brewing Company (Maui, HI) and Calapooia  Brewing (Albany, OR) both make excellent Chili beers (with Rate Beer average scores of 2.95 and 2.96 respectively).  I'm sure there are others.  This made several lists of "most disgusting beers"  While I understand that these aren't for everyone, this one may be for fewer than some better crafted counterparts.

Beer: Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel
Virtue: A coffee beer with unique processing
Sin: By processing I mean that a weasel like critter ate coffee beans and the beans in the excrement is used in the beer flavoring.  Unlike the weasels, I'm not sh*ting you.
This could literally be considered a sh*tty beer.
Rate Beer Average Score: 4.21

Rate Beer Score Range: 1.8 -5.0

My Thoughts: At first, I thought, this sounds disgusting.  Then I remembered that alcohol kills germs.  Then I went back to thinking that this is weasel s**t crazy.  Clocking in a 10.9% ABV, this is also a powerful beverage. And thankfully the bottle artwork is tastefully done.  Like it's not a Weasel leaving an outhouse with a cup of coffee in its hand and a newspaper under its arm.

Thank you Rate Beer for the information used in creating this post.

2 comments:

  1. the bruery does has some weird beers. i drank one saturday night that was so sour it hurt my jaw.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It might've been their Sour in the Rye which was one of the better Sour beers I've had despite it feeling like it was sucking the the moisture out of my soul.

    ReplyDelete