Culinary Beer Gone Too Far?

[Donutz]

I want to see what others have to say about this!!!
Let me start back in pre-historic times with me and bring you to now.
Way way way back when I first started drinking beer, it was MGD for me!!! Then one day, I tried a craft beer...and I wasn't very sure what to think. Was it good or was it bad...it wasn't my water/beer!!! Times are changing and the beers are changing. For the most part, they are getting really good. Things I never heard of 20 years ago... IPA, Saison, Porter, Stout, etc etc etc. I'm not saying that they didn't exist...I just never heard of such a thing. Eventually, Sweetwater brewing co came along and had their Sweet Water Blue. I was skeptic...why would you brew beer with blueberries. I tried it. It wasn't AWESOME...but at the same time, it wasn't terrible. More and more you hear about beers being brewed with different and more eccentric. Lately, I had the Ghost Face Killah beer made by twisted pines brewing. It was made with Ghost Face Peppers and other Chillies. I love hot foods and my friends know I do too. So my buddy bought me one while he was out of town and saw it. He bought one for himself and one other guy. The first guy said the beer was disgusting. He tried it and agreed...completely nasty...but he said it did have some heat to it. I decided to split the $5.00 12oz bottle with a friend. We both thought the flavor was nasty as all get out!!!! Brewing beer with peppers?? Not too far out there..I can understand it!! Then I'm sitting down with my latest issue of Draft Magazine... people are trying to make beer with cold-smoked Mangalitsa pig heads—brains removed... or beer made with bull testicles... or beer made with oysters. Are they even trying to make a good beer anymore...or is this a challenge to see who can be the most off of the wall??? Or perhaps, these folks are trying to make a statement saying enough is enough and we are doing this to mock you?? Or lastly, is it just me being old and thinking, a beer is supposed to be a beer...not some crappy tasting foody thing!!!! Let me know what you think!!!

 

[T29]

I think some take it a bit to far, but when dosent TV or magazines take things too far? Its all about attention and what reaction they can get.

 

[jiMithing83]

I had a Wynkoop Chile beer that was actually pretty good. No heat, just tasted like TexMex pepper flavor.

They can't all be winners.

 

[elpenoso]

If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got. [Albert Einstein]

 

[pdxal]

Wynkoop's rocky mountain oyster stout is good beer too.
I've had a ghost chili beer that was so hot it was undrinkable, but a beer from Upright made with beef hearts and bay leaves that was very good. It all depends, sometimes the strange ingredients make a good beer, sometimes not. Barley, hops, yeast, and water can make some crapppy beers too.
I do think, though, that there is some hype and attention seeking involved in some/many of the weird beers.

 

[Donutz]

I didn't find the Ghost Chili pepper beer hot at all... but I eat stuff that when I cut it, it makes my wife's eyes water and burns her nose coming even in the room!!! My friend had one small drop of my trinidad scorpion sauce on one of his shrimps and he couldnt breath...yet, that stuff is like franks red hot to me!

 

[zardozap]

Perfect latest weird beer example: Bacon Red ale.

Bacon is for eating, not drinking. The very idea is just disgusting. I wouldn't make 1 gallon of something like that, let alone 5 or more. I think I heard cucumber or some green vegetable mentioned as a beer that's been made. Again, disgusting. Overall, I think stuff like that can hurt more than it helps. There's experimentation within reason, and then there's craft brewers who are just tossing stuff in and hoping to brew the next go-to beer that hipsters dig.

 

[Life]

Different strokes for different folks. I can't even count how many times I've tried something that sounded rancid that was quite good/great. Milk Stout sounded awful when I first came across it a few years back, and it was delicious. (Same can be said for a lot of beverages and food I've tried, cucumber soda is delicious)

On the same note, I've tried things that sounded awful and were, but you can appreciate that they tried something new.

 

[chiteface]

I just want to point out the the one with pigs head, brewed by Right Brain, won a gold a GABF, I doubt it would have won if it was a bad beer. Is it flying dog that does the oyster one? I think that one is pretty good too. Is it necessary? Hard to say, but some of the more extreme combinations turn out pretty good. Shorts spruce pilsner and bloody beer are a few examples I can think of.

 

[mattd2]

The oyster stout is somewhat of a classic style - but from my reading no one could really determine if originally it was actually made by putting oysters in the fermenter or that it was just went really really well with a plate of fresh steamed oysters

 

[DrunkleJon]

I actually tried the Ghost Face Killah on Saturday. It wasn't all that bad. I wouldn't drink more than one, but the almost jalepino flavor was nice. And the little bit of warmth in my throat was interesting. Evereyones palate is different.

I think the trend towards weird beers is due to a few things. Brewers seem to all be big on the "What If..." mentality which in my opinion is a great thing. You never know when you will come upon the next big thing. Think about it this way, you are trying to come up with a product, do you make the same product that everyone else does or do you try something 'new' and perhaps open a new market. Also, as for fermentation, some weird things are fermented already. Fish/meats, other vegetables (think kimchee and kraut). Fermentation is a seemingly magical process which changes flavors and preserves foods. I think that it is creativity, with some level of gimmick as well.

 

[Calichusetts]

Its all about execution. There is no reason you can't use "food" ingredients in brewing, you just need to do it correctly. Night Shift's "Viva Hanbenera" is amazing. Perfect pepper and rye balance and just a great beer overall, not some gimmick. I personally can't stand the taste of rosemary in beer but I've seen a few done that I'm sure appeal to others palette. I've also had a few that are just awful.

 

[YNOT2K]

If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got. [Albert Einstein]

You meant [Mark Twain], right?

 

[Brewmenn]

Call me crazy but I prefer my beer to taste like beer. Not too big of a fan of these strange brews.

 

[mattd2]

Its all about execution. There is no reason you can't use "food" ingredients in brewing, you just need to do it correctly. Night Shift's "Viva Hanbenera" is amazing. Perfect pepper and rye balance and just a great beer overall, not some gimmick. I personally can't stand the taste of rosemary in beer but I've seen a few done that I'm sure appeal to others palette. I've also had a few that are just awful.

Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Maple Bacon Ale...did not execute it correctly

 

[Donutz]

Fully agree about doughnut maple bacon ale....totally disgusting. Perhaps I should try making a wierd beer...grass cutting sweat, toe nail fungus, morning breath spit, crud from under the toilet lip ale. Im sure it will taste wonderful!!!!

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[pdxal]

I didn't find the Ghost Chili pepper beer hot at all... but I eat stuff that when I cut it, it makes my wife's eyes water and burns her nose coming even in the room!!! My friend had one small drop of my trinidad scorpion sauce on one of his shrimps and he couldnt breath...yet, that stuff is like franks red hot to me!

I wasn't talking about Ghost Face Killah.
Try El Toro Brewing Co.'s Ghost Chili Golden Ale, it will melt your face. I'm not a super spicy hot food kind of person, but my wife can drink Sriracha from the bottle and even she thought it was hot. If you like spicy food, you should try it sometime.

 

[Donutz]

I'll have to try to find it! I don't find Siracha hot at all..it is kind of like ketchup.. Does this beer taste good at least?

 

[Donutz]

I just looked on Beer Advocate and I went to El Toro's website and I don't see that Ghost Chili beer listed anywhere.... are you sure you have the correct name or brewing co?