Pineapple Ham IPA or not IPA ???

[BostonianBrewer]

OK I know this sounds really stupid, so there is no need to remind me !
At our brewery we want to do a luau beer for the Holidays. It dissent have to be an Ripa but we want to add pineapple and something with a cooked ham essence. We can add meat as head retention would be absent. Any ideas on spice blends or malt mixtures to get a nice hammy-ham-delicious flavor ? we just thought up this idea on the way out of work today so we haven't formulated a base recipe or any recipe for that matter, maybe a smoked marzen type base to start ????

 

[giraffe]

If you use close to 100% german rauch malt it has a distinct hammy/bacon/sausage taste. I mean, any more hammy than that, and could one drink a whole pint?

 

[giraffe]

Also why an IPA? Are there people who want to drink bitter and resinous pineapple covered meat? Im not one of them.

Im trying real hard to take this seriously, but perhaps something in the malty lager, or blonde ale, range seems more "sane". The smoked marzen with pineapple idea you mentioned, that I can almost imagine getting through a pint of.

 

[Schmoltsbeer]

German rouch beer tastes like ham. Or bacon. Personally, it tastes horrible to me. Good luck!

 

[Jim311]

Add a slice of ham as garnish to each glass?

 

[Buckeye_Phil]

If you could get the balance right, a standard IPA with lots of tropical hops (mosaic / citra) and then some rauch malt (20%-ish) would give a hint of something "meaty" without being a campfire / bacon bomb.

The trick would be getting the rauch malt portion right. Too much, and it will be terrible. Too little and you won't know it's there.

Does it have to be pineapple ham? Why not a standard IPA or Am wheat with lots of tropical hops?

 

[BostonianBrewer]

( Giraffe) IPA dosent have to be bitter we can do lots of late additions (knockout , whirlpool dry hop) and get fruity flavors, like i said this was a random idea

 

[BostonianBrewer]

( Buckeye Phill) It doesn't have to be an IPA it started out as us making fun of the IPA silly over the top crowd, but then it just kinda snowballed into this weird idea... i also thing a layered marine would be nice with a hint of grilled pineapple