Craft breweries love themselves a niche, but how far are they willing to go to be the first to do something? The answer is quite far, I’ve put together a list of some of the craziest ingredients used in craft beers over the years.
1. Bananas
We’re starting off simple so don’t get comfortable just yet. Sure, it’s not too far out because it is a fruit, but not typically something you’d find in your alcoholic beverage.
The guilty ale is Sprecher Mbege Ale, a fire-brewed, African style beer. The beer is 7% abv and has a suspicious-looking yellow colour to it.
2. Mustard seeds
Yeah, this ones weird to me. Mustard is a no-go on anything as it is, there’s just too much oing on for my liking and the thought of drinking it gives me nightmares.
Browerij Smisje Wostyntje Mustard Ale doesn’t use it’s name to hide any secrets. It is a Belgian beer, brewed using 90% barley malt, 10% Munich malt, two sorts of hops, dark candy sugar and mustard seeds. It has a 7% abv and is brewed in Mater-Oudenaarde.
3. Pizza
Here’s something I can get behind. Why have beer and a pizza when you can save some money and have them both at the same time. Mamma Mia! Pizza Beer uses a fully-assembled margarita pizza, which is commitment if you ask me. They still manage a 4.6% abv and the beer remains debris-free.
4. Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh
In a somewhat biblical decision, Lost Abbey’s Gift of the Magi beer boasts a 9.5% abv. The beer doesn’t actually contain any gold, but is described as a “golden beer that is bittered with the bark of Frankincense and also contains a small amount of Myrrh ''.
Personally I would have thought it unsafe to consume frankincense and myrrh, but once again I have been proven wrong.
5. Cat poo coffee beer
Correct, I saved the best one until last. Cat poo. If you had asked me anything about brewing beer before I started this article, I would have told you that I thought coffee was a questionable beer ingredient. Oh how naive of me.
The Mikkeller Brewery in Denmark decided that it was a fantastic idea to collect the droppings of the civet cat, an animal native to south-east Asia, and use them in their very own brew. The civet cat lives off a diet of only the finest coffee berries - so I’d imagine the brewers saw a sourcing opportunity that they couldn't pass up.
So, there you have it. 5 of the weird ones in a progressing order. There’s plenty more, trust me on that - I’ve done my research. I just wanted to give you a taste of what was out there, and what is seemingly acceptable in the world of brewing. If any of you want to borrow some of my leg hairs to add that little something to your brew then you’re welcome to get in touch.
Thanks for reading!
*This blog post was guest written by Macauley Horton