In our March edition of The Session, we shared an article about the rise of earth-friendly, organic ingredients over the past few years as America (and the rest of the world) pushes a greener agenda. The piece started off with a mention for the four most common, well known beer ingredients: malt, hops, yeast, and water. In this article, however, we are here to tell you there are more—far more bizarre—ingredient options available for curious brewers to enjoy. Let’s explore!
Fruit Beer: Want to add a bit more sweetness to your beer, health benefits? Try adding a hint of fruit to your brew! Fruit beer (our favorite is Banana Beer) is high in antioxidants and vitamins, like B-6, as well as being a bit more flavorful than your average brew. While some seasoned drinkers may shy away from this style of beer due to the ‘fruity’ flavor, the alcohol content of these tasty brews is found anywhere from 4-10%!
Cannabis Beer: At this point, mid 2022, The Session believes most of our avid readers have heard—or maybe even experienced—the recent push for cannabis infused drinks and food. Cannabis beer, in its current form, is non-alcoholic beer brewed with barley and infused with either CBD or THC oils. Most people who have drunk cannabis beer claim the taste is a bit dry, not as sweet as your standard beer. Companies have been jumping on the trend, however, so we will see what becomes of the market segment!
Oysters, bull testicles, and more: Now, to get a bit more far out, we move to the brave brewers who have added oysters and/or bull testicles to their brews. Oysters, bull testicles?! Yes, you read correctly. To create an oyster-infused brew, fresh oysters are added (shucked) during the brewing process of a stout beer. The results are surprisingly fantastic! The Porterhouse Brewing Company of Ireland, the adventurous brewhouse to make this a famous brew, claims this to be a “superbly balanced brew, smooth and rounded without being bland.” Nice!
The Wynkoop Brewing Company of Denver, Colorado went one step further when they brewed using 11kgs of sliced bull’s testicles to add flavor during the beer’s mash cycle. Now that’s a lot of meat! The results? A ‘deep brown, foreign-style, vicious stout.’
Interesting!
Let us know what some of your favorite “weird” ingredients are too!
