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After years of playing second-fiddle to wine as the beverage snob’s drink of choice, beer is finally starting to make an upper-crust comeback. Microbrews and craft beers abound, and these days even dive bars tend to have a Hefervisen or two on tap. With consumer demand for the new and unusual on the rise, brewers are getting creative — sometimes, a little too creative for their own good. Here are six beers that make us want to grab a High Life instead.
6. It’s All About the Bacteria
Most brewers are pretty darn careful about what gets into their beer as its being made; specially-cultivated yeasts are mixed in to promote fermentation, with predictable results. Not so when it comes to Lambic beer, brewed in the Pajottenland region of Belgium. As has been tradition for some 500 years, Lambic is instead fermented with “wild” bacteria; brewers pump the wort liquid into flat, open tubs near the roof of the brewery and leave the louvers wide open. Whatever bacteria happens to be floating by on the breeze lands in the wort.
Especially prized are the Zymomonas bacteria, which give the beer a sour taste that the Belgians seem to enjoy. (Bergey’s Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, on the other hand, describes the Zymomonas as “a serious beer contaminant … producing an unpleasant odor.” To each his own, I guess.) Another fun fact about the Zymomonas: it’s the only bacteria which propels itself through liquid via flagellum. Do you really want that swimming around in your beer?
5. Randall the Enamel Animal
Also know as the Organoleptic Hops Transducer, it’s not so much a beer as it is a device with which to alter (or “Randallize”) beer. Designed by the craft brewers at Delware’s well-respected Dogfish Head Brewery, the Enamel Animal is is a Frankenstein device meant only for true lovers of hops — and no one else. It’s basically a huge filter packed with whole-leaf hops, which you run an already-finished beer through (take your pick) before it comes out of the tap. (It’s kind of like brewing coffee with coffee instead of water: totally insane.) The result is so super-concentratedly hoppy that it feels like it’s eating away at your teeth (hence, the “Enamel Animal”) — not a sensation I’m looking for when I pick up a mug of beer.
4. Sam Adams Utopias
Sought after by some, repellent to others, the Utopias is kind of like the rarely-sighted Bigfoot of beers. Priced at more than $100 per kettle-shaped bottle, it’s both the most expensive and most alcoholic beer you can buy. Most “strong” beers are in the 11-14% alcohol range, but Utopias tops out at around 25%, a distinction achieved by pushing the fermentation process to the extreme. Brewed under the Aegis of Sam Adams — one of the most tried-and-true American beers — it doesn’t even pretend to taste like its brethren; rather, this identity crisis of a brew is regarded as closer in taste to port wine or cognac. Even if we can all agree to call it beer, however, it’s definitely a beer with delusions of grandeur. Too rich for our blood!
3. A Taste of the Woods: Alba Scots Pine Ale
From the Craigmill Brewery’s website: “Introduced by the Vikings, spruce and pine ales were very popular in the Scottish Highlands until the end of the 19th century. Many early explorers, including Captain Cook, used spruce ale during long sea voyages since it prevented scurvy and ill health. Shetland spruce ale was said to “stimulate animal instincts” and give you twins. Alba is a triple style ale brewed to a traditional Highland recipe from Scots pine and spruce shoots pickled during early spring. Pure malted barley, is boiled with the young sprigs of pine for several hours then the fresh shoots of the spruce are added for a short infusion before fermentation.” (Neither suffering from scurvy nor desiring twins, this brew I shall skip. Keep your twigs out of my beer!)
2. Mongozo Coconut Beer
Brewed in Belgium using fairtrade coconuts, this beer isn’t necessarily the weirdest-sounding brew out there, but it definitely has some of the worst reviews we’ve seen. Here’s a sampling of reactions from beer blogs and rating sites:
- “It is just so sweet, you can feel your teeth rotting as you drink it.”
- “Pours a hazy yellow with a small head. Very sweet artificial coconut aroma, which is even sweeter in the flavour. Nasty!”
Need we say more?
1. Michelob “Ultra” Pomegranate Raspberry
Just when you think it can’t get any weirder, Anheuser-Busch releases a line of “fruit-infused” beers. Yes, this beer is indeed “ultra” in many ways — ultra delicious and ultra classy not being among them. Reviewers at Beeradvcocate.com have showered this witches’ brew with such glowing descriptions as “has an overpowering chemical scent,” “tastes of liquified raspberry candy” and “a beer for people who hate beer … but Anheuser-Busch hates them right back.”
You for got Bilk, beer made with milk. Its from Japan.
posted by William Nordmann on 12-7-2007 at 11:09 am
Maybe zymomonas is the only bacterium which propels itself with flagella.
posted by Michelle Davis on 12-7-2007 at 11:35 am
Hey, some lambic beers are really good. You should go try it!
And wow, I didn’t know hop heads loved it soo much they have a device for it.
posted by Nick on 12-7-2007 at 11:41 am
What a great quote: “a beer for people who hate beer … but Anheuser-Busch hates them right back.”
I think that the only one I would try (in the “absolutely have to try one, gun pointed at your head” scenario) the Scottish one. I´ll take regular beer with twigs over freaky brews any day of the week.
posted by GTT on 12-7-2007 at 11:51 am
I have actually tasted Mongozo in Banana flavor. Not that bad, actually.
posted by JJ on 12-7-2007 at 11:56 am
“zymomonas is the only bacterium which propels itself with flagella.”
HUH? Not the case. A good proportion of bacteria have flagella used for mobility.
posted by Jason on 12-7-2007 at 12:03 pm
Jason —
Hmm, got that info from a very serious beer nerd friend of mine. Perhaps he meant it was the only flagella-propelled bacterium … that is used in the production of beer? Anyway, thanks for pointing that out.
posted by Ransom on 12-7-2007 at 12:27 pm
Nick is right - Lambic beers are delicious. You eat LOTS of food with bacteria, just get over it. Then treat yourself to a nice lambic….ummm….
posted by Andrew D on 12-7-2007 at 12:30 pm
Lambics are really nice. Yes, a tad sour but good.
Ever drink beer in France? Since the French are really used to drinking sweeter alcohol like some wines and champagne, they seem to prefer some odd beers. There’s a tequila-infused beer that’s quite popular. It tastes a lot better than Tequiza. I’m not a big fan of it, though.
Another beer is Adelscott, which is flavored with malt whiskey. I have a friend that swears by it.
posted by hifidigitalboy on 12-7-2007 at 12:30 pm
I’ll join the choir on the lambic: great if you want a refreshing acidic drink that is not sweet.
The Mongozo beer is actually Dutch, not Belgian. In Belgium beer only the thought of coconut beer would be considered heresy. I never drank it, but I had their banana variety which tastes like beer with bananacandy dissolved in it.
posted by Martijn tH on 12-7-2007 at 12:42 pm
Good article.
I recently (6 years ago) had a stint in Belgium. My visit was supposed to last only 4 days… after i tasted their beet it ended up lasting two weeks. I don’t know if liked the country or i was just stupid drunk.
posted by Jared P on 12-7-2007 at 1:07 pm
For the record, Lambic is pretty awesome and i would drink it in any way shape or form.
posted by Jared P on 12-7-2007 at 1:08 pm
Lambics are a great dessert beer. When they open it to the air to allow wild yeast to get at it, they also throw in fruits like cherries or grapes. This is what makes its flavor distinct.
The Alba beer is actually pretty good. The same brewery makes a seaweed beer (I wasn’t a fan) and one of my personal favorites, “Fraoch,” brewed with heather.
Another odd beer to try is a German Rauchbier. The malt is dried over an open flame and picks up the flavor of the smoke. Tastes like a campfire.
posted by Chris M on 12-7-2007 at 1:33 pm
I’ve had all of those except #2 and #1 and all are good. When you run Dogfish Head 90 through a Randall full of Simcoe Hops you get a really nice smooth and creamy beer with tons of wonderful citrusy flavors.
posted by J-ME on 12-7-2007 at 1:41 pm
So what’s the deal with the “Enamel Animal” anyway? Hop bitterness comes from their alpha acids being isomerized, and this process occurs when the unfermented beer (wort) is boiled. You need heat. This device looks like a hopback, except you put cold finished beer through it. The most I can see is that it would pick up great aromas from the hops, especially if they are changed every day. But adding bitterness? Methinks I would have to drink 2 beers side by side, one Randallized and one non-Randallized, to test that theory.
Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a wicked cool marketing device. But as far as infusing beer with hops, I doubt that it adds much other than a flowery nose.
posted by Ken on 12-7-2007 at 4:09 pm
framboise is pretty much my favorite beer ever and after reading this ive discovered its a lambic beer. hmm…still the best fruity beer ever.
posted by samantha on 12-7-2007 at 4:33 pm
You’re going to have to upgrade that to seven beers, here’s one made with vaginal yeast:
www.thestranger.com/seattle/content?oid=23587
posted by John on 12-7-2007 at 8:38 pm
I’ve had that tequila beer in Paris. It is just awful. People do love it there though, I saw people wearing shirts of it!
Also the pub down the street from my apartment is getting a Randall in a few weeks. I’ve never had one, but I’m pumped! (
posted by Michael on 12-8-2007 at 12:17 am
You forgot pizza beer and are SO SOOOO wrong about Lambics. You’d say otherwise had you ever tried one.
posted by Hank on 12-8-2007 at 12:59 am
we should get the diggnation guys some of this stuff? betcha theyll try it!
posted by Noc on 12-8-2007 at 3:25 pm
#6 lambic beers are actually centuries old. They date back to the 1400s and they consistently produce quality beers that are highly sought after. I’ve had some, and although it’s not my style, I can appreciate it. The wild bacteria would be killed during pasteurization, if they do that. The wild yeasts is what they’re after.
#5 dogfish head make some absolutely crazy beers. The machine they have is essentially a dry hopper. Most hops are included in the fermentation process, forever inducing their flavor on the beer. Dogfish head also puts hops in the fermentation tank, suspended from above, like tea bags, in order to induce more hop flavor. This device does the same thing, but with already brewed beer, which is probably stuff that didn’t have any hop top begin with.
#4 Utopias is one of those beers I long to try one day. I absolutely love high gravity beers (strong) and I have no idea how they get this one up so high. Some beers are barrel aged, like port, wine, or bourbon, so this is just an extension of that. I also want to try their triple bock, which is triple fermented (most beers go through 2, which adds a lot of alcohol content.
#3 I have no experience with. I’ve had honey and fig beer, among other sweeteners and fruits, but not this. I wonder if it’s similar tasting to ginger beer, which is brewed from ginger root; very spicy.
#2 I have no experience with. I’ve had pumpkin, banana bread, cherry, strawberry, honey, fig, hop, and some other crazy stuff. It’s got to be better than what they make in jail.
#1 AB sucks. Miller got something going with Chill, but I can only stomach it at some times.
posted by PGH-MicroFan on 12-9-2007 at 8:18 am
Don’t be such a wuss!
Get out of that box you’re hiding in and give them a try at least once. Who know’s, it may be the best beer you’ve ever had.
As for the coconut beer, I’m planning on brewing a rocky road stout (choc, cherry, and coconut. Bring it ON!)
posted by poida on 12-9-2007 at 8:47 pm
And why exactly would you not want to drink the lambic beers, the randalised beers, or the utopia? They all seem like great beers to me……dogfish head has an international reputation, lambics have been around for centuries, and well…the utopia is well…utopia for any craftbrewer or beer afficionado…….open your mind a little, you might just learn to like something other than bud light and miller……
posted by Dom on 12-9-2007 at 8:53 pm
Lambic is great. It’s commonly served with a sweet syrup or fruit of some kind, strawberry and reaspberry are popular, as is peach. Dogfish is not too far from where I am sitting as I type this, and yes, anything Dogfish is great.
posted by fixedgear on 12-10-2007 at 7:57 am
I’ve got to pitch in here and say that yes, you should definitely try Lambic! My favourite alcoholic drink is Lindeman’s Framboise Lambic, an incredible raspberry beer… it doesn’t feel right calling it a beer, but I suppose that’s what it is. Soooo wonderful. Their Kriek (cherry) and Peche (peach) are pretty good too. They also have a Gueze but I’ve never had it
posted by Molly W. on 12-10-2007 at 10:51 am
You forgot Corona.
Also any beer with fruit in it.
posted by WONDERDOG on 12-11-2007 at 7:37 am
Utopia is an extremely rare beer, and something I’ve sought after for quite some time now. I have had their Triple-Bock though, (widely available around here, actually) and although very interesting, and not tasting like any other beer you’ve ever had, it’s pretty good. I do drink port wine quite often and the similarities are there. I probably could get Utopia if I wanted, I DO live in Wisconsin, beer capitol of the world, (to us, at least) but it’s hard to justify the cost. I’m sure I will one day.
posted by Ben on 12-11-2007 at 9:10 am
1. If you want a truly evil kind of beer, there is something I have heard of called “scrumpy” which is supposedly fermented with RANCID MEAT!!! Ewwww.
2. To get a really high gravity beer, you double the fermentation process with a secondary fermentation, and use a yeast which produces a lot more alcohol in the secondary ferment. Champaign yeast is good for this.
3. What if you ran the beer in the “Enamel Animal” through marijuana leaves rather than hop leaves? Could you make beer that would get you stoned as well as drunk?
posted by true north on 12-11-2007 at 2:03 pm
Utopia is a great beer. Beautiful sherry notes and aged character. I got a sample at the Great American Beer Festival. Someday I’ll try to brew something similar. As for lambics, LaFolie is my favorite. People either love or hate the sour beers. I recommend Gueze if you want a non-fruity sour beer.
Spruce tip beer is nice if you like a light pine flavor.
#1 and #2 I haven’t tried. Fruit and spiced beers are difficult categories. I have a great time trying new beers. It helps me become a better homebrewer and beer judge.
posted by Liquid Poet on 12-11-2007 at 2:35 pm
I like Lambic quite a bit: the fruity Kriek, Framboise, Pêche, Cassis and Pomme from Lindeman’s are delish. So I am a man who likes fruity beer.
But that Pomegranate-Raspberry from Michelob tastes like Satan. Amen to that being the worst, folks. Eeewww.
posted by Big-Little-Tommy on 12-19-2007 at 12:28 pm
Dude you messed up - you said that you havent tried any of these. You keep mentioning “the website says this beer…” youre just reading about them and you think they sound gross. You havent tasted any of these so how can you eve claim theyre gross? Why dont you TRY some of these and then write a real article. You are where you belong, smack-dab on the front of digg.com with the other wannabes. Beer rules!
posted by weebl on 12-20-2007 at 8:50 pm
we know a lot about beers don’t we ???
i wonder if a lot of people would know much about any other drink they have … non alcoholic drinks i mean …
posted by subcorpus on 12-20-2007 at 9:00 pm
I would try all but #1.
So that’s 1 Beer We’d never drink eh?
posted by VermontDevil on 12-20-2007 at 9:01 pm
Among the worst beers I have tasted was a New Mexico brand that was tainted with green chili. Not that I wouldn’t glorify any dish, soup or sauce with green chili. It is a highly addictive and savory flavor. But, not in beer. Oh God no. Hell no! Putting green chili in beer takes two things of beauty and produces an abomination. Just stick to eating a green chili dish and chasing it down with beer. But don’t ever marry the two.
posted by Michael Hendrickson on 12-20-2007 at 9:15 pm
You forgot miller chill and tequiza.
posted by Punknndrubll on 12-20-2007 at 9:27 pm
Interesting article.
Zymomonas is definitly not the ONLY bacteria that propels itself with flagella. It does have some other neat features though. It is the most effective biological producer of ethanol and it can survive higher alcohol concentration than most anyother organism in the world!!
posted by Mike Jones on 12-20-2007 at 9:52 pm
@28 Scrumpy is just a name for cider; usually strong, rough cider. Some traditional cider recipes do include rancid bacon though.
posted by joe on 12-20-2007 at 11:00 pm
is the “Enamel Animal” the way Sierra Nevada makes all their beers?
posted by mike on 12-20-2007 at 11:01 pm
Hey, don’t knock the chili beer. The flavor is not really that strong. And its interesting to get take a nice drink of cold beer and have it finish with heat. That said, I wouldn’t want to drink a whole six pack at once or anything. But since moving away from New Mexico, I do miss it a bit. Just goes to show that tastes do vary, but no one that I offered that beer to disliked it.
posted by Mamamama on 12-20-2007 at 11:27 pm
In Cambodia they have a local beer called Khmer Beer. It’s more like a palm wine and it’s nasty. They had a slogan:
“some people say our beer makes them sick, but we like it.” Gah!
posted by Stuball on 12-21-2007 at 12:42 am
+ (infinity) on lambic. It only sounds scary. It tastes a bit fruity and acidic -and nowadays that is probably attributable more to the fruit they put in it than the yeast- but good. It is also a link back to our ancient beer-drinking roots, since all beer originally came came from the spontaneous fermentation (using whatever ambient yeast that was around) process described there.
Also, I have not had the Utopias, but I did drink the Sam Adam Triple Bock that they offered some years ago. It was a lot like drinking beer-flavored soy sauce. Needless to say, yum. Do avoid that one.
posted by Adam K on 12-21-2007 at 12:48 am
Alba’s actually quite good. It’s nice, full-bodied, slightly sweet. Doesn’t taste like pine at all.
posted by JimmyJames on 12-21-2007 at 2:13 am
Being from Belgium I think I have the right to say that our overall beer quality is the best in the world.
So please try before you place the Lambic in your little list ; )
Here the saying goes: “Lambic’s are the champagnes of the beers”. They can only produce them in a certain area, where the bacteria is present in the air.
posted by Bram on 12-21-2007 at 4:07 am
#15 Ken:
It adds flavor not bitterness. Brewers commonly add hops not only for bittering but in the middle and after removed from the heat for flavors that hops give off. Also many brewers dry hop beers, adding hops to the beer after fermentation has taken place to give fresh hop aroma and flavor. The Randall adds a lot of flavor and you can definitely tell the difference.
#38: Sierra Nevada doesn’t use a Randall to my knowledge though they do make a tasty beer.
On the topic of this list… Lambic beers can be quite awesome. Utopias is pretty good, not something I’d spend $100 on but I sampled a few ounces of it free and it was pretty good.
posted by BeerGeek on 12-21-2007 at 4:51 am
Isn’t Budweiser brewed with Beechwood or something like that? When we toured that place, they said they throw some kind of tree bark towards the end of the brewing process.
That being said, I don’t see how the twigs would be that bad. I’d try it…it doesn’t sound that good though.
posted by Boyd on 12-21-2007 at 10:56 am
My stepdad actually drinks that Raspberry Pom shit all the time. He loves it.
posted by Sassmo on 12-21-2007 at 11:55 am
What about Geuze beers? (part old/ part new lambic)
Those can be pretty nasty– especially when served at room temperature.
posted by Dane on 12-21-2007 at 11:55 am
“Most “strong” beers are in the 11-14% alcohol range”
More correctly most “strong Beers” are 7-9%
Much above 9% it is no longer Beer, it becomes Barley Wine
posted by beermaker on 12-21-2007 at 12:11 pm
Seriously, before you can comment on something you need to taste it. I’ve had several spruce beers. My friend makes them each year several times in a colonial beer brewing demonstration. He does not clip them and boil, he uses them as an old time filter in an open wooden cask used as a mash tun. Nobody, and I mean Nobody, will drink that beer and know what that amazing, yet distinct, taste is until he tells them. It’s not piney, like a board. It’s subtle and amazing. Some really great ones out there.
Lambics are often blended to get the proper balance of fresh fruit and dry acidity before bottling. Again, try it. You might like the smell of horseblanket… Ok, some are not that good, but only the Belgians see certain ‘faults’ in beers as a Good Thing.
Randall will be pretty expensive to run this year as hops are in short supply. If you get a chance to experience one, do it.
Utopias at 25% is a really big barleywine. Never had barleywine either? Man, you need to get out and experience some flavors.
Many, if not all, of these can be found at your local home brewing club. Look around, there’s many of them close to people, unless you live in one of those 2 states that doesn’t recognize the federal law allowing homebrewing: Texas and Washington.
In a typical event, I might sample 30-50 1/2 oz tastes of amazing beers, meads, ciders, barleywines, etc. Beer is a lot more than what AB has been telling you for years what it should be. Let your toungue be your guide.
Oh, and scrumpy does not include rancid meat. Scrumpy is apple cider or pear cider (peary). In some brewing circles in centuries past, they recognized that the fermentation was lacking in certain nutrients for the yeasts, so would compensate by adding things such as horse manure, a chicken, saliva from an old woman, etc. Now that people know a bit more about microbiology, there is no one who uses that unless they are investigating ancient brewing practices.
titus
posted by Titus on 12-21-2007 at 12:36 pm
To provide a little historical perspective to the “great conversation” currently going on among microbrewers in these United States, Philadelphia’s Yards Brewery recently created special batches of beer based on recipes found in the personal journals and notes of the founding fathers!
Considered to be the best: The Thomas Jefferson Spruce Ale.
The author here has absolutely no idea what he is talking about. Some of the best beers in the world appropriately reflect the subtle essences of nature.
PS - did you know that cow’s milk is allowed to have a maximum parts per million of pus and blood? Give me beer any day!
posted by John Stinson on 12-21-2007 at 2:19 pm
I love to drink BEER Guinness in particular
posted by Post On Fire on 12-21-2007 at 2:38 pm
I live in Strathaven, five minutes away from the Craigmill brewery you mention in the third item on your list. They no longer brew the (excellent) spruce beer or indeed Fraoch there anymore, I think they’ve moved production to Alloa further north.
Interesting most people have commented on fruit blended Lambics. The best straight Lambics, and the blended variety (geuze) are to be found at the Cantillon brewery in Brussels in my opinion. Almost unrecognisable as beer, more like a cereal based wine.
posted by Geoff on 12-21-2007 at 6:12 pm
If you changed the name of the article to “5 Beers You’d Have To Be Brave To Drink” you’d still have a sensationalized headline and your article wouldn’t come off as happily reveling in ignorance and childish misconceptions, as it currently does.
The article itself is not all that bad. The headline is just stupid.
posted by Joey Redner on 12-21-2007 at 6:54 pm
Well, if you are used to horse piss beer, go grab youself a High Life or a Bud. As for me, I’ll go for something with character & taste.
posted by ccw on 12-21-2007 at 7:37 pm
To sum this article:
“Gasp! Eeek! I’m afraid of beer that might have actual flavor! Please take this all away and bring me some fizzy yellow crap-water in a can so I can swill it down with all my swillin’ buddies!”
PS. Herfervisen! Bahhhahaha!
PPS. Okay, I wouldn’t try the Pomegranate Raspberry or the Coconut beers either. But that’s because they’re obviously shite, it has nothing to do with being adventurous.
PPPS. A Randall is not a beer, and should therefore be excluded from this list. Besides that, it doesn’t add any hop flavor at all, just aroma — you see, hops have to be boiled to impart any actual bitterness to beer. (It’s called isomerization! Look it up!) Feel free to substitute the Imperial or Double IPA of your choosing, though, because not only would you not drink one of those either, they don’t need to be Randallized to have that tooth-stripping quality you would loathe if you ever got up the guts to drink a well-hopped beer.
posted by beer liker on 12-21-2007 at 8:49 pm
It’s kind of pointless to stir up bacteria as a bogeyman… when alcohol is made from yeast’s WASTE PRODUCT (urea, basically).
There are plenty of beer lovers who do not like lambic, but in the sense that it’s “too heavy”, sweet, or “it’s OK”. Not in the sense that it is scary voodoo trash food.
Every chance I get I gift a framboise to a pedestrian beer and wine drinker… it opens their mind and has them asking about other unusual brews!
I would have added Bilk, Pizza Beer, and any strong chili-beer. Maybe sorghum-brewed beer also… I’ve yet to have one I enjoyed.
posted by sgp on 12-22-2007 at 10:26 am
Might as well include Schlitts in that list.
posted by neil on 12-26-2007 at 1:24 pm
more wacky beers? how about
Old Brown Dog Ale
Another Smuttynose product, this was first brewed nearly 20 years ago and is often compared to a typical English brown ale.
posted by Carl on 1-5-2008 at 9:51 pm
hey, great article…wondering where I can find some of the sam adams utopias. a friend told me i had to try it for the worst, am interested. thanks
posted by Jake on 1-6-2008 at 7:04 pm
I would (drink or drink from) everything on this list.
posted by Smoke on 2-5-2008 at 9:44 am