Japanese create another special beer

The Japanese are known for their rather odd fascination with bizarre foods. I mean, who could forget such interesting snacks as Octopus ice cream, natto – fermented soy beans, and Wasabi beer? Each is disgusting on its own level, but what they have come up with now, may take the cake.

At first blush, Un, Kuno Kuro from the Sankt Gallen Brewery is an ordinary black chocolate stout. But, this beer, brewed in conjunction with the Golden Triangle Elephant Foundation, has a dirty little secret; it uses coffee beans that have taken a trip through the digestive system of elephants. In other words, the beans were picked out of elephant dung and then used to make the beer.

While the brewery says that actual elephant dung is not used in the beer, just the coffee beans, this seems a rather fine distinction. After all, the beans did travel through the inside of an elephant and were excreted out. No matter how you phrase it, that sounds an awful lot like elephant poop.

To prove the point that the Japanese are, well, crazy; the brew sold out in just minutes when it was put online for sale. That’s right, the brew which sold for 10,000 yen each (about $104) was snapped up by adventurous beer lovers from around the globe.

Website RocketNews24 got their hands on a bottle and their reviewer described the brew as having, “…an initial bitterness that got washed over by a wave of sweetness. Following that, a mellow body rolled in and spread out through my mouth.” The reviewer, Mr. Sato, went on to say, “Usually people talk about aftertaste when drinking beer but with Un, Kono Kuro the word afterglow is much more appropriate.

“After downing the last drop, slowly rising from my throat and mouth was that afterglow. The combination of bitter and sweet stayed fresh and lingered in my head. It was a familiar aroma that accompanied me through the entire beer.”

The coffee beans, known as Black Ivory, are so rare that the process yields just 1kg of beans for every 33kg ingested by an elephant. This is what makes them so expensive, and sought after. The beans are a major source of income for the elephant haven.

As for the name, Un, Kono Kuro, is a play on words in Japan. In Japanese the word for crap is unko, kono means this, and kuro means black. Put it all together and you have crap this black. It is not a stretch to figure out what the brewery was aiming for with the name. Common vernacular would have the name being “This is Black” or “S*it Black.”

The bottom line – no pun intended – if you get your hands on this brew, you are likely to have something truly special. Or, then again, it could just be more crap.

Related articles

• Elephant dung beer sells out in minutes (thedrinksbusiness.com)
• Ears to that! Japanese beer made from elephant dung sells out in minutes (metro.co.uk)

 

Founders crossing the pond, distributing to UK

More proof that the American craft beer surge is finding its way across the pond to Europe came this week in the form of a press release April 16 from Founders Brewing Company. The makers of the popular and oh so delicious Founders Breakfast Stout, also announced on their website that their brews are being exported to the United Kingdom in bottles with draft beer to follow.

The text of the press release follows:

(UNITED KINGDOM) – Both year-round and seasonal beers will be available in bottle immediately with draught expected to follow later in the year.

John Green, President of Founders Brewing Co. said of the partnership, “We’ve been looking at export opportunities for a while now, and we’re excited to partner with James Clay in making the United Kingdom one of our first international markets.”

“We are delighted to bring Founders Brewing Co. beers to the UK market” comments Ian Clay Managing Director of James Clay. “Founders is one of the most respected breweries in the world brewing a truly world class portfolio of beers. Introducing beers of Founders’ calibre to the UK is a fantastic addition to an increasingly diverse and vibrant UK beer culture.”

James Clay are particularly excited about the arrival of Founders Brewing Company’s All Day IPA. American IPA is fast becoming the beer-drinker’s style of choice, but with most coming in at a heady 6 – 9% abv often one can’t enjoy more than a couple. Founders Brewing Company’s All Day IPA is an award winning American Session IPA that has been expertly brewed to keep all the flavour of its stronger cousins, but at 4.7%abv.

Other beers available at launch include Porter (6.5% abv), Pale Ale (5.4% abv), a more traditional Centennial IPA (7.2% abv) and the remarkably smooth Scotch Ale, Dirty Bastard (8.5% abv).

The full range of Founders Brewing beers will be available through James Clay by early May.

Related articles

• Founders Brewing Co. Going International (fox17online.com)
• Founders Brewing Co. begins shipping to Canada; in negotiations in Texas, Florida, Maryland (mlive.com)

 

Hunahpu’s Day a joyous celebration despite some issues

Thousands of hopeful beer enthusiasts lined up in the dark streets of Tampa, FL in the wee hours of the morning Saturday. Some brought chairs to make their wait a little more comfortable; at least one intrepid soul brought a hammock that he strung between two trees. The throngs were gathered at Cigar City Brewing Company, waiting for their chance to purchase the brewery’s annual Hunahpu’s Day to begin. All in line were there in hopes of procuring their allotment of Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout, an annually-released, and much sought after beer that is a mélange of chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, and chili peppers.

Standing in line for a big release like Hunahpu’s is a uniquely social event. Beer aficionados are a gregarious and generous bunch. While discussing the finer points of other big release brews, it is likely that someone may open up a cooler, reach inside and pull out a bottle that is promptly opened and shared. The sharing often prompts discussion of the flavors evident and the process by which the brewer elicited them from the ingredients. It seemed that everywhere one looked people were laughing, talking, and sharing good beer.

But, even at the most joyous of beer events, things go wrong. Just after dawn, the Tampa police department appeared and announced that the line, which had spilled into the parking lot of a nearby retail parking lot, had to be condensed because the retailer had complained. This prompted the gates the Brewery to be opened sooner than expected. Once inside, more lines formed for tokens that had to be used to purchase beer, and for shirts and glasses.

And then there were the beer lines. At one point, early in the day, lines were more than two hours long. These lines were not the boisterous fun lines that had defined the pre-dawn hours of Hunahpu’s Day, these were unorganized lines marred by inconsiderate cutters who merely walked to the front of the line effectively disrespecting those who were trying to follow the rules and wait patiently. The shame of it is that it could have been avoided with better planning. A few well-placed stanchions and ropes could have cut down on the line cutting and helped things to remain better organized.

Another issue that could have been handled better was the beer servers. Many were inexperienced and slow. Many guests were handed beers that were more than half foam. Others were served beers that were only partially full. But, perhaps the biggest sin of all was understaffing. The beer trailer, were some of the best and most sought after beers were being poured had only three servers and a line that grew to more than two and a half hours long.

But, issues aside, the spirit of the event was festive. Coolers full of beer brought by attendees were enthusiastically poured for others for no other reason than to share. People discussed the finer points of their favorite beers, ate food from one of the ten food trucks on hand, and socialized. Perhaps what makes an event like this so great is the social aspect. Beer, after all, has always been a social beverage. This truth has never been more evident than at an event like Hunahu’s day.

In the end, Cigar City distributed more than 10,000 bottle of the Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout. All of the wristbands they promised to hand out were distributed before the end of the line was reached, but at the end of the day, there were still bottle of the brew left for those who did not have a wristband and waited until after 5:00 p.m. The event, even with issues, was a successful celebration of craft beer that attracted folks from as far away as Sweden. If that is not an indicator of the reach and popularity of craft beer, nothing is.

 

 

Hunapuh will not be the only beer sought at Cigar City Brewing this weekend

Cigar City Brewing has become something of a legend in Florida and around the country. This past October at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colo. the Tampa brewery attracted long lines of rabid fans eager to taste their beers. This weekend, throngs of fans, even more rabid than those in Denver, will be camped out at the brewery’s gates. But, the masses this weekend will be seeking something specific; Cigar City’s Hunapuh’s Imperial Stout. This potent brew is a concoction of Cacao Nibs, Madagascar Vanilla Beans, Ancho Chilis, Pasilla Chilis and Cinnamon.

The folks at Cigar City aren’t resting on their laurels by just offering their much-sought-after annual release, though. No, these mad geniuses also plan to have dozens of other brews available to what will likely be a huge crowd of beer lovers congregated to enjoy great beer and great times.

The list, published earlier this week, contains beers from Cigar City and dozens of other noteworthy breweries. Anyone that leaves this celebration without having tasted at least one amazing brew is not trying very hard. The semi-complete list follows.

THE USUAL SUSPECTS
Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout
Jai Alai IPA
Maduro Brown Ale
Hotter Than Helles Lager
Florida Cracker White Ale
Invasion Pale Ale
Cervezas Frescas Series Guanabana Ale
Cubano Espresso Brown Ale
Dos Anos Kumquat Berliner Weisse
Ghost Stories Braggot
Hornswoggled Irish Red
Humidor Series Double American Black Ale
Humidor Series India Pale Ale
Patio Tools Dry Irish Stout (NITRO)
Torcedores Series Josh Brengle’s Double IPA

JASON’S TREATMENTS
Almond Biscotti Double Cream Ale
Blueberry Muffin Brown Ale
Chickory Dickory Choc Brown Ale
Chocolate Cherry Almond Scotch Ale
Chocolate Raspberry Lager
Cucumber Lager
Dry-Hopped IPA
Dry-Hopped Pale Ale
Galaxy IPA
Habanero Mango IPA
Hazelnut Coffee Brown Ale
Hopped Up Johnnie Imperial Stout
Humidor Series Dry-Hopped Double IPA
Humidor Series Smoked Habanero IPA
Peaches & Cream Lager
Right Side Up Pineapple Lager
S’mores Brown Ale
Tropical White Oak Jai Alai IPA
Vanilla Maduro Brown Ale
Whiskey Irish Stout
White Oak Jai Alai IPA

AGED BEERS
2010 Bourbon Sea Bass
2011 Apple Brandy Warmer Winter Winter Warmer
2011 Bohr Imperial Stout
2011 Bohr/Dirac Blend
2011 Dos Costas Oeste aged on Grapefruit Wood
2011 Dos Costas Oeste aged on Lemon Wood
2011 Dos Costas Oeste aged on Spanish Cedar
2011 Oak-aged Dirac Imperial Stout
2012 Batch 1000 – Kalevipoeg Baltic Porter
2012 Cognac Imperial Sweet Stout
2012 Good Gourd Imperial Pumpkin Ale
2012 Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout
2012 Leon Barrel-aged Barley Wine
2012 Snack Attack!

GUEST BEERS
21st Amendment Brewery
Bitter American

7venth Sun Brewing
Belge d’Or
Chelsea Grin
Graffiti Orange

Anderson Valley Brewing Company
Wild Turkey Bourbon Barrel Stout

Angry Chair Brewing Company
Split Dessert Ale
Camille Blueberry Berliner Weisse
Raspberry Berliner weisse

Ballast Point Brewing
Habanero Sculpin

Barley Mow Brewing
C-Dub Rauchbier (collab with Florida Beer)

B. Nektar Meadery
Evil Genius
Necromangocon
Zombie Killer

Bell’s Brewery, Inc.
Expedition Stout
Hopslam Double IPA
Third Coast Old Ale

Blue Point Brewing Company
No Apologies Double IPA

Bold City Brewery
1901 Roasted Red Ale aged in Woodford Reserve Bourbon Barrels

BrewDog
Bashah (collab with Stone)

Cask & Larder
Gratzer
Imperial Sunshine Porter

Cigar City Brewpub
Jamonera Belgian Porter

Cold Storage Craft Brewery
Betchy Brown Ale

Dogfish Head Brewery
World Wide Stout

The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery
Milk Stout

Due South Brewing
Island Hopper Double IPA
Dessert Inn Rye IPA (collab with Cigar City Brewpub)

Dunedin Brewery
Subtropical Farmhouse (7venth Sun & CCB collab)
Rye Heart (Terrapin collab)

Founders Brewing
2011 Imperial Stout
All Day IPA

The Funky Buddha Lounge & Brewery
Pineapple Hop Gun
Starfruit Berliner

Gravity BrewLab
Grodzilla Smokey Sour Ale
Kobra Kai Thai Chili Berliner Weisse
Aguanile Rum Barrel-aged Cortadito Porter
Smokey O’Hoolahan Barrel-aged Irish Dry Stout
What’s Puckerin’ Gilbert’s Grape

Green Flash Brewing
Candela Rye Barley Wine (collab with CCB)
Hop Head Red
Palate Wrecker
Surf’s Up IPA

Green Room Brewing
Double Overhead Double IPA

Half Acre Beer Company
Baume Hopped Rye Stout
Space India Pale Ale

Highland Brewing
2 Knuckle Dunkle

Intuition Ale Works
I-10 IPA

J Wakefield Brewing
Dr. Zarkov Sour Ale
Emmit Fitz-Hume Cabernet Sauvignon Berliner
Master Blaster Porter
Mate Bliss Brown
Miami Madness
Rebengas Fruta Bomba Berliner

Florida Beer Key West
Southernmost Wheat

Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company
Southern Gentleman Bourbon Barrel-aged Pecan Nut Brown Ale

The Lost Abbey
Deliverance

Pinglehead Brewing Company
Ghost Chili Mind Drive Imperial Porter
Black Hops India Black Ale

Port Brewing Company
Wipeout Double IPA

Proof Brewing Company
Batch 26 Imperial Stout

Shorts Brewing Company
Key Lime Pie

Swamp Head Brewery
10-10-10
Pappy Brings the Funk

Terrapin Beer Company
Double Chocolate Bourbon Barrel-aged Moo-Hoo

The Bruery
Autumn Maple
White Oak
Smoking Wood

Three Floyds Brewing
Czech Booty Kamp Pilsner
Gumballhead American Wheat Ale
In the Name of Suffering Black IPA
Michiana Power Pale Ale
Sand Pebbles American Brown Ale
Supa Rice Ronin of Death Rice Ale
Zombie Dust Pale Ale

Uinta Brewing
Sea Legs Baltic Porter

Westbrook Brewing
Cap’n Skoon’s Ballistic Baltic Stout

SPECIAL BEERS, ALL TAPPED AT 1pm.
EACH DRAFT STATION & THE TASTING ROOM WILL ONLY HAVE ONE OF THESE BEERS.
Cigar City Brewing Bourbon Barrel-aged Cherry Cordial Imperial Sweet Stout
Cigar City Brewing Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Brown Ale
Funky Buddha Last Snow Porter
Gravity Brewlab Caligula Blushed (wild ale openly fermented in a clay vessel)
J. Wakefield Brewing DFPF Floridaweisse
Three Floyds 2011 Bourbon Barrel-aged Vanilla Dark Lord Imperial Stout

Related articles

• Hunahpu’s Day is coming, be prepared (sprbrewcrew.wordpress.com)
• 5 New Big Stouts You Should Seek Out (drinks.seriouseats.com)

 

Wynkoop Brewing makes a ballsy move with new beer release

Beer come in many forms and flavors. For those who like things a bit on the spicy side, there are chili beers. For those who like fruit flavors there are lambics and fruit-flavored ales. And for those who have an unreasonable desire for bull testicles, there is now a beer to quench their thirst. Wynkoop Brewing Company of Denver, Colo. made good on an April Fool’s Day joke they played last year by producing a limited run of Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout in time for the Great American Beer Festival in October. The response was so good, the ballsy company decided to produce, can, and sell the brew through BeerJobber.com.

The whole idea arose from a joke perpetrated by the brewery in the form of a viral video released to the Internet April 1^st of last year. Just before last year’s GABF Wynkoop released a statement on their website:

“Yes, the beer was inspired by our April Fools spoof video this spring, in which we claimed to have released a beer made with bull testicles.

Why actually make such a meaty treat? Months after doing the video (the idea for which hit me while sampling Odell Brewing’s recent and very delicious oyster stout for Jax restaurants), we and our fans are still laughing. Very important, that laughing.

We’ve also met folks around the country who saw the spoof and loved it. (Hello Hawaii!)

Plus, when we sent out the press release and the video link last April, we heard from brewers and beer writers who thought the beer was for real and loved the idea. They wanted samples. So did many patrons who came to the pub to try the beer.

So we’ve turned our joke into a reality.”

The brew is made with 25 lbs of roasted bull testicles to draw attention to a local delicacy in Colorado known as Rocky Mountain Oysters. The delicacy is often prepared by being peeled, coated in flour, pepper and salt, and sometimes pounded flat. They are then pounded flat and deep fried. Most often served at fairs and other gatherings, it is most definitely not a table staple.

But what does it taste like? According to the video, “”the results of our efforts is a luscious, creamy stout that delivers loads of flavor — everything from roasted barely and coffee, to chocolate and nuts.” Of course, that description was a joke, but the Wynkoop website says:

“Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout is an assertive foreign-style stout, slightly viscous, with a deep brown color. It has equally deep flavors of chocolate syrup, Kahlua, and espresso, along with a palpable level of alcohol and a savory umami-like note. It finishes dry and roasted with a fast-fading hop bite.”

The site goes on to say that the beer is 7% ABV and has 3 BPBs. That’s balls per barrel.

Related articles

• Bull Testicle Beer Coming Soon (foxnews.com)