Bizarre Brews - Beers for the Daring

What’s the strangest beer you’ve tried? Green beer on St. Patty’s Day? An imported beer from Mexico? Or maybe you found yourself drinking the Clamato-Budweiser on a dare? 

Seafood, tomatoes and beer... I can't see how this could go wrong...

Whatever the case, I’m sure you had a lip-smacking good time. But, working in a restaurant that prides itself on its extensive 99 different stocked beers, I’ve come across some strange brews. I’ve decided to include a list below of the most notable ones with a link in case you’re feeling daring. I have nothing against Bud Light, but sometimes it’s good to step outside your comfort zone.

Spicy Beer

Everyone knows of the dreaded monster that can accompany a night of drinking. If the Tooth Fairy shows up at night and leaves you money for teeth, the Beer Fairy leaves a different present in your digestive tract. That’s why Cave Creek Chili Beer seems like such a dangerous idea. Sold at my restaurant, Cave Creek has pieces of chili pepper in every bottle. I made the mistake of eating a dried chili pepper once – it was included as a garnish on a plate of tacos. Thinking that the restaurant would never put a “real” pepper on my plate, I chowed down.

There wasn’t enough water in the world that night.

Super Beer

A typical bottle of beer ranges between four to six percent alcohol. But Sam Adams Utopias are 50 proof bottles of beer – 25 percent alcohol. Instead of a nice, pourable (or chug-able, depending on your preference) beer, Utopia is very thick and tastes like vanilla. It's more of a port than a beer. Best to sip this one – pacing yourself is tricky with a beer five times more potent than usual.

I love how this stuff comes in a chalice that rivals the Holy Grail

Breakfast Beer

Bacon is a breakfast staple. And why shouldn’t it be? Crispy or floppy, thick or thin, savory or sweet, bacon in its infinite forms never fails to be delicious. I’m sure this line of logic is what caused some beer-wizard to try fermenting bacon. But was that enough? Oh no. The geniuses at the Rogue label have created a Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale – all the taste of breakfast in a single bottle.

If you can get past the fact that it looks like a glass bottle of Pepto-Bismol, the only thing left to work past is the taste.

Pizza Beer

Pizza is one of those foods I could eat twelve times in a row and still not be sick of it. The hardest part of any diet I’ve tried is avoiding pizza. But here’s a twist – a home brewery in Campton Township, Illinois, fermented garlic, tomatoes, and herbs to create a beer that tastes like pizza. And that's the story of Mamma Mia! Pizza Beer.

Despite my deep and nearly disturbing love for pizza, I’m going to have to pass on this one.

For a list of even more strange beers, including beer for dogs, check out this website!