“The 44th Session will be hosted by Ashley Routson a.k.a. The Beer Wench. In honor of Halloween month, she’s chosen “Frankenstein Beers” as her topic, which Ashley likens to Frankenstein’s monster, a creation that was “constructed of human parts and various other inanimate objects,” defying nature’s laws and ultimately “unlike anything the world had ever seen before.” She continues.
Many craft brewers are like Frankenstein. They have become mad scientists obsessed with defying the laws of brewing and creating beers that transcend style guidelines. These “Frankenstein Beers” challenge the way people perceive beer. They are freaks of nature — big, bold and intense. The ingredients resemble those of a beer and the brewing process might appear to be normal, but some aspects of the entire experience are experimental, unorthodox and insane.
An altercation with these beers produces confusion in the eye of the taster … is it a beer, or a monster?
“I do know that for the sympathy of one living being, I would make peace with all. I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe. If I cannot satisfy the one, I will indulge the other.” — The Monster.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to write a blog post on “Frankenstein Beers.” There are no rules about how to write about this topic — feel free to highlight a Frankenstein brewer, brewery, beer tasting notes … or just your opinions on the concept.
So don’t be afraid, pull out the surgical tools and make a trip to the cemetery (or bar) for parts — just don’t grab the jar marked — “abnormal” — for your own post for the next Session, on Friday, October 1.”
It was a dark and stormy night…
Let’s rewind a little first. In the past year alone, I have imbibed beers with ingredients (prickly pear, ginger, pecans, figs, apricots, apple cider, lemongrass, mushrooms, chammomile, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme) more suited, one would think, to ghouls and goblins than beer.
Before the first sip of these experimental beers, I would ask myself “Why?” and more importantly “I hope this works”. Then I slowly tip back the glass and voila, it does, (Eight times out of ten) because beer is a forgiving canvas upon which to paint. Dark and stormy becomes blue sky clear.
These fright inducing, sometimes cringe worthy ingredients are tossed into the kettle for many reasons. There are breweries raising nearly extinct beer styles from the dead. There are breweries pushing the ABV boundry. There are breweries that use brettamyoces just to add another note to an already great beer.
But this is no lab work in a castle on a hill during thundershowers creating monsters. It is a genuine craving (not for brains) but for big and brash flavors. I may not end up raving about each new mash-up of styles and brewing techniques, but none are unlovable monsters to be cast out to fend for itself. They are all logical extensions of one train of thought. Beer with flavor!
That’s right. In fact, the mad scientist who unleashed this bounty of crazy craft beers are the makers of the industrial water lager. Because of a lack of desire or understanding, they left a whole market open to our loved and admired demented fermenters of today. They created their own horror movie. And it is defintely in 3-D.
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