# Strange Brew and Disturbed Spirits **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 19, 2017, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-brew-and-disturbed-spirits/787005 "2017-05-19T16:35:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-brew-and-disturbed-spirits/787005/21 "2017-05-24T13:59:11Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I think I just won the thread in the beer category. A friend of mine, just an hour and a half ago, gave me a bottle of something called “Romulan Ale”. It came in a blue bottle…or so I thought, until I looked it up at Beer Advocate. > > 1. It’s from El Salvador. > 2. It’s not an ale-it’s a lager. > 3. There’s no listing anywhere about the alcohol content. > 4. The bottle isn’t blue-The _beer_ is. > 5. The reviews actually scare me. > > Under the advice of My Beloved, I am going to wait until Friday night to drink this, because we are both afraid that I will be in no shape to go to work if I drink this tonight or tomorrow. I got to sample a “Romulan Ale” back when I was judging homebrew competitions. It wasn’t bad, had an interesting melon-like flavor and it was, of course, blue. I got to talk with the creator afterwards and he told me he brewed it using Malt-O-Meal breakfast cereal! ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-brew-and-disturbed-spirits/787005/22 "2017-05-24T14:17:58Z")
Anyone ever try [Kelpie](http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/beer/kelpie)? It’s a beer from Scotland that uses seaweed (kelp) as an ingredient. It is delicious. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-brew-and-disturbed-spirits/787005/23 "2017-05-24T14:49:28Z")
[Sigda’s Ghost Chili beer](https://coopersmithspub.com/beer/#); Coopersmith’s, Ft. Collins, CO. Yes, it’s brewed with ghost chilis. Bring a fire extinguisher. > [@](#): > > Not for the weak of heart. We aged our Sigda’s Green Chili beer on fresh Ghost peppers, Habaneros, and Santa Fe Red Peppers. Lots of raw pepper aromatics and a strong initial heat that fades to a pleasant, lingering warmth. Consider yourself warned! ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-brew-and-disturbed-spirits/787005/24 "2017-05-24T15:02:24Z")
I’ve got one that fits both categories: at 57% alcohol by volume, Schorschbock 57 is (I think) currently the strongest beer in the world (‘brewed’ via fractional freezing). I haven’t had that one, but the 20% version was more than enough for me; really didn’t taste much like beer at all. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-brew-and-disturbed-spirits/787005/25 "2017-05-24T15:05:34Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > I’ve got one that fits both categories: at 57% alcohol by volume, Schorschbock 57 is (I think) currently the strongest beer in the world (‘brewed’ via fractional freezing). I haven’t had that one, but the 20% version was more than enough for me; really didn’t taste much like beer at all. Once you get into ice distilation, you’re really talking ‘spirits.’ Blasphemous statement though it is, whiskeys are basically distilled beer. “Fractional freezing” is just an alternative form of concentrating the alcohol content. Apple Jack is made the same way - freeze the water out of hard cider. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-brew-and-disturbed-spirits/787005/26 "2017-05-24T15:11:23Z")
> [@Tranquilis](#): > > [Sigda’s Ghost Chili beer](https://coopersmithspub.com/beer/#); Coopersmith’s, Ft. Collins, CO. > > Yes, it’s brewed with ghost chilis. Bring a fire extinguisher. I was at a tasting where a small run of ghost chili beer was offered. The brewer was going overboard suggesting people only try it if they were into extreme heat. They were handing out shot glasses. Many people took a single sip, gag/coughed, and dumped out the rest. I drank my full shot. It was the hottest this I’d ever tasted. I had another shot, then a third. I had gastrointestinal distress that night and the next day! ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-brew-and-disturbed-spirits/787005/27 "2017-05-24T15:21:38Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I was at a tasting where a small run of ghost chili beer was offered. The brewer was going overboard suggesting people only try it if they were into extreme heat. They were handing out shot glasses. > > Many people took a single sip, gag/coughed, and dumped out the rest. I drank my full shot. It was the hottest this I’d ever tasted. I had another shot, then a third. I had gastrointestinal distress that night and the next day! The fire extinguisher is for your backside… :smack: My late sister brewed jalepeno beer. There’s a trick to it - you have to get the oils out of the peppers before adding them. She’d roast them slowly at 250f for a couple hours, periodically patting them dry with paper towels to remove the oils. Fail to do this, and you get a funky, skunky beer, with or without the heat. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-brew-and-disturbed-spirits/787005/28 "2017-05-24T15:31:00Z")
**Mikkeller** (Evil Twin’s twin brother) brews many excellent beers but [their marketing is really fantastic.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9s5sEK4aoAw&sns=em) ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-brew-and-disturbed-spirits/787005/29 "2017-05-24T16:09:57Z")
At [Dean’s Scene](http://www.newschoolbeer.com/2016/10/memoriam-dean-pottle-famous-deans-scene.html), a former speakeasy that closed last year when the proprietor died, he had some some beers infused with pot. On tap at the bar (all free, donations only, so “legal”), he had the mild versions. But I once got to visit his walk-in fridge once where he kept the strong stuff - 10% ABV and enough pot in it to coat your mouth with a sticky resin. It actually tasted good and certainly did a number on my brain. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-brew-and-disturbed-spirits/787005/30 "2017-05-24T17:31:09Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Last night we visited a distillery in Homer City, PA (tiny rural town named after Greek poet Homer) called [Disobedient Spirits](http://www.disobedientspirits.com/). > > I was drinking a hopped vodka on the rocks, which I loved. Did you try to climb the smokestack after a few? > **[Homer City, PA - Tallest Smokestack in the U.S.](https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/6802)** > > Visit reports, news, maps, directions and info on Tallest Smokestack in the U.S. in Homer City, Pennsylvania. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-brew-and-disturbed-spirits/787005/31 "2017-05-24T17:34:39Z")
> [@MikeF](#): > > Did you try to climb the smokestack after a few? > > [Homer City, PA - Tallest Smokestack in the U.S.](http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/6802) 😃 When driving around (back before GPS) I’ve driven towards/away from those stacks in order to get where I wanted to go. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-brew-and-disturbed-spirits/787005/32 "2017-05-24T17:35:44Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Probably shouldn’t have drunk all that Chocolate Milk. If I didn’t have puke breath, I’d kiss you. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-brew-and-disturbed-spirits/787005/33 "2017-05-24T19:00:02Z")
> [@Tranquilis](#): > > Once you get into ice distilation, you’re really talking ‘spirits.’ Blasphemous statement though it is, whiskeys are basically distilled beer. “Fractional freezing” is just an alternative form of concentrating the alcohol content. Apple Jack is made the same way - freeze the water out of hard cider. I agree completely—whether you use freezing or evaporation to get rid of the non-alcohol parts doesn’t really matter a whole lot. But thanks to inertia and the fact that freeze distillation is newer, at least in Germany, it’s still legally considered beer. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-brew-and-disturbed-spirits/787005/34 "2017-05-24T21:06:40Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > I agree completely—whether you use freezing or evaporation to get rid of the non-alcohol parts doesn’t really matter a whole lot. But thanks to inertia and the fact that freeze distillation is newer, at least in Germany, it’s still legally considered beer. That’s interesting. I know Germany has an interesting relationship with alcohol, and has some very specific rules, but that strikes me a _very_ odd. Certainly, fractional freeezing was known in Colonial America, and thus almost certainly had European roots dating back further. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2017, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-brew-and-disturbed-spirits/787005/35 "2017-05-25T07:42:25Z")
> [@Tranquilis](#): > > That’s interesting. > I know Germany has an interesting relationship with alcohol, and has some very specific rules, but that strikes me a _very_ odd. Certainly, fractional freeezing was known in Colonial America, and thus almost certainly had European roots dating back further. Well, the legend you hear around here is that a Franconian brewer’s apprentice left out some kegs of beer overnight around the end of the 19th century, which then froze, for the most part; the brewer then made him drink the remaining liquid as punishment, resulting in a very drunk brewer’s apprentice, and the birth of the ice bock. Of course, that legend is probably just as true as all the other tall tales on the topic around here (like the _Reinheitsgebot_ being the law since 1516, and so on). But it seems the (legal) reason that ice bock is considered beer over here, and not a spirit, is that it’s only the water that is frozen out. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2017, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-brew-and-disturbed-spirits/787005/36 "2017-05-25T18:53:56Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > But it seems the (legal) reason that ice bock is considered beer over here, and not a spirit, is that it’s only the water that is frozen out. Fair enough - Heat distilation definately drives off other volatiles, including methanol (making home ice-distilation rather dangerous, if you don’t know what you’re doing). ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2017, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-brew-and-disturbed-spirits/787005/37 "2017-05-25T19:22:21Z")
> [@Tranquilis](#): > > Fair enough - Heat distilation definately drives off other volatiles, including methanol (making home ice-distilation rather dangerous, if you don’t know what you’re doing). If ice distillation is dangerous, it’s not because of methanol. Fermented beverages contain very little methanol. Beer and other fermented-grain alcohols contain almost none, while fruits, especially apples due to their pectin, can produce more. But it’s still at a level that the ethanol will kill you long before methanol does, not matter how much you concentrate your booze with ice distillation. The fear of methanol in homemade liquor comes from a confabulation of stories about people going blind from moonshine during Prohibition. This happened when methanol was purposely added to bump up the intoxicating effects of bad booze (or more rarely from distilling in old radiators full of lead and other crap). ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2017, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-brew-and-disturbed-spirits/787005/38 "2017-05-25T22:47:10Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > If ice distillation is dangerous, it’s not because of methanol. Fermented beverages contain very little methanol. Beer and other fermented-grain alcohols contain almost none, while fruits, especially apples due to their pectin, can produce more. But it’s still at a level that the ethanol will kill you long before methanol does, not matter how much you concentrate your booze with ice distillation. Well, that, and my lazy typing - And that I’m most familiar with apple jack, in this department (fruit, et. etc.) The quote I have is: _"… unlike heat distillation, where the methanol and **other impurities** can be separated from the finished product, freeze distillation does not remove them. Thus the ratio of impurities may be increased compared to the total volume of the beverage. This concentration may cause side effects to the drinker, leading to intense hangovers and a condition known as “apple palsy…”_ **emphasis** mine It clearly, from context, depends on 1) the amount and type of volatile impurities in the original product and 2) how much it is concentrated. Casual distilation is rather unlikely to get you into trouble. At least, not from that. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2017, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-brew-and-disturbed-spirits/787005/39 "2017-05-27T16:48:02Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I think I just won the thread in the beer category. A friend of mine, just an hour and a half ago, gave me a bottle of something called “Romulan Ale”. It came in a blue bottle…or so I thought, until I looked it up at Beer Advocate. > > 1. It’s from El Salvador. > 2. It’s not an ale-it’s a lager. > 3. There’s no listing anywhere about the alcohol content. > 4. The bottle isn’t blue-The _beer_ is. > 5. The reviews actually scare me. > > Under the advice of My Beloved, I am going to wait until Friday night to drink this, because we are both afraid that I will be in no shape to go to work if I drink this tonight or tomorrow. I drank this “beer” last night. It stained my beer glass blue, it stained my tongue blue, it stained my innards blue, and it stained my urine blue. Not green(yellow+blue), but a bright blue. It tasted of lager-sort of-but it kicked like a strong barley wine. It was like the Cisco wine of beers. Do not drink this. If you visit El Salvador and happen to come across the brewery that concocted it, please spit on it for me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-brew-and-disturbed-spirits/787005.md?page=1)