# What is the most unusual beer you've ever had? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** beer\ **Created:** [August 20, 2019, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-beer-youve-ever-had/838939 "2019-08-20T15:39:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Rhodes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhodes/32/273_2.png) [@Rhodes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhodes)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-beer-youve-ever-had/838939/41 "2019-08-21T19:10:33Z")
Ingenious Brewing had a booth at a beer & music festival. They served “Alebrijes” that tastes like chocolate mole. “Mole style imperial stout with cacao nibs, cinnamon, peanuts, sesame seeds, anise, guajillo chilies, and ancho chilies.” Also one that tasted like a PB&J. Might have been “Peanut Butter Vs Jelly,” although that one’s a porter and I’d swear the fruity one was a jelly-colored IPA. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-beer-youve-ever-had/838939/42 "2019-08-21T19:21:59Z")
I haven’t tried it, but I’d like to introduce [smoked whale testicle beer](https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-30777516). > [@kayaker](#): > > You probably wouldn’t like[Fruli,](https://www.fruli.be/) a strawberry beer. It’s pretty much liquid candy. A small child would love it. > [@Enginerd](#): > > If you find yourself in Reno during the summer, Great Basin Brewing makes a Kolsch-style [Cerveza Chilebeso](https://www.greatbasinbrewingco.com/beer/cerveza-chilebeso) that I really enjoy. People either love it or hate it, though - there doesn’t seem to be much middle ground. It’s one of those things that I can recognize is really good, and don’t regret trying it, but I would not want to drink it regularly. I’m glad I asked for a taste instead of a pint. ---
**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:** [August 21, 2019, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-beer-youve-ever-had/838939/43 "2019-08-21T20:06:28Z")
I’ve also had a couple of gruit or gruut-beers, which are brewed according to an old-style recipe from before hops became the standard beer seasoning, substituting various mixtures of herbs. Really makes you appreciate hops. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-beer-youve-ever-had/838939/44 "2019-08-21T20:36:49Z")
Does my drinking Cool Colt count? For one thing, it’s malt liquor not actual beer and for another it was only a few swallows and then it came back again. It was beyond vile. In case anyone is wondering Cool Colt was Colt 45 with menthol. They didn’t sell it for long. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-beer-youve-ever-had/838939/45 "2019-08-21T22:22:42Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Does my drinking Cool Colt count? For one thing, it’s malt liquor not actual beer and for another it was only a few swallows and then it came back again. It was beyond vile. > > In case anyone is wondering Cool Colt was Colt 45 with menthol. They didn’t sell it for long. Speaking of vile, I am very surprised to see that pink Champale is still made. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-beer-youve-ever-had/838939/46 "2019-08-21T23:36:15Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > I’ve also had a couple of gruit or gruut-beers, which are brewed according to an old-style recipe from before hops became the standard beer seasoning, substituting various mixtures of herbs. On a similar note, I had a homebrewed dandelion beer. The dandelions add bitterness but the beer I had also had hops. It wasn’t very good IMO. If I recall the name of the brewer correctly he really liked high hops styles and IPAs. I generally don’t. I’m thinking my issue was more with his hop choices than the dandelions. It’s been too long and the memory is vague though. I have to check out a gruut beer if I ever wander across one. A mix of the non-hop bitterness with lower than normal hops might work pretty well for my tastes as well. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-beer-youve-ever-had/838939/47 "2019-08-22T00:09:16Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Does my drinking Cool Colt count? For one thing, it’s malt liquor not actual beer and for another it was only a few swallows and then it came back again. It was beyond vile. > > In case anyone is wondering Cool Colt was Colt 45 with menthol. They didn’t sell it for long. Wow, I’d forgotten about Cool Colt. Like (probably) 95% of the people who tried it, I only did so once. Worst 94 cents I ever spent. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-beer-youve-ever-had/838939/48 "2019-08-22T01:10:36Z")
For me, it has to be rauchbier. It’s not something I’d want as an ‘every day beer’, but I actually rather enjoyed it. It smelled and tasted pretty much exactly like beer would smell and taste if you could barbecue it. I love Laphroiag, too 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-beer-youve-ever-had/838939/49 "2019-08-22T08:15:13Z")
[Mamma Mia! Pizza Beer](https://www.ratebeer.com/beer/mamma-mia-pizza-beer/84683/) was pretty unusual. And pretty bad. Beer made with tomato, garlic, basil, oregano, and onion is not something one would want to binge drink! My throat actually clinched while this was going down! ---
**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:** [August 22, 2019, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-beer-youve-ever-had/838939/50 "2019-08-22T11:12:51Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Does my drinking Cool Colt count? For one thing, it’s malt liquor not actual beer and for another it was only a few swallows and then it came back again. It was beyond vile. > > In case anyone is wondering Cool Colt was Colt 45 with menthol. They didn’t sell it for long. If were going to talk malt liquors, I remember the original Four Loko, no longer produced because reasons. I heard about it and decided to buy a few cans. The combination of alcohol and caffeine kicked my ass, and the taste was hideous. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-beer-youve-ever-had/838939/51 "2019-08-22T12:04:26Z")
The mention of pizza beer reminded me of a garlic beer I got on the Isle of Wight. It would be great for making beef & ale stew, but was pretty nasty on its own. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-beer-youve-ever-had/838939/52 "2019-08-22T14:09:05Z")
I was mentally going through my list: Rauchbier, banana bread beer, Sriracha beer. Those are all contenders, but the weirdest one I’ve had was a 1,000 IBU beer by Mikeller. It was like hops soup. ---
**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:** [August 22, 2019, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-beer-youve-ever-had/838939/53 "2019-08-22T14:13:39Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > Those are all contenders, but the weirdest one I’ve had was a 1,000 IBU beer by Mikeller. It was like hops soup. Ahhh, the nasty twin. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-beer-youve-ever-had/838939/54 "2019-08-22T14:45:09Z")
Not sure if it’s been mentioned, but I had a wonderful beer I Greece flavored with mastic, the resin from some tree that’s more commonly an ingredient in local chewing gums. It has a flavor all its own, a bit like mint but not quite. I think the beer might have been called “Chios,” which sounds like it could be the island it came from. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-beer-youve-ever-had/838939/55 "2019-08-22T16:43:59Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Not sure if it’s been mentioned, but I had a wonderful beer I Greece flavored with mastic, the resin from some tree that’s more commonly an ingredient in local chewing gums. It has a flavor all its own, a bit like mint but not quite. I think the beer might have been called “Chios,” which sounds like it could be the island it came from. Mastic is sometimes called “tears of Chios” after that island where they harvest a lot of it, so that’s possible. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-beer-youve-ever-had/838939/56 "2019-08-22T19:31:36Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > Sam Adam’s Utopias tasted like a Bual or Malmsey Madeira. Sweet, toffee, higher alcohol, smooth. Glad I wasnt buying it, but a neat, albeit strange experience. Even Tom Hardy’s Ale didn’t transform from beer into something else the way Utopias did. > > Cave Creek Chile beer was unusual for how unusually nauseating the taste was. I like lighter lagers, I like chiles. Just not the two in the same bottle, I guess. When I read the title to this thread, chile beer was the first thing that I thought of. Its been close to 40 years since the one time I had it but I think Cave Creek was the brand. I liked it! ---
**Author:** ![Iggins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Iggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggins)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-beer-youve-ever-had/838939/57 "2019-08-22T23:37:04Z")
Only beer I’ve had to pour out was an organic bacon beer at a PDX organic beer festival. There have been a few spicy (jalapeno, chile, etc.) beers that I’ve enjoyed, but far between. I haven’t had favorable reactions to the Rogue/VooDoo pairings, but they are at least mostly drinkable. ---
**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:** [August 26, 2019, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-beer-youve-ever-had/838939/58 "2019-08-26T18:59:25Z")
I’m drinking a [Room 309](https://untappd.com/b/freigeist-bierkultur-room-309-truffel-ale/2984654) right now, an ale flavored with truffle and black pepper. The pepper is mostly a slight aftertaste, not unpleasant, but weirdly tacked on, but thr truffle gives it a weird, metallic/earthy tang? Kinda hard to describe. Not really for me… ---
**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:** [August 26, 2019, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-beer-youve-ever-had/838939/59 "2019-08-26T19:03:26Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > I’m drinking a [Room 309](https://untappd.com/b/freigeist-bierkultur-room-309-truffel-ale/2984654) right now, an ale flavored with truffle and black pepper. The pepper is mostly a slight aftertaste, not unpleasant, but weirdly tacked on, but thr truffle gives it a weird, metallic/earthy tang? Kinda hard to describe. Not really for me… I like this review: “Pretty much the worst beer I’ve ever had. Earthy and dank with unpleasant mossy flavor.” ---
**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:** [August 28, 2019, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-beer-youve-ever-had/838939/60 "2019-08-28T15:46:55Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I like this review: “Pretty much the worst beer I’ve ever had. Earthy and dank with unpleasant mossy flavor.” I wouldn’t quite go that far, though. While I didn’t care much for the flavor, it was still a well-crafted beer—kinda like rap music, it’s not really my thing, but I can appreciate the skill that went into creating it. Much worse are those beers that just fail at what they set out to do. The worst beer I have a record of is the Russian-brewed [Neon Beer](https://untappd.com/b/baltika-breweries-baltika-neon-beer/1066083), for which my tasting notes simply read ‘like having sex in a small boat’. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-beer-youve-ever-had/838939.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-beer-youve-ever-had/838939.md?page=4)