Written By: Peter Evans
Date: December 8, 2009 There are literally, thousands of things a brewer can use to flavor their beer with. Really, the combinations of different ingredients can be ranked in the millions. But is it healthy?
 
Beer is beer, there is no doubt about it. The malty, yeasty, foamy, lovely combination of alcohol and aesthetics make beer the ultimate social libation. However, there are certain people of a less than refined pallet who just don’t like beer. That’s fine, some people just don’t like water, and air and food with taste either; to each their own. But what happens when they begin to mess with the centuries old recipe beyond cultivating certain flavors? What happens when their insidious plans include making beer taste like orange sherbet or (gasp) a strawberry daiquiri? Why don’t they just order an umbrella drink and get it over with?
 
Somewhere there is some poor misguided brewer who wants their significant other to become as enthused by their hobby and lifestyle as they are. One concession leads to another. Maybe it started with trying to mask a little of the yeast for someone who had a freak dinner roll accident as a child and can’t stand the smell and taste of it. The yeast disappears and now they have to work on the malt because, guess what? Someone used some malt to put out the dinner roll fire… are you following here? The next thing you know you’ve just brewed a batch of wine coolers that would be the envy of any wine maker. Yes, wine maker.

Experimenting with beer flavoring is not something to be avoided however. Really, adding fruits and vegetables and extracts is a time honored tradition dating back in time to before the Egyptians. In fact adding a little something to your brew is always an option that should be explored if one is inclined. Other brewers will take interest and always have ideas to add to your own. This is just one more social aspect of brewing. It’s the going overboard that needs to be explored.

Beer flavored ice cream? Pizza flavored beer? Beer flavored popcorn? When does the madness stop? Beer should be fun, agreed, but the home brewer and even the micro-brewer has a responsibility to posterity. We carry a torch that was lit centuries ago and it must burn true.

Brewers, particularly home brewers will side step the issue and use the “to each their own” line to avoid any sort of conflict, and they are right to do so. Part of the culture of home brewing is independence and commonality that reaches beyond gender, age and ethnic background. There is nothing wrong with novelty beer and everyone must make their own choice. In some ways this isn’t a sounding off to stop weird beer, but rather a call to remembering why you brew like you do. Without a history- and firm understanding and respect of that history, beer is more or less just another way to get smashed.