Pickle Beer

Grand Unified Theories of Existence often occur to me at the bottom of a pint glass.  Or on occasion, somewhere nearer to the top....

In general I see wine drinkers as being cat lovers and beer drinkers being dog people.  Your mileage may vary.  I'm clearly in the hops n' hounds category; and am of the opinion that there are really no Bad Dogs or Bad Beers.  That being said you do on occasion encounter a dodgy looking mutt, one that looks at you with rheumy, slightly crossed eyes and dares you to pet it.  Or....you see Pickle Beer on the drinks menu.

We were out for a celebratory dinner with one of our sons and his lady.  Birthday that ends in a zero, that sort of thing.  Spotting this on the drinks menu raised a few questions.  The waitress was also curious, and she said she'd never served one.*

A sample was forthcoming and as it turns out my misgivings were.....justified.  It tastes like the brine from a jar of home made pickles.  Now to be fair one of our party liked it, and in small doses it might be really swell.  As a chaser for a Bloody Mary for instance.  But having over the years made regrettable, often language hindered drink selections in out of the way places I can say that slogging through a full pint of Weird Beer is usually not much fun.

But, to each their own.  There is a tradition of fruit based Sour Beers.  It's mostly Belgian I think.  At least that's where I've run into it.  And there are other brewers who have taken on this interesting style variant.

Enjoy, or not, as you see fit.

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 * I want to go on record as saying that the Oliphant Brewing Company over in Somerset, Wisconsin, is a delightful and inventive outfit.  I've met their owners, sampled some of their other offerings and enjoyed both experiences.