The biggest perk of working on this blog is trying a lot of beer. In addition to beer from around the world we’ve sampled a wide-variety of beers. Each week there are new beers on the market, from both big breweries and small micro breweries, and we love to try as many as we can. It’s truly a great gig!
In our travels we’ve also discovered some oddities and some of the most unique and weirdest beers in the world that has ever brewed. Many independent and micro breweries have a skeleton in their brew closet, something they made once or even frequently that defies logic.
Many of these are mash ups that make you wonder what deranged mind thought it up, and why they spent time and effort making it. Some use ingredients that are not recommended for beer, or for any consumption at all. And some are just gross.
Table of Contents
A Few Of The Weirdest Beers In The World
Although they are very odd and strange, they are still beer nonetheless, and we want to give every one of these unique craft beers its day in the fridge.
Of all the many, many weird beers out there, here are our favorites. And to be clear, some of these “favorites” we never, ever want to actually try.
1. Saturday Morning IPA - 6.6% ABV
Remember being a kid, sitting in front of the TV, shoveling sugary cereal in your mouth while watching cartoons for hours on end? One of life’s highlights, right? Well now you are an adult (and you should be 21 if you are reading this blog) so there is a way to recapture that experience… in a beer!
Smartmouth Brewing in Virginia has made an IPA that includes toasted marshmallows as well as cereal marshmallows in the mash. The brewery refers to it as “magically ridiculous.”
Unfortunately, getting this delicious sweet treat is not easy. The brewery only has a limited release in March, or you can go check out the pot of gold at the end of this artificially sweetened rainbow at their two locations in Norfolk and Virginia Beach in Virginia.
2. Dock Street Walker - 7.2% ABV
Okay, maybe you’ve outgrown kiddie cartoons. Maybe you prefer your TV much darker. Maybe you’re a fan of the hit zombie show The Walking Dead. Maybe you’re a BIG fan. Maybe, like the BIGGEST fan.
If so, then Dock Street Brewing company In Philadelphia has just the beer for you. Walker is an American Pale Stout that is flavored with brains.
What?!? Yes. Smoked goat brains. Smooth and creamy, but slightly smoky. Not for the faint of heart, for sure.
If drinking animal brains is as weird as you want to get, then perhaps click on another link, like the most expensive beers, and don’t finish this article. We won’t judge. If you have the… uh… stomach to continue, read on.
3. Mr. Twit's Odius Ale - 4.4% ABV
Fans of author Roald Dahl (and we’re talking DEVOUT fans) may enjoy this beer, named after the titular character from one of his novels. In 2016 London Theater Company Les Enfants Terribles joined forces with microbrewer 40FT Brewing to create beverages for their immersive theatrical version of the book.
Well, that’s not so strange, the melding of alcohol and the arts (for example: Rise Up Rye, a beer inspired by the hit Broadway show Hamilton) but Odius Ale goes one step further. The brewing yeast was swabbed from Road Dahl’s actual writing chair.
Disgustingly delicious!
4. Ghost Face Killa - 5.2% ABV
This beer answers the question that no one has asked in the history of brewing: just how spicy can beer get? Twisted Pine Brewery in Boulder
Colorado made this brew with not one, not two, but SIX different kinds of spicy peppers.
But wait… there’s more! This includes the Bhut Jolokia, which is more commonly known as the ghost pepper, one of the spiciest peppers on the planet.
Beer with a milk chaser, anyone?
5. Celeste Jewel - 5.0% ABV
Space: The Final Ale Beer.
Yep, dust from a lunar meteorite has been crushed, then steeped like tea. Extra points to Dogfish for selling the perfect accessory to this beer: Koozies made of the same material as astronaut space suits.
6. Chocolate Lobster - 5.6% ABV
Many people LOVE chocolate. Many people LOVE lobster. But can the two go together? And SHOULD they go together?
The recipe is simple: Take a robust porter base. Add live lobsters to the boil. Remove lobsters. Add 6 pounds of dark cocoa powder. Add Basil Tea. Oh, and don’t forget: take a break to eat the lobsters.
And yes, the beer has a warning label for those who are allergic to shellfish.
7. Chicha - 3.1% ABV
This fruity, spicy beer is based on an ancient Peruvian recipe which includes native pepper corns, soursop fruit, and maize (a.k.a. corn).
Like the traditional recipe, the corn is masticated prior to adding to the mash. Masticated, as in chewed up by actual humans. And BE THANKFUL that it is humans, because it gets even stranger as we move down the list.
8. Snake Venom - 67.5% ABV
No that 67.5% ABV is not a typo .This hearty brew has more alcohol than any beer on the planet.
So how does small Scottish brewery Brewmeister (now Keith Brewery LTD) make it? By a process called fractional freezing that cools the beer to a low enough temperature to freeze water but not alcohol. The frozen water is removed, leaving a higher concentrate of alcohol.
Doctors and other sane people recommend not drinking more than one bottle at a sitting; sharing with friends is a better option. Also, the Snake Venom beer price is over $75 per bottle, so this probably isn’t the six pack to pick up for a casual backyard barbecue.
9. Beard Beer - 5.6% ABV
John Maier is the brewmaster at Rogue Ale in Portland, Oregon. John Maier has had a beard since 1978. In fact, John Maier has been using the yeast growing in his beard to make Beard Beer.
Yeast can grow in many different places, including a beard, so why not create a beard brew? Alas, John Maier retired from brewing in 2019 so the fate of Beard Beer is up in the air.
Maybe there’s someone else in the Portland area with a beard? Anyone?
10. Pisner By Norrebro Bryghus - 5.0% ABV
Attendees of the 2015 Roskilde music festival in Denmark enjoyed awesome sets by Paul McCartney, Muse, Pharrell Williams, Florence + the Machine, and many others.
And in between sets the attendees peed into special receptacles which were then used to make this, ahem, Pisner. Don’t worry, the pee was only used to fertilize the barley so there isn’t actual pee in the beer. We think. You can taste it and tell us for sure.
And if you can’t find this Danish microbrew easily, then we recommend Full Circle IPA by Stone Brewing, which used recycled wastewater (treated, of course).
11. Un, Kono Kuro - 6.5% ABV
Pee beer not strange enough for you? Well, #2 is truly all about… uh… #2. There has been a trend in recent years to ferment coffee beans by
passing them through the digestive system of animals, like Thai elephants.
So why not coffee-flavored beer by Sankt Gallen Brewery?
Un, Kono Kuro translates to “yes, this is black” or “poo, black.” Either way, we think Un, Kono Kuro is a much better name than Elephant Poop
Stout.
Unfortunately, can’t imagine why, but Sankt Gallen has discontinued this beer for some reason.
12. Hvalur - 5.2% ABV
Stedji Brewery in Iceland uses pure Icelandic water, which is some of the cleanest water in the world, as well as barley and berry hops to craft this very strange beer.
Oh, they also use whale testicles. One huge whale testicle weighing between 15 and 18 pounds to be precise is used to brew this odd creation. How did the brewer decide that one large testicle was the right amount. Wonder if they started with two?
And there’s one more thing. Before the whale testicle is put in the tank, it is smoked in sheep dung. Stedji Brewery also makes
another whale testicle beer, so next time you go to Iceland we recommend a whale testicle beer flight.
Final Say on a Few of the Strangest Beers on the Planet
So there it is!
We salute those genius minds who decided that whale testicle and sheep poop make for great beer, or that yeast fermenting in a beard is a great idea for a good beverage.
We also salute those intrepid beer fans who have sampled any or all of these beers and lived to tell the tale. We love beers that push the boundaries while maintaining high quality and standards.
Have you tried any on our list?
Cheers!
