Bad Ideas In Brewing – Corn Dog Ale And Funnel Cake Beer

Hey, no one’s perfect…as we at American Craft Beer understand better than most. That said, there are some brewing ideas out there that are insanely misguided. So welcome to another BAD IDEAS IN BREWING…and we’re blaming the Iowa State Fair for these.

We’ve never been big supporters of donut beers. We’re not big on Strawberry Cream Puff Ale either. We were part of the ‘resistance’ when it came to IHOP Pancake Stout and we will drink a growler of Kool-Aid before we’d ever submit to an Oreo beer shake .

But in the world of brewing concepts, that nobody was asking for and nobody needs, Corn Dog and Funnel Cake beers are right up there.

Here’s The Deal

The Iowa State Fair, famous for offering food delicacies like Fried Bologna on a Stick, and Bacon Crisp Ice Cream, has extended its bad instincts into the realm of brewing.

A couple of, up until now, reputable Iowa brewers have fashioned beers for the fair that could only pair decently with, well, Bacon Crisp Ice Cream and udder-pulling competitions.

Court Avenue Restaurant & Brewing Company came up with a Corn Dog Ale that might appeal to that limited segment of Farris Wheel-addled fairgoers who like sloshing their corn-dogs in beer until they both cross-pollinate.

And Reclaimed Rails Brewing countered Court Avenue’s BAD IDEA with a Kölsch brewed “liberal amount of funnel cake flavoring” that one critic described as tasting like “artificial sweetener.”

Bottom Line

To be fair, maybe we should be blaming the Iowa State Fair for these beers. After all the Court Avenue Restaurant & Brewing Company and Reclaimed Rails Brewing are both respected brewing organizations with fine and decent reputations.

Maybe the Iowa State Fair demanded that they both brew something weird and awful or they couldn’t come!

But whatever the reason this year’s Corn Dog Ale and Funnel Cake Kölsch are right up there in the pantheon BAD IDEAS IN BREWING…so maybe a pilsner next year?

That idea not a bad enough for you?    Check out:

BAD IDEAS IN BREWING – BEER MILKSHAKES

BAD IDEAS IN BREWING – RESURRECTING ZIMA

BAD IDEAS IN BREWING – STAG SEMEN STOUT

Corn Dog Ale image credit: Reddit