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 because we actually like corn dogs on a stick, we’re blaming the State Fair of Texas for this one.
Here’s The Deal
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, Fletcher’s Original Corny Dog Mustard Beer is right up there.
During the Texas State Fair last September, the Fort Worth, Texas-based Martin House Brewing partnered with the famous Fletcher’s Corny Dogs brand to serve up mustard-flavored beer, both on draft and in tallboy cans to go.
According to WFAA, the Fletcher Family debuted their famous corny dogs at the State Fair of Texas back in 1942 and over the year’s they’ve become fair-going staple. . In addition to the Original Corny Dog, Fletcher’s also serves a Jalapeño and Cheese Dog, a Bird Dog (Turkey), a Veggie Dog, a Cheezy Pup, and Make Mine Texan – an all-beef and brisket blend. But there’s only one mustard beer.
Actually the beer was first brewed in collaboration with Fort Worth’s Martin House Brewing in 2023 for a Texas event known as the Glizzy Fest. And this year they decided to return the mustardy concoction for fair visitors to enjoy with their corn dogs. In 2023, Fletcher’s sold an amazing 518,000 corny dogs at the 24 day event, so adding a mustard beer to its offerings must have struck Fletcher’s Corny Dogs as a “no-brainer.”
“So why a mustard beer,” you might ask, “wouldn’t a straightforward corn dog beer have sufficed?”
Turns out the Fletcher family is adamant that mustard is the only acceptable condiment for their legendary corn dogs. Never ever ketchup, otherwise they’d have probably offered a ketchup-flavored beer, which we’d have a problem with as well.
Bottom Line
To be fair, maybe we should be blaming the State Fair of Texas for this BAD IDEA IN BREWING. After all Fletcher’s Corny Dogs are beloved down in Texas and Martin Hoose Brewing isn’t afraid to get creative with beer.
Maybe the State Fair of Texas demanded that they both brew something weird or they couldn’t come!
But whatever the reason, Fletcher’s Original Corny Dog Mustard Beer is right up there in the pantheon BAD IDEAS IN BREWING…so maybe a pilsner next year?
That idea not a bad enough for you?
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