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Hey no one’s perfect…as we at American Craft Beer.com understand better than most, having enthusiastically acted on more bad ideas than we care to think about. That said, there are some ideas out there that are so monumentally bad and so misguided as to boggle the mind, allowing us to proclaim that “at least we didn’t come up with that!”
So welcome to the latest in our ongoing series- BAD IDEAS IN BREWING… and we’re blaming New Zealand for this one.
We’d hoped that we’d seen the last of this kind of thing last year when an Icelandic brewery –Brugghús Stedji brewed a beer with whale testicles that were smoked over sheep dung. We thought that the outrage that arose from that demented melding of beer and mammal would put an end to these kinds of actions.
But we’d have been proven wrong…
Because a New Zealand pub has upped the ante on bad taste even further…and come up with yet another deplorable “Bad Idea In Brewing.”
The Stag Semen Stout Story
The Green Man, a popular pub in Wellington, was looking to create a fun beer offering and disturbingly, they settled on the idea of a stout laced with “export-quality” stag semen, which was contract brewed for them by Choice Bros.
The pub’s co-owner, Steve Drummond, was insistent that the stag semen-laced stout was a draw, but was adamant that it must be served properly. And according to Stuff, the beer was hand-pumped rather than using the more common forced carbonation techniques, to ensure its “extra smooth and creamy texture.”
Thankfully that publication avoided any reference to the stout’s head.
A Step Back For A Proud Craft Beer Nation
New Zealand has fast become one of the most exciting craft beer countries in the world, with breweries like 8 Wired and Garage Project doing amazing things. This unfortunate incident, an undeniable blight on their craft brewing industry, calls for immediate media-management of the highest order!
And we’ve some “face-saving” advice for The Green Man that might help them weather situations such as this…
Damage Control
- Downplay the inherent sexual innuendo that quite naturally comes with the Stag Semen Stout style. We’re more than a little uncomfortable with the fact that most of the feedback we’ve read are from women, which comes off as far more sexist, than it does sexy. The Green Man should immediately put forward a male patron critiquing the beer if they can find one.
- For obvious reasons, the pub needs to stop referring to their semen-laced stout as “creamy”. And don’t ever, under any circumstances, explain that it’s best to serve this beer “hand-pulled.”
- Don’t Ever Brew This Beer Again! This situation won’t go away if the beer doesn’t. Just because a Stag Semen Stout seemed like a brilliant idea after 120 beers – doesn’t give you carte blanche. Show some restraint for Godsakes…There are some doors that need never be opened.
- And if anyone ever brings up this disastrous incident again…Deny, Deny, Deny!
Bottom Line
Hey, we like deer as much as anybody – we just don’t want their “vital fluids” in our beer. And a Stag Semen Stout is such a magnificently misguided idea, as to have earned own special place in the annals of BAD IDEAS IN BREWING.
Yes, the New Zealand brewing community will eventually shed the taint of this sorry exercise and reclaim their reputation for excellence – but they may never forget it – nor should they.
