Honest and Dishonest Mustard And Mayonnaise Beers

, Honest and Dishonest Mustard And Mayonnaise Beers

(Somewhat honest: Oskar Blues/French’s Mustard)

We’re not saying that either of these beers were good ideas. But one of these brews was at least more honest than the other.

Here’s the deal…

Partnership beers are more times than not just marketing exercises. They’re ways of spreading the juju between brands. Breweries are always tying in with bands (the bigger the better) but partnerships with condiment makers are less sexy, and as a result, less common.

But it does happen….

In 2020 French’s Yellow Mustard partnered with Oskar Blues Brewery to celebrate National Mustard Day, a holiday that maybe two people even know about.

This “mustard beer” was actually a 5.2% ABV semi-tart tropical Wheat Ale with “hints of key lime, lemon, tangerine, and passion fruit to create a tart, refreshing match for the spice and zip of the mustard.” Some mustard was added to the beer post fermentation, just enough to keep things honest.

, Honest and Dishonest Mustard And Mayonnaise Beers

(Less honest – credit Champion Brewing)

But the Duke’s Mayonnaise collaboration with Virginia’s Champion Brewery Company doesn’t even pretend to go there. Champion Brewing’s “collaboration” with the South Carolina-based Duke’s Mayonnaise is a beer that was conceived (at least according to the press release) to pair with mayonnaise-forward foods like BLTs.

Champion’s Family Recipe (named after Duke’s Mayonnaise origins) is a 5.1% ABV Vienna Lager made with Vienna malt and Magnum and Saaz hops. But unlike Oskar Blue’s and French’s Mustard Beer, this brew contains absolutely no mayonnaise, which in retrospect is probably a good thing.

“The spirit of this collaboration truly encapsulates the Duke’s brand – it’s bold, southern, and a little saucy,” said Duke’s Brand Marketing Manager, Rebecca Lupesco.

But we’re not buying it…When a brewery is collaborating with a leading mayonnaise producer one assumes some of its famous product might find a way into the beer, otherwise what’s point…right?

And don’t tell us that brewing with mayonnaise is impossible. A Japanese brewery made a beer with crickets…anything’s possible.

Maybe Champion Brewing should have partnered with a pork producer. After all, bacon beers are hardly unheard of.

To be fair to both Champion and Duke’s it’s not like they actively promoted this new collaboration as a true ‘mayonnaise beer’ but still…

Champion does one thing, they brew great beer. And Duke’s Mayonnaise is famous for well, mayonnaise, not bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches…They needed to find a way to work their spread into the beer for any claim of collaborative legitamacy…just sayin’.

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