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There are currently more breweries in America than any other time in the history of the country, and that number is only continuing to rise. As a result, beer makers are forced to figure out ways to stand out in the ever-increasing crowd.
The first (obviously) is to make really, really good beer. When you don’t have the marketing budget to compete with the big guys, there’s no better currency than word of mouth. However, sometimes that’s not enough to call attention to yourself. If you’re really looking to drum up some publicity, there’s no better way to do so than brewing beer with an unconventional ingredient.
A Richmond brewery recently put out a beer made with fried chicken, the Atlanta Braves used wood chips made from baseball bats to age their brew, Lagunitas decided to throw some weed into the mix, and other producers have had success incorporating elephant poop and bull testicles. While some of those might sound less than appetizing, two breweries in Florida have teamed up to create a new concoction using something that actually sounds appetizing: Krispy Kreme donuts.
Tampa Bay’s Hidden Springs Ale Works and Largo’s Arkane Aleworks are currently collaborating on a 12.5% ABV Russian Imperial Stout that uses the sugary treats best known for dissolving suspiciously quickly in your mouth as a base. The Tampa Bay Times spoke with Hidden Springs founder and brewery Josh Garman— one of the men responsible for the as-of-yet unnamed brew— who explained what they were going for with the final product:
“It’s going to be roasty, chocolatey, hopefully with some doughnut flavor,” he said. “We’re actually hoping to get some of the glaze from the Krispy Kremes to come through.”
The beer is scheduled to hit the taproom in January, and if you’re in the area, you might as well try it because we’re all going to die eventually.