The Final Picks After some long discussion and debate over the twelve craft beers that were sampled, our panel is ready to reveal each of their favorite
13
Weird Beer #13 Cock Ale
picks for June/July.
Will's Final Pick: McKenzie's Irma Extra. By a nose. And, I think it will get better with age.
Bobby's Final Pick: Jersey Summer Breakfast Ale. Shows how great flavor can be brought out in a Belgian Pale without being too spicy.
Mat’s Final Pick: McKenzie's Irma Extra. A really enjoyable and drinkable sour. You could drink it over and over.
Neil’s Final Pick: Ommegang BPA. Solid through and through. Balanced and good for summer with a kick.
Melissa’s Final Pick: Jersey Summer Breakfast Ale. This is an amazing, drinkable beer that you can start up with in the morning while you're prepping for a BBQ.
Apparently, to find some of the most unique beer ingredients, all we had to do was go back in time to old English recipes. That is where you’ll find a good ol’ traditional Cock Ale. Though the earliest recorded recipe is dated 1886, Cock Ales may have been around much longer (perhaps dating back to the 1500s). Despite the length of time this style has been around, it’s hard to imagine anyone has topped the bizarreness of this beer. Traditionally brewed with a large whole cock, raisins, mace, and clove, Cock Ales are like no other. The original recipe found in William Carew Hazlitt’s book “Old Cookery Books and Ancient Cuisine,” calls to “parboil, flea and stamp the cock with a stone mortar until bones are all broken,” bringing a whole new meaning to the term “mashing in.” The recipe also notes that one must be sure to craw and gut the cock during the fleaing process. Details aside from this are quite scarce and have no mention of grains, hops or yeast, but merely say to use ten gallons of ale. Some current brewers such as David Wollner of Willimantic Brewing Co. in Connecticut, have come up with their own versions of the recipe. David’s recipes also include uncommon beer ingredients such as Onion Soup and Chardonnay to blend perfectly with the chicken, raisins and spices.
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