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The Sweet Stuff

These beers are brewed and conditioned with the sweet stuff.

Dave Carpenter Feb 10, 2014 - 3 min read

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If the overwhelming response to our recent story about pairing beer with Girl Scout cookies is any indication, the only thing readers enjoy more than great craft beer is great craft beer with dessert! But cookies and candy don’t just make for delicious beer pairings. They also make delicious beer itself.

Here are just a few examples of beer that is brewed or conditioned with the sweet stuff:

  • Cinnsation Ale, released every autumn by Odell Brewing Company in Fort Collins, Colorado, is made with cinnamon rolls baked by the nearby Silver Grill Café.
  • Evil Twin Brewing adds loads of donuts to an 11.5% ABV imperial porter to create Imperial Doughnut Break.
  • Each 15 barrel batch of Leon Russian Imperial Stout, from Pennsylvania’s Neshaminy Creek Brewing, features 45 pounds of homemade marshmallow fluff, 16.5 pounds of bittersweet bakers chocolate, and 30 pounds of graham crackers to create a s’more in a glass.
  • Loveland, Colorado’s Verboten Brewing adds housemade caramel to every batch of its Killer Boots porter.
  • Arbor Brewing Company in Ann Arbor, Michigan, brews its Mackinac Island Fudge Stout with real chocolate fudge.

And the rising popularity of cask-conditioned (firkin) beers has inspired craft brewers across the country to “dry hop” with such unique ingredients as candy corn, peanut butter cups, Red Hots, Butterfingers, and blackberry-sage candy.

Sometimes brewers make beer that mimics a specific treat. Oregon’s Rogue Ales collaborates with local favorite Voodoo Donuts to create several confectionary brews, each of which showcases its namesake ingredients:

  • Voodoo Bacon Maple Ale
  • Voodoo Chocolate, Peanut Butter & Banana Ale
  • Voodoo Pretzel, Raspberry, & Chocolate Ale

But for the ultimate Girl Scout cookie pairing, look no further than San Francisco’s Cervecería de MateVeza. This brewery and empanadas emporium has crafted a series of beers to match your favorite seasonal offerings from the local Girl Scout troop:

  • Salted Chocolate Stout with Peanut Butter (Peanut Butter Patties)
  • Belgian Dubbel with Cocoa Nibs & Coconut (Samoas)
  • Peanut Butter Cream Ale (Do-Si-Dos)
  • Peppermint Porter (Thin Mints)
  • Shortbread Golden Ale (Trefoils)

So whether you prefer a craft beer that accompanies dessert or a craft beer that’s made from it, today’s craft beer drinker enjoys more selections than ever before. Have fun exploring your area’s unusual offerings, and let us know what you find!

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