Bagel Beer

[Stone]

Yesterday I had a Bagel Beer., purchased at Trader Joes. It was pretty good.

I had the "Plain Pilsner." I'd say I liked it better than most pilsers. It was more amber in color and had a fuller flavor that approached a pale ale. The subtle hop taste didn't hit until after the swallow. Very enjoyable.

What the hell it had to do with a bagel, I don't know. The beer is brewed with "fresh bagels in the mash process which gives our brew its "snap" and refreshing finish." I can't imagine what flavor a bagel would add to the beer, and there is nothing remotely bagel-like about the beer.

On the other hand, the site states that "Our tastes dictate that beer is best when it's fresh and complements our mood. So, we picked some of our favorites in an attempt to fulfill this need for crisp and refreshing brews!" This suggests that the beer was meant to accompany a plain bagel (toasted with butter or cream cheese, or perhaps topped with lox?).

Perhaps the brewer (a server at Boulevard in San Francisco) assumes that brew brewed with a bagel necessarily compliments one. I doubt it's that easy. But the beer is pretty good.

[Suzanne F]

Sounds to me like the best -- in fact, only possible -- use for what passes for bagels nowadays. But that's a rant for another thread.