The latest novelty beer to hit the headlines sounds like a marriage made in Hell.
There’s a fine line between a beer that engages with other flavours to create something more sweet, sour or otherwise interesting, and that which simply jumps the shark into novelty silliness more akin to roast chicken in a can than anything sensible. Of course, that line has been trampled over with gleeful abandon many times, and it’s possible that Northern Monk’s Three-Course Sunday Roast is still the high concept to beat in this regard. but – and I say this as someone who absolutely loves a chocolate porter – the Cadbury’s Creme Egg Stout still seems wrong in all ways.
Now, I’ll confess that my immediate reaction of ‘oh hell, no’ to this might be due to my extreme aversion to creme eggs in general – I know that these gooey atrocities are seen as something of a national treasure by many people, but to me, their innards have always looked and tasted like something that has been regurgitated. Of course, I don’t like boiled eggs either, so that doesn’t help.
Anyway, this collaboration between Cadbury and Goose Island is called the Golden Goo-Beer-Lee Creme Stout, which is a rather strangled pun on the fact that the brew is to celebrate the 50th anniversary of these chocolate horrors. It is a 4.5% mix of malted barley, oats, wheat, milk sugar, cacao nibs and vanilla beans and is said to mirror “the rich and creamy texture of the nation’s favourite gooey chocolate egg” because that is definitely the sort of texture that everyone is looking for from a beer.
Like many a novelty beer collaboration, this seems as much a publicity gimmick as a serious brew – presumably, Goose Island is hoping that love the idea or hate it, the press will send people towards their website where they can buy altogether more sensible craft beers. As it is, a two-pack of these, in 440ml cans, will set you back a tenner, which might well get you a good few more adventurous, stronger beers if we are making comparisons.
Obviously, I am willing to swallow my pride alongside a can of this stuff and admit to being wrong, should Goose Island care to send one over. But while I applaud the PR stunt nature of the drink, I won’t be going out of my way to track one down. But if you are beside yourself with excitement – sorry, eggcitement – over this, then fill your boots: https://www.gooseislandshop.com/products/its-the-golden-goo-beer-lee
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