Let's Get Weird: Odd Side Ale's Bean Flicker

Today, I found myself getting ready to pour my 6^th cup of coffee. I looked in the fridge for some creamer and instead found a Bean Flicker (blonde ale with coffee from Odd Side Ales) that I had bought a few weeks ago. It was already 3 in the afternoon, so I made an audible “ehhhhh” and swapped my coffee and cream for coffee and beer.

Beer and coffee can result in a beautiful friendship. I've already mentioned Atwater’s Vanilla Java Porter as a particularly stellar beer. Porters and stouts are predestined to open their arms to notes of chocolate, vanilla and rich coffee. But in a golden ale? That mix shouldn't go together—but it does, and I’ll tell you why.

Think of the blonde roast from Starbucks. It’s light, it’s pleasant…but it’s a little weak. You can manipulate a blonde roast with a number of flavors and it will taste good, because coffee always tastes good. Blonde ales have that similar unassuming baseline and they play nice with others. Although it’s not as rich and creamy as a porter or a stout, golden ales can effectively integrate coffee—just in a totally different way.

Here’s what you’ll experience with Bean Flicker:

First, it’ll taste like a chilled version of a carbonated light roast coffee. I was expecting to find rogue coffee grounds at the bottom of the bottle, BUT IT WAS JUST BEER. I have no idea how Odd Side Ales did it. I’m not saying it's witchcraft, but it definitely happened.

Next comes the beer. Moderately bitter, with a hint of sweet grains, but refreshing—exactly like golden ale. As it swishes through the mouth-hole down to the throat-tube it’s easy to see that both flavors go together in a surprisingly palatable way.

My roommates tried Bean Flicker with me (this is me subtly telling you that I was NOT day drinking alone) and we all loved it because it was unlike any beer we've had. Craft beer is supposed to be interesting and an adventure. I will say though, if you’re one of those girls who only likes their coffee in frappuccino form—I wouldn't pluck this particular beer off the shelf.

Also, just because Bean Flicker is sort of like a blonde roast coffee—that does not mean you should pour this into your travel mug and hit the road for that morning commute. At the very least, wait until you’re sitting at your desk to enjoy this unexpected take on the American Blonde Ale.