As Danger mentioned previously, I reside in West Philadelphia just a few blocks away from the Dock Street Brewery, my tiny neighborhood brewery which went viral last week due to its plans for a small batch of goat brain beer, the Dock Street Walker, to commemorate the Season Four finale of The Walking Dead. The event kicked off at 5:00p.m. so we planned to get there sharp, meeting up with a few curious friends who were also interested in sacrificing their taste buds in the name of science.
As it turns out, we got there so early that we were the first people to order the Dock Street Walker, so the brewery owner, Rosemarie Certo, came out to take our photo and meet with us. She was thrilled at all of the attention the brewery has gotten over the past week, telling us that word of their beer had gone all the way to China, in addition to a nod on last Thursday’s @midnight on Comedy Central.
So, what does brain beer taste like? As a reminder, here’s the description noted on Dock Street’s website:
Dock Street Walker (7.2% ABV) is an American Pale Stout, brewed with substantial amounts of malted wheat, oats, and flaked barley for a smooth, creamy mouthfeel. Fuggle hops provide delicate, earthy notes, while the cranberries create a sinister, bloody hue, and a slight tartness. The pre-sparge-brain-addition provides the beer with intriguing, subtle smoke notes. In true walker fashion, don’t be surprised if its head doesn’t hang around forever.
The cranberry gave it a tart forward with a smoky finish, which ostensibly were the smoked brains we were tasting. It was heavy yeast on the nose and overall tasted like a hoppy brown ale, similar to a black and tan. I drank two of them before moving on a Rye IPA and a few slices of Dock Street’s signature wood-fired pizza, since the 7.2% ABV quickly went to my head and I was still nursing a hangover from the previous evening’s festivities.
So there you have it. I drank goat brain beer for your entertainment, so don’t say I never did anything for you. But really as far as brain beer goes, it could have been way worse. Game of Thrones beer people? You know where to find me.
