US brewery creates beer flavored with bull testicles
A Colorado brewery has created a beer flavored with bull testicles after the response to what was originally meant as an April Fools' joke proved overwhelmingly positive.
On October 8, the Wynkoop Brewing Company tapped into the first keg of its Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout, made with 25 lbs (11 kg) of roasted bull gonads.
Deep-fried bull testicles -- also known as Rocky Mountain oysters -- are considered a local delicacy in Colorado. In Canada's cattle country, the dish goes by the name of prairie oysters.
"Fried bull testicles, or Rocky Mountain oysters, are a Colorado favorite. This makes them the perfect ingredient to showcase a new style of beer we've created which really pays tribute to one of Colorado's unique jewels," says a brewer holding a raw testicle in a spoof video promoting the fictional beer for April Fools' Day earlier this year.
It was a hoax that proved to be incredibly popular among beer bloggers, writers and fellow brewers alike, who fell for the joke and requested samples. But it was after tasting a stout from Odell Brewing made with real oysters that the beer maker decided to make good on its joke.
The brew is made with local malts, roasted barley, seven specialty malts, Styrian Goldings hops, and sea salt, and has “3 BPB – balls per barrel.”
Testicles were sliced by hand and roasted before being added to the beer’s mash.
The result is what the brewery describes as a slightly viscous stout deep brown in color with flavors of chocolate syrup, Kahlua, espresso, and a savory “umami-like note” that finishes dry and roasted.
“We’ve been making ballsy beer for the past few years,” said head brewer Andy Brown.
Only eight barrels were produced and will be available at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver from October 11-13.
