The goal at Craft Beer Joe is to provide you with a information about craft beer and anything related to it. And as most of us will admit, craft beer has impacted many parts of our lives. But did you ever think it would impact how you eat toast? Well, if you buy craft beer jelly then it will.
Yup, that’s right, craft beer jelly is a thing.
If you are like me, you’re probably skeptical and think this is more gimmick than anything else. But hold on, read the rest of my review and I think you’ll see that these jellies are more than just an attempt to market to the craft beer fans of the world.
What Is Craft Beer Jelly?
Let’s not over think this one . . . craft beer jelly is jelly made with craft beer.
At first glance, this might not make a lot of sense. Would adding craft beer to a sticky, sweet food really make sense? Would hops taste good with sugar and spread on toast?
Located in Arkansas, House Of Webster makes their craft beer jelly with the help of two local breweries.
Ozark Beer Company in Rogers, AR was the partner for fall of the flavors except for the T-Rex which which is from Fossil Cove Brewing Company in Fayetteville, AR.
It’s great to see that they used local breweries to make this product. The craft beer community loves local collaborations and this just proves it once again.
House Of Webster has been making jelly since 1934 and prides themselves in their small batch products.The chef actually hand selects the fruit, beer and other ingredients. They boil the beer, sugar, pectin, citric acid and fruit then it is jarred.
Craft Beer Jelly Review
The gift set includes six jellies that all feature a different style of craft beer. This means there’s something for everyone.
Here Are The 6 Flavors And My Thoughts On Each:
Snake Bite – American Pale Ale
A straight-beer jelly, made with locally-brewed American Pale Ale. It is a crystal-clear jelly with the freshest hops-flower savor.
It’s a well balanced jelly with prominent beer flavor and aroma followed by the sweetness of the jelly. You get a subtle hop presence but it is not bitter. There is nothing added to the jelly to alter or hide the beer flavors so this one is a lot of fun for the craft beer purist.
Bear Claw – Strawberry Imperial Pale Ale
Imperial Pale Ale was originally made by the British for their expatriates to India. It is made using a lot of hops and still carries the flavors of the oak barrels in which in is stored. We added strawberry to its original floral note create a complex and fruity jelly.
As you might guess, this one takes what Snake Bite offered and takes it to the next level. This one has the most hop flavor of any jelly in the gift pack.
There is zero bitterness which helps it embrace the strawberry flavor.
It has all of the aroma and flavor of a big, hoppy beer with sweet strawberry layered on top.
Fox Head – Belgian Wheat
Made with a lot of wheat, Belgian Beer is very lightly bitter – we added orange to complement its crisp and fruity flavor.
This one has the least beer flavor to it. Belgian wheat beers are not overpowering so it makes sense that it would impart the least to the jelly.
There is a slight citrus note to this jelly which is really pleasant. For those that may not like beer, this will be a good place to start.
Hogs Breath – Summer Saison
Don’t let the name fool you! Made in summer, the saison ale is lightly hopped and accented with raspberries. It is a sweet jelly!
My first impression was the sweetness of the jelly and raspberries which was quickly followed by a good amount of saison flavor.
That saison flavor on the back end helped reduce the impact of the sweetness; as well as, made me want more of it. This may be my favorite.
Green Head – Coffee Stout
Coffee Stout is a rich dark Ale that we infused with locally roasted Onyx coffee, for a rich flavor enhanced with figs.
It was hard enough to get my mind wrapped around the idea of craft beer in jelly but now I had to understand coffee too.
The aroma on this one is huge; tons of coffee. And the flavor is the same, as I got lots of coffee followed by some roasted flavors of the stout.
I didn’t expect it but this is one of the sweetest jellies in the group and also provides the biggest aroma/flavor combination.
T-Rex – Trippel Ale Peach Chipotle
We take the famous 3-times brewed Trippel ale, add filtered peach pu
ree and combine it with Chipotle peppers. The smoked ripe red Jalapenos transform the tame flavor into a fierce sweet and hot jelly, than can be used on toast as well as a savory condiment.
When I went in for a smell, I could tell it was going to be spicy but I got mostly sweet peach with the first taste.
Then the hot chipotle kicked in quickly afterwards and it was much hotter than I was prepared for. Luckily, some of this was reduced by the Trippel flavors at the end of the jelly.
This jelly would be great in marinades for pork chops.
Where Do You Get Craft Beer Jelly?
House Of Webster offers a wide variety of food products; including jams, butter, baking items and much more.
So it only makes sense that they would continue to meet the needs of their customers and provide something as unique as craft beer jelly.
And make sure you check out the rest of their site, I got my hands on their apple butter, pumpkin butter and sweet and spicy relish.
Here are my thoughts on those other products as well:
- Pumpkin Butter
- Thick and decadent. Not overly sugary but still very sweet. Loaded with pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices.
- This is good enough to enjoy year round; not just in the fall.
- Apple Butter
- Thinner than the pumpkin butter. A touch more sugary sweet with a prominent cinnamon flavor.
- I like it on an english muffin.
- Sweet n Hot Pepper Relish
- Smells like a spicy gerkin pickle. The taste is sweet tomato with spicy peppers. Has a somewhat stickiness to it as well.
- Pair it with cheese and crackers or use it as a salsa.
Final Thoughts
These jellies are a lot of fun. The beer flavors really come through in an approachable way. You can use them just as you would any other jelly. For me, I’ll probably enjoy the sweeter options on toast as part of breakfast.
But I can also see putting these out with cheese, crackers and meat; maybe as an appetizer before a meal.
If you are like me, you’ll probably get these for yourself (and to share with those that visit your home) but I also think they would make the perfect gift for the craft beer fan that has every thing.
Or for the person that is just as much a craft beer fan as they are a foodie.
Either way; there’s probably someone that would love to try some craft beer jelly.
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