Mankato Boomchickapop Popcorn Ale Review

Name: Mankato Boomchickapop Popcorn Ale
Style: Saison
ABV: 5%
IBUS: 24

We've seen beer made with apples, cocoa nibs, coffee beans, and even goat brains but now Mankato Brewery has given us a beer that even I couldn't have forseen: a beer made with popcorn. More specifically: Angie's Boomchickapop Popcorn, which is also based out of Mankato, MN. When I first saw this, I assumed it was an April Fool's joke, because the day I first saw this was during April Fool's Day but later that day, reports started coming in that it was available at stores in the Mankato-area and then last week, it was on store shelves here in Minneapolis.

True to their word, one of the ingredients listed in here is popcorn. Not stuff that tastes like popcorn but actual Angie's popcorn. I have to give both companies credit because popcorn is definitely not at the top of my list in terms of ingredients I'd use in beer. You know, this almost reminds me of Fulton's Hefewheaties, which was disappointingly made with no Wheaties.

Appearance - Mildly hazy yellow color with a high amount of carbonation. The head is on the fizzier but with a high amount of volume side and here isn't much lacing left behind.

Aroma - Belgian yeasts with some pale malts and light floral hoppiness. I am getting a fairly light popcorn scent in here as well but it definitely isn't as strong as the rest of the nose.

Taste - Belgian yeasts and light cloves in the front with some floral hops towards the back along with some pale malts and a light hint of popcorn. For those of you wondering, the popcorn aspect of the flavor is just plain. Meaning that it doesn't taste salty or buttery but rather like it just came out of an air popper. It's like flavorless popcorn if that makes any sense.

The popcorn aspect of the flavor is, for the most part, a novelty but this still comes across as a good Saison, which I think was their original intent and if anything, proves that you can make a great beer with even the most unlikeliest of things. If this were more expensive, I would say pass on it but since it commands a fairly reasonable price point, I say this is worth a gander.

Mankato Boomchickapop Popcorn Ale - 8/10