Oskar Blues is the second Colorado brewery to tap into a viral YouTube video, releasing Honey Badger Smoked Porter at its restaurants in Longmont and Lyons yesterday. The beer was inspired by "The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger (original narration by Randall)," a National Geographic video with a hilarious voicever that repeatedly includes the line, "Honey badger don't care. Honey badger don't give a shit."
Oskar Blues describes the beer this way:
This nasty little ale is made with Crisp Maris Otter pale malt, Gambrinus Honey Malt, roasted barley, chocolate malt and dark crystal malt along with a heaping, meaty dose of Oskar Blues home smoked malt (no kidding; there's meat in it) and generously hopped with Columbus all the way through the boil. A huge dollop of Lyons Local Madhava Wildflower Honey at the end of the boil takes it up a notch.Honey Badger don't care; he just drinks the s**t up. Your nose will be attacked with a plume of cherry wood while your palate is tsunamied with rich chocolatey-caramel flavors and campfire smoke. Served at locally at Oskar Blues Home Made Liquids & Solids (Longmont) and Grill & Brew (Lyons) with an OB Hops & Heifers Farm meat stick. About 6% ABV.
"The good laugh that you get out of the video tied it together, but that wasn't the driving force behind the beer itself," says Oskar Blues spokesman Chad Melis. "It was keep pushing the theme of local, local, local, and to point out that we used local honey."
The limited release beer will only be available for a short time at the two Oskar Blues restaurants (with the meat stick!).
Last year, Trinity Brewing in Colorado created Double Rainbow Saison ("What does it mean??!!"), a Belgian-style beer based on the double rainbow YouTube video that also went viral. The beer, a collaboration with the very small Black Fox Brewing Company (which only makes saisons), also in Colorado Springs, was inspired by the colors of the double rainbow ("It's so intense!"), and included turmeric, honey, pumpkin, tangerine zest, green peppercorns, rose hips and blue corn.
