5 Need To Know Weird Beers

If you’ve got even a passing interest in beer then you’ll have definitely come across some peculiar flavours over the years, and there’s no shortage of them in 2023. We embrace the weirdness, but that doesn’t mean they all taste good. In fact, a lot of them miss the mark.

Below are 5 need to know weird beers that we think are really worth a try, from pale ales that sound appetising off the bat, to ales that need to win you around. Cheers!

Northern Monk + Aunt Bessie’s Apple Crumble & Custard Pale Ale

We can always rely on Northern Monk to collaborate with the unexpected and concoct an unusual beer. In the past there’s been Seabrook’s Prawn Cocktail and Cheese & Onion cans, and in fact this isn’t the first time they’ve teamed up with Aunt Bessie’s, releasing a Sunday Dinner Brown Ale previously. These past creations are no longer available, but their newer release, ‘Apple Crumble & Custard’ is and it’s one that is far easier to immediately get on board with. The custard is more forward, with the apple bringing a subtle, candy style flavour. Overall, it isn’t too overwhelming as you might expect and does provide a nice nostalgic sweetness!

Size: 330ml
ABV: 4.5%
Price: £2.50

Fungtn Lion’s Mane IPA

We’ve mentioned these low-alcohol gems before because of their innovative use of medicinal mushrooms. The natural starchy quality of mushrooms complements brewed beer, for example, Lion’s Mane IPA uses Lion’s Mane mushroom. This gives earthy depth, building on the subtle caramel, hay notes among the bitterness. This IPA won has won numerous awards but check out their other mushroom projects like Reishi Citra Hop and the new Shiitake Dark.

Size: 330ml
ABV: 0.5%
Price: 12 for £33.60

Eagle Brewery Banana Bread Beer

You might have had enough of banana bread when everyone started making it during the pandemic, but now you’ve had a rest, how about experiencing it in a whole new form? This Eagle brew uses their own natural mineral water and Fairtrade bananas, bringing inviting banoffee aroma with the silky, rich malt blend and touch of peppery spice. Unlike so many flavoured beers, it does really taste of banana, and it’s delicious.

Size: 500ml
ABV: 5.2%
Price: 8 for £12.50

Hammerton Crunch Peanut Butter Milk Stout

Smooth and silky texture, this is like drinking liquid peanut butter… albeit the stout version. It took tonnes of experimentation, but the balance of roasted peanuts and biscuit is spot on. It’s surprisingly light, with malty, chocolatey, coffee notes in the background. Delicious.

Size: 330ml
ABV: 5.4%
Price: £3.70

Marmite Love Hate Ale Camden Town Brewery

This one completely lives up to the saying, so we just had to include it. Not everyone loves it, but those who do really do. Now, it is very yeasty, and the profile of Camden Hells unsurprisingly comes through, so if you’re drawn to that already then definitely give this a go. Real marmite, Pilsner and Munich malt combine for a smoky, bready for an unforgettable experience.

Size: 330ml
ABV: 4.8%
Price: 12 for £24.99

Take a look at our Beer Cocktails guide and experiment with these odd flavours in one of the recipes! You never know what you’ll create!

The New Trio of Pub Snack Flavoured Beers

We all know that pub snacks and beer are a legendary combination, but one brewery is taking that marriage further than ever before.

Initially floated as an April Fool’s Day suggestion, Independent Leeds-based brewery Northern Monk has committed to their trio of beers inspired by iconic pub snacks. Like scampi fries in the pub? How about Scampi & Lemon Pale Ale? Or if that doesn’t take your fancy, perhaps the Pork Scratching Best Bitter, or Dry Roasted Peanut Stout?

The idea was born out of a workplace debate over the ultimate pub snack, co-founder Russel Bisset describes, “The ultimate pub snack is one of our favourite topics around the brewery; we even ran a tournament on our Instagram to see what other people think and try and settle the debate – pretzel pieces won. Brian Dickson, our Technical Director and Co-Founder, decided we should try and replicate some of our favourites in a beer.” I guess pretzel pieces just didn’t work out!

Whilst the beers are available for a short while on Northern Monk’s website, the real spirit of this creation is in supporting the pubs. Be it inflation, the pandemic or a whole host of other issues, the Great British pub has struggled over the last decade, so the 22 pubs stocking these limited-edition beers will keep the profits as part of the Faith in Boozers campaign. Whether your mouth is watering at the thought of one of the concoctions, or you’re just intrigued, check to see if there is a pub near you below:

Prawn cocktail Crisp Flavoured Beer, You Say?!

Coming from Yorkshire and having grown up mere streets away from the Seabrook factory, it was hard not to get excited about the news that Leeds-based brewer Northern Monk have teamed up with Bradford-based Seabrook to create two new styles of beer: Cheese & Onion and Prawn Cocktail. Just, wow.

They first teased us with this on April Fool’s day, so we weren’t sure here at 3DHQ whether to believe it or not. It wouldn’t be the first time that Northern Monk have pulled off an exciting new style of beer… Anyone else remember their jam roly-poly and Yorkshire pudding beers made in partnership with Aunt Bessie’s last year? It turns out, however, that it is in fact true and the two companies have succeeded in bringing together two of our nation’s favourite things: beer and crisps!

These unique beers are made from a base beer that has been combined with actual Seabrook crisp flavouring. Sadly, we haven’t managed to get our hands on them but the Cheese & Onion lager, coming in at 5.4% abv, is described as having a distinct aroma and leaving you with an aftertaste of cheese and onion whereas the Prawn Cocktail Gose, at 5% abv, is said to be a sour beer with distinct saltiness and a tang of prawn cocktail.

Unfortunately, these crisp-inspired beers are currently sold out, but you can see more of Northern Monk’s imaginative flavours and delicious drinks in the meantime here. If you do manage to get your hands on some, let us know what you thought via our social media @thethreedrinkers!

For more wacky beer stories, take your pick from Aunt Bessie’s Roast Potato Beer, Colman’s Mustard Beer, Fungtn Mushroom Beer and not forgetting Vagina Beer!