The Brew Zoo: A Six Pack of Animal Beers

I'm the host for The Session #7: The Brew Zoo, so I have been thinking about animal beers the last few weeks. Beer Blogging Friday is a pretty liberal operation, allowing beer bloggers some decent leeway to take a theme and run with it. My personal preference for The Brew Zoo is to write about beers that either come from a brewery named after an animal or the actual brand is named for an actual living, breathing creature.

That said, I fully expect that a number of beers that feature animal art on their labels, but not in their names, will show up at the zoo gate. I've had several recently, from Saratoga Lager with its horse to Sweetwater 420 Extra Pale Ale and its fish to Bell's Concecrator Dopplebock with its pair of billy goat heads. I also decided personally to avoid mythical creatures for my personal contribution. Bigfoot and Flying Dog may show up, too, and that's just fine. All of these beers will be allowed through the gate. We want to see how many creatures big and small that we can cram into the menagerie.

Without further delay, here are my six animal brews for The Brew Zoo. They come from the land, sea and air.

Avery Hog Heaven: This reddish brew has a big amount of hops to carry it through almost any situation, but the malt comes in to play heavily, making this a complex and balanced barleywine. This beer packs flavor and a punch.

Carlsberg Elephant Malt Liquor: I wanted to see if I could bag the biggest animal for The Session. This beer from Denmark has a slightly sweet nose and clear golden color. The semi-thick white head hung around. The flavor is a bit on the bitter side and it has a lingering alcoholic note.

Goose Island Summertime Kolsch: A clean and crisp beer that is fairly light, but carries with it citrus notes and just a hint of hop bitterness. A nice hot weather beer from Chicago.

Otter Creek World Beer Tour Otteroo Australian Sparkling Ale: This beer from Vermont was slightly hazy, with a nice fruity base. Fairly light body for all that was going on with the beer's flavor.

Steelhead Extra Stout: From Mad River Brewing in Blue Lake, Calif., this dark as night beer has pronounced roasted characteristics from start to finish. It offers a solid tan head and a slight bitter chocolate finish.

Terrapin Rye Pale Ale: This ale from Georgia has an enormous hop base (45 IBUs), thanks to the five varieties that are used. I has a cloudy, amber color and it is fairly unique because of its use of rye. A great beer of draught.