In Honor Of This Holiday, A Beer That Evokes The Mighty Pretzel
Saturday is National Pretzel Day, so pencil that in. I love pretzels. You probably do too. Soft, yeasty pretzels, hard, salty pretzels, they're all amazing. Better yet, they all go great with beer. Shock Top brewmaster Jill Vaughn loves pretzels too, and for good reason. The end product of this inspired pairing was Twisted Pretzel Wheat, only available on tap at festivals, events and special locations, so order it if you see it. Here's where it's pouring.
So what inspired Vaughn to make a beer reminiscent of its pairing BFF?
"We can do a lot of really crazy creative things at Shock Top," she told me at a pouring event in New York City. "We were looking local and one cool thing about the St. Louis brewery is that when you leave work you smell two things: beer, which is totally awesome, then there's this pretzel place, which is right across the street, that makes fresh soft pretzels. It's totally St. Louis, that pretzel shop is city-known for their pretzels, people drive there just for pretzels. So that was really the inspiration."
As she was telling me, my shirt and I suddenly became aware of a small hole in the cone-shaped cup made of pretzel that the beer was served in. While I don't imagine this will be a problem to most, seeing as you'll probably be drinking it out of a glass, I'd like to point out that I drank beer out of a pretzel. And there you have it. A delicious take on St. Louis, inspired by true events. Go out on National Pretzel Day and celebrate the beer snack that's always been there for you.
More beer on Food Republic: