Thirsty Thursday Eve - Hypnotic Beast Apple Cinnamon Wheat Ale
I went to Lidl for a dutch oven and left with an interesting new wheat beer. The search for the dutch oven may have been unsuccessful, but I wasn’t disappointed with the Hypnotic Beast Apple Cinnamon Wheat Ale.
I really don’t go to Lidl often, nowhere near as much as I should. Pretty much everything they have is really good and super cheap, and their fresh bread display smells heavenly. Still, they’ll advertise a sale every now and again that entices me inside. Case in point, they advertised a ceramic dutch oven similar to Le Creuset at a fraction of the price. I’ve never used a dutch oven, nor do I really need one, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to pick one up.
Unfortunately, they were completely out of stock by the time I got to the store. That happens for most of the items I see the advertisement for, but I still go in anyway just to check. While I was there, I decided to hang around and shop some. I looked over their bread, and almost bought a few baguettes and a couple of donuts, but I’m trying to watch my carb intake right now.
Eventually, I made my way over to the alcohol aisle. Unlike most grocery stores that have major domestic brands and a few craft offerings, Lidl has a ton of stuff that seems exclusive to the chain. In particular, I spied their Hypnotic Beast Apple Cinnamon Wheat Ale. It sounded sweet and spicy, and I’ve enjoyed most wheat beers that I’ve tried. My curiosity was piqued, at least.
At $4.99 for 22 fluid ounces, or 22.7 cent per ounce, it’s a little steep for what I usually buy in grocery stores, but still less than what I would pay at a bar. I don’t mind paying a small premium for novelty, so I decided to give it a shot. At best, I would find a new favorite beer. At worst, I wasted a fiver on crap. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?
I couldn’t help thinking that “Hypnotic Beast” sounded familiar, but I was nearly certain I had never tried any sort of apple cinnamon wheat ale before. Since I snap a picture of just about every new type of alcohol I try (which I highly recommend any curious drinkers do), I knew I would have a record of the bottle somewhere. The question was whether Google Photos would be able to translate the text and display that bottle when searching for the phrase.
Sure enough, I did see a Hypnotic Beast Belgian Style Golden Ale in my photo gallery. I picked it up from Lidl back in September 2018, about a year and a half ago. Because of my poor memory, I don’t have a clue what I thought about the beer itself, but there was at least record of Lidl having some other style of beer with the Hypnotic Beast name. I decided to do some research. To Google!
From what I could gather, Hypnotic Beast comes from the Starr Hill Brewery out of Crozet, VA. While Starr Hill has several different brews, it seems that the Hypnotic Beast line is owned specifically by Lidl (Lin 2019). Lidl also has a store brand of beer, labeled as “Brewer’s Storehouse.” The individual brews of this other store label seems to be made by either Starr Hill or Foothills (Parker 2017). As for whether Hypnotic Beast is occasionally made by Foothills or exclusively Starr Hill, I can’t seem to determine for certain. It seems to be seasonal, since the shelf label simply lists the item as “Winter Wheat Ale.”
Since I’ve never heard of Starr Hill outside of Lidl, I have to assume it’s a smaller brewery. Coming on board with a store chain like Lidl, even if they are marketed under another name, would give the brewery a ton of volume beyond what they sell under their own brand.
So how is it? I thought it was fantastic. The apple and cinnamon give it a slightly sweet, slightly spicy flavor. On top of the fruity notes of the wheat, it tasted very smooth and malty. I almost got the taste of a cinnamon apple oatmeal, but in liquid form. It may be too sweet for some, but it’s nowhere near the sweetness of malt beverages such as Smirnoff Ice or the like.
I was really pleased with the beer. Hopefully, I can remind myself to go by Lidl more often, just to see what styles they rotate in for the Hypnotic Beast line. Plus, the Brewer’s Storehouse sounds to be much more readily available through the year. Either way, Lidl is definitely the place to check out obscure new brews.
Sources:
Angela. (2019, October 11). Hypnotic Beast Tropical IPA: Wild West Brews. Retrieved March 13, 2020, from https://randomcan.blog/2019/10/11/hypnotic-beast-tropical-ipa-wild-west-brews/
BeerAdvocate. (n.d.). Hypnotic Beast Apple Cinnamon Wheat Ale: The Artisan's Craft Brewing Co. Retrieved March 13, 2020, from https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/52665/451419/
Bodrie, K. (2019, January 19). Taste Test: Lidl Beer. Retrieved March 13, 2020, from https://thegrog.blog/2019/01/19/taste-test-lidl-beer/
Community is Brewing. (n.d.). Starr Hill Pilot Brewery & Side Stage. Retrieved March 13, 2020, from http://communityisbrewing.org/craft-brewery/starr-hill-pilot-brewery-side-stage/
Lin, D. (2019, February 12). Hypnotic Beast. Retrieved March 13, 2020, from https://www.packagingoftheworld.com/2019/02/hypnotic-beast.html
My Beer Buzz. (2017, December 25). Starr Hill Adding Hypnotic Beast Pale Ale. Retrieved March 13, 2020, from https://mybeerbuzz.blogspot.com/2017/12/starr-hill-adding-hypnotic-beast-pale.html
Parker, M. (2017, July 6). Lidl's Beer Brands - Who Really Makes Them? Retrieved March 13, 2020, from http://www.headforbeer.com/2017/07/lidls-beer-brands-who-really-makes-them.html
Untappd Team. (n.d.). Hypnotic Beast Apple Cinnamon Wheat Ale - Starr Hill Brewery. Retrieved March 13, 2020, from https://untappd.com/b/the-artisans-craft-brewing-company-hypnotic-beast-apple-cinnamon-wheat-ale/2919535
Unfortunately, they were completely out of stock by the time I got to the store. That happens for most of the items I see the advertisement for, but I still go in anyway just to check. While I was there, I decided to hang around and shop some. I looked over their bread, and almost bought a few baguettes and a couple of donuts, but I’m trying to watch my carb intake right now.
Eventually, I made my way over to the alcohol aisle. Unlike most grocery stores that have major domestic brands and a few craft offerings, Lidl has a ton of stuff that seems exclusive to the chain. In particular, I spied their Hypnotic Beast Apple Cinnamon Wheat Ale. It sounded sweet and spicy, and I’ve enjoyed most wheat beers that I’ve tried. My curiosity was piqued, at least.
At $4.99 for 22 fluid ounces, or 22.7 cent per ounce, it’s a little steep for what I usually buy in grocery stores, but still less than what I would pay at a bar. I don’t mind paying a small premium for novelty, so I decided to give it a shot. At best, I would find a new favorite beer. At worst, I wasted a fiver on crap. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?
I couldn’t help thinking that “Hypnotic Beast” sounded familiar, but I was nearly certain I had never tried any sort of apple cinnamon wheat ale before. Since I snap a picture of just about every new type of alcohol I try (which I highly recommend any curious drinkers do), I knew I would have a record of the bottle somewhere. The question was whether Google Photos would be able to translate the text and display that bottle when searching for the phrase.
Sure enough, I did see a Hypnotic Beast Belgian Style Golden Ale in my photo gallery. I picked it up from Lidl back in September 2018, about a year and a half ago. Because of my poor memory, I don’t have a clue what I thought about the beer itself, but there was at least record of Lidl having some other style of beer with the Hypnotic Beast name. I decided to do some research. To Google!
From what I could gather, Hypnotic Beast comes from the Starr Hill Brewery out of Crozet, VA. While Starr Hill has several different brews, it seems that the Hypnotic Beast line is owned specifically by Lidl (Lin 2019). Lidl also has a store brand of beer, labeled as “Brewer’s Storehouse.” The individual brews of this other store label seems to be made by either Starr Hill or Foothills (Parker 2017). As for whether Hypnotic Beast is occasionally made by Foothills or exclusively Starr Hill, I can’t seem to determine for certain. It seems to be seasonal, since the shelf label simply lists the item as “Winter Wheat Ale.”
Since I’ve never heard of Starr Hill outside of Lidl, I have to assume it’s a smaller brewery. Coming on board with a store chain like Lidl, even if they are marketed under another name, would give the brewery a ton of volume beyond what they sell under their own brand.
So how is it? I thought it was fantastic. The apple and cinnamon give it a slightly sweet, slightly spicy flavor. On top of the fruity notes of the wheat, it tasted very smooth and malty. I almost got the taste of a cinnamon apple oatmeal, but in liquid form. It may be too sweet for some, but it’s nowhere near the sweetness of malt beverages such as Smirnoff Ice or the like.
I was really pleased with the beer. Hopefully, I can remind myself to go by Lidl more often, just to see what styles they rotate in for the Hypnotic Beast line. Plus, the Brewer’s Storehouse sounds to be much more readily available through the year. Either way, Lidl is definitely the place to check out obscure new brews.
Sources:
Angela. (2019, October 11). Hypnotic Beast Tropical IPA: Wild West Brews. Retrieved March 13, 2020, from https://randomcan.blog/2019/10/11/hypnotic-beast-tropical-ipa-wild-west-brews/
BeerAdvocate. (n.d.). Hypnotic Beast Apple Cinnamon Wheat Ale: The Artisan's Craft Brewing Co. Retrieved March 13, 2020, from https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/52665/451419/
Bodrie, K. (2019, January 19). Taste Test: Lidl Beer. Retrieved March 13, 2020, from https://thegrog.blog/2019/01/19/taste-test-lidl-beer/
Community is Brewing. (n.d.). Starr Hill Pilot Brewery & Side Stage. Retrieved March 13, 2020, from http://communityisbrewing.org/craft-brewery/starr-hill-pilot-brewery-side-stage/
Lin, D. (2019, February 12). Hypnotic Beast. Retrieved March 13, 2020, from https://www.packagingoftheworld.com/2019/02/hypnotic-beast.html
My Beer Buzz. (2017, December 25). Starr Hill Adding Hypnotic Beast Pale Ale. Retrieved March 13, 2020, from https://mybeerbuzz.blogspot.com/2017/12/starr-hill-adding-hypnotic-beast-pale.html
Parker, M. (2017, July 6). Lidl's Beer Brands - Who Really Makes Them? Retrieved March 13, 2020, from http://www.headforbeer.com/2017/07/lidls-beer-brands-who-really-makes-them.html
Untappd Team. (n.d.). Hypnotic Beast Apple Cinnamon Wheat Ale - Starr Hill Brewery. Retrieved March 13, 2020, from https://untappd.com/b/the-artisans-craft-brewing-company-hypnotic-beast-apple-cinnamon-wheat-ale/2919535
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