Wake up and smell the beer!
Coney Island Brewery will roll out a line of breakfast-themed beers for its annual Freak Week on Sept. 17–22, including two brews inspired by the old-school cereals Count Chocula and Boo Berry. Along with two beers brewed with coffee, the lineup is perfect for brunch, says the man behind the suds.
“[It’s] brunch beer, actually! Designed with low [alcohol] and a perfect balance of sweet and crackery, these beers are a go-to for brunch, but can be enjoyed at any time of the day,” said Matt McCall, the head brewer of the seaside beer maker.
The cereal concoctions include Blueberry Boo-Liner, a sour Berliner Weisse-style beer aged with blueberry puree; and Count Flocula, a kolsch beer aged with cacao nibs to give it a chocolate flavor. Both were brewed with lactose and marshmallow creme — the sugar in the marshmallow will be eaten away by the yeast, said McCall, but it will leave the brew with a slightly vanilla, “marshmallowy” flavor.
The coffee beers including Coney Island Brewery’s annual Freaktoberfest Big Ol’ Pumpkin ale, made with pumpkin spices and espresso from Brooklyn chain Cafe Grumpy, and the more high-octane Super Freak, an imperial ale with pumped-up flavors, coffee, and 9.1 percent alcohol.
What about Franken Berry, the third of the General Mills monster cereals? McCall said a beer based on the pink Frankenstein cereal might appear in the future, but not yet.
“For Freak Week we wanted to limit the amount of releases,” he said. “The thought of having two cereal beers to pair alongside that was a better fit.”
The brewery’s taproom at MCU Park will start pouring the beers on Sept. 19. The Whole Foods in Gowanus will host a “Roasters and Coasters” panel discussion with head brewer McCall and Cafe Grumpy’s head roaster, with tastes of the new brews, on Sept 18. And cans will be for sale at the brewery’s Freaktoberfest party on Sept. 22.
“Roasters and Coasters” panel at Whole Foods (214 Third St. between Third Avenue and the Canal in Gowanus, www.whole
Freaktoberfest at Coney Island Brewery (1904 Surf Ave. at W. 17th Street in Coney Island, www.coney
