When I was a kid, I looked forward to movie releases. Batman, Indiana Jones…I looked forward to these movie releases for months ahead of team. When I got a little older, I looked forward to parties. Epic keggers in the middle of a farm. Now, as a grown-ass man, I look forward to beer releases. Seasonals, bourbon-barrel-aged stouts, spiced Christmas beers…these are the special moments that now define my seasons.
Some how, that sounds sadder than I meant it to. Nevertheless, I’ve been looking forward to Catawba’s Peanut Butter Jelly Time for the last three months. It should be obvious why I’ve been anxiously anticipating this beer. Like all red-blooded Americans, I really like peanut butter and jelly. I also really like beer. You put those three together, and It’s gotta be like…well…like peanut butter and jelly and beer. Sounds great, right?
The trouble with anticipation, is that the end product can rarely live up to the hype, so I was a little hesitant when I finally got to crack a can of Peanut Butter Jelly Time. Catawba snuck one into each six pack of their Farmer Ted’s Cream Ale, and I waited until I worked my way through the six pack before delving into this special release. My fear, of course, is that Peanut Butter Jelly Time would suck. It’s a weird concept for a beer. Sometimes weird things suck. Anyone see Hudson Hawk? Weird, and bad.
Luckily, Peanut Butter Jelly Time isn’t as weird as it sounds. To create this beer, Catawba took a brown ale and ages it over peanuts and fresh raspberries. Breweries are doing much weirder things these days.
The beer pours a cloudy raspberry color and doesn’t have much of a nose, but the taste is unmistakable jelly. Raspberry jelly to be exact. The beer has a creamy mouthfeel to it, which I guess is where the peanuts come into play, and pairs well with food. Particularly salty food. Maybe even something spicy.
I drank the beer with pickles and Goldfish crackers because that’s how I eat my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Don’t give me shit, I’m a stay at home dad -— this is a staple of my diet.
Peanut Butter Jelly Time is surprisingly refreshing, although I could see adding another element to the mix, like maybe use a sour beer as the base instead of a brown, or why not add some jalapenos for a bit of spice? I like peanut butter, jelly and jalapeno sandwiches. Sounds like a good beer to me. Something I’d look forward to like a new Indiana Jones flick.
