02-17-2011, 11:18 AM
http://www.expressmilwaukee.com/article-...chips.html
Sprecher Brewing Co. and the Riverwest snack manufacturer Bradley Industries spent the better part of a year testing recipes when they teamed up to create a beer-flavored kettle chip, experimenting with Sprecherââ¬â¢s different beers to perfect the taste. Their early goal was to concoct a chip with a strong beer flavor, but the process of dehydrating beer for the chips made that difficult.
ââ¬ÅWhen you dehydrate beer, alcohol is the first thing that volatilizes,ââ¬Â explains Sprecher President Jeff Hamilton. ââ¬ÅWhat you end up with is the part of the beer that isnââ¬â¢t liquidââ¬âall those fine particles of constituents that you never usually see in beer because theyââ¬â¢re completely dissolved. We were looking for a way to make that powder more flavorful, but we found that dehydrating the beer makes the flavor a lot milder. We tried making the powder from some really dark beersââ¬âwe even tried unfiltered dark beerââ¬âbut we found that even that didnââ¬â¢t make any appreciable change.ââ¬Â
They ultimately decided that using the breweryââ¬â¢s Special Amber beer resulted in the best-tasting chip. The end product, Sprecher Beer Flavored Kettle Chips, doesnââ¬â¢t overwhelm with its signature ingredient the way a jalapeño kettle chip does. The beer accent is mild, complementing the potato chipsââ¬â¢ primary sweet/salty flavor.
The chips are available at Nehringââ¬â¢s Sendikââ¬â¢s, Blainââ¬â¢s Farm and Fleet and other area retailers, as well as at the Sprecher gift shop in Glendale, which also sells Sprecher mustards and barbecue sauces. Hamilton says heââ¬â¢s open to expanding the breweryââ¬â¢s product and condiment line in the future.
ââ¬ÅWeââ¬â¢ve had some other people create products made from our beers and sodas,ââ¬Â Hamilton says. ââ¬ÅThatââ¬â¢s how we find these items; people fool around with our syrups, then bring the idea to us. We recently had a lady bring us a root-beer jelly, which is pretty interesting. We donââ¬â¢t know how weââ¬â¢d package it, but itââ¬â¢s actually very tasty.ââ¬Â
Sprecher Brewing Co. and the Riverwest snack manufacturer Bradley Industries spent the better part of a year testing recipes when they teamed up to create a beer-flavored kettle chip, experimenting with Sprecherââ¬â¢s different beers to perfect the taste. Their early goal was to concoct a chip with a strong beer flavor, but the process of dehydrating beer for the chips made that difficult.
ââ¬ÅWhen you dehydrate beer, alcohol is the first thing that volatilizes,ââ¬Â explains Sprecher President Jeff Hamilton. ââ¬ÅWhat you end up with is the part of the beer that isnââ¬â¢t liquidââ¬âall those fine particles of constituents that you never usually see in beer because theyââ¬â¢re completely dissolved. We were looking for a way to make that powder more flavorful, but we found that dehydrating the beer makes the flavor a lot milder. We tried making the powder from some really dark beersââ¬âwe even tried unfiltered dark beerââ¬âbut we found that even that didnââ¬â¢t make any appreciable change.ââ¬Â
They ultimately decided that using the breweryââ¬â¢s Special Amber beer resulted in the best-tasting chip. The end product, Sprecher Beer Flavored Kettle Chips, doesnââ¬â¢t overwhelm with its signature ingredient the way a jalapeño kettle chip does. The beer accent is mild, complementing the potato chipsââ¬â¢ primary sweet/salty flavor.
The chips are available at Nehringââ¬â¢s Sendikââ¬â¢s, Blainââ¬â¢s Farm and Fleet and other area retailers, as well as at the Sprecher gift shop in Glendale, which also sells Sprecher mustards and barbecue sauces. Hamilton says heââ¬â¢s open to expanding the breweryââ¬â¢s product and condiment line in the future.
ââ¬ÅWeââ¬â¢ve had some other people create products made from our beers and sodas,ââ¬Â Hamilton says. ââ¬ÅThatââ¬â¢s how we find these items; people fool around with our syrups, then bring the idea to us. We recently had a lady bring us a root-beer jelly, which is pretty interesting. We donââ¬â¢t know how weââ¬â¢d package it, but itââ¬â¢s actually very tasty.ââ¬Â

