It’s obvious, really. There are thousands of pumpkin beers out there; it’s been done. Who’s ready to brew with a different holiday staple that is every bit as American and, as a bonus, has a sweeter, more intense flavor? I yam.
“A lot of people do pumpkin beer,” says Bror Welander, senior shift brewer at Odd Side Ales in Grand Haven, Michigan. “We actually don’t do any pumpkin beers. But we thought it would be cool to do something for Thanksgiving and release it on Black Friday. And what do people like to enjoy on Thanksgiving?”
Behold, Odd Side’s Sweet Potato Soufflé. It’s a big, dark, dessert-like strong ale that usually gets some barrel-aging. The version that won gold for Specialty Beer at the 2017 Great American Beer Festival spent time in rye whiskey barrels.