When Panther Island Brewing tapped a small-batch brown ale made with Buc-ee’s famous Beaver Nuggets in February 2020, the beer sold out in a matter of hours. It was only available inside the Fort Worth taproom, and the offering was “extremely limited,” says head brewer Ryan McWhorter.
“We let consumers decide what to drink,” he says. And the message here was clear: People liked beer with Beaver Nuggets in it.
Update on April 16, 2020: The brewery’s second batch of Beaver Nugget infused beer becomes available at noon on April 17. This time, they brewed a much larger quantity: 60 barrels. Customers can order online, by phone or in person. A six-pack costs $10 and customers can’t buy more than four six-packs.
It’s no surprise that the beer, called Road Trip Snacks Brown Ale, has been popular. Some Texans have extreme loyalty for Buc-ee’s, a travel center along highways in Texas with a cult following.
Panther Island Brewing’s beer is not affiliated with Buc-ee’s — and they didn’t endorse or sponsor it. The team at Panther Island Brewing simply purchased Beaver Nuggets and brewed the beer. The 6% ABV beer features a toasted caramel and maple flavor profile from the sweet corn puffs that go in the mash tun during the brewing process.
“We all really like Beaver Nuggets,” McWhorter says, “and we were sitting around eating them and thought ‘Why don’t we put this in beer?’”
It’s become popular for craft breweries to add oddball ingredients to beers. Collective Brewing Project in Fort Worth, for instance, added Peeps and ramen noodles into two separate beers. (The brewery has since closed. But its Cup O’ Beer, a sour beer infused with ramen noodles, was one of its most popular.)
“To keep up with trends, it’s smart to come up with new and exciting beers — the right way,” McWhorter says. “It’s something we really enjoy.”
The first batch of Beaver Nugget-infused beer was only 12 gallons. Once the brewers proved there was demand for Road Trip Snacks, they made a significantly larger second batch.
It likely won’t be the last time Panther Island Brewing experiments with interesting beer ingredients.
“If you’re passionate about what you’re eating, it’s easy to make a beer out of it,” McWhorter says.
For more food news, follow Sarah Blaskovich on Twitter at @sblaskovich.
Original story written Feb. 18, 2020. Story updated April 16, 2020 with information about the second batch.
