‘Hook’ and 4 Very Imaginative Beers

Remember the imaginary food fight scene? Of course you do.

The Movie: Fantasy family movie / 1991 / Amblin Entertainment

The Beers: The Lost Boys would be impressed with the level of creative imagination in these brews, if they ever grew up enough to drink them, that is.

A Steven Spielberg-directed story of a grown-up Peter Pan returning to Neverland starring Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman!? Hook was a must-see in the ’90s.

Sure, it got bad reviews. And yes, Steven Spielberg later admitted disappointed with how it turned out. But for many of us kids (and a lot of adults) at the time, Hook was a brightly-colored feast of magic, humor, adventure and “Rufiooo!”

Though who could forget the actual feast in the movie — the imaginary dinner of the Lost Boys!

This epic scene led to numerous attempts during childhood to conjure up my own colorful pies and comfort food dishes with just my mind. My efforts were unsuccessful, but the movie itself remained one of the most frequently visited VHS tapes in my family’s living room for years.

These days, I’m more likely to go make food than try to believe it into being.  Though for an extra dose of imagination during viewings of Hook, there’s these beers:

Sour Pepper Cherry Vanilla Float – Evil Twin Brewing NYC

Evil Twin loves their lengthy beer names, and that’s just fine — when you’re as creative as these New York brewers, you get to call your beer whatever you want! Were it still available, my top choice for “imaginative” beers would have been their Midtown Dew, a Sour Ale brewed with lactose and actual Mountain Dew syrup. Alas, they’re constantly coming up with new innovative recipes and rarely repeat them.

Fortunately, one of their latest creative endeavors is Sour Pepper Cherry Vanilla Float! This one is a “Soda-style Sour Ale” with sweet cola flavors, spice, cherry and vanilla bean. It’s zany for sure, but man do the flavors work wonderfully well. Lactose helps keep it smoothly sippable throughout.

Sour Me Unicorn Farts – DuClaw Brewing

Edible glitter is a real thing, and it’s been used in beverages, pastries and food dishes for years now. But then there’s “glitter beer” that goes the extra mile, like Sour Me Unicorn Farts from the crazy imaginewers (that’s “imaginative brewers” — just roll with me here) at Maryland’s DuClaw.

The beer is a “Glittered Sour Ale,” and it’s brewed with a bright lineup of cherries, tangerines and limes. And, in addition to edible glitter, the brewers added Fruity Pebbles! It’s tangy and sweet, and it does taste a bit like magic.

And let’s be honest — the Lost Boys themselves would laugh pretty hard at the name.

Er Broquerón – Premium Beers from Spain

When Premium Beers from Spain (a beer brand from, you guessed it, Spain) first released Er Broquerón, it was hailed as the first beer brewed with sea water. That’s pretty neat, but then a few other brewers around the world started doing it. They’re still the only ones using Mediterranean sea water though, and astonishingly, the beer isn’t salty, sour, or harsh in any way you’d expect.

The secret is that they use purified sea water, allowing it to instill the beer with an outdoorsy freshness without the saltiness. The beer’s Golden Ale body is naturally crisp, dry, and herbaceous too, which goes nicely with the sea water’s  unique taste.

Now, these beers are only sometimes available in the U.S., and when they are, it’s usually only through limited retailers. Whatever you do, don’t go drinking straight seawater while you wait. No amount of imagination will turn that into beer, unless you happen to be a skilled brewer of your own.

Special Effects N/A Hoppy Amber – Brooklyn Brewery

Non-alcoholic beers have made tremendous strides over the past few years. With a little innovation and careful craftsmanship, they actually taste like regular beer! Case in point: Special Effects. To make this surprisingly lively Amber, the brewers used a “special fermentation” method. It’s unclear what exactly this was, but the beer certainly has notes of citrus peel and gentle hop bitterness.

Does it taste as robust as an Imperial IPA or Red Ale? Not exactly, but it sure doesn’t taste like the N/A beers of the past. Hey, you can always use your imagination to turn Special Effects into a buzzed effect.