Wu-Tang and That Time Breweries Infused Beer with Music

‘Wu-Tang: An American Saga’ is back for season 2! But have you heard about the hip hop legend’s influence on craft beer?

The beer industry’s love of the Wu-Tang Clan is no secret. Just a tiny smattering of examples includes names like WU-TANGerine Berliner Weisse, Inspectah Czech Pilsner and Cashmere Rules Everything Around Me (an IPA brewed with cashmere hops, naturally).

Heck, Wyoming’s Melvin Brewing is so obsessed they’ve interwoven their entire brand with “subtle hints of Wu-Tang influences across the board, from our beer names, to can copy, to dedicated events celebrating their talents.” There’s also Ghost Face Killah from Colorado’s Twisted Pine, an ale brewed with chillies that’s so ridiculously hot, it was submitted to the Guinness Book of World Records.

But the most interesting Wu-Tang beer influence reared its head several years ago, when brewers went beyond the labels and actually brewed beer with the legendary hip hop group’s music. No really! The tunes played an integral part in the fermentation process.

In 2015, Dock Street Brewing in Philadelphia released Ain’t Nothing to Funk With, a Golden Saison subjected to six months of Wu-Tang music vibrations via a custom speaker setup attached to the barrel. Wu-Tang’s Inspectah Deck even attended the release party, where the beer sold out entirely.

The music wasn’t just a gimmick though. According to a statement Dock Street put out at the time, “When yeast grows it produces flavor compounds. Vibrations are proven to cause yeast to grow more, which results in more flavor.”

The following year, North Carolina’s Fortnight Brewing tried it out for themselves. They put two 30-inch speakers on either side of their fermentation tank and blasted Wu-Tang at max volume for two weeks to create Bring Da Ruckus IPA. While they initially did just play Wu-Tang’s “Bring Da Ruckus” track, head brewer Derek Garman told Vice that he and his team started playing the full 36 Chambers album because hearing the same song every day for 8 hours straight was getting tedious.

But did the process actually make a difference? Interestingly, Fortnight’s experimental beer had a control. Bring da Ruckus IPA called for the same recipe of another Fortnight beer, Bring da Saucer IPA. In the same Vice interview, the brewers revealed that not only did the music-infused beer turn out “more bitter, less floral, less sweet” than the untouched recipe, but lab tests formally proved its chemical difference.

In any case, the Wu-Tang beers serve as examples of the group’s lasting legacy. And whether or not you’re a longtime fan, Hulu’s Wu-Tang: An American Saga is worth a watch. Not only is the Wu-Tang Clan a national icon with enduring musical and cultural influence, but its members’ rise from the criminal path to big-time mainstream success embodies the ultimate American dream.

Now in its second season, (three premiere episodes dropped on Wednesday) the show itself is also just really well done. Though that shouldn’t come as any surprise, considering RZA and Method Man themselves are on board as executive producers.

Many would argue that the modern craft brewing movement is its own American dream success story. And while it’s certainly a very different story than that of Wu-Tang, they’d be right. Less than 100 years after the end of Prohibition (in 1933), the U.S. beer industry is thriving. The latest Brewers Association data shows a total of 8,764 breweries and counting. That’s a lot of competition, but it also leaves room for a lot of creativity.

Like making beer to the beats of Wu-Tang.

*While these brews may no longer be available, here are some current beers to pair with the TV show:

• WU-TANGerine / Fruited Berliner Weisse / 6% ABV / Birthright Brewing Co. – Nazareth, PA
• Inspectah Dank / Double IPA / 8.3% ABV / Abolitionist Ale Works – Charles Town, WV
• Cashmere Rules Everything Around Me / Pale Ale / 4.6% ABV / Dual Citizen Brewing Co. – St. Paul, MN
• Cash Rules Everything Around Me / Cream Ale / 5% ABV / If I Brewed the World – Saint Petersburg, FL
• Bring da Ruckus / BA Imperial Stout / 14.7% ABV / Barreled Souls Brewing Co. – Saco, ME