National Mustard Day is a real holiday, and this year it's August 1st. Mark your calendar and prepare your mustard accordingly. As a follow-up to last year's wasabi ice cream (more on that later), French's is launching a limited-edition mustard beer to commemorate the mustard-centric holiday. If the term "mustard beer" makes you suspicious... same thing.
This year's Mustard Day fun is in partnership with craft brewery Oskar Blues. This Colorado-based brewery is very familiar with the flavors out there. Their current lineup of beers includes Death By King Cake, a nod to the Mardi Gras dessert, and Death By Affogato, which like the Italian beer of the same name, combines notes of vanilla, espresso, and chocolate. However, the French don't call their beer "Death By Mustard," so your fate hangs in the balance.
So, what does mustard beer actually taste like? Well, that’s pretty much what it sounds like. I had the pleasure/horror of trying a mustard beer from France, and honestly? good. Dare I say...not bad? It's similar to a sour beer with some fruitiness. In addition to mustard, lime, lemon, orange and passion fruit are added to the beer to create a sour beer. However, the aftertaste is unmistakably mustardy, like the ghost of a hot dog. If that doesn't quite put you off, you might like a mustard beer.
Similar to other salty snack beers, such as pickle beer or habanero, mustard beer pairs best with salty drinks. Plus, this combination isn't exactly left-field, as beer mustard has long been a stable choice on sports bars and happy hour menus. French's has a few other recipes, like mustard beer sausage, if you'd rather cook with beer than drink it.
Starting today, you can try French Mustard Ale for yourself by ordering online through CraftShack. A six-pack sells for $19.99. You can also find limited-edition beers at Oskar Blues Brewery taprooms in Boulder, CO, Longmont, CO, and Brevard, NC. If this interests you, you'll want to pick up the six-pack as soon as possible. The mustard beer is available while supplies last. The brightest stars always burn out fastest.
Last year for National Mustard Day, French's partnered with ice cream company Coolhaus to create the aforementioned limited-edition mustard ice cream. In the few places that serve ice cream, you can get a scoop of pretzels on top, further emphasizing the sweet/savoury combo. Some describe the flavor as having "the sweetness of marshmallow and bubblegum ice cream" before the tangy mustard flavor emerges. While mustard ice cream is no longer sold, McCormick has a recipe for French yellow mustard ice cream. website, French parent company. There are only two reviews on the recipe, but they all rave about it...or at least they say you can't really taste the mustard. Whether that's a pro or a con is up to you.
France's upcoming mustard beer may also become a polarizing way to celebrate National Mustard Day.
