FAIRFIELD, Calif. -- When candy makers at Jelly Belly Candy Co. set out to create the world's first beer flavored jelly bean, the question wasn't how; it was what. Ale or Lager? Stout? Lambic? Pilsner? In the end, the company opted to pay homage to its German ancestry with a Hefeweizen-inspired ale flavor, and Draft Beer Jelly Belly jelly beans took shape. The new flavor made its debut at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco and ISM in Cologne, Germany.
Beer has been a highly requested flavor by consumers for decades, the company said.
"This took about three years to perfect," said Ambrose Lee, research and development manager for Jelly Belly. "The recipe includes top-secret ingredients, but I can tell you it contains no alcohol."
The effervescent and crisp flavor is packed in a golden jelly bean with an iridescent finish. Beer connoisseurs will find the flavor profile to be clean with notes of wheat and a touch of sweetness. The aroma is mildly bready. It is alcohol free.
"Usually the factory has a sweet and fruity aroma, but when we're making this flavor it's just like being in an ale house," said Jeff Brown, vice president in charge of manufacturing for Jelly Belly, Fairfield, Calif..
The new flavor will be available at candy counters throughout the world in early 2014. Draft Beer is the latest in a long line of flavor innovations from Jelly Belly. The company first created a non-alcoholic gourmet flavor in 1977 with Mai Tai. Since then, it has developed more flavors, from Blackberry Brandy to Strawberry Daiquiri were developed, inspired by popular cocktails. Over the years, flavors such as Piña Colada (1983), Margarita (1995) and Mojito (2010) have helped carve out the Jelly Belly Cocktail Classics collection of six cocktail flavors.
Combining Draft Beer with other Jelly Belly bean flavors create "beer cocktail" flavors, a beverage trend among craft beer connoisseurs, including The Beeroness blog: 2 Draft Beer + 1 Peach = Beer Sangria 2 Draft Beer + 1 Red Apple = Beer cider 2 Draft Beer + 1 Lemon Lime + 1 TABASCO = Michelada.
Jelly Belly beans contain four calories per bean and are fat free, peanut free, dairy free, gluten free, gelatin free, vegetarian and OU Kosher certified.
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