We Tried a Baseball Bat-Infused Beer, and It Actually Tastes Pretty Damn Good
Chopsecutioner IPA is perfect for your next day at the ballpark—just watch out for splinters.
If you’re a true American, then you know nothing beats catching a baseball game on a sunny summer day with a bag of peanuts and an ice-cold beer. But sometimes a foamy cup of Miller Light just doesn’t quite do the experience justice.
Luckily, Terrapin Beer Company has conjured up the perfect session beer for a day at the ball park.
Dubbed “Chopsecutioner,” it’s a medium-bodied IPA made from the wood from actual baseball bats. After its primary fermentation period, the beer is aged for two weeks on wood chips from Japanese-made Mizuno bats.
The Athens, GA-based brewery kindly sent over a growler full of the brand-new suds, which I happily polished off in half an hour. It’s considerably lighter than your typical IPA, making it perfect to enjoy for hours on end.
But awesome flavor isn’t sacrificed—it’s got all the crisp bitterness one expects to taste in a great, hoppy ale. And the baseball bat wood really does come through, adding a… you guessed it… woody characteristic to its overall flavor profile.
We chatted with Terrapin brewmaster Brian “Spike” Buckowski to get the skinny on this awesome new craft beer creation. Enlighten yourself below:
Describe the actual process of aging the bat wood chips.
After the primary fermentation the beer is transferred onto the Mizuno bat chips and cooled. The beer is aged on the bat chips for two weeks.
How does aging beer in baseball bat wood chips change the flavor profile?
The woods chips add another dimension to the beer by extracting a pleasant wood flavor, and adding a slight dryness to the beer.
What if you get a splinter?
During filtration, the beer is taken off the wood chips, so no splinters between your teeth.
Does it taste like wood?
Wood tastes like wood, so the beer picks up those flavors.
Have any baseball pros tried it?
Not that I know of, but looking forward to them giving it a try. We’ll send some to the dugout if they get thirsty.
Can other sports equipment be used to infuse beer? Soccer balls? Golf clubs? Other baseball equipment?
Not sure about other equipment, but popcorn and peanuts would make for another great baseball-themed beer.
Have any other crazy brews in the pipeline?
Always. Come to the Brew Lab to find out! This year is going to be a lot of fun when it comes to brewing new beers.
You heard the man. If you’re in Athens, head on over to the Terrapin taproom—or their beer lab at Suntrust Park in Atlanta—to give it a try.
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