Marcel Winatschek

Of Course Someone Did This

Craft beer was always going to arrive here. The arc was clear from the first chocolate stout and jalapeño IPA—give a subculture enough enthusiasm and freedom from tradition and eventually someone asks what else can go in the kettle. The answer, as demonstrated by the Veil Brewing out of Richmond, Virginia, is fried chicken.

They actually did it. Tossed fried chicken into the brew, canned the result, and named it "Fried Fried Chicken Chicken" with the kind of confidence that suggests either zero second-guessing or a very good sense of humor. Probably both. The name alone is almost worth the price of admission—no euphemism, no soft pivot to "savory herb notes," just the thing, stated twice, like they’re making sure you heard them.

Whether it tastes like something you’d choose again is a question I can’t answer from here. But there’s something I respect about the complete refusal of subtlety. The Veil Brewing website can tell you if any cans are left.