The Truth About French's Mustard Beer

Available beginning August 1st, 2020 (aka National Mustard Day), classic American yellow mustard brand French's is releasing a beer concocted in collaboration with craft beer brewery Oskar Blues. According to Delish, the intriguing combination can be purchased by the six-pack on CraftShack.com and will run you about $20 including shipping. They state the spicy brew will also be pouring at select Oskar Blues Brewery Taproom locations, including those in Brevard, North Carolina, as well as two cities in Colorado, Boulder and Longmont, while supplies last.

The Oskar Blues Brewery website says the inspiration behind this unique pairing was the two brand's shared history of exploring new flavors and tastes. They describe the beer as being a semi-tart wheat beer infused with citrus and French's Classic Yellow Mustard. The brewers note that the flavors of key lime, lemon, tangerine, and passion fruit complement the spice and zip added by the mustard, and creates a brightly-colored and refreshing brew. The beer comes in at a little over 5 percent alcohol. The brand is also offering a homebrew recipe for any amateur brewers looking to spice up their small-batch experimentation.

Is this spicy, citron-colored beer as perfect for summer BBQs as the two brands would like us to believe? Food & Wine got their hands on a sample of the brew in advance and spoke to Juice Drapeau, the head brewer at Oskar Blues, about the limited-release drink. Drapeau suggested the mustard-citrus wheat beer would be best paired with a "loaded hot dog on the hottest day of the year." Food & Wine describes French's Mustard Beer as shockingly subtle compared to its bright yellow hue. They state that they detected a touch of vinegar from the mustard, which cuts nicely through the acidity imparted by the tart citrus.

This is not the first out-of-the-box collaboration French's has done in honor of National Mustard Day. Travel & Leisure reported that last year in 2019, the company paired with premium ice cream makers Coolhaus to create a mustard-flavored ice cream. The Chief Marketing Excellence Officer for French's, Jill Pratt, released a statement about the brand's unusual partners. In it, Pratt explained "French's enjoys creating new curiosity around a flavor that has been a staple in homes for over 115 years. The incredible reaction to last year's release of our Mustard Ice Cream showed us how far people are willing to go to savor this favorite condiment. We promise this French's Mustard Beer will not disappoint either."