"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don't care if I never get back”
Hey there baseball lovers! Your time of year is almost here. It’s early March as I type, and opening day for baseball is less than a month away, as all MLB teams will play their first game of the 2019 season on March 28th. For me, the best baseball is behind me, as memories of watching the Red Sox at Fenway and McCoy stadiums in the mid-70s will probably never be topped.
There was just nothing like going to the game and watching it unfold with a soda and a box of Cracker Jacks. Oh, but hey, I’ll confess that that is one childhood memory that actually has improved, because, well, beer! All thanks to the Wild Leap brewery of La Grange, Georgia and their Prize Inside Cracker Jack Stout.
Wild Leap says:
Just in time for spring training, Wild Leap announces the release of Prize Inside Cracker Jack Stout. This decadent beer is brewed with the iconic flavor combination of caramel, peanuts, and dreams of the big leagues. Prize Inside released the second week of February, just in time to get you through those last weeks of winter.
Whether you are a baseball fan or not, there is something nostalgic about the sweet and salty taste of Cracker Jacks. Most people have childhood memories of the iconic red and white striped box and the anticipation of the prize inside.
I saw Wild Leap advertise this beer on Facebook and knew I just ahd to have it. Luckily, I saw a six-pack at Target for $9.49 and snagged it right away. This is a limited release beer with an alcohol content of 8.5% by volume with 30 IBUS.
Wild Leap Prize Inside Cracker Jack Stout pours to a jet-black color with a thick creamy tan head and a nose that hints at peanuts and, oddly, phenolic banana. The beer is full in body and gently roasty and more chocolaty, which to me is an odd pairing with the Cracker Jack theme. Might a big amber ale have worked better? I don’t know, but I can tell you that you do get the crackerjack leitmotif here.
The beer is very nutty with sweet caramel (not the malty type, though they use that, but real caramel) flavor poking through. The beer actually tastes like caramel coated peanuts and a hint of creamy vanilla from the lactose works with the caramel to provide the “white” popcorn.
I like it! You do have to put in a little imagination to fully get the theme of a box of Cracker Jacks, but only a little. At 8.5% by volume this truly is a sipper, so be careful. After a few of these boys, you really won’t care if you never get back.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled, canned
(D)=Draft