I imagine this isn’t shocking news, but I drink a fair amount of beer. Whether it is for writing or simply for pleasure, my glass is quite often filled with the fermented wonder we know and love. So while I’m always learning more and trying new things, it’s pretty rare for me to be truly surprised by a brew.

Well, I was shocked by a recent offering from Wiley Roots Brewing Company. The Greeley, Colorado-based brewery is situated between Denver and Fort Collins, and the Wiley Roots team likes to do things a little differently—like “dry-hopped, milkshake sour IPA with pureed blueberry, maple syrup, graham cracker, cinnamon, vanilla, and milk sugar” kind of differently. That laundry list of added ingredients makes the brewery’s Blueberry Maple County Fair Cobbler one of the strangest beers I’ve ever had.

The checkerboard pattern on the can certainly calls to mind a county fair, and the beer boasts a bluish purple hue that perfectly hits the color of the interior of a blueberry cobbler. The aroma packs tons of blueberry sour tartness, and I definitely get the maple, vanilla, and graham cracker combo. There’s even a hint of the added cinnamon too. 

One sip and all I could manage to utter was “WTF?!” Blueberry Maple County Fair Cobbler tastes like a blueberry cobbler but with every note exaggerated. The sweetness and tartness are turned up to eleven, like a concentrated version of the fair favorite. The dry hop comes through a bit at the end, reminiscent of the vegetal bitterness of the flesh of berries in a typical pie. The maple really shines, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to eat a blueberry cobbler without it now. I was beyond skeptical all those added ingredients were necessary, but the beer wouldn’t work at all if it was lacking any of them. 

This is truly one of the wildest beers I’ve ever had. It makes zero sense, but it works almost perfectly.