Ever Want to Drink Pepper Spray? Dogfish Head Just Made a Beer For That

Who among us hasn’t leaned across the bar at a favorite watering hole at some point and asked the bartender, “Hey, I’m enjoying this IPA, but do you have anything with pepper spray in it? I don’t feel like my mouth is getting burned as much as it might be.”

Well, now your prayers have been answered, as Dogfish Head has crafted a new stout designed to set your palate ablaze with a south of the border flavor once wistfully described by Homer Simpson as “incapacitating.”

IN YOUR MACE! is a collaboration beer with Mace Security International, the makers of Mace-brand self-defense pepper spray. Brewed for the Beer Advocate Extreme Beer Fest in Boston, it’s a coffee milk stout “brewed with cinnamon verum chips from the Zanzibar Islands, mace spice, milk sugars, coffee, chicory, and most importantly, chili oils, the active ingredient in Mace.” It’s probably safe to say that this stuff will be packing a wallop, although it will be hard to acquire—it pours at the three sessions of the Extreme Beer Fest, and an extremely limited run of 200 bottles (750 ml) will be available at the Dogfish Head Tasting Room in Milton, DE on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 11 a.m. Chili-heads, take note.

“We’re always in search of unique, avant-garde, experimental beer ideas that push the boundaries of traditional brewing while still delivering rich aromas, flavor profiles and culinary ingredients that Dogfish beer fans count on and love,” said founder Sam Calagione. “IN YOUR MACE! is one of our most fun and personal partnerships to date and I’m super proud of this small-batch team-up with our friends at Mace Brand pepper spray. Any day we get to brew a beer wearing full body suits, face masks and respirators is a memorable day in the brewhouse.”

The brewery’s press release describes the beer as a “moderately sweet stout, which gives off spicy nutmeg, anise and espresso aromas with a palette-warming chili spiced finish.” The oleoresin capsicum used to provide the heat apparently necessitated protective gear to brew with, but the press release simultaneously says the end result “won’t burn your palate.” Bit of a mixed message, but alright. It would be nice if the beer had a Scoville Rating, just for kicks.

“When Sam and I cooked up this idea, I think everyone at the table thought it was crazy,” said Eric Crawford of Mace Security International. “But in his typical fashion, Sam wouldn’t let a good idea go! At Mace Brand, we focus on empowering people and helping them to feel safe and happy in their everyday life. In that way, Mace Brand and Dogfish have a very similar mission so this collaboration makes perfect sense. Of course, we don’t want anyone to spray pepper spray in their beer, that’s not what this is about. It’s about friendship, flavor and fun.”