In May 2023, \u201cjust in time for grilling season,\u201d the press release read<\/a>, noted chicken brand Perdue launched its first ever beer. Produced in collaboration with New York\u2019s Torch & Crown Brewing Company<\/a>, it was a honey double-citrus summer ale brewed with the intriguing ingredients of lemon and orange puree, honey, rosemary, thyme, sea salt, and pink peppercorn. Dubbed Beer Can Chicken Beer, it was designed less for sipping than to have a chicken straddle it upright while on a grill.<\/p>\n Though we may never know who the first genius was to realize that shoving an open can of beer into a chicken\u2019s cavity\u2014it\u2019s also known in some quarters as \u201cbeer butt chicken\u201d\u2014then slow-cooking it over a fire makes for a delicious meal, it is said to have arisen in the South during the 1980s<\/a>. While even today some question the tactic, loyal practitioners believe the process steams and infuses the chicken with flavor from the beer. From the beginning, however, the beer used was of little significance\u2014in other words, it was usually cheap industrial lager from a can.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was Budweiser,\u201d says Steven Raichlen, the James Beard Award-winning writer who first encountered beer can chicken in 1996 at the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest in Memphis. Many credit his writing on the subject, including his book Beer Can Chicken<\/em><\/a> (2002), for popularizing the dish across the country.<\/p>\n Of course, another culinary creation was also becoming popular across the country in the late 1990s: craft beer. However, it would still take another decade or so for pitmasters to begin using it with their beer can chicken.<\/p>\n See also:<\/strong> Beer Chicken Green Chile Enchiladas<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n \u201cAnd for a surprising reason: when the first edition of Beer Can Chicken<\/em> came out, good beers simply didn\u2019t come in cans,\u201d explains Raichlen. \u201cAll you could find were a handful of mediocre beers. Back then, the craft beers came only in bottles.\u201d<\/p>\n That changed a bit when Dale\u2019s Pale Ale<\/a> arrived in a can courtesy of Colorado\u2019s Oskar Blues Brewery<\/a> in 2002. But it would really take until 2011 and the cult success of The Alchemist\u2019s Heady Topper<\/a>\u2014released in 16-ounce \u201cpounder\u201d cans\u2014along with the introduction of mobile canning lines<\/a>, for other craft breweries to follow suit. The mid- to late 2010s would see an explosion of craft breweries putting their beer in cans.<\/p>\n Suddenly, craft breweries also began to lean into promoting their own beers as ideal for a chicken butt. Initially, that stylistically meant IPA.<\/p>\n In 2017, California\u2019s Stone Brewing<\/a> encouraged fans to deploy its Stone Enjoy By IPA<\/a> for the practice. In a blog post<\/a> penned by \u201cThe Beeroness\u201d Jackie Dodd Mallory, she thought the fresh and fragrant West Coast IPA paired well with a glaze made of chipotles and lime juice.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce you\u2019ve consumed a bird that has recently spent time on a backyard grill propped up with a can of IPA in its haunches, you\u2019ll probably agree: that[tampered with] chicken was delicious!\u201d she wrote. \u201cIt may look silly, ridiculous even, but the way the beer turns your standard chicken into the most delicious chicken you\u2019ve ever had is a thing of beauty. And completely worth the cost of one of your favorite brews to make it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n A few years later, Kansas City\u2019s Boulevard Brewing Co.<\/a> recommended its own Space Camper Cosmic IPA<\/a>, for beer can chicken. Amateur grillmasters would likewise mostly opt for IPAs; it is the most popular craft beer style, of course. In a 2023 video, YouTuber Grill Sergeant<\/a> makes his own version of the beer can chicken using Fort Collins, Colo.\u2019s New Belgium \u00a0hazy Voodoo Ranger Juice Force IPA.<\/a><\/p>\n But the style debate is hardly settled.<\/p>\n \u201cBeer can chicken has long been one of the most popular methods of grilling poultry, but we noticed a lack of consensus on what type of beer is best,\u201d explained Julie Lehman, Perdue\u2019s vice president of marketing, back in 2023. Working with Torch & Crown, their goal was to brew the ultimate beer can chicken beer. It was a hit, and quickly sold out online.<\/p>\n Like Torch & Crown (and Perdue), New Hampshire\u2019s Woodstock Inn Brewery<\/a> believes a lighter, summery ale is preferable. They tout their Honey Lemon Blonde as the beer can chicken craft beer of choice. Other breweries go a darker route. This summer, Delaware\u2019s Dogfish Head<\/a>, in collaboration with Dan-O\u2019s seasoning, released a grilling kit<\/a>, complete with a beer they thought ideal for beer can chicken: a malty dark lager<\/a> named Y\u2019all Don\u2019t Know Till You Dan-O, brewed with lemon peel, orange peel, and rosemary.<\/p>\n \u201cThe chicken\u2019s browned skin brings out Y\u2019all Don\u2019t Know Till You Dan-O\u2019s bready, toffee-forward flavors,\u201dclaims the culinary team at Dogfish Head\u2019s Rehoboth brewpub Brewings & Eats,while noting that the seasoning rub \u201cfurther enhances the complexity of the beer, amplifying a subtle, black-pepper undertone that continues into its finish.\u201d<\/p>\n While some three decades into making beer can chicken, the master himself, Raichlen, now uses all sorts of different craft beer styles from various breweries, specifically mentioning New Belgium\u2019s Fat Tire and Brooklyn Lager; a recent Instagram post even found him using a Belgian-style white ale<\/a>. Still, his preferred beer can chicken beer of choice remains one of the most famous stouts in the industry and, oddly, one more frequently enjoyed on draught than from a can\u2014noting that he uses half the can to make a barbecue sauce.<\/p>\n CraftBeer.com is fully dedicated to small and independent U.S. breweries. We are published by the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade group dedicated to promoting and protecting America\u2019s small and independent craft brewers. Stories and opinions shared on CraftBeer.com do not imply endorsement by or positions taken by the Brewers Association or its members.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"stone](\"https:\/\/cdn.craftbeer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/20241031114651\/stone-beer-can-chicken.jpg\")
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