The Strangest Beer in America

Short's Brewing Company: Key Lime Pie

At first blush, the beers from Short's Brewing seem like a high-concept joke. What else can one think about Pistachio Cream Ale, PB&J Stout, and Strawberry Short's Cake?

But these weirdos work, none better than Key Lime Pie. Graham crackers, marshmallow fluff, and fresh limes conspire to create a tart-and-sweet treat that won gold at 2010's Great American Beer Festival.

Wynkoop Brewing Company: Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout

Originally an April Fools' Day joke, this audacious beer became reality this fall when the Denver brewery cooked up a rich, inky stout flavored with Rocky Mountain oysters, better known as bull testicles.

Though the stout may only seem suited for Andrew Zimmern, it drinks like a smooth, chocolaty dream.

Flying Dog Brewery: Pearl Necklace Oyster Stout

Are Rocky Mountain oysters too off-putting? Fine. Try this silky, roasty stout from Maryland's Flying Dog, which is made with locally harvested Rappahannock River oysters.

Drink the stout, then down an oyster, and the beer's sweetness will draw out the bivalve's corresponding flavor, while accentuating the stout's briny nuance.

Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales: Noble Rot

Noble Rot is a brew that beer lovers and wine drinkers can agree upon. The daring Delaware brewery infuses the beer with two additions of unfermented grape juice, including viognier grapes infected with botrytis fungus (the namesake "noble rot"), which create dessert wines like Sauternes.

The result is tart, lightly spicy, and subtly sweet, with a dry finish

Twisted Pine Brewery: Ghost Face Killa

One of the world's hottest peppers is India's bhut jolokia, commonly called the ghost pepper. Colorado's Twisted Pine has instead incorporated the bhut jolokia into its appropriately named Ghost Face Killa (a riff on Wu-Tang Clan rapper Ghost Face Killah).

It's as crisp as it is fiery.

Willoughby Brewing Co. Peanut Butter Cup Coffee Porter

Many beers are made with hazelnuts, pecans, and chestnuts, but peanuts have been largely overlooked. But on a recent trip to Cleveland, Ohio, I serendipitously discovered this ingenious porter from Willoughby Brewing.

It tastes a bit like the love child of Starbucks coffee and a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.