El Bizarrón: 5 Rabbit And Cigar City's Cuban Flavored Porter
By Ben Kramer in Food on Nov 13, 2014 3:40PM
When done well, collaborations can be fantastic. Think Eric Clapton on “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” or Run the Jewels. El Bizarrón, a porter made with caramelized plantains, is no exception. This Cuban-style beer was conceived and brewed by Bedford Park's 5 Rabbit Cerveceria and Tampa, Florida's Cigar City Brewing.
According to 5 Rabbit’s founder and CEO Andrés Araya, they’ve, “always felt Cigar City, and ourselves, we’re like minded in many ways. We definitely have an affinity for Latin culture.” This shared love for Latin culture made the pairing an easy one and also made for a very interactive collaboration. Making the beer wasn’t as simple as one side saying, “I’ll do the malts, you do the hops.” Araya actually spent time in Florida and at Cigar City, discussing with C.C’s head brewmaster Wayne Wambles about what they should do together. Araya recollects that “very quickly the aspect of our collaboration turned to Cuban culture and cuisine.”
The two went back and forth on ideas, including how to include Cuban folk tales and food into the mix. Emails and phone calls were exchanged, “fine tuning details on the concept and sharing ideas on the labels,” says Araya. Once the two sides were ready to brew, Wambles flew from Florida and worked with 5 Rabbit for three days.
When creating the beer, highlighting Cuban food was a priority which is where the use of caramelized plantains comes into play. 5 Rabbit bought 2,500 pounds of the fruit and painstakingly peeled, sliced and caramelized each one over a four-day period.
The plantains were added to the mix after primary fermentation, allowing the nearly completed beer to pick up the sugars and flavors of the fruit. Who exactly proposed the idea to include the platanos? Araya isn’t sure. He remembers that, “I think in brainstorming, someone threw it out. We just kind of, you know ... continued to play with it.”
The beer's flavor profile is similar to that of any porter—rich, roasty and toasty. But the use of plantains gives the beer a banana aroma, along with a sweetness from the caramel and turbinado sugar that mellows out the roastiness of the beer. This makes it silky and smooth like Sam Cooke.
The name for the beer comes from the Cuban folktale of El Bizarrón, a man who, in short, tricked the devil into giving him a donkey and a load of silver. (If you get the chance, look up the story because it is pretty funny, honest.) The name, for Araya, plays into the culture aspect of the beer because, “the folktale is pretty distinctly Cuban, and well known.”
Unfortunately, time is not on El Bizarrón’s side. 5 Rabbit only made one batch with Cigar City, so its supply is very limited. Warehouse Liquors (634 S. Wabash Ave.) is one place where the beer can be purchased. It comes in a 22-ounce bottle, which is fine because this is a porter you’ll want to share with friends, roommates or lovers. (Though there is no shame in drinking the bottle yourself!)