FAIRFIELD, Calif.The Jelly Belly Candy Company set out to create the world's first beer flavored jelly beana Hefeweizen-inspired ale flavor Draft Beer Jelly Belly® jelly bean. The new flavor debuted at Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, Jan. 19-21.
"This took about three years to perfect," said Ambrose Lee, research and development manager for Jelly Belly. "The recipe includes top secret ingredients, but I can tell you it contains no alcohol."
The golden jelly bean has a clean flavor profile with notes of wheat and a touch of sweetness. The aroma is mildly bready.
"Usually the factory has a sweet and fruity aroma, but when we're making this flavor it's just like being in an ale house," said Jeff Brown, vice president in charge of manufacturing for Jelly Belly.Â
The company also came up with "beer cocktail" flavors that can be created by combining the Draft Beer beans with other Jelly Belly bean flavors: combining two Draft Beer beans with one Peach bean will yield "Beer Sangria;" two Draft Beer beans and one Red Apple bean will yield "Beer Cider;" and two Draft Beer Beans, one Lemon Lime bean and one TABASCO® bean will yield "Michelada."
Draft Beer is the latest in a long line of alcoholic-beverage inspired flavor innovations from Jelly Belly; the company first created a non-alcoholic gourmet flavor in 1977 with Mai Tai. Since then, flavors like Piña Colada (1983), Margarita (1995) and Mojito (2010) have emerged, creating the Jelly Belly Cocktail Classics® collection of six cocktail flavors.
In addition, Jelly Belly beans are fat-free, peanut-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, gelatin-free, vegetarian and OU Kosher certified.