A few months ago, as Trouvaille Brewing Company in Haymarket, Virginia, was working on its anniversary beer, head brewer Stephen Boyajian started brainstorming what the brewery could do around the holidays.
Boyajian, the brewery’s co-owner, said pop culture has a big influence on how its beers get named. He knew that as the brewery started planning movie nights, “Elf” (2003) would be the planned showing in December.
“And at that point, we said, ‘Let’s make an ‘Elf’ beer,’” Boyajian told WTOP.
And that’s exactly what the brewery, which opened in Prince William County in June of 2022, did. Soon, it will be rolling out “Buddy’s Spaghetti Breakfast Pastry Stout,” a limited edition offering inspired by the movie’s spaghetti meal that Boyajian described as “iconic.”
The beer features common brewing ingredients and some not so common others, such as spaghetti, chocolate fudge Pop Tarts, M&M’s, marshmallows and maple syrup. It’ll be released Dec. 16, the same day the brewery hosts its annual ugly sweater party.
“So far, it’s much to our delight,” Boyajian said. “It’s been exactly what we expected. It’s a thick, luscious, rich, dessert-like beer that I don’t think I’ve ever had anything like.”
While some beer fanatics may be concerned that they’re going to get a glass of spaghetti, Boyajian said “dry spaghetti is just wheat flour, which is not too different from the grain that we already put into a beer.”
The brewery has experimented with things such as chili peppers and nutella, but “we’ve never quite gotten into the realm of using spaghetti,” he said.
The creation is so thick, he said, it looks similar to motor oil when it gets poured.
“It doesn’t look like your traditional beer. It sits on the glass very heavily,” Boyajian said.
When you sip the beer, it’s initially rich, and then “that sweetness continues,” he said.
“We wanted this to be sweet and not apologize for that,” Boyajian said. “It is exactly what you’d expect from the scene in the movie — you’re getting a lot of sugar, and that’s gonna be what it is.”
It’s 12% ABV, Boyajian said, “so it does pack a bit of a punch.”
He has a recommendation for skeptics who may not be willing to try the beer after learning more about the ingredients.
“Don’t be afraid to try new things,” he said. “Brewing, especially craft brewing, is about experimentation. We all started as home brewers. When we opened our brewery, we said we wanted to continue that tradition.”
It’s only going to be brewed once this year, Boyajian said, but if it’s popular, the brewery will bring it back. Adding more ingredients remains a possibility.
“We’re trying new things and trying to push the envelope a little bit, as far as what craft breweries are doing in the area,” Boyajian said.
