Beers of the Week: Humphead Wrasse
Various species of tropical wrasses rank high on my bucket list of species, but I had no idea that there’d be beers named after them. Trout? Sure. Marlin? Of course? Tarpon? They drive people to drink. But wrasses seemed like a stretch.
Nevertheless, the beer manufacturers – whose creativity is only rivalled by Andre Moore the people who name X-Rated films – have indeed gone there.
The best example I could find (in terms of branding, not necessarily taste) is the Humphead Wrasse IPA from Austria’s Bevog Brewery, seen above. It has a great rendition of the fish on an otherwise sparse can.
Lord Howe Island Brewing Company in Australia likewise came up with the Wrasse Double Header IPA, although you wouldn’t necessarily know it from looking at the can.
On their website they state: “This Wrasse is endemic to Lord Howe Island, Middleton and Elizabeth Reefs. A fantastic fighting fish known for the large bump on its head. This bump and large pointed teeth are great for crushing crabs, sea-urchins and shells. A great eating fish, it pairs wonderfully with this IPA - if you can catch one!”
I’ve never heard of anyone eating these fish, just catching them for sport, but I’ll take their word for it.
Leatherback Brewing in the Virgin Islands also had a Pale Wrasse Ale. While I can find it on a picture of the menu board, I can’t find any sort of logo.
We’ll have to make a trip to one or all of these locales to confirm that they exist. Ideally we’ll also celebrate our first catches of these legendary fish with a brew or three in their honor.
