What do the three craft beers “Megalodon” (Fossil Craft Beer Company) “Blonde by Pseudo Sue” from Toppling Goliath Brewing and “Dankosaurus” brewed by Conshohocken Brewing have in common? All three beers are brewed in the USA and include a d
inosaur theme in their name and design.
The bustling Belgian beer journalist Dieter Proost goes one step further and brews craft beer from real dinosaurs! (Well, not quite… but you’ll be surprised!) So please don’t call animal welfare just yet, but read on to find out what it’s all about.
Russian Imperial Stout Reloaded
Who doesn’t know the famous Speculoos Stout from the Belgian brewery Totum in Ghent? Dieter was also inspired by Galea Crafts BV, which caused an orgasmic sensation in the western craft beer scene with its Oreo Cookie Stout. He spontaneously approached Galea with the request to brew him a “DinoSaurus”. As the popular reptiles sadly became extinct around 66 million years ago at the end of the cretaceous period, it was a logical but also emotional decision to hark back to the much-loved since 1932 existing Chocolate Dinosaurs (Lotus Brand) of Dieter’s childhood.
He simply said to them: “Can you please make a dinosaur cookie stout, I really like dinosaur cookies…”
Tough luck – nobody wanted to commit to the project until Dieter came across a craft brewer called Malcroys from Antwerp:
“I need a classic Russian Imperial Stout, I don’t need a liquid dessert,”
was Proost`s clear message. He produced a batch that he put together with another brewery called Vleesmeester from Antwerp. Vleesmeester is known nationwide for its excellent and traditionally prepared Russian Imperial Stout and was therefore the perfect choice for “Project Dinosaurus”. Together with Dieter, they ruthlessly bought up all the chocolate-covered dinosaur cookies in the nearest store and started brewing in December 2023 – imagine the looks on the cashier’s face!
The resulting “Stoute Proost” for Craft Beer Gourmets
The brewing process was fairly traditional. A lot of grain was used, of course, as it is a Russian Imperial Stout, which also explains the 10% alcohol content. Hops were used, not too much of course, no American hops, just traditional hops – so bittering hops in combination with a huge amount of dinosaur cookies. (We’re talking a paleontological amount of cookies here!)
The name of the final and very exclusive product is easily explained. “Stoute” means “naughty” or “not good” in Dutch and Proost is the surname of the beer rebel behind this exciting experiment: Dieter Proost, the passionate editor and co-operator of Beer Idiots, our informative platform all about beer. Despite the demand, Proost does not want to become a brewer – this is just a passionate but fun project. He has fulfilled a dream of combining two of his favorite things from childhood and adulthood into a Russian Imperial Stout with a hint of dinosaur cookies. The original idea behind the project was simply to have fun and lighten up the often very serious craft beer community with a little banter. “You make the recipe, you do what you want, it should be a fun day with dinosaur cookies,…” was the motto for the brewery.
A unique Endeavor in the History of Humans and Dinosaurs?
Dieter buys the entire batch of 250 liters and distributes it across 12 pallets, all of which are sold in craft beer bars in Antwerp, Brussels and Liège. Each bar gets a keg. Two more kegs went to Finland for a close friend who is organizing a craft beer festival next month in his small town in the middle of nowhere. Maybe the Stoute Proost will become the new cult beer of the Midnight Sun!?
Maybe it’s not too late: here is the current list of pubs where you might still be able to try the Proost Stoute with dinosaur cookies:
- Pardaf
- Barboteur
- Dr. Beer
- Python
- Wild Lab Liège
- Beer Lovers
- Dynamo
- Billies
- Zinc craft bar (Finland)
The bottom Line – A prehistoric Delight for the Senses
Who would have thought that long-extinct dinosaurs and the noble Russian Imperial Stout could form such a delicious symbiosis? Dieter Proost took a chance and positively surprised the craft beer scene with his Stoute Proost, making childhood dreams come true in the process. The balancing act has certainly been a success, the thoroughly drinkable end product is not too sweet for a moment and provides palatable accents. So go ahead and secure yourself one of the last drops of this extraordinary brew before it disappears into history again!
