If you are like me, then you’ve recently taken the part-time job of home-school teacher. My challenge has been to come up with interactive lessons that will keep my kids engaged and distract them from destroying the house. As the weather gets warmer, our science lessons have been moved to our backyard and the curriculum has been about bugs. Lucky for me, there is a beer for that: Bug Zapper from Avery Brewing Co. Hopefully, as we progress into summer, this beer will complement cool, relaxing nights and our encounters with some awesomely cool bugs in the great outdoors. Let us talk about beer and bugs, shall we?

The Bugs

Velvet Ant

This violent looking bug is a hairy brightly colored wasp. Females are wingless (which is why they are probably confused with ants), but the males have transparent black wings that allow them to strategically attack their prey their long excruciatingly painful stinger. The “Cow Killer” variant can be found in Kentucky and has a sting that can be felt for over 30 minutes. If a person is stung, it is advised to pound as many beers as possible in these critical 30 minutes (warning: not scientifically proven but rather an opinion of this writer).

Bullet Ant

The bite from this aggressive ant is like being hit with a bullet followed by a sharp pain that trickles away from the wound. Although this pain is excruciating for some, for others it is a right of passage. The Satere-Mawe people in Brazil use bullet ants as an initiation ritual for boys transitioning into men. As part of their warrior initiation, teenage boys wear gloves filled with bullet ants for 10 minutes and are required to contain composure. This process is repeated 20 times with hands left black, paralyzed, and swollen after each session. These young men definitely deserve a beer afterwards (of course if they are proper drinking age).

Japanese Giant Hornets

 

These eastern Asian hornets might be the nastiest of all. Japanese Giant Hornets are twice the size of average hornets and more than twice as mean. Anger is promoted from birth as adults feed their young by ripping off the heads of other insects. They are highly territorial and can often be missed as they burrow underground. One sting most likely cannot kill a human but they like to travel in packs. Countless stings can bring a deadly threat causing kidney failure. It is advised to hide from these nasty jerks by staying put in your local brewery or tap house.

The Beer

Although the bugs described above do not live in my suburban Colorado neighborhood, it puts fear in my mind about the local moths and wasps that are sure to cause a disturbance in my relaxing backyard and sneak into my peaceful home. When I think of facing off with these creatures, I look for a crisp beer to pleasure my taste buds and relax my nerves. This brings me to one of my new favorite “coming of summer” beers, Bug Zapper from Avery Brewing Co. Although this beer has been out a while, I recently discovered it in Avery’s mixed twelve pack while stockpiling beer for my garage refrigerator. The name itself is attractive as I am definitely not a bug person and get a thrill from the porch bug zapper on a hot summer evening. Upon popping open my first can and pouring into my favorite glass I was immediately attracted to the sharp aroma and light copper color.

Bug Zapper was originally brewed as an experimental ale. This limited release Sour can be found canned as individual six-packs and part of their mixed twelve-pack. Brewed with a mixture including aromatic and honey malts, it has a pleasurable taste that is enhanced with the addition of lime zest, ginger and mint. This beer is a delightful drinking Sour that will gracefully pucker the lips of your favorite beer drinker. I can be sure to have my bug zapper on full strength and my beer fridge stocked with Bug Zapper all summer long.

Feature image: Avery Brewing Company on Facebook

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