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Dogfish Head’s New In Your Mace Beer: Self-Defense in a Bottle?

Sam Slaughter
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dogfish head brewery in your mace
When it comes to experimenting with beers, Dogfish Head Brewery consistently sits at or near the top of the heap (their slogan, after all, is “off-centered ales for off-centered people”), so it came as little surprise when the brewery announced that its latest experiment, In Your Mace, literally uses the key ingredient in Mace pepper spray.

That being said, if you’re expecting it to be a great weapon for self-defense, you’d be better off channeling your inner Swayze and going Roadhouse with the business end of the bottle.

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In Your Mace is a coffee milk stout that is brewed with cinnamon verum chips from the Zanzibar Islands, mace spice (which is made from the outer shell of nutmeg), milk sugars, coffee, chicory, and chili oils — the ones that go into Mace pepper spray.

“Any day we get to brew a beer wearing full body suits, face masks, and respirators is a memorable day in the brewhouse,” Dogfish Head CEO and founder Sam Calagione said in a statement.

The project came about because Calagione went to high school with Mace brand vice president of sales Eric Crawford. While having a few beers and prepping for the Extreme Beer Fest, the two thought the beer would be a good way, as Dogfish Head normally does, to push the bounds of what we know as beer.

The final product is 5 percent ABV and 35 IBUs. It has smoky and sweet notes, with spicy nutmeg, anise, and espresso notes all leading into the star of the show, the chili spice.

If you’re sitting there reading this and thinking, “Boy, I need that in my life,” you better hope that you’re living in Boston or the Milton, Delaware area, because there are only two opportunities to get your hands on some (just remember that if you do get your hands on it, don’t touch your eyes after).

First, In Your Mace will be poured at all three sessions of the Extreme Beer Fest on February 2 and 3 in Boston. The second opportunity is when the beer actually goes on sale. In Your Mace is only being sold from the Dogfish Head Tasting Room in Milton on Saturday, February 17 at 11 a.m. With only 200 750mL bottles made, you’re going to need a good dose of off-centered luck to snag a one or two for yourself.

Need a beer that’s a little, um, tamer? Why not check out a Milkshake IPA?

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