RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Two gastronomic options to cool down in the heat will become a single product in 2020: a beer popsicle. Curiously, Pernambuco’s creation blends the texture of a popsicle with the aroma and taste of a homemade beer. This is an innovation created by two state companies for the summer and the pre-Carnival period.
The companies took seven days from the time of conception to the creation of the first prototype. After four months and two other experimental popsicles, the final version was assessed by an innovation committee, comprising ice cream and beer specialists, until it was launched by Frisabor and Ekäut brands.
The chosen beer was an American IPA (India Pale Ale), full-bodied type of beverage, with a fruity and high bitterness taste. “During the tests, we experimented with several beers of various types until we got to the current label. We put in a neutral base and made the beer taste stronger. We achieved the result of a beer on the stick,” said the industrial manager of Frisabor, Ricardo Bicalho.
Without milk or any other animal-origin product in its composition, the popsicle is also vegan. “We realized that the milk base masked the taste of the beer somewhat, so we decided to remove it to preserve the taste. This is a creation that targets the brewing public,” said Diogo Chiaradia, Ekäut’s executive director.
With 3.25 percent alcohol content, the popsicle is only released for people over 18. “Our major focus is summer and our ‘Carnaval’, but in the Northeast, the popsicle has a much lower seasonality than in the Southeast, because it’s virtually summer all year round. So this is a product that will last all year long,” said Charadia.
After the production of the first lot, consumers are expected to be able to find the product in ice cream parlors and in the brewery as of January 9th, for the price of R$7 (US$1.75). “We are already thinking about the next products resulting from this partnership,” said the general manager of Frisabor, Gustavo Neves.