Godless atheist beer is about to enter the USA!
May 5th, 2010 7:33 pm PT.In 2008, a small Danish brewery called Bryggeriet Dj?vlebryg ('The Brewery Devil's Brew') released a new Imperial Stout under the name, ?Gudel?s," which means "Godless" in English. It caused a bit of a stir when it first appeared in Europe but the controversy over the name got people to try a sip and an above-average taste (ratebeer scores it "98" overall) made it a success. Now they are going to see if they can repeat that success here in the USA and the company and it's customers' tastebuds won't be the only beneficiary. Some of the godless, specifically the Danish Atheist Society, will profit as well. As the Gudel?s label says (according to Beer News): ?Devil?s Brew and the Danish Atheist Society have entered into an unholy alliance, and the result is ?Godless? ? an ale brewed entirely without superstition. [Godless] is an imperial stout with burnt and sweetish impressions, together with notes of licorice. To exercise social responsibility, Devil?s Brew donates one Danish Crown to the Danish Atheist Society for each bottle sold.? And that should be no surprise because as Beer News also points out: The rough English translation of the society?s mission reads, ?Atheist Company working for separation between religion and state in Denmark, so that all people be treated regardless of their religious views, and worldview.? And the Gudel?s' motto, "Utroligt gode ?l!" translates to "Unbelievably good beer!" Bryggeriet Dj?vlebryg doesn't just make "Godless" beer (is there any other kind? I've never heard of a beer attending a church service) though. On their website they have a large line of products with names like Old Mephisto (a barleywine), Mystikale (a top-fermented red-brown beer), Nekron (a stout named, I think, for a comicbook badguy) and also OriginAle (a Double India Pale Ale named in honor of Charles Darwin that's different from other DIPAs because, as the brewers describe it, it's been deliberately mutated). Aside from the "Godless" beer, my personal favorite, at least as far as names go, is their latest product, Hjul & Stejle. That's the Danish name for a medieval torture device on which heretics and blasphemers were "broken." In English, it's known as "the wheel." Their description is entertaining: "Christmas is a time ripe with beliefs and myths - yet belief in Jesus, Santa Claus and angels ought to be a thing of the past. We symbolically execute Santa Claus and the like and propose a toast in Hjul & Stejle: A beer where the clean hop bitternes and distinctive flavour of rye malt is balanced by the dry, spicy contribution from Brettanomyces at work. Hjul & Stejle is a good match for any Christmas lunch - whether you believe or not!" Ya just gotta love that label illustration! For those wishing to purchase a little "Godless" beer, it's supposed to be in the US market in 500ml bottles by the end of May. The importer is the Shelton Brothers, located in (I am not kidding!) Belchertown, MA.