Jelly Belly Draft Beer Jelly Beans Follow-Up: A Decade Later, Still in Production

Martin Peyruc, Reporter

Life News Today, The Reckless Gastronome

More than ten years after that original review, Jelly Belly Draft Beer Jelly Beans have not dissipated like the foamy head of a poorly poured pint. If anything, it’s gotten more popular, and now it is most commonly packaged in a metal can designed to resemble a standard beer can. The flavor remains non-alcoholic and is marketed as a novelty rather than a realistic beer substitute.

What has changed is not the flavor, but the context. In 2014, beer-flavored candy felt like a strange but fitting artifact of an era when novelty flavors were still trying to shock. In the years since, the market has become saturated with intentionally peculiar food concepts (not that I am complaining, I have articles to write), making draft beer jelly beans less of an outlier and more of an early example of the genre.

The product’s continued availability suggests there is still demand, though likely driven by gifting and curiosity rather than repeat consumption. Retail listings emphasize the can as much as the candy itself, signaling that the packaging is part of the appeal. The beans are now more commonly found in gift shops, novelty retailers and seasonal displays though I have found it in regular grocery stores.

It is also worth noting what has not happened. There has been no reformulation, no attempt to elevate the flavor profile, and no rebranding to suggest craft beer sophistication. Not even a cross-company synergy campaign. The product remains committed to its original premise. Draft beer, broadly defined, with no further explanation required.

As of this writing, the jelly beans have not been re-tasted for this follow-up. The original review stands as the only firsthand evaluation. The purpose of revisiting the product now is not to reassess the flavor, but to note its persistence. Many novelty snacks disappear quietly. This one has not, although with a popular company like Jelly Belly behind it, that’s not too surprising.

In that sense, Jelly Belly Draft Beer Jelly Beans have achieved something rare. They have outlived the joke that created them. Whether that is a triumph or a warning remains open to interpretation.

Still no hangover. Still no regrets, strictly speaking. Still exactly what they claim to be.

Original

Jelly Belly Draft Beer Jelly Beans

Monday, Sept. 15, 2014

Martin Peyruc

The Reckless Gastronome

Draft beer (not sure why I try to spell it draught) has a reputation for being cheap beer. That reputation may not be entirely fair, but it does seem to be the thought process behind these jelly beans. Even upon opening the bag, the smell of spilt beer assails the nose, reminding me of the dive bars I visited in college (as opposed to the dive bars I frequent now). A better, more accurate name instead of draft beer might be cheap American light (lite?) beer. It reminds me of college quite a bit, although I'm slightly less likely to go streaking afterwards (only slightly less); same odds on hurling, though.

They are rather shiny and pretty, like something you'd find at a tacky wedding. I decided to pass some out at a local bar so I could get more opinions on how they taste (the sacrifices I make for this blog). I can safely say interest in the jelly beans grew as consumption of alcohol increased (shocking, I know). Where I think they taste like stale beer, my fellow patrons were convinced of loftier brews, such as Yuengling or Sierra Nevada.

On the bright side, even if you eat an entire bag, you won't wake up with a hangover or regrettable hook-up in your bed.

Donated by my mom

Found on Amazon.com