There's food in my beer and it's supposed to be there

Bob Strickley
Cincinnati Enquirer
Braxton and Graeter's latest collaboration: Blueberry Pie Brown Ale.

Black raspberry chip, blueberry pie, peanut butter, beets, bacon, key lime, chocolate, pickle. There also was opera cream and Cincinnati chili.

No, this isn't a random assortment of what's in the kitchen. It's what's been in your beer.

Like something out of the Swedish Chef's laboratory, Cincinnati breweries have done collaborations and experimentation with unique, food-flavored beers since the craft brewing renaissance began.

Taft's Ale House has the Maverick Chocolate Porter. They also have done a macaron beer and have Nellie's Key Lime Caribbean Ale on tap regularly.

From the recently closed Blank Slate (RIP)... An Opera Cream Stout and a collaborative creation of Cincy 3-Way Porter.

Then, of course, there's Fifty West's Tastee Whip Ice Cream Ale, Braxton's Black Raspberry Chip Stout (the debut caused lines that stretched blocks), Listermann's Nutcase Peanut Butter Porter and Urban Artifact and Izzy's collaborative pickle beer.

Soon, MadTree will roll out canned versions of its Dreamsicle, a kölsch style ale with orange and vanilla. 

United Dairy Farmers flipped the script on us all by giving us Tropical Truth, beer-flavored ice cream made with Rhinegeist Truth IPA.

The newest entry to the brewing/culinary scene? Braxton's Blueberry Pie Brown Ale collaboration with Graeter's Ice Cream. If it's anything like the Black Raspberry Chip Stout debut, Tristate beer and food enthusiasts will be losing their minds.

Has this food/beer phenomenon gone too far? Are we just scratching the surface? What should come next? Tell us your beer thoughts, dear reader.