You've probably heard of worms in tequila. Well, now a Victorian brewery plans to test the taste buds of beer-lovers with a snail-infused brew.
Blackman's Brewery at Torquay is busy concocting the snaily sensation for an upcoming beer festival, which hits Melbourne in May.
Among more than 160 unique craft beers and ciders brewed especially for the festival, the Torquay creation - 'The Escargose' - is perhaps the weirdest.
Its ingredients are sourced locally, including the slimy, shelled gastropods.
"We don't just get them out of the driveway," owner and head brewer Renn Blackman told AAP.
"They're from a place called Simpson, which is sort of halfway between Torquay and Warrnambool, on a snail farm."
The beer will also feature seawater from a nearby beach as well as parsley, thyme and pine nuts to mimic flavours of the salty French delicacy.
Blackman and his team plan to add the snails whole to the brew kettle, similar to the way some brewers make muscle or oyster stouts, with "some snaily, meaty pieces" likely filtering through.
"Generally we're not too crazy in our brewing, but for (the festival), that's what it's all about," he said.
"It's about pushing boundaries and making the most exciting, unused ingredient beer you can.
"But for us the goal, too, is to make it still drinkable and still balanced - it still has to be a good beer."
The Torquay beer-maker has previously entered a killer python lolly kolsch beer, espresso martini kolsch and IPA-cider snake bite blend.
For those hesitant to try the bizarre snail brew, other beers featuring Tasmanian jam, toasted marshmallows, rhubarb, Skittles, ice cream, dates, gin, Bertie Beetles, crickets and oysters will be on show at the three-day Great Australian Beer SpecTAPular festival.
TOP 10 QUIRKY FESTIVAL BREWS
* Blackman's Brewery - Escargose. A dry-hopped beer with snails, parsley, thyme and pine nuts.
* Beer Garden Brewing - Oyster Stout. The name says it all.
* Batch Brewing Co - Tea and Space Cookies. A brown ale combining cascara, a fruit found in coffee beans, with hemp seeds.
* Bridge Road Brewers - Racer 'Red Bull IPA'. An India pale ale blended with half a pallet of imported Thai Red Bull.
* Coconspirators Brewing Company - The Belgian Breakfast. Flavours of waffle, bourbon and figs.
* Dainton Brewery - Skittlebrau. A New England IPA beer that mixes Skittles with cherries.
* Colonial Brewing Co. - Violent Rumble. A mix of Bertie Beetles - a Violet Crumble by-product - chocolate, honey and rum.
* Feral Brewing Co. - Breakfast IPA. Weet-bix, Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops, All Bran, Nutri-grain and Cornflakes.
* Foreigner Brewing Co. - Durian Durian. Uses durian, a strong-smelling tropical fruit from southeast Asia.
* Shifty Lizard Brewing - Lizard's Dinner. An ordinary bitter containing ground edible crickets.
Australian Associated Press
