There are lots of breakfast themed beers out there for us beer geeks. There’s Mikkeller’s Beer Geek Breakfast, Founder’s tasty Breakfast Stout, and even a New Zealand cherry lager that was brewed to compliment your morning meal. Unfortunately, things can get complicated if you actually try to enjoy them at the start of the day, especially on a weekday on your way to work (even if they might make you day a little more tolerable).
But now there’s something that’s made by beer geeks for beer geeks that’s a wholesome, delicious and smart way to start your day. They are called Brubar Energy Bars, and I’m totally in love with them.
Brubars are the brain child of Christian D’Souza, a homebrewer who had an epiphany while on a supply run:
My moment came while eating an energy bar on a drive to purchase homebrewing supplies. I realized that the flavors of energy bars are sometimes close to the flavors of beer (coconut porter, chocolate oatmeal stout) and I wanted to bridge the gap by putting beer flavors in an energy bar. It reminded me of the story of Frank Mars, the founder of the famous Mars candy bar company, who wanted a portable way to carry a chocolate malt.
So like any inspired homebrewer would, Christian started screwing around with a recipe for energy bars. He kept the ingredient list as simple and locally-sourced as possible. The result are two flavors of energy bars that are moist, delicious and very unique.
I can’t get these in New Jersey, but Christian was nice enough to send me some samples, which I ate in the car on the way to work this morning.
The Original Malt bar is made with malt extract, rolled oats, dates, almonds, coconut, olive oil, vanilla and cinnamon. The result is a chewy treat that tastes a little like oatmeal with brown sugar and a little like fruit cake, with little almonds nuggets adding flavor and texture to the mix. They’re totally delicious. I also got to try the Cherry Almond bar, and they are a lot like the Original, but with a tart cherry kick like you’d find in Founder’s Cerise. These are wonderful as well.
The bars seem to have good nutritional stats, although they don’t have added vitamins like you’d find in more processed energy bars, but I’m happy about this. The taste is so wholesome, it doesn’t need other crap messing it up, even if that crap is supposed to be good for you. I say take a multivitamin and savor the simplicity of a Brubar.
Truth be told, a bowl of Grape Nuts tastes more like a mash bill than a Brubar, and you’re probably not going to think “beer” when you take a bite. But if you appreciate the wholesome, unadulterated goodness of craft beer, you’re going to appreciate what Christian and his team have done here. I can honestly say these are the best mass-market energy bars I’ve ever had in my life.
The bad news is that they are only widely available in California, although they are sold in a number of homebrew shops around the country. They also sell them on their website, and go for $26.99 for a box of 12. That’s a little pricey, but it’s hard to argue with the value you get in every wrapper.
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Beer & Whiskey Brothers 
Not a huge fan of b’fast bars, but fortunately the folks at the BrickStore are more aligned to my way of thinking….Pancake Breakfast with verticals of KBS & Wake ‘n Bake & other goodies…
http://brickstorepub.com/events/#45
Hard to argue with that line up!!
I think I’m good on breakfast bars for now.
I usually do the regular Cliff Bars and they’re decent, but these taste like they were made in my kitchen by someone who bakes far better than I.
We’re always on the run so we stick to Cliff and Larabars. I used to make my own granola bars but I got lazy and I don’t think all the corn syrup and chocolate I added made them any better for you.
When brewing, I do like to chew on some grain. I feed the chipmunks outside some special B I had leftover.
I love chewing on grain. Probably why I love Grape Nuts.
My local bar carries these now and the original one is the shit! I love it.
Nice review Jim. I’d give them a try if I saw them sold around here. Cliff bars are my go-to when that sort of food is on the menu.
Christian emailed me and said they have a 2 for 1 deal for us, just enter “beerandwhiskey” at checkout. They also have free shipping, so it’s a good deal – I’m definitely ordering some.
And just in case you’re wondering we get no $ or anything from this. I was actually surprised he created the code after he saw I called them “pricey.”
Anyway, if you’re interested, now is the time to strike!
We’re very pleased to offer this special 2-for-1 discount to the readers of Beer & Whiskey Brothers. It will be valid until the end of this month (May 31, 2011). Thanks again for the great post!
Christian
http://www.brubar.com
http://www.facebook.com/brubar
Nice!