Article posted Thursday, August 13, 2015 11:45am

What’s new in the specialty beer market? How about one brewed using coffee beans that have passed through an elephant’s digestive tract? The beans are harvested from fresh feces, washed, dried, and used to create an “elephant beer” that is said to be “earthy in flavor and smooth on the palate.” The partly digested coffee beans apparently give the beer its exotic taste. When elephant beer hit the market in Japan, it sold out overnight. For do-it-yourself beer makers, a gallon of elephant poop costs $26.95 (plus shipping) from poopsenders.com. (Smithsonian.com, Ap. 19, 2013; brookstonbeerbulletin.com, Ap. 18, 2013; other sources)