If you can fry butter or Coke or Mars bars, why not beer?

Texan Mark Zable’s entry in this year’s fried food competition at the State Fair is his own, patented, secret-recipe Fried Beer.

Although the secret, like the prime ingredient, is leaking out.

“Nobody has been able to fry a liquid before,” Zable told the Star by way of explanation. He uses a salty pretzel dough and may soon substitute the current Guinness for a homegrown Shiner Bock.

The ravioli-like pieces sizzle for 15 to 20 seconds in the fryer. Perfecting the technique has taken him three years.

Is there anything mixed with the beer?

“I can’t tell you that.”

The pieces are cooked through, but not long enough to burn off the alcohol, so Texas requires you be over 21 to indulge. Zable figures on selling five pieces for from $4.50 to $5 a plate.

“It tastes like you took a bite of hot pretzel dough and then took a drink of beer.”

The fair doesn’t open until Sept. 24 but Zable is already in production and expects to have 100,000 pieces in the freezer. His competition in the fried-food derby includes Fernie’s Fried Club Salad and Texas Fried Frito Pie.

Last year’s winner was deep-fried butter, which is making its wildly popular debut at the Canadian National Exhibition this year for $5 for a plate of four.

Zable took over his dad Norman’s Belgian Waffle concession stand at the State Fair of Texas 15 years ago, a showcase in summers past of his Chocolate Covered Strawberry Waffle Balls and Sweet Jalapeno Corn Dog Shrimp.