Mountain Man Jeff Takes on Mountain Livin' Pale Ale

Jeff

Our trip to the Crazy Mountain Brewery has been a highlight of my summer so far this year, so I was excited to review the beer we picked up their while doing our little taste test. 

Mountain Livin' is a pale ale with a tropical, citrusy smell when freshly opened. Unfortunately, those bright smells don't really translate taste-wise. I couldn't detect any tropical flavor in the beer itself- in fact, the dominate flavor of this beer seemed to just be "bitter".

For a pale ale I found this beer surprisingly bitter. The bitterness lingered after each sip as well. I really felt like I was drinking something closer to an IPA.

Of course, it's not a total disaster. The color is lovely and it does have a nicely balanced hops flavor. Ultimately I just found it to be underwhelming. The bitterness was too strong and the flavor profile was otherwise too simple and not strong enough. I was blown away by some other beers they offered but this one just didn't do it for me. Because of the strength they've shown in other beers I have enjoyed from them I will still be going back to Crazy Mountain again- one mistake does not a failure make.

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Haley

OoooOOoOOOOoo, aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh. Marvel at the beauty and intricacy of the artwork used by the Crazy Mountain Brewery. Every color is in harmony, every font works together and strengthens the overall design, and the subject matter itself all ties back into the names of both the beer and the brewer who made it. It's creepy and whimsical all at the same time, with a strong dash of practicality as well. 

I like how the information about this beer is printed in almost a little chart on the side of the bottle (on the left in the above picture). No hunting for the name, style, or ABV. It's all neatly and legibly in one easy to find place.

When J and I started this blog, this is what I was looking for- companies that go the extra mile in their design work. This label isn't just striving to tell you what's inside, it's also trying to tell you about who is behind this company. This label has personality and taste, a point of view. I see this art and I think: this product is made by people who really, really care about their jobs.

I love this bottle and I can't wait to see what other artwork they put on their brews that me might test in the future.