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.

Pabst Blue Ribbon: Does It Still Deserve The Prize?

Jeff

I am a craft beer fanatic. However, (almost) all of us have a day here and there where we maybe have $ instead of the $$ needed to get something nice and local. But when I'm feeling a little tapped in the wallet department, I still want to drink something good. PBR, which has undergone a cultural resurgence in the last couple of decades, is a beer I haven't had in a long time. So the question is: will it hold up against the more carefully crafted brews that I usually drink now?

Right out of the can some things are very obvious. PBR is very clear, very processed looking. Because it's a huge brand you know every batch is going to come out nearly identical. It has almost no smell and the taste is incredibly mild. It is the most mild tasting non-light beer I can think of.

PBR has subtle hints of nothing. It tastes more like slightly bitter water than beer. To its credit it isn't skunky or iron-tasting like some other cheap beers. It's taste is completely non offensive but it's also non-anything else: non-interesting, non-exciting, non-flavorful.

PBR is a beer to buy when you are looking to get drunk. They've carved out a space for themselves in the public's perception that they care a bit more than companies like Bud or Miller, and their marketing has been less in-your-face than those other big beer companies. But make no mistake: they are a big beer company and their brew tastes like it. 

So if you want a cheap beer for a Saturday night that will turn a party up without setting your bank account back, then PBR might be for you. But if you really enjoy the taste of beer and want something with more flavor and body, then search on my friends. Search on.

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Haley

History is important. It would be easy to dismiss this can because it is such a common design in the here and now- Americana colors, simple designs. But for a beer that's been around since 1844 and did indeed used to come with a blue ribbon around its neck, these design choices make sense.

The ribbon, the colors, the wheat design at the bottom- all harken back to the history and legacy of Pabst Blue Ribbon. Its less old-fashioned than it is old-timey.

With that I say, while I don't personally find this can exciting in this day and age, it is iconic and recognizable at the least. But be warned: anybody new to the scene coming at me with some wheat stalks and red, white, and blue colors isn't going to get the same level of acceptance found here.