Well, things look at little different now than they did when this article was written in early March. Our dining area may be temporarily closed, and Pint Night may have to be celebrated with friends in spirit only right now (kind of a good pun, huh?), but we’re still serving up all your Mellow Mushroom favorites and you can grab them with curbside pick-up or have them delivered. We’re nothing if not Mellow, and we’re determined to keep the good vibes flowing! So here’s the info on all the happy times we hope to celebrate with you soon:
Hops On The Ohio is a big event on August 8 in Owensboro. Many breweries set up tents and bring some of their top-rated beers in, and sometimes even some surprises like never-before-seen, fresh-off-the-line kegs. Tickets are available online, but Mellow Mushroom plans to raffle off some during the Country Boy Pint Night as soon as it can be rescheduled and we can once again imbibe together.
Later this month (PLEEEEEASE AND HOPEFULLY!!), Mellow Mushroom will be having its spring Brews and Tunes, which as always takes place on a Saturday and lasts from open to close. The full 32-tap selection behind the bar will be replaced overnight with new, limited release beers. Some of these are an aged version of already popular beers and others are new, sometimes experimental-style beers which have never been available before this day. In addition to the amazing lineup inside, the parking lot surrounding the building will be closed off and tents and tables will be set up to provide even more beer options, as well as limited outside food options if you’re only looking for some beer and a slice. There will also be a stage set up with live music outside starting at 4pm and going until close. The list of performers hasn’t been released yet, but it’s usually three different bands, so most people can expect to hear some jams they’re into. This year, for those of us who aren’t big fans of beer but still want to hang out by the music and enjoy the weather, Mellow Mushroom will be offering canned wine and canned cocktails as well.
Some of the beers scheduled to appear are: Dragon’s Milk Reserve… Rum Barrel Aged, which is exactly what it sounds like. New Holland, out of Michigan, has taken their classic Dragon’s Milk Stout and aged it in yet another kind of barrel, this time in coconut rum barrels to give the beer a little bit more of a sweetness to it, which not only hides the fact that it’s 12.5 percent ABV, but also is very drinkable and smooth without that rough booziness that some strong, barrel-aged stouts have. One of the beers returning to make yet another appearance at a Brews and Tunes is the Canadian Breakfast Stout, which is consistently ranked not only one of the best Stouts in the world, but one of the best beers of any style in the world. These absolute genius madmen have taken an already great stout and brought it to the next level by using bourbon barrels which have been used by another company to make bourbon barrel aged maple syrup, some of which I need to get my hands on. They take the recently emptied maple- soaked barrels and age their stout in it, which gives it an amazing flavor and mouthfeel. There will, of course, be a wide range of beer styles available such as sour Belgian ales and double IPAs, so everyone can come by and find something special to obsess over until the next time they become available.
There will be plenty of representatives for the breweries also in attendance. While I consider the servers and bartenders at Mellow Mushroom to be quite knowledgeable, these handpicked reps from the breweries themselves are second to none in terms of information about the specific beers available during this day. If you find yourself in the center of it all, and wondering exactly what is the difference between the popular Country Boy Shotgun Wedding and the limited release Double Barrel Shotgun Wedding, I could tell you that depending on the year, the Double Barrel is basically the Shotgun Wedding aged in different bourbon barrels. The rep from Country Boy, however, could tell you not only how long the beer was aged but in barrels of which bourbon that year. They may even be able to say which kind of wood was used to make the barrel. Much of the information I get is from these brewery representatives and they’re supremely informed on their specific beers. Many Kentucky breweries will have reps onsite to answer questions and possibly give out free stuff such as shirts, hats, stickers, beer koozies, or keychains. They’ll be coming into town from Country Boy, Blue Stallion, and West 6th to name a few. There are, of course, going to be reps from other breweries outside of the state such as Rhinegeist, Oskar Blues and Cigar City, and Two Roads from all the way out in Stratford, Connecticut.
If the original April 25th date for Brews & Tunes doesn’t hold, it will be rescheduled. Follow us on Facebook @MellowMushroomBG and “LIKE” our event page @brewsandtunesBG to keep up to date with changes. Please be safe, wash your hands and stay Mellow!
-by Josh Helton
