There’s exciting news for everyone who wants to enjoy off-the-wall (literally) craft beers at home. All you have to do is head to Mellow Mushroom and find a draft beer you like. If you’re placing a carryout food order, let whoever is taking care of you know that you’d like to add a Crowler of a specific beer to take home with you, and they can handle the rest.
“What’s a Crowler?” you ask out loud to a magazine.
Well friend, a Crowler is a 32 oz. can, which amounts to two pints of whatever beer you want, or basically three 10 oz. beers if what you’re looking for is on the heavy side. While a Growler is usually a big glass jug and holds 64 fluid ounces (or your average pitcher) of beer, a Crowler is half that size and is presented as a giant can. The can is sealed in person when you order the beer, so it’s straight off the tap fresh without losing any carbonation in case you decide you don’t want to drink it immediately once you get home. Like I mentioned before, you can get any of the beers on tap, and you’ll just pay for two pints or three 10 oz. beers depending, plus a dollar for the hard work ethic they put in to get it all sealed up nice for you.
Speaking of beers on tap, let’s talk about some season-appropriate beers you can find on tap over there on location. Even though Oktoberfest beers were originally made for Oktoberfest (which actually takes place in September), it’s October now and they’ve got the beers, so why not? We’ve got big names in American craft beer like Bells Oktoberfest, Hi-Wire Zirkusfest, and Schlafly Oktoberfest. There are also options from out of town, big names who have been around for a long time like Ayinger Oktober Fest-Marzen, which is from Germany if that tells you anything about how good it should be as a German-style beer. Ayinger has been placed in the list of Top 10 Breweries in the world quite a few times in the last couple of decades, so if you’re interested in finding out what a true German Oktoberfest beer is like, Ayinger is certainly an option, and it is available locally. If you’ve got a favorite local or American craft brewery that has an Oktoberfest option, I urge you to give it a whirl. It’s a great fall style of beer, and it has stuck around year after year, being made by more and more breweries each year for a reason.
Sorority girls rejoice, for ‘tis the season for pumpkin spice everything. Since we are in the dead center of spooky season, what better style of beer is there to resurge each fall than the pumpkin ale? The answer is none. I’ll open with one of my favorite pumpkin beers, Schlafly Pumpkin Ale, which I try to stock up on if possible when the season is right. They’ve added the right amount of spices and pumpkin to the brew, giving it just that pinch of sweetness to perfectly match pumpkin pie in liquid form. As an additional bonus, the beer has an ABV of 8%, which I’m not complaining about. Alltech out of Lexington makes a Bourbon Barrel Aged Pumpkin Ale which really has a kick to it. The straight bourbony booziness that is soaked up in the barrels is offset by the sweetness of the cinnamon and nutmeg from the pumpkin spices that let the beer really work for you. Taft’s offers one called Frisch’s Pumpkin Pie Ale that I was able to try recently as well. This one has a little less kick than the other two, but that can be a good thing depending on the situation or your preferences. I’d honestly consider Frisch’s as being more cidery than most pumpkin ales simply because there wasn’t as much carbonation as I was expecting, but it’s still malty and smooth and it still has the classic flavors like cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove to give you that warm, spiced feeling inside.
-by Josh Helton
