M’m…Tröegs
mix-packs are back! An annual event I have come to anticipate over the past
several years, this is one of the few domestic craft breweries that I endorse
whole-heartedly (not professionally mind you; but if they wanna give me some
free beer or even tee-shirts, my praise still couldn’t be any more profusive)
as I am definitely European, and specifically German in my beer taste but now,
although I am a little disappointed at the make-up compared to previous years
(as I will describe shortly) let me tell you about the four beers (three
bottles each) that you will get for about the same price those other craft beer
guys will charge you for four cans.
Variety is the spice (er, hops) of
life!
Perpetual
IPA
Taste of hops & summer. Far more bitterly
satisfying than most American IPA’s. At 7.5% ABV this could get you drunk
quick, or sip slow lying in a hammock on an August morning (err, I mean
afternoon.) What I liked about the mixpacks in previous years was they had two
strong beers and two weak ones, so you could regulate your cumulative
inebriation throughout the day (or offer the Pilsners to a wife or skinny
friend.) Of course my tolerance has gone up over the years.
Tröegenator
Excellent Bock flavor. I think I first tried
this out to dinner at the Jewish diner; in recreation of that memory I’m having
it in a glass [on further drinking we have decided that, yes, it is definitely
better out of a glass, while the other beers in this collection are all suited
for sipping out the bottle—Ed.] Sure to get you drunk but you could drink it
like it’s just a reg’lar ole beer—I think the kids deez daze say ‘crushable’
[Krüschäbble auf Deutsch]. Anyhow if
you want spicy, sour notes without the bitterness of stout or full-on Trappist
intensity this is a great beer; on its own or, starting out w/ this and the
Perpetual, moving on to the Pilsner as you get “drunk enough” (is there such a
thing?)
First
Cut IPA
First cut is a good, clean IPA; a straight beer
for a simple man. Nonetheless, even though I usually don’t go for super-hoppy
beers, I actually prefer the Perpetual. Maybe it’s the higher alcohol content;
still, this is more than sufficient at a solid 6.2%. Nontheless this is a
crisp, refreshing beer for any season.
Keller
Pilsner
Crisp, authentic Pilsner flavor. Not bland or
overly heady. This is your beer for sitting in front of the TV and eating
chips.
In summation this is a
great mix-pack I highly recommend. Compared to previous years, the addition of
the Tröegenator is welcome except that is comes at the expense of the annually
rotating fruity Gose; my suggestion would be that they keep the Tröegenator but
bring back the Gose in exchange for one of the IPA’s.
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