Mitchell's Beer - A Sip on the Wild Side: August 2014

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Quick Sip 009. Karbach Love Street

I feel like I should write a love letter to this beer. At first, I was not overly impressed with this beer. I drank it, enjoyed it, and thought I'd move on. But as the summer wore on, I became more like Archie Andrews (if he were old enough to drink that is -- unbelievably, the dude is pushing 73 and he's still in high school and can't buy a beer!); even though I was infatuated with darker, more exotic fare like Veronica Lodge, I kept being drawn back to good old reliable Love Street, which was as light and breezy as Betty Cooper, the girl next door.

I can't say wonderful things about this beer. It's light. Pleasant color, pleasant aroma... nothing remarkable. But there's something relatable about it that kept drawing me back to it. Over and over again. Over the course of the entire summer, I bought (and consumed) two cases of this stuff. I think I was into my third six-pack before I realized that this was, at least for now, my "go-to" beer when I wanted to drink something light (ABV 4.9%) while chilling at night with my wife and dog,

So, here's my ode to Love Street, something local that I thought would be a passing fancy, but something that kept me coming back for more.

This is a light-colored, pleasant Kölsch-Style beer. It has a caramel aroma with hints of the sweet malt to come. It has a nice white head and a pleasing mouthfeel. This beer has more complexity than you first suspect, with citrus undertones and a dash of pleasing aromatic hops.

From www.karbach.com:

In the 1960's on Allen's Landing sat Love Street; a hot spot of music and social impact. The venue hosted eclectic characters ranging from open mic'ers to the Lizard King himself. Love Street was not only a place, but a state of mind. A place to unwind and let the music refresh your soul.

Likewise, Love Street Summer Seasonal is a state of mind. Brewed in the Kolsch-style and hopped delicately with floral German hops, this beer boasts a clean malt proile that refreshes to the core, without sacrificing character. So crack one open and find your own Love Street.

My Rating: 7 out of 10
One of my favorites

Mitchell's Beer

I was born out in the West Texas town of El Paso, but I didn't fall in love with Mexican beer. I actually prefer American beer, and my favorites hail from Texas. One beer that I've never had the pleasure of trying (and never will) actually shares my birthplace and my namesake: Mitchell's Beer. Mitchell's Beer was brewed in El Paso in the first half of the previous century and, as you might imagine that, even though I'm no kin to that company's founder -- Harry Mitchell -- I've always been interested in his beer and his story. There's a great summary of it over at the Rusty Cans Website: http://www.rustycans.com/COM/month0404.html