No, Control Tower, YOU'RE out of line!

Whilst perusing the aisles of Beers of the World today, glancing from top shelf to bottom shelf, row after row, I noticed something.

My shoe was untied.

More than a mere shoe tying was achieved during this latest visit, however. And by more, I mean I actually bought something there. *gasp* I know, right? It's bee, like, months since I've actually bought something from them. Cuz, u know, I can totally get most of the stuff I need at Hegedorns. Stupid writing aside, let me tell you exactly what I got.

I got state pride. That's right. New York isn't just a place to get delicious apples, apple pies, and Swine Flu. No, it's also a state with a number of great breweries. Flying Bison. Brooklyn. High Falls. Ithaca. Saranac. And so on, and so forth. So I thought that perhaps, for a change, I'd try a New York brewery that I've never even heard of. Enter: Mendocino Brewing Company. No, NOT the one in California. The one in Saratoga Springs. Why did I choose them? Because the bottles had eagles on them, damnit! And blue herons! And other birds. But mostly, Eagles!

Presently, I'm enjoying a cold glass of the brewery's Blue Heron Pale Ale. It's a pretty little thing; a slightly cloudy gold with the obligatory off-white head. It's been fifteen minutes or so since pouring this into a standard pint glass, and the head has yet to retreat to being just a ring around the edge of the glass. The lacing is even leaving me a reminder of just how much I've had to drink - which isn't much at this point. It's hard to drink and type.

But let's move on and talk about taste. Or maybe we shouldn't. Because this beer, while earning a solid B+ in appearance, is definitely hovering somewhere in the C range in terms of flavor. For a pale ale, the mouthfeel is surprisingly thick; a bit oily, even. The actual taste is better, but not by a lot. There's nothing very disinguishable in the flavor; it's more or less bland aside from the bitterness. To be fair, maybe I'm just being harsh on this because the only other pale ale I drink regularly - Great Lakes' Burning River - is an exceptionally flavorful and hoppy brew. Or maybe I got an old bottle; there's plenty of year old (or worse) beer kicking around at this store.

But one thing's for sure: for now, I'm probably going to be buying a lot more beer than usual. Why? Because New York is in danger of losing a good 75% of their craft brew selection. Stone, Victory, Great Lakes, and a whole boatload of others. Why? That's tomorrow's post. For now, it's time to finish this brewskie.