Mystical beer

As mentioned, we recently trekked to New England visiting a number of breweries in multiple states. A notable highlight was veteran-owned Bank & Bridge Brewing in Mystic, Connecticut, where we had a tasting flight consisting of Joker (Pilsner), Grenade Wade (pale ale), Monkee (Kolsch), and Major B (lager). We also ordered their Black Bean Burger with a side of fries.

We sat outside on a perfectly pleasant and sunny day and watched the tourists stream by. If ever in Mystic, I would recommend a stop at Bank & Bridge. It’s hard to miss, located at a main intersection next to the infamous Mystic Pizza, in a stately stone building that once housed a bank.

We enjoyed all of the beers we sampled. Hubby and I both picked the lager and the pale ale as our favorites. The lager was slightly hoppy but not disagreeably so although more than might typically be found in a lager. The pale ale was pleasant balance between an English bitter style and a light American ale - lots of flavor that wasn’t overly aggressive. Again, both beers were satisfyingly drinkable.

The other two, we disagreed on slightly. Hubby picked the Kolsch as his least favorite while I picked the Pilsner. Interestingly, those are his two favorite styles of beer yet these were his least favorite among the ones we tried. I favored the Kolsch over the Pilsner. It had a soft mouthfeel, and tasted of cracker which I found pleasant enough. For me, the Pilsner lacked a certain crispness and brightness on the tongue. But I'm not complaining. All four beers were good but we found we liked the lager and pale ale over the  Kolsch and Pilsner.

Our meal was great and now that I’m studying the menu, there’s more that I wished we tried. Besides other food items, I would like to sample the brewer’s IPAs since I’ve learned he’s from San Diego. I like the west coast beers, being from there myself, so I’d like to sample his interpretation now as an east coast brewer. All that to say there's a lot to sample and my bet is it's all good.

With any luck, we'll be back in Mystic again next year and we'll undoubtedly take the opportunity to check into Bank & Bridge Brewing. You know, just be be certain it was as good as we remember. Because we're all about quality control and accurate reporting here at Beer Here and that requires frequent sampling.

Cheers!