Taxman Mezcal Barrel Exemption Review

Name: Taxman Mezcal Barrel Exemption
Style: Tripel
ABV: 9%
IBUs: 30

Time to look at a new Tripel that I got from my Tavour beer mail and that would be Mezcal Barrel Exemption from Taxman Brewing, based out of Bargersville, IN. It’s a their regular Exemption tripel aged in Mezcal barrels. Doing some research I found that mezcal is very similar to tequila with the exception that tequila is made with solely blue agave while mezcal can be made with any type of agave. Also while the agave pits in tequila is steamed/cooked in industrial ovens, the agave pits in mezcal is cooked over hit rocks in a pit and covered in agave fiber. There’s probably more to it but that’s the big sticking points, for myself anyways.

Appearance – Cloudy orange color with a good amount of visible carbonation. The head is quite thing with some light retention and no lacing left behind.

Aroma – Belgian yeasts and cloves with some candied caramel malts along with light hints of oak and vanilla.

Taste – Caramel malts upfront with some potent Belgian yeast and cloves upfront. On the back end, I’m picking up on some vanilla and oak notes with just a touch of nutmeg. In the aftertaste, I’m getting some mild floral hops with a touch of smokiness and light clove kick.

I’m always down for a good tripel and this one does the trick. The flavor is nice and layered, not to mention just outright tasty! As such, this is a very easy beer for me to recommend, especially if you’re looking for a good Belgian-style ale!

Flat 12 Walkabout Pale Ale Review

Name: Flat 12 Walkabout Pale Ale
Style: American Pale Ale
ABV: 5.3%

Tonight I have yet another Indiana beer that I will be reviewing that is not from Three Floyds. This time, it's from Indianapolis-based brewery Flat 12 Bierwerks with their Walkabout Pale Ale. Since Three Floyds is synonymous with Indiana beer, I'm very curious to try beer from the other breweries in The Hoosier State.

Walkabout Pale Ale pours a very hazy dark yellow color with a very foamy head; We're talking Brewery Ommegang calibur head here. I made the mistake of aggressively pouring it for not even 2 seconds before the head started started pouring over the sides of the glass. I had to spend 10 minutes trying to pour this beer before taking the photo out of fear that it would happen again. Once the head does settle down, there is no lacing to speak of along the sides of the glass with very little in terms of visible carbonation.

The nose is pretty citrus hop forward with some yeasts, toffee sweetness and mild floral hops at the back end of the aroma. Pretty standard smelling in terms of APA terms.

The flavor is very hop forward much like the nose, but it's split down the middle between citra hops and bitter piney hops with a fair amount of yeastiness. The aftertaste is a very bitter resiny flavor and possesses a mild amount of toffee maltiness.

The palate has a very thick body and is quite heavy. The carbonation is pretty light though, which makes this a relatively easy drinker.

Extremely foamy head aside, this is a very well put together APA. It doesn't break the mold too much but with its solid flavor and easily drinkability, it's very easy to recommend. Should I get the chance, I would love to try out more beers from Flat 12 in the future.

Flat 12 Walkabout Pale Ale - 8.5/10

Three Floyds Pride & Joy Mild Ale Review

Name: Three Floyds Pride & Joy Mild Ale
Style: American Pale Ale
ABV: 5%

I've got a couple more beers that I have left in my beer mail package. Next on the list is Three Floyd's Pride & Joy, which is yet another American Pale Ale (APA) from the brewery. What makes this different from the other APAs I've have from Three Floyds is that this is their session Pale Ale, hence the "Mild Ale" portion.

I recall seeing this beer on the shelf at Casanova Liquor in Hudson, WI when I was down in the Twin Cities a few months back, but I passed since the asking price was a bit too high for my liking. I've never really had anything sessionable from the brewery before and Three Floyds isn't exactly well known for making session beers, so let's see how this is.

Pride & Joy pours a very hazy orange color with a foamy white head but with some soapy lacing. As for visible carbonation, I'm not picking up on anything in particular.

The nose has a surprisingly strong citrus hop and grapefruit forward but I'm also picking up on some piney hop bitterness in here too. There's also some nice caramel/toffee sweetness in here as well as some light yeastiness. For a session ale, this smells like a very solid IPA.

The flavor starts out with some prominent grapefruit notes and bitter piney hoppiness. The malty backbone that was present in the nose starts out strong initially but fades away on the back of the palate. As for the aftertaste, it consists mainly of piney hop bitterness.

The body lands somewhere in-between light and moderate, in terms of weight with just a touch of thickness. The carbonation is on the mild side, which makes this pretty easy to drink.

Pride & Joy is definitely one of the better session ales that I've had due to the fact that it possesses that flavor punch that a good chunk of session ales lack. The best way to describe Pride & Joy is that it's a session ale dressed up for an IPA audience and, for the most part, it works. Check it out if you get the opportunity.

Three Floyds Pride & Joy Mild Ale - 8.5/10