Episode 3 of the Joliet roadtrip to Stang Kelly’s. (Three different beers in three consecutive days. Is that too much? … Pfft!)

The last sixpack of the purchase resulted in the discovery of a beer which was recommended by a guy at work. This was the same guy who recommended Dragon’s Milk saying it was “pretty good”. That beer has become one of my favorite beers. This one he recommended as also “pretty good”. I had made a mental note of the name and there at Stang’s I was standing in front of it.

The beer was Pride & Joy Mild Ale brewed by Three Floyds Brewing out of Munster, Indiana. Their Robert the Bruce Scottish Ale and Gumballhead Wheat beer were my favorites. How could I go wrong? I was “pretty good” and I knew the Floyds made at least a couple of other good beers.

Into the box it went with the other two sixers. The total for this one was &10.99. (Eep!)  We made our way home, after stopping at Sam’s Club to pick up packs of new underpants, t-shirts and Italian meatballs. (?)

Saturday night rolled around with rain and sweatshirt temps. I stationed myself on the manly throne in the Manly Garage and grabbed the first Pride & Joy.

The brew filled up the glass with a cloudy, orangey color and had about 3/4 of an inch worth of thick, creamy off-white foam. The carbonation was a mixture of different sized bubbles at a rapid rate. The aroma was that of citrus and perhaps a little hops thrown in.

The first sip was rather pleasant. There was no distinct flavor of fruitiness to it and the hops were present at the swallow but it wasn’t disagreeable. The flavor was rather full but it leaned more toward the bitter side rather than the sweet side. To me, it almost tasted like a mild pale ale. Perhaps the citrus which I whiffed at the beginning was grapefruit. The beer left a little sharp barb at the back of my throat after each sip was downed.

As the tasting progressed, a little sweetness came forward at the beginning, then the slight lull of the middle flavors and finally the taste burrs of the hops became more prominent after each swallow. Each time I exhaled through the nose, the hint of the hoppiness flavor was there. A little burp brought it up again.

I don’t fully understand how some guys can rave about hoppy beers. We may all be created equal, but each of us has our own unique DNA. The sense of taste varies from person to person. The same thought may be applied to coffee. Some prefer theirs black. Others need cream and sugar. Fords/Chevies. Siskel/Ebert. I can see why individual tastes vary. Perhaps we should all take the nuances of my taste buds into consideration when reading these brew reviews and buying beer.

By now I was into the third bottle. The middle flavors came forward and the hops stepped back a bit. The beer became more enjoyable to drink. But why did it take three beers to get this far? It’s probably that DNA thing again.

Whether I could call this a session beer or not depends on the individual tastes, but at 5% ABV, it could very well qualify. The 35 IBUs is perhaps 5 or 10 more than I can tolerate for an extended session of drinking. But by the end of the 3rd beer, the session began and the enjoyment increased. I found this beer tasty, refreshing and palatable.

The SixPackTech ratings for Three Floyds Pride & Joy Mild Ale are:

Taste: B- > Like listening to someone speak with a frog in the throat.
Smoothness: B- > Driving on a very smooth gravel road.
Drinkability: B > Turn your cheek and offer the other one.
Bang for the buck: C- > Consider after winning the check pool.
ABV: 5.0%
Wife’s all-encompassing opinion: It’s cloudy, like an apricot color. (sip) I… don’t know what it tastes like. It’s very distinctive, (sip) I don’t know if I like it or not. (sip) It reminds me of something, I just don’t… (sip) It’s not really citrusy but it’s something. Not bad. It’s a drinkable one. (It’s gotta be the DNA.)