2beerguys beer blog

Beer Advent Calendar – Day 30: Muffin Top presented by Mike Meredith

@momeredith, @ClownShoeBeer

Beer Advent Calendar – Day 30: Muffin Top presented by Mike Meredith

To celebrate the Holiday Season, 2Beerguys.com andSeacoastbeveragelab.com have teamed up with beer bloggers around the country to host the second annual beer bloggers advent calendar. This is the season of sharing and we intend to share our love of beer with you. 31 Bloggers Blogging – click here  for the running list of beers/bloggers.

Let’s see who is spreading holiday cheer today!

Blogger: Mike Meredith
Twitter:@momeredith
Beer: Clown Shoes Muffin Top
Brewery: Clown Shoes–Mercury Brewing Co.–Ipswich, MA
Beer Details:Powerful Aroma, Fruity Undertones and a Strong Hoppy Finish

• Style: Belgian Style Tripel India Pale Ale
• ABV: 10.0%

Commercial Description:

“Intense flavors, reminiscent of candied fruits, mix with American hops and sweet orange peel to create a unique take on a Belgian-Style Ale.”

Why I selected the Muffin Top Belgian IPA:

Having received it for a Christmas gift and always wanting to try it–I felt that this yielded a good opportunity to put it under the microscope. One of it’s standout features is that it retains it’s integrity as an IPA and hints at the belgian style. As the drink progressed the aroma appeared to become stronger and it brought out a new aspect that was previously overlooked–the fresh scent of hops!

At first I was a bit nervous about partaking in a 10% ABV IPA at 11 O’Clock at night, but the flavors mask the high ABV well with strong, pronounced flavors from the citrus family–e.g. Oranges. In fact, this beer is smooth from start to finish and it was a real treat.

In true Clown Shoes fashion the artwork found on the bottle is over the top, intriguing and perhaps points out the blunt truth that muffin tops are in fact all around us. This beer is reasonably priced at under $10 a bottle and can be found year round at the following locations: http://www.clownshoesbeer.com/find/

About Mike Meredith:
Beer observer and explorer. Co-Host of the Seacoast Beverage Lab weekly beer podcast. Learned quite a bit about beer over the years, but still have much to learn about this ever-changing industry. Check out my wiki page to learn more– http://wiki.seacoastbeveragelab.com/index.php?title=Mike_Meredith

About Clown Shoes:
“Something’s happening, and it involves clown shoes and beer. Clown Shoes? Very long story, but to condense it a group of us submitted the name to the Beer Advocate contest that resulted in The Wrath of Pecant. Our submission didn’t crack the top 5. This burned me up inside.

While driving one day the epiphany came: I could make my own Clown Shoes beer. In no way did I expect to create a brand, figuring it would be one batch of beer for fun and then done. But folks are digging the brews and a group of us are having a great time. Clown Shoes has come to mean a lot to me on a lot of levels. Clowns are questionable but the shoes make me laugh. They remind me about humility and to find humor in life.

Our mission now is to produce beer without pretension while being free and a little crazy. We hope you enjoy the beers and this site.”– Gregg Berman

http://www.clownshoesbeer.com/