Location: Don’s Garage
Beer: Red Hook Mud Slinger Spring Ale
Except for a few lucky individuals who live on the water, you need transportation in order to go fishing, and our transportation was busted. You know your vehicle isn’t working quite right when your brakes are smoking. Smoking brakes are never a good thing – especially when driving on flat ground and you haven’t even used the brakes! I’m no mechanic, but the phrase “No Bueno†comes to mind.
Luckily we knew the two secrets to successfully fixing your car: first, having a friend who used to be a mechanic; and second, being willing to supply him with beer. Even luckier for us, our colleague Don is a former mechanic and he agreed to let us use his tools and to supervise the repair efforts in exchange for an ample supply of beer.
We chose the Red Hook Mud Slinger spring seasonal nut brown ale. We already knew that Don had a soft spot for the Mud Slinger after we brought it to dinner at his house a couple of weeks ago (and he consumed multipe bottles). And let’s be honest, I have a pretty big soft spot for the Mud Slinger as well. As a nut brown the Mud Slinger hits the mark nicely, the flavor is a mix of nuts and caramel and the beer is very crisp and clean in the mouth.
After cracking a couple beers Don and I watched Chris burn the crap out of his fingers while trying to remove the smoking brakes. Well, not exactly, but you could smell the heat coming off those things for at least 20 minutes after we got to Don’s place. With Don’s careful supervision Chris successfully replaced the caliper on his rear passenger disk. Time to head to the river!!
Appearance: The Mud Slinger is a nice dark amber color, kind of a clear copper. It has a nice head that dissipated fairly quickly, in around two minutes, leaving minimal lacing on the glass.
Smell: The Mud Slinger has a very crisp clear smell. It has a nutty sweet smell with just a touch of caramel.
Taste/Mouthfeel: The Mud Slinger has a really nice crisp feel in the mouth. The carbonation is pretty strong, but I felt like the bubbles just enhanced the crispness. The Mudslinger has a nice even slightly sweet nutty taste with a faint bitter aftertaste.
Overall: Delicious!! This is definitely one of my favorite beers right now. I don’t know if they put this out every year, but this spring is when I first discovered the Mud Slinger. I am a big fan of nut brown ales and this one really does a great job. Smooth, crisp, delicious and easy drinking, the Mudslinger is a great beer for just about any activity.