Friday, August 1, 2008

Battle of the Wisconsin Farmhouse Ales


Not that I am looking for a replacement, but the old Huber Brewery (Minhas Craft Brewery) has used creative marketing and packaging in attempt to influence my most trusty brew. If anybody has spent time staring into their local beer cooler at a liquor store lately, you may have noticed a oddly shaped 6 pack...I mean 8 pack. The Lazy Mutt Ale is packaged in an 8 pack of bottles and carries a New Glarus cardboard like style. The bottle talks about how the Lazy Mutt is man's best friend, and until this tasting my best friend has always been a chubby, smelly Spotted Cow. I poured both beers side by side and both are a similar golden color with an average amount of head on the pour. The Cow is more cloudy while the Mutt appears light and transparent. Both of these beers are labeled "Farmhouse Ales" but they differ greatly in taste.
The Lazy Mutt has aluminum and skunky hints, yet it comes out of a brown bottle. Imagine standing in a barn full of hay and horses and that is my take on this beer. I would rather pour the Lazy Mutt in a doggie dish for a dog to drink, ha or one of my friends who has been "overserved" and will drink anything. I really wanted to like this beer and support the folks at Huber Brewery ( or whoever they are actually owned by now), but I must apologize because I am unable to. Of course I still finished the whole beer, but it's as if they pulled a lime/lemon out of a haystack and added it to a nice wheat beer that is combined with Blatz or some other swill. The initial taste is decent, but my mouth turns upside down quick and continues through a brief , almost sour finish. I always attempt to order a new style of beer or from a new brewing company, but Spotted Cow is my standby...the beer I can always trust and enjoy each savory drop. It's a medium bodied farmhouse ale with hints of corn and wheat that finishes smooth and delightful. The Lazy Mutt doesn't even come close to Spotted Cow, and due to laziness, probably never will. I encourage all readers to go out and buy both beers to taste next to each other, hopefully your liquor store has a "Pick your own 6 pack". You can call me an idiot; I doubt you will, but please let me know your thoughts and we can all enjoy having an open mind to sample something new! It's a quick way to throw back 2 beers, see you at the bottom!

Spotted Cow Retail: $6-8 per 6 pk bottles *Newly in $12-14 12 pk btls*
Lazy Mutt Retail: $7-8$ per 8pk btls

Rating from ratebeer.com:

Minhas Lazy Mutt Farmhouse Ale

<span class=Lazy Mutt "Farmhouse Ale"

* picture credits
copyright may apply


A Golden Ale/Blond Ale brewed by
Minhas Craft Brewery

Monroe, Wisconsin USA

bottled
common

on tap
unknown

Regional Distribution
Find this beer

Add Distribution Data


Ratings Average Score



362.09/5.02.12/5.0




2 comments:

Ben Lenox said...

I just tried this beer....and....it's not that bad.

It's nothing special, but I think it might have potential.

Has anyone else tried this beer?

ZRC said...

I have heard from a few different people this beer can be hit or miss. Maybe it's a bottling issue or inconsistency? The Minhas Craft Brewery has a lot of history in Monroe including many owner, brew master, and recipe changes. They also produce Huber Bock and Mountain Creek Lager which can't help their cause, even if their slogan is "Damn Good Beer".

Rate Beer

Wine Spectator