Category Archives: Beers A-Z

MYSTIC WAYS BREWING COMPANY

PERKASIE, PENNSYLVANIA

In the heart of Perkasie since opening in August 2022, MYSTIC WAYS BEWING COMPANY has a cool mystical psychedelic vibe uniquely tantalizing all who’ve experienced the small kaleidoscopic pub. Its black art deco ceilings with glowing celestial starlights perfectly suits the back-walled enchanted forest themed mural, bright magic mushroom surrealism and elliptical wood-lacquered aquamarine figurines at the 20-seat left side bar.

Right side wood tables plus two TV’s fill out the phantasmagorical hideout. There are ten taps including a side pull handle at the bar. Stored brew tanks exist downstairs.

Complexities abound for former homebrewer Joe Winiarski’s winningly diverse elixirs ranging from creamy black kolsch to sour fruited porter to wood-chipped Basil Hayden bourbon stout – many utilizing locally sourced ingredients. Winiarski gained experience at Quakertown’s Red Lion Brewing and boasts “cutting edge” technique brewing his own unique fare.

My wife and I enjoyed our festive two-hour junket on a cold Saturday afternoon, January ’25. We spent time kibitzing with Mystic Ways partner, Alice Krier, Winiaski’s mother.

Muskily herbal Saaz hops greeted barnyard graining for Mystic Premium, a dry Czech pils with mildly creamed sourdough breading.

Offbeat juniper berry-integrated, gin-barreled Scandanavian sahti, Juni, benefited from sparkly-watered Kviek yeast, ‘herbal rye breading’ and minty fern licks, picking up desiccated fig, plum and prune tartness atop creamy Vienna malts.

Resilient lemon zesting and yellow grapefruit tanginess combined with salted guava misting for dry-hopped Celestialdelic, a hazy IPA with heavily wheated oats creaming and slight compost waft.

Creamily smooth black kolsch, Midnight Mystolsch, let ‘dark chocolate-covered biscuit’ entry gain toasted wheat breading to counter its champagne-sparkled kolsch yeast for slightly eccentric fun.

Light-roast coffee picked up cocoa-dried carob riffs and light-roast hop bittering for Ymave Mystic, a dark version of Mystic Premium that stays smooth.

Conditioned on raspberry puree, Elixir Of Krampus, a sour porter, let its dark-roast chocolate malts gain Philly sour yeast musk as well as prune-dried green raisin and black grape tartness plus pipe tobacco sweetness.

Aged in Basil Hayden Bourbon barrels, mighty 11.6% ABV nightcap, Mammothus Imperial Stout, regaled vanilla-creamed bourbon chocolate sweetness for syrupy maple sapped French Toast finish.

JIMMY CARTER – RENNAISANCE MAN/ HUMANITARIAN/BEER DEREGULATER

Georgia Peanut Farmer Jimmy Carter became US prez during a volatile time in the ’70s. Nixon’s impeachment, high inflation, cultural warfare and stagflation really hurt the nation. Though Carter had a difficult time weaving thru so many problems, he was a true Renaissance Man and may be the greatest American of all time.

Besides being a Naval officer, Middle East peacemaker, published author, woodworker and fly fisherman, Carter was a man of character, dignity and honor, creating the highly respected Habitat for Humanity – truly the most awesome achievement by this distinctly pure individual.

What you may not know is Carter deregulated the beer industry by ridding an ancient pre-prohibition law restricting beer production to limited large macros making less than average beer. By allowing homebrewing, small microbreweries began slowly popping up in the late ’80s. Now, there are 10,000 independently owned and operated breweries.

EVERY BEER ENTHUSIAST, SMALL BREWER AND CRAFT BEER PUB OWNER OWES THIS MAN A LARGE DEGREE OF THANKS FOR HIS FORWARD-THINKING AGENDA FOR NOT ONLY THE BEER INDUSTRY BUT FOR HIS IDEAS ON RENEWAL ENERGY, BANK REGULATION (THRU THE VOLCKER RULE) AND DISEASE CONTROL.

THANK YOU JIMMY CARTER FROM ALL OUR HEARTS – RIP (1924 – 2024)

-JOHN FORTUNATO AND EVERY BEER ENTHUSIAST

FREE WILL FIRMLY ROOTED W/ SPRUCE TIPS

Offbeat sour saison peculiarity aged on oak with spruce tips (!) utilizes mixed culture brettanomyces yeast funk to add ammonia strength to dry lemon-limed parch, champagne sparkle and ambitious herbal spiced foraging underscored by acidulated wheat. Minty spruce tips amplify zesty lemony white wining as capacious pink peppercorn, fern, thyme, fennel, tarragon, dill, cardamom and mustard seed illusions penetrate musky mineralized rusticity.

SMART ORGANIC IPA

Using organic barley-hops, Smart Beer became New York’s first organic brewery in 2016. Closer to a Brit-styled IPA with its dewy mossing and cellared fungi musk overtaking any bitter piney grapefruit expectancy – yet surprisingly diverting to dried-fruited raisin, prune and apricot sweetness. Molasses-honeyed sorghum syruping seems to coat the cocoa powdered bottom. A decent changeup.