2 O'Clock Tasting: 
Mystic Brewery

Updated on March 29, 2016

Founded by Bryan Greenhaden in Chelsea, Massachusetts (although nowhere near Mystic River or Mystic, Connecticut), Mystic Brewing is known for its New England-focused beers and ingredients. Gleaning inspiration from Belgian brewing tradition and pre-industrial beer making practices, Mystic incorporates different technique revivals in their process from yeast hunting, dichotomous brewing, and gradient mashing.

Jimmy, who's part of our sales team, led this tasting and decided to offer a food pairing - and thus we also tasted three different types of Kettle Brand potato chips that complemented each beer style. Read on for our tasting notes and for which chips go best with your next Mystic bottle!

1. Saison Renaud

   6.5% ABV

   A saison with a straightforward grain bill of Pilsner Malt hopped with Noble Saaz, the hazy Saison Renaud is the color of sand and sports a bright white, long-lasting head. It's aroma is very much like a saison should smell - pleasant with lots of bright lemon and orange coming through. It's thick mouthfeel can be slightly surprising, yet it leaves a drinker feeling refreshed with its dry, clean finish. It pairs perfectly with Kettle Brand's Honey Dijon chips, leveling the crunchy, sweet-hot with crisp citrus.

2. Vinland 3

   6% ABV

   This American wild ale is fermented with pure yeast isolated from Vermont farmstead raspberries - a New Englander of a beer! Our bottle of Vinland was super carbonated - most likely due to the yeast still in the bottle. While the color resembles a murky amber with a tan head, there is a touch of sour in the nose plus light plum. While there are no raspberries in the ale, we definitely note some in the malty flavor. We paired this with Kettle Brand New York Cheddar chips, which were richly cheesy and worked well with the tangy notes of Vinland.

3. Spectral Evidence

   12% ABV

   What better beer to pair Maple Syrup and Bacon chips with than Mystic's Spectral Evidence, a boozy imperial stout? A dark and silky appearance that resembles root beer, we think this looks exactly like an imperial stout should. The aroma mirrors the flavor in this beer, with lots of chocolate and cocoa on the nose and in the mouth with a good amount of alcohol. The chips easily complemented the stout with lots of sweet and smoky flavors.

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