#30 Maine Beer Co. Mo - Two Girls, One Beer Guest Post

Good evening. My name is Kristie and I write for Two Girls, One Beer. "Where is Hipster Brewfus?", you shout, tearing at your hair. Relax, gentle reader. Hipster has graciously allowed me to co-opt his blog for the day so I can share with you an East Coast beer gem.

From out of the back country of Maine, where pterodactyls still fly free, where the lion lays with the lamb, is Maine Beer Company; a small brewing operation producing some of the finest beers in the area. You can always recognize their bottles, which feature a very minimalistic design approach and the slogan "Do what's right".

This is MO, an American Pale Ale. It pours an absolutely gorgeous shade of orangey-amber, with a frothy white head that lasted throughout most of the beer. There is a yeasty haze (possible band name, I think so), and it left behind tons of lacing.

The aroma is packed with citrus (grapefruit, light tropical fruits), a great fresh hop smell, little bit of pine, and a light help malt to help support the resinous hops. Judging by appearance and aroma alone, this seems like an incredibly fresh brew.

MO starts with a caramel sweetness and a toasty/bready malt character before moving into a very interesting hop profile. Warrior and Simcoe hops provide a blend of both fruity and piny notes. Flavors of orange peel, grapefruit, and apricot slowly become more earthy and floral as the beer warms.

This is a medium-bodied ale, 6% alc/vol. It has the same perfect malt/hop balance that I look for in a pale ale or IPA. The hops aren't hindered in any way by the malts. It finishes light and crisp, with a sticky hop bitterness that lingers on the sweeter side of things. This would definitely pair well with pretty much any type of food.

What I love about this beer and this brewery in general, is that they're making basic styles exciting again. I can't remember a time when I felt this much joy from a pale ale
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Maine Beer Co. is only available in the Northeast, so if you're ever out this way, ya know, getting Dunkin Donuts or whatever, I highly suggest buying everything this brewery puts out because it is all gold.

Thanks again to Jake for letting me post and check out Two Girls, One Beer for other New England beer reviews from myself and my beer life partner Ashleigh.

And to stick with Hipster's music theme, this beer pairs well with The Dead Milkmen - The Thing That Only Eats Hippies