Left to right: Heidi Sidelinker and Cristina Ryan Michael Cesarczyk

A Taste of Mystery at Mugs Alehouse

On a freezing Saturday, January 14th, beer enthusiasts gathered at Mugs Alehouse to solve a mystery: what pale ale would be the newest addition to the Bedford Avenue pub’s menu.

From 12pm to 2:30pm customers blind taste-tasted 12 IPAs (identified only by numbers) in 4oz sampling glasses. After reviewing sloppily written notes on their tickets, patrons cast votes for their favorite and received a free pint glass and an open bar until 3pm for their efforts. The IPA with the most votes became a permanent line of beer at Mugs.

“We tried to target the post-New Year crowd,” said Shane Byrnes, a beer-seller who helped organize the event with Mugs. “It’s a long weekend and there aren’t a lot of beer events going on. Almost every brewery sells one keg to a bar, so our dream as beer-sellers is to get a permanent line.”

The mystery tasting proved highly popular, with dozens of tickets being sold online in a single week. The bar quickly filled to full capacity, giving Mugs owner Eddie Berestecki a pleasant surprise. “This is a hell of a lot more than I expected,” said the grinning proprietor. “It turned out to be a great idea.”

Enthusiastic patrons agreed, getting not only their fill of quality alcohol, but also Hudson Red cheese sandwiches courtesy of Pampered Cow and Slantshack Beef Jerky. Mark Sljukic, a beer enthusiast who had come all the way from Rockland County, marveled over the selection of IPAs being offered. “Everybody has their own idea of what an IPA should be. There are so many different hops [the seasonings in beers] out in the world right now, probably ninety or a hundred.”

And the winner: Victory Hop Devil IPA!

“I’m over the moon!” said Victory New York and Connecticut Sales Manager Sean McCain, who described his ale as a “powerful, aromatic punch of whole flower American hops, backed up by rich German malts.”

“I’ve gone to many beer events but this was the first time I saw a single beer style go blindly head to head against so many breweries,” said McCain. “What a great event for the beer drinker, brewery and bar alike. Ed and Shane created a truly awesome event and it seems only right that the event was a Victory for all!”

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