Pilgrimage to The Middy leaves reviewers in tap heaven

Now, when we say taps, we aren’t talking about the trumpet. For week three, we made a pilgrimage to our old reliable watering hole: The Middy.

Joining us is our designated driver, friend and moral compass: David Durenberger. Nothing is better than the Middy in the fall as the Twins win a meaningless game against the White Sox. Tuesdays are tap nights, so that means $3.50 beers for stuff that should be at least $4.25. We made out like bandits.

With the air getting chillier this week, we’re glad we got Kona out of the way. Now it’s time for the heavy hitters. Remember, these beverages should be enjoyed by people 21 and over. If you are 21, be sure and Stop @ Buzzed.

**Jack Pine Octoberfest**

This one was special. It’s why we wake up every day with our dear readers of this very column in mind. It’s why we drink beer. This beer is a creamy blanket on your tongue wrapping you up as snug as a bug in a rug. Malty, sweet, with a touch of bitterness and utterly beautiful. Pure bliss, it’s perfect and all worries go out the door. It’s akin to sitting by the bonfire on a crisp autumn night.

Jack started writing love poems to Jack Pine, so Charlie had to write the rest of the review. The best beer we’ve had in a while. Blake’s Hard Cider: Triple Jam Shoutout to our girl friends (note the space in between girl and friends) for suggesting this delight. This tastes like if you went to Coborn’s, smashed every berry into a vat of hummingbird feed then served it with maraschino cherries. It reminds us of an ultra-sweet dessert rosé (celery not included). We were hesitant to add a cider to our tasting list, but we think it paid off big time. What can we say…we like this puppy, so don’t be surprised if you see us ripping these on ladies’ night with our friends.

**Fargo Brewing: Vanilla Porter**

We’ll revisit this beer when it’s 30 degrees colder, but Dave insightfully told us it tasted like a Chocolate Chip Cookie Beer from the Minnesota State Fair. Jack isn’t a porter guy at all, and Chuck’s limit is one per year to nullify the pain of the void that is a Minnesota winter.

It’s definitely not a bad beer, and if you’re into the darker stuff like early David Fincher, Edgar Allen Poe or the sickos who enjoy the new Dahmer show, you might like this one. “Samples of some weird stuff (but the other word)” from Katie, the lovely bartender this evening. She was a good sport despite our exuberance.

To finish our night, Katie, the barkeep on most Tuesday nights, graciously offered us the Pantown Cream Ale, the Lupulin Hooey Hazy IPA and the aforementioned Porter (we didn’t tell her we choked the first pint down). Honestly, the beers were good, but our lasting memory is her hypothesis that Sal’s Light is “pink eye in a glass.” So we don’t violate HIPAA guidelines, all we’ll say is one of the anonymous beer reviewers had Sal’s light last year at trivia and woke up with eyes crustier than a Miles Davis record.

Chuck’s hope is dwindling on the Bennie from the Middy, but it’s only week three. It’s a long season. We’ll see all you beautiful people next week and happy Homecoming.