Try?
New brewery alert! New for me anyway: Mustang Sally from Chantilly, Virginia. I got a few bottles of their beer from good old Chuck Triplett not long ago. When I saw the bottles, that classic Wilson Picket song started going in my head.
All you wanna do is ride around Sally. Ride, Sally, ride.
All you wanna do is ride around Sally. Ride, Sally, ride.
The first beer I am trying from Mustang Sally is their Dortmunder Lager. This is in the Dortmunder Export style, which Michael Jackson once nailed by saying in a pilsner he wants more hops, in a Helles more malt, and in an export more of both.
The beer comes with a generic label with a sticker for the beer in the bottle. The brewery describes their interesting naming conventions on their website:
When Do We Name Our Beers: We know it’s a little unusual, but we don’t name our beers until we believe they are ready for a broader market. We believe that we need to earn the right to put a name on a beer. We do not release any beer unless we are completely comfortable with the taste and quality of the beer. With that said, we believe a beer is ready for a broader market after the beer has been in our tasting room and a limited market for a long enough time to get your input.
How Do We Choose the Names: Our beers are named after people that we admire for their great contributions. These people often made enormous sacrifices. Naming a beer that we believe in and that we have invested our caring, time, effort and expertise in after these great people is our way of thanking them for making our world a better place.
I am assuming that Chuck got this beer from the tasting room before they have concocted a name, because it’s simply named Mustang Sally Dortmunder Lager. I would suggest naming it Chuck Triplett Dortmunder Lager, because Chuck is a great guy and loves German beer. So get right on that, Mustang Sally.
Mustang Sally Dortmunder Lager has an alcohol content of 5.5% by volume with 15 IBUs.
Mustang Sally Dortmunder Lager pours to a slightly cloudy yellow color with a light head formation and a crisp biscuity malt nose. Taking a sip, the beer has plenty of crisp biscuity malt with a touch of creaminess, then leads into a grassy. herbal and gently bitter hop finish. The maltiness of a Helles with the hop character of a pilsner is what I want in a Dortmunder (just like Jackson), and this smooth, flavorful and drinkable beer hits they style close to the mark. Perhaps just a tad more hops and it would be perfect, but it’s a beautiful beer for sure. Kudos to Mustang Sally for brewing in this often neglected style.
All you wanna do is ride around Sally. Ride, Sally, ride.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
