MAYFLOWER BREWING COMPANY
By Andy Crouch
Founded in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 2007, the Mayflower Brewing Company has long made its name making a line of classic beers in traditional styles. Drew Brousseau, a descendant of John Alden, the beer barrel cooper on the Mayflower, started the brewery alongside Matt Steinberg, the company’s first brewer. The brewery, which brews on a 20-barrel system, distributes its beers in New England and New York City.
The brewery’s portfolio has long included expressive and consistent versions of everyday styles, while select seasonal offerings showcase its ability to offer competent and flavorful versions of changing tastes. Mayflower’s tap room in Plymouth offers more than a dozen beers, including everything from nitro versions of its core lineup to pastry stouts. Let’s take a run through the Mayflower portfolio.
PORTER alcohol by volume 5.2%
Porter is a divisive style for beer drinkers and historians alike. While once on its death bed in its home country of the United Kingdom, American craft brewers helped resurrect the style in both traditional and not-so-traditional forms. Modern versions of the style offer a range of flavors from bitter roasted malt notes to milder chocolate and sweeter malt notes. For coffee drinkers, porters can be a good entryway to a variety of beer they don’t often drink.
Mayflower offers one of the best porters in New England. Originally crafted by Steinberg, a master of the style, Mayflower continued brewing this stunner after the brewer left in 2010 to work at other breweries before starting Exhibit A Brewing. Pouring dark brown to deep ruby amber in color, Mayflower’s Porter possesses an aroma that is slightly British in style, with light coffee notes and deep European malts. Medium bodied and very drinkable, almost like a cross between a Dunkel and a Porter, Mayflower’s version possesses an airy quality, a touch of sweeter malt, all resulting in a light mocha coffee finish. The beer remains very dry throughout and maintains an even, balanced flavor. Mayflower Porter is made with a touch of peat malt for a hint of smokiness that adds some depth and character to it.
LEISURE MODE alcohol by volume 4.5%
Leisure Mode is a sessionable, zippy light hazy New England IPA. It pours with hazy golden hue and a slight, wispy head of off-white foam with mild lacing. The aroma boasts notes of orange, lemon, and grapefruit, complemented by subtle hints of bread and crackers. On the palate, Leisure Mode delivers prominent flavors of grapefruit and orange citrus, intertwined with a cracker-like malt backbone. The first sip welcomes waves of juicy citrus flavors across the palate, with notable and lively bursts of tangerine and lemon zest mingling with hints of ripe melon and a touch of pine. The malt bill provides just enough structure to keep things balanced without overshadowing the beer’s hop-forward personality. The mouthfeel is light and effervescent, with a crisp, quenching finish. Little touches of herbs and hay add some depth to this well-balanced and easy drinking hazy.
CRISPY BUSINESS KÖLSCH-STYLE ALE alcohol by volume 4.5%
Brewed in the German Kölsch-style, Crispy Business pours with a clear yellow color and a light-bodied white head that laces the glass. The aroma offers a delicate interplay of lightly sweet, toasted malts over bright hops, leaving a sense of fresh baked bread. The flavor fills with sweet, lightly toasted malts, complemented by subtle hints of piney hops that emerge towards the finish. With a very light body, Crispy Business refreshes and balances carbonation to well-represent the Kölsch style. Hitting the right balance e between malt sweetness and hop bitterness, it’s a great beer for a meal or in the warmer months.
NEW WORLD AMERICAN IPA alcohol by volume 6%
Branded as an “American IPA,” Mayflower’s New World IPA is a cross between a West Coast style India Pale Ale and the more popular New England style of recent years. This lightly hazy version pours with a luminous, hazy orange hue, crowned with a thick, fluffy white head. The nose brims with juicy aromas of pineapple, orange, and tropical fruits from the blend of Mosaic, El Dorado, and Citra hops, over balances of pale malt sweetness. The beer’s flavor continues to evolve as it warms, including herbal notes and greater washes of malt sweetness over fruit essences.
LOVE & WRESTLING DIPA alcohol by volume 8%
With their bright, neon lettering, the Love & Wrestling cans stand out on store shelves. Pouring with a hazy golden straw color, it offers a thick, frothy head that lingers. The aroma of this double dry-hopped Double IPA bursts forth with juicy waves of pineapple, ripe mango, and zesty orange peel, intertwined with subtle floral and herbal undertones.
The aromatic fragrance invites deep inhales and delivers big fruit notes from the combination of Amarillo and Citra hops. The first sip expresses a velvety mouthfeel, thanks to a well-rounded malt bill featuring wheat and oats. Washes of juicy citrus flavors dominate, including bright tangerine and grapefruit, which mingle with tropical pineapple and hints of passion fruit. Beneath the fruit-forward explosion, a touch of pine and dank resin adds depth, preventing the beer from becoming overly sweet. As it warms, the hop complexity unfolds, revealing layers of orange rind, a whisper of lemongrass, and a gentle herbal bitterness that lingers long after each sip. The balance showcased in Love & Wrestling provides a strong case for the beer as does its pillowy texture, which masks its elevated alcohol levels.
MAYFLOWER BREWING
Plymouth, MA
www.mayflowerbrewing.com
Mayflower beers are available from Mayflower Brewing Company.
