Mirror Twin Brewing, based out of Lexington, KY, has its share of fruited sours, pastry stouts and NEIPAs, but they aren’t afraid of sticking to tradition. Among their more straightforward offerings can be found Oregon Pale, a Pale Ale with Citra and Simcoe hops.

Visitors of the tap room may just choose it because they’re in the mood for a Pale Ale. For those who come across it in the store, though, nostalgia for traditional beer styles isn’t the only draw.

The 4-packs of tallboys will immediately pull in those of a certain age who enjoyed playing a certain computer game in their younger days in which they could die of dysentery if they didn’t play their pixels right. That’s right, the classic game, The Oregon Trail. While we may not all03 admit it, buying beer for the label is something we’ve all done at some point. If you get home and remember that you’re just not all that into Pale Ale, then share it with a friend, finish it off and keep the can around for its label, in all its pixelated glory.

As for the beer itself, it hits all the right notes for lovers of a good Pale Ale. With an ABV of 5.9% and IBU of 30, it’s simply a refreshing, mildly bitter beer with floral and fruity overtones.

“When we came up with this recipe,” said Head Brewer Michael Brown, “we had just started to focus more on NEIPAs. I was excited about the direction IPAs were going and wanted to do the same with a more ‘West Coast’ pale ale…I wanted The Oregon Pale to have a West Coast feel but lean towards the more citrus juicy NEIPAs. Citra and Simcoe hops were the choice here.”

In describing the recipe, Brown noted that The Oregon Pale is comprised of primarily 2-row malt with a “slight touch of light caramel…this allows the hops to be the star and not get muddled with a heavy malt backbone.” While initially dry hopped early in fermentation “as a nod to the NEIPA trend,” Brown noted that they have since moved away from the early dry hop to adding hops a little later in fermentation.

You have a choice. As noted on the label, due to a quarantine, the wagon is full of beer. You may:

1. Drink Beer

2. Drink Beer

3. Drink Beer

4. Drink more beer

Which will you choose?

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