Three Floyds Pride and Joy Mild Ale

Three Floyds is the big dog of Indiana craft beer and to boot one of the Midwest’s most venerable microbrewing institutions. You don’t stay in the craft brewing business for 15 years and counting unless you make damn fine beer. Pride and Joy is one of those beers – an Americanized British mild ale that really hits the spot as we enter summer beer season. Kind of like a pale ale and kind of like a mild ale, this beer satisfies me way more than a typical craft APA. Beer geeks like to talk about balance, and in this case the balance is absolutely spot-on. It’s hoppy like an APA but malt-forward like a British mild. It goes down easy while still delivering a complex, rich flavor. The hops are crisp and bitter; the caramel malts are sweet and bready. It all comes together deliciously, and a pint of this stuff will disappear from your glass so fast that you might as well order two right off the bat. Looking for a session beer, are you? This might be the ultimate session beer. Yeah, I know it’s expensive. But you get what you pay for. Pride and Joy is simply a great freakin’ beer – and worth every penny.