3- Rundown - Mother's Brewing Lil' Helper

Mother’s Brewing Company Lil’ Helper

Midwest Coast IPA 7.0%

Springfield, Missouri

Mother Knows Best

Look: 5/5  A bit on the darker side of IPA’s

Smell: 3/5  There's not much of a scent to this one - simple and clean. It wasnt bad by any means, but left a little to be desired.

Taste: 4/5  This IPA, as described, is a decent bit hoppy, not by any means overwhelming, though. It has a mellowness as it goes down, with almost a honey or mollasses sweetness towards the back. I like it.

Feel: 4/5   The body is light to medium- goes down smooth and easy. 

Drinkability: 3/5  Halfway through this beer, it really hits its stride. Easy to have a few. I love an IPA, and whatever a Midwest Coast IPA is, I will have another. Which as Scott says, is the best compliment you can give a beer.

Overall: 3.9/5

Missouri State's Logo

The journey from Memphis, TN to Seattle took Bryan and I about 38 hours over 4 days. After riding 6 hours on Day 1, we found ourselves in a small city by the name of Springfield, Missouri. No, I'd never heard of it - nor did I have any idea what to expect. But after a bit of yelping, we found a cool corner restaurant/bar by the name of Riad's. Riads is a unique combo of Mediterranean (didn't spell that right the first time) entrees, american sides, and craft beer with a bit of a college twist. I can imagine the place being packed with students on a Friday night - Riad's is right on the edge of Missouri State's campus (Remember Cuonzo Martin, Basketball fans? That's where he cut his teeth.) Go Bears!

So, Bryan and I sit down, order some food - a gyro, in my case -  (sorry, it was gone by the time a photo was taken) with a side of garlic parmesan fries - incredible.  We then took a look at the selection of Mother's Brews on tap. They had 4 or 5 (you can see them above), and I wanted to try them all. Alas, I've told myself that my reviews will only be on the first beer of the day- for the sake of giving each one a fair shot and not letting another throw off my opinion. So, naturally, I went for the IPA. The Lil' Helper Midwest Coast IPA is a bit darker than I imagined it would be, and lacked any real bouquet of hops, but you know, I never let that put me off on a pale ale, most are simple and clean smelling anyway. The head on this one was pretty thick, too. The best word I could use to describe the Lil' Helper is simple. And not in a bad way! It went down with medium-light body - really smooth for an IPA. The taste was mellow as IPA's go, and had the slightest bit of sweetness on the back end, like a honey or molasses, almost. 

You know, I can't say that I have paired up and IPA with a lamb gyro too many times. But with as well as this combo turned out, I might just do it a bit more often. Tzatziki Tzatziki!