Bristol Brewing - Mass Transit & Beehive

Bristol Brewing is based in Colorado Springs and I have tried and liked Laughing Lab – Scottish Ale and Old No. 23 Barley wine.  I think both of these have won awards over the years.  Bristol is a small brewer and they offer a variety pack of six different styles or two each.  Mass Transit Ale (5.1% ABV and 21 IBU) is an American Amber / Red Ale that pours a cloudy reddish tan with a two-finger head.  Bristol describes Mass Transit Ale as, “Based on the amber style, this is a dependable session beer that simply delivers superb flavor. Crystal, Carapils, Victory and Vienna specialty malts give this ale its rich auburn color and easygoing nature.”  Mass Transit is easy to drink and would go great with BBQ and Hamburgers.

Beehive (4.06% ABV and 16 IBU) is an American-Style Wheat Beer and pours cloudy orange yellow with a small head.  Follow the pouring instructions on the bottle to pour the beer with the yeast as the brewer intends for this beer to be tasted.  Bristol describes Beehive as, “Definitely sunshine in a glass. Beehive is a joy to drink, with its beautiful honey-gold color and refreshing, full-flavored body. For our version of the classic American Wheat, we use less two-row and more Munich malt for depth, and soften the edges with the lightness of wheat. Local Black Forest honey adds character without sweetness.”  For comparison, my wife enjoyed a glass of Chocolate Wine with an ABV of 14%.  I would need to drink 3.5 glasses of Beehive to equal one glass of that particular wine.  Beehive is a nice beer and you could literally drink these all night with the low ABV.  I was thinking it might be too sweet with the honey, but this was not the case.  This is definitely a “session” beer and I think would be a good beer for the non-beer drinker.