This week, I'm taking a look at the Mega Mix Pale Ale from our neighbors to the south, MIA Beer Co. This is an American pale ale that's being canned and distributed across our area.
Mega Mix comes in black 12-ounce cans, emblazoned with a bright-pink logo and green font, spattered by colorful paint drippings. It's impossible to miss in the store and stands out well, part of MIA Beer's branding efforts to capture the Miami Vice spirit of the 305.
The pale ale is an old style, with the American pale ale our country's take on the classic English style. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.'s Pale Ale is probably the most famous example stateside. The style was incredibly popular for years and has begun to fly under the radar compared to such marquee drivers as the India Pale Ale.
Here, this 6 percent alcohol-by-volume beer holds a mere 10 IBUs and is styled as a West Coast light-bodied pale ale with "a Megamix of Mosaic, Galaxy and Citra late addition and dry hops," according to the brewery. This will surely make it bright and citrus-forward on the palate.
The beer pours slightly cloudy with a yellow-orange color accompanied by a small white head that dissipates to wisps. Aromas of mango, apricot, and tangerine abound. It's full and varied, which is quite enjoyable. The flavor is dry, dank, without an overbearing malty sweetness; there's just enough here for structure, holding up the hop flavors. With the mild dankness is an outpouring of citrus, but less on the orange end.
Overall, this is a beer that some breweries would put out and call an IPA, but MIA has the cojones to call it an APA... and with the way it's structured, I'm keen to agree.
MIA Beer Co.'s Mega Mix Pale Ale is available in 12-ounce cans at most decent local beer retailers.
MIA Beer Co. is located at 10400 NW 33rd St., Suite 150, Doral. Call 786-801-1721, or visit mia.beer.
Doug Fairall is a
