Getting into trouble never ends favorably for those involved, but causing a little mischief: well, that’s fun! What makes a mischievous event even more memorable is when it’s shared with close friends or relatives.

A few weeks ago I had the unfortunate privilege of attending a ‘celebration of life’ in Stockton, California. While this celebration didn’t last all weekend, the good times with close relatives did. Also in attendance were my brothers – Patrick, 30 and Daniel, 22 – both of whom have been ditching the macro brews and tracking down craft beers as of late. Thanks to Patrick, the three of us were able to drink some of the best beers California breweries have to offer; choices included beers from The Bruery, and Green Flash to name a couple.

Turns out neither offerings from The Bruery (who recently announced a collaboration brew with Dogfish Head) or Green Flash were available in my neck of the woods in Florida, so both were a special treat.

Back to the mischief. Though we didn’t exactly ruffle any feathers or kick up some dirt, we did get into a little mischief – Mischief by the The Bruery that is.

Mischief is a hoppy golden Belgian style strong ale that comes in at 8.5% alcohol by volume, but the flavor and aroma of liquor isn’t the star in this brew. As we drank the brew in the parking lot of the La Quinta Inn off Interstate 5, the straw color hue shone brightly in the early morning sun. Unfortunately we had styrofoam cups which we had commandeered from the continental breakfast in the hotel lobby, so the taste could have been presented a little better. However, both the fruitiness and the hoppy quality of the beer could be felt on everyone’s palate by beer’s end, regardless of our choice of glassware.

Though this brew isn’t exactly new(it was released back in ’09) it was new for us. Sharing a beer, and a ‘new’ one at that, with brothers can be one of the most rewarding ways to experience a beer. The flavors and aroma can arouse memories and have lasting effects on the psyche for years to come. I suspect the three of us will have many more adventures tasting beer together, or at least many more gatherings suitable for causing a little mischief.