Four Horsemen

Brewer: Mishawaka Brewing Company, Mishawaka, Indiana
Alcohol Content: Unknown

Official Description from Brewer:
None

Wilk's Take:
Sadly, in all my time at Notre Dame I never once made it to the Mishawaka Brewing Company's brewpub.  That will stay that way forever as the pub closed in December 2008 with the owners mostly laying the blame on a smoking ban and the recessing economy.  The brewery was to remain open with operations being moved to Elkhart.  It seems however, that the company is defunct or soon will be.  My research led me to discover that all the equipment was for sale.  This may be my only encounter with a brewery that was virtually in the backyard.

When I took the cap off the bottle I heard absolutely nothing but the clinking of the cap on my counter top.  I was nervous.  The ever inviting "pfft" that comes from opening a capped bottle was missing in action and I thought I may have encountered a previously unsealed beer.  I poured it however and discovered zero carbonation.  My worries continued as I raised the liquid to my nose and whiffed nothing but sour, almost rusty scent.  The copper brew in the glass was anything but my notion of an Irish Red.

My first sip of Four Horsemen was awful.  I was reminded of the sour beer I had in Newport with a distinct sour cherry taste to it.  Fear spread quickly, worried that my beer had spoiled somehow.  I took to my guys at Beer Advocate to see if my taste buds were experiencing exactly what they should.  I was missing a lot, but then as I read more reviews I decided the beer probably was intended to taste this way.  That didn't bode well for the beer.

The beer was missing hops.  I'm sure they were there, but there was no bitterness to speak of but that didn't make the brew any smoother.  Four Horsemen tastes like it was made with well water out of decaying copper piping.  The sour was a huge turn off to me and I barreled through the glass like a champion just so I can say I finished it.  In the end I regretted grabbing the bottle off the shelf.  Maybe it was good that I never went to the brewpub, it might have been a wasted trip.

Suggestion: Avoid it.  No need to spend money on a beer that you might not even be able to find any more.

Value: The $2 I spent on this bottle would have served me better if I bought a bomber of Natural Ice.

Michelle Factor:  Lack of bitterness and distinct beer flavor made Michelle actually enjoy this beer.  "I could definitely drink this."