If you're at all familiar with the greater San Diego area, then you're probably already well aware of the little town of Coronado that lies just south of downtown. Contrary to popular belief, Coronado is in fact a peninsula and not actually an island, although it is connected to the mainland by an enormous blue bridge that has become a somewhat notorious spot for suicidal people to take the plunge. If you've ever seen the movie Anchorman, it's the massive bridge from which Ron Burgundy's beloved dog Baxter is punted, sending Ron into a violent tailspin toward demise. Connected to the mainland by only a small strip of land called the strand, Coronado can sometimes feel a world away from the hustle and bustle of San Diego only a few minutes drive away. Coronado used to be a popular resort destination, and the beautiful Hotel Del Coronado still welcomes visitors to this quirky little town, despite the well documented haunting of the hotel, allegedly from the spirit of a young woman named Kate Morgan. Whether or not the Hotel Del Coronado is truly haunted, it's undeniable that there is a kind of magic about Coronado that separates it from the other towns on the mainland. It's no surprise that someone eventually created a brewpub on this pseudo-island and decided to tap into some of that unnamed magic. Unfortunately, Mermaid's Red Ale didn't quite live up to the mystique of the town for which it's brewery was named. I'll admit that since I'm really fond of red ales that I'm actually pretty critical of most that I try. It takes a lot for a red ale to wow me, and Mermaid's Red Ale just lacked that certain wow factor that I look for in a beer. A brewpub like Coronado Brewing Company has a lot more to prove than a more well established brewery does in my book, but the only thing that Mermaid's Red Ale proved was that I overpaid for this beer. In the end, this beer just didn't offer enough to make me want to come back for more. A worthy effort, but in the end Mermaid's Red Ale just didn't make the cut.
Cheers,
Ian
http://www.coronadobrewingcompany.com/our-beers/mermaids-red-ale.html
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