Hull’s Goodie Goodie IPA and Sift Bake Shop’s Mimosa Macarons

The Beer: The third installment from a resurrected Hull’s Brewing Company is a New England Style IPA. So far Hull’s has delivered on a fun retro brand brought into the modern craft beer scene. They make Connecticut beer for Connecticut people and this offering  is strong evidence for that motto.

New England Style IPA is a relatively new beer style (never heard of it? You’re crazy. Read this article and feel like an expert) that highlights aroma hops and a hazy color leaving the big bitter finish behind. Goodie Goodie delivers on that with a little bitter balance which I personally prefer. Lots of mango, tropical fruit, and some citrus make this a very tasty beer. Lots of hop character with only a mild bite in the finish.

The Cookie: When Adam Young, a pastry chef and owner of Sift bake shop, won the title of Greatest Baker in America on a food network show this summer I knew I needed to visit. Sift bake shop is located downtown Mystic. Be on the look out for a full write up about the shop, coming soon. Needless to say the cookies looked and tasted fantastic.

The cookie we focused on for this beer is a Mimosa Macaron. Macarons are French cookie sandwiches made with two meringue style cookies pressing a sweet buttercream filling. This mimosa cookie was loaded with citrus and fruity flavors. They were beautiful and delicious, crunchy yet soft, sweet and  citrusy. Believe it or not, this was actually my very first macaron cookie and I’m glad it was.  A macaron fire has been ignited in my heart.

The Pairing:  This was a winning pair - both the cookie and the beer are very well balanced food items. The sugar wasn’t overwhelming, the bitter from the beer stood out but didn’t overpower the subtle flavors from the frosting. The cookie was an excellent partner for an excellent beer.