Battleground (Mantra Brewing)

Battleground is Mantra Brewing’s farmhouse ale, an effort that pours with a hazy dark-yellow to gold color. There is a solid amount of whitish head that laces its way down the glass. The head (and lacing) is tenacious, but does ultimately fade. The nose of Battleground has heavy amounts of grain and floral elements present, while the initial sip of the ale is surprisingly dense in terms of flavors. Bits of bitterness dominate, but a sweeter, candi sugar-like yeasty profile becomes commonplace at the end of each pull. The wheat and malt flavors of Battleground wax and wane, ensuring that no two sips of the beer will be precisely the same. The ABV of Mantra’s farmhouse offering is fairly low (5.1%), allowing all of the more delicate elements of Battleground to shine.

The beer’s wheat and sweet elements become more prevalent as Battleground continues to approach room temperature, creating something that is decidedly different from what it was when one initially opened the bottle. It is this eclectic nature that makes this such a good beer for the dog days of summer, where one wants something that has a wide array of flavors but is not overly thick. The strong wheat undertones will appease those that are fans of wit and lager styles, but the depth of flavors that make their presence known in a glass will be a pleasant experience by anyone that likes something more with their bears.

Check out the Mantra domain or social media profiles for more information about the brewery, their tap room, and news/events. We’ll be reviewing other Mantra beers in the months to come. If you find yourself in the Franklin, Tennessee area, the brewery’s taproom has a number of expressions that have not made it into bottles.

Battleground / Mantra Brewing / 5.1% / / http://www.mantrabrewing.com/ / https://www.facebook.com/MantraArtisan/ / https://twitter.com/mantraartisan

Rating: 8.0/10

Battleground (Mantra Brewing)