Moonlighting at Moon River

Moon River Brewing Company

21 West Bay Street | Savannah, GA

www.moonriverbrewing.com

We had a two-night stopover in Savannah, GA on our way through the deep south down to Florida. I'd heard of Moon River Brewing Company and was eager to try it. Georgia isn't known for their craft brew scene, but breweries are opening everywhere. We were waiting for a ghost tour to start and wanted to grab a quick bite and taste their brews before heading out. It was a first stop on our trip so we'd have time to come back if we wanted to.

Overview
This spot had a great beer garden. It was nice to be able to sit outside in December. They had movies playing and good music. It was an upbeat disco that was low enough not to interrupt my conversation, but loud enough to be able to make out.

The food was decent. Mr. K and I split a pulled pork sandwich and leek-goat cheese cakes. They had some pretty basic American but interesting fare on a crowded menu of burgers, wings, soups, salads, sandwiches, wraps, steaks, tuna, salmon, chicken, ribs, crab cakes, and sausage dishes. They had something for everyone.

We did end up coming back the next day, its location close to the riverfront made it the perfect place to take cover during the storm. We got a veggie wrap and deliciously crispy wings with moon river style (a tangy bbq sauce).

Overall the beer was good. They had a good selection ranging from a light wheat to IPA and a roasted black ale. With complex tasting notes and fairly low alcohol content and seemed more about the flavor than the booze.

They had bottles from some well-known craft breweries available too, like Dogfish Head and Allagash.

Beer Notes
Mr. K and I ordered the flight of all of their beers plus a cider. It's a good way to try them all without committing to a pint.

Belly-Washer
This easy drinking Golden Ale is brewed with malts from Canada, hops from the U.S. and English yeast. At the end of the day Moon River’s Belly-washer is like any good mutt: difficult to describe, but loveable and fun to hang out with. | ABV: 5.1%

Look and Smell: This clear yellow brew had a white head. It smelled a little wheaty.
Taste: It wasn't as crisp as I was expecting. It was very light. I wasn't a fan.

Wild Wacky Wit
This Old-style Belgian wheat ale is spiced with Curacao bitter orange peel and coriander. Light and exotic ... a party in your mouth. | ABV: 4.1%

Look and Smell: This cloudy yellow-straw brew had a white head. It smelled orangy.
Taste: It was creamy. It was juicy sweet. The orange stayed for a refreshing aftertaste.

Apparition Ale
This English pale ale features ingredients imported from the U.K. This beer is driven by malt flavors of caramel and toast with a fruity English ale yeast character. | ABV: 4.8%

Look and Smell: This golden brew had a white head made up of tiny bubbles. It had a light malt smell.
Taste: It was toasted. It had a chewy and biscuity flavor to it. It was sweet from the malt. It was a great, substantial brew for the slight chill in the air. On the ghost tour, I learned that the Moon River building was one of the most haunted in Savannah. If you drink enough of these, you might start seeing some apparitions.

Slow-vannah
Slow-vannah is an American pale ale with a medium to full body and palate, an apparent caramel malt flavor, a low to moderate hop bitterness, though a pronounced fruity, juicy American hop aroma/ flavor. We "dry-hopped" the Slow-vannah to achieve that cask-conditioned hop profile so adored by fans of our Swamp Fox India pale ale, a stronger cousin of American pale ales. | ABV: 4%

Look and Smell: It was golden with a bubbly white head. It left thick lacing on the small glass as we drank it down.
Taste: I had a slightly woody flavor to it. It was very light though. It was a good session ale. It's what an all-day IPA should be.

Swamp Fox
Like its namesake, this ale is known for the sneak attack. Hop-heads will enjoy its assertive bitterness and huge floral & citrus, dry hop aroma. | ABV: 7%

Look and Smell: This gold brew had a white head. It left moderate lacing on the glass.
Taste: It was lighter than I was expecting with all of the hype in the description. It was hoppy though, and floral as billed.

Depravity or Divinity
Belgian Dubbel | ABV: 8.25%

Look and Smell: This amber brew had a bubbly off-white head.
Taste: It was thick and boozy. A definite sipping brew. The Belgian yeast and sweet flavors came through. I tasted a sweet ripe plum flavor. It was a nice brew as it got colder on that patio.

Captain's Porter
Close your eyes, take a sip and think dark chocolate. Case in point: all dark beers don't have to be dark and bitter. Don't be afraid of the dark! | ABV: 5.3%

Look and Smell: This dark brown-black brew had an off-white and creamy head.
Taste: It tasted like bitter chocolate, but not much else. The bitterness cut through the creaminess leaving a bitter chocolate aftertaste. The description was dead on.

Boo Hag Black Ale
The shadowy pallor and hop intensity of this American Black Ale may just take your breath away, but we're willing to bet you'll be up for another ride. | ABV: 6.7%

Look and Smell: This brown-black brew had an off-white head.
Taste: It was light and roasty. It had an almost smoked dryness to it.

Wild Georgia-Belgique
Our seasonal Georgia-Belgique has been aging in our barrel cellar just long enough for the wild yeast we added, brettanomyces bruxellensis, to work its magic. The result is a slightly tart, fruity ale with woody and earthy notes. | ABV: 7.5%

Look and Smell: This straw-colored brew had a white head that settled to a ring.
Taste: It was tart and woody. It tasted like fresh lemon juice and pulp. That fruitiness paired with the tart flavors made it like a funked cider.