MIO - Made in Oklahoma Beer Flight

I haven’t always consumed as your typical college student. While house parties can be great, I really prefer to sit down at a small bar and sip a flavorful beer with a few close friends. Living in Norman, there is no shortage of bars for student. Campus corner is the epitome of OU nightlife. While dancing at Logan’s or getting a rocket at O’Connell’s is usually a good time, I have always been inclined to the small and relaxed nature of the Library Bar and Grill. My twenty-first birthday was celebrated there, and my older brother couldn’t have picked a better bar for me to make my first public appearance as a drinking customer.

The Library has a great variety of beer and wines as well as a full bar for cocktails. One thing that always caught my attention on the menu is the beer flights. A beer flight consists of four or five small sample beers that follow a specific theme. I ordered the MIO Beer Flight, also known as the Made in Oklahoma Beer Flight. It consisted of four Oklahoma brews.

The first on the flight was the Choc 1919 from Krebs. It was a darkest of the beers and had the most bite. I had recently tried a couple Choc beers from the Choc Beer variety pack, so I had an idea of how it would taste. This was the original Choc beer and it met my expectations. It had a bitter bite with a more mellowed out aftertaste. Overall a great beer to start.

The second beer was the COOP Native Amber from OKC. The taste was sweeter than the Choc beer and had a more distinguished lace (the more distinguished the lace, the healthier the beer is). This was my first taste of the COOP brews and the Native Amber left a good taste in my mouth. While the beers flavor wasn’t as pungent as the Choc, it had a heavier consistency. A great beer to be featured on the flight.

The third beer was the Brewhouse Irish from Norman. Brewhouse beers are common house beers in the Norman Area. When I’m at the Library, I mostly order Brewhouse beers because they have a hometown charm and great taste. The lacing was beautiful for this beer and though I tend to avoid ales and pale ales, I have to say the beer was sweeter than I expected. It also had a bitter aftertaste. I need to try some more Irish Ales.

The final beer of the flight was the Marshall Jomoke Porter from Tulsa. The first distinguishing feature of this beer is that it was the only one garnished with a lemon. MJP was the lightest of the flight and was a yellow color. I squeezed the lemon into the beer and sipped. The beer had a bubbly consistency and very crisp. I may have over squeezed the lemon, rung out a whole lemon slice for a four ounce beer.  I really enjoyed this beer.

I have already established a taste for my lighter beers, but I think that I am starting to acquire a taste for the darker beers. The Beer Flight is an excellent way to get a variety of beers around the state. You sample four beers for $5.50. They have two other beer flights and a large assortment of other beers and wines. The library is located at 607 W. Boyd, Norman, OK 73069. They are open daily from 11:00 am to 2:00 am.