Southampton - This installment of "Mixology" might better be called "Brewology" as we feature a seasonal offering from one of the East End's oldest and most honored craft brewery, the Southampton Publick House. Bierre De Mars, in its fourth spring release, is nothing short of stellar.

Bierre De Mars, a French/Belgium farmhouse styled countryside brew.

Opened in 1996 by proprietor and restaurant kitchen designer Don Sullivan, the Southampton Publick House for many years was the popular restaurant Bowden Square, where its legendary and eccentric owner Herb McCarthy held court for five decades. Eccentric because of his penchant for insulting his guests with rather creative diatribes, McCarthy spared no one - including celebrity regulars the likes of Babe Ruth, Gary Cooper and Clark Gable. Frankly, most patrons wore a McCarthy rattling proudly as a badge of honor.

Back to Bierre De Mars (March Beer), Sullivan explained the origins of this style of brew, "It is a specialty beer dating back about 150 years to the 'farmhouse breweries' of Northern France and Belgium. These countryside beers were brewed in the depth of winter and cool fermented in farm like structures or in cellars. These beers have a lager like quality, meaning smooth and easier to drink, but being a Belgian style beer they have a lot of fruit overtone and the color is a little amber, which is unusual for ale. You get a lot of citrus fruit flavoring and the bitterness is a little more subtle than British style ales."

Southampton Publick House brewmaster Phil Marowski's interpretation of this classic French/Belgian ale combines wheat and barley malts with a generous amount of imported continental hops. It also contains assorted spices and two yeast strains. Bierre De Mars has notes of pear and honey with a subtle complexity and a crisp, clean finish. I absolutely loved this seasonal, well-crafted ale.

The East End's highly honored craft brewery, the Southampton Publick House.

Many of the beers brewed, signature small batch and seasonal, in the tanks at the Southampton Publick House can only, appropriately, be enjoyed on premise. However, certain creations are bottled and available locally and around the country through over 20 wholesalers for home consumption, which is the case for Bierre De Mars. In fact, Sullivan told me they have an international distributor that will be bringing Southampton Publick House brews to Bermuda and other international locations.

Bierre De Mars will be available through the spring and come summer Sullivan will be releasing that season's specialty, Keller Pils, a Czechoslovakian styled non-filtered Pilsner in mid-May.

A beer lovers' paradise, the Southampton Publick House has three year-round offerings of quality craft beer and now four seasonal specialties. Consistently one of America's highest rated craft breweries with a multitude of awards to prove it, how lucky are we that the Southampton Publick House is right here in our own backyard.

For more information go to www.southamptonpublickhouse.com.