Bacon, that made my mouth water here at 8:35am.
Bacon, that made my mouth water here at 8:35am.
3. Cola Weizen(Losch-Zwerg)
I'm glad my kids put this early. Germans are some strange folks, as their most popular beers are Radlers (beer and lemonade) and they're fond of these as well. Also, they opt to put sparkling water in their wines at the wine fest, but since they serve them in half liters, this actually serves a good purpose, if you're planning on knocking them back all day.... But I digress. This is a cola beer. It tastes like cola, kinda. An odd cola. I don't really taste the beer, and I think that's what keeps this somewhat drinkable. If it had the sweet syrup of cola with the hopped bitter of beer more pronounced, I'm not sure how my body would handle that! So there, Germany, 4 years later, I think I've tried all your basic styles of doing the beer thing.
21 beers remain.
Look at that head!
I've had plenty of radlers but never tried a cola beer. That sounds like something I would have loved ten years ago, haha. I try to avoid cola these days.
Giving up in 2020. Who cares.
maɬni – towards the ocean, towards the shore (Sky Hopinka) ***½
Without Remorse (Stefano Sollima) *½
The Marksman (Robert Lorenz) **
Beckett (Ferdinando Cito Filomarino) *½
Night Hunter (David Raymond) *
3. Able Seedhouse + Brewery
The Bidness - Brut IPA
Just across the Mississippi from downtown Minneapolis, Da Nordeast as locals like to call it, is the highest density of breweries in the state. Originally settled by central and eastern Europeans who came to the area seeking work in the flour mills across the river, the area still manages to hold on to its blue collar roots in a day when gentrification has run completely amok. So, lots of warehouse spaces and cheap land, which are perfect for putting breweries in.
One of the newer breweries in the area is Able, located literally two blocks east on Broadway from 612 Brewing where Scar and I were Saturday, and two blocks south of Indeed brewing, where I'll be next week. In Da Nordeast, you are never more than a five minute walk from a brewery, a distillery or a cidery, no kiddin'. This one I discovered one Saturday after dropping my kid off at circus class a block away. Rather than drive all the way home just to turn around fifteen minutes later, I decided to head to Able and have a beer. They were just starting out, and their beers were a little on the thin side, but I tend to cut brand new breweries a little slack for a few months until they hit their stride.
Turns out, Able's shtick is that in addition to producing beer, they want to malt and distribute their own barley, hence the seedhouse in their name, establishing a farm to table sort of relationship you see a lot in the restaurant industry. Kind of a neat little spin, I must say.
As for this beer, it's a Brut IPA, and to be honest, I had to look up the style definition. As it happens, the term brut applies to IPAs in the same way it applies to champagne - namely they want lots of bubbly effervescence, and a dry finish. Apparently it's the next style of the month in the IPA world, so look to have about 50 brut IPAs to sample at the next beer fest you attend.
So, does it hit the mark? Yeah, I would say if it's bubbles and dry they are shooting for, they hit a bullseye with this one. Look at the picture, nice light bubbly head, and I'm definitely finding the carbonation to tickle my tongue with a sharpness more evocative of just popped bottle of champagne than of an ale. And the straw color is probably the lightest I've seen an IPA look that wasn't a session IPA.
Hard to pick up anything on the nose but for perhaps the whisper of tart apple, which I can taste a bit on the front. Bitterness is a bit on the lower spectrum of things for an IPA, but you definitely know it's an IPA. There is hardly any of the citrus and pine you would expect of an american IPA, so looks like a British IPA is where they take their lead on this one.
And the finish - holy shit is that one dry as a soda cracker fart finish. Literally pucker your lips dry. Now, kolsches are known for their dry finishes, and bieres de garde done right can be that way too, but this, this is drier than anything I've had of either of those styles. And I gotta say I like it - a lot. I'm gonna give this a 3.5/5, Good. What would elevate it to great would be some more citrus or resin notes on the hops, to give it a bit more personality down the middle before that dry finish. Still, I quite enjoyed this one, definitely a sign of a brewery starting to fire on all cylinders.
21 breweries to go!
Losing is like fertilizer: it stinks for a while, then you get used to it. (Tony, Hibbing)
Still a little under the weather so will save my doubleheader for another day. Instead, cracking open a small can in my fridge...
2. Go-Ahead (Leipzig Gose)
Left Field Brewery (Ontario, Canada)
...which I didn't realize was another raspberry beer until I was pouring it. I bought it a couple weeks ago and remembered that it was a gose, but oh well, that's two raspberry beers in a row to start things off. This one is from Left Field, right here in Toronto. Last year, I reviewed their Laser Show, a Vermont style Double IPA, which was fantastic. This is not on that level, but I like it more than yesterday's offering. Left Field's gimmick is that all of their beers are named after baseball terms. Go-Ahead is brewed with raspberry, hibiscus, coriander and salt.
Go-Ahead pours a deep red, with a clearer body than yesterday's and less bubbles. It also has a white/pink head, but it disappeared so fast I couldn't even get it in the picture (and leaves no evidence of it ever having existed). There are a lot of superficial similarities, as they're both raspberry centric, tart, and similar in color/appearance. But there's a much better balance here with the raspberry and hibiscus. Everything intermingles really nicely on the nose. It's enticing. On the palate, the beer is light and smooth, and the coriander and salt play a bigger role, keeping the raspberry flavor more subdued. There's a light tartness, and a long, mild, salty finish. Notes of raspberry and hibiscus are present throughout but again nothing is overbearing. There is a nice harmony here. Not quite a great beer in my mind, but it's highly pleasurable.
3.5/5
Giving up in 2020. Who cares.
maɬni – towards the ocean, towards the shore (Sky Hopinka) ***½
Without Remorse (Stefano Sollima) *½
The Marksman (Robert Lorenz) **
Beckett (Ferdinando Cito Filomarino) *½
Night Hunter (David Raymond) *
4. Yankee (Seasonal)(Sander)
Bottle says seasonal, so I have some expectations this time of the year. And Yankee inspires America and what they do to beer, which is beer additions and spice. Then I remember, I'm in Germany and they're not going to spice their beers with anything but hops and yeast. So I take a sip, and this is.... bitter. I feel IPA, which is far from "Seasonal", but to be fair, they don't say what season. Reading into it on Beer Advocate, it's an Amber, and I can get that interpretation. It's an okay amber. Not my favorite style, and not "seasonal" in my eyes, but a drinkable beer, and a change from the heavy and pseudo beers we've had thus far.
20 beers to the fat guy.
I should add some of those Minnesota Breweries to my list for when I travel there for work.
56 and Wicked Wort are the closest thing I have to watering holes these days.Quoting Ezee E (view post)
“What we are dealing with here is a perfect engine, er... an eating machine. It's really a miracle of evolution. All this machine does is swim and eat and make little sharks and that's all.”
4. Bent Paddle
Harness IPA
For the next beer on the list, we are taking temporary leave of Nordeast Minneapolis (don't worry; we'll be back) and heading about 2 hours north to the delightful Lake Superior port city of Duluth, the gateway to the North Shore, basically the Minnesota Riviera. Duluth is blessed with a wide assortment of breweries because of course they are - you need something to warm the whiskers when the gales of November come early - and the most famous of their breweries is Bent Paddle.
Bent Paddle made the news about 2 years ago because of a little spat they got into with the city council of Silver Bay, a smallish mining town about an hour northeast along the north shore. Bent Paddle posted an op-ed in opposition to opening the BWCA (Boundary Waters) to fracking, on account it would potentially poison the aquifer that feeds the entire state, Duluth included, and who wants to drink beer from toxic water. Since it would cost Silver Bay, a town who's economy is disproportionately propped up by the mining industry, potential jobs, the city council of the town decided to ban the sales of Bent Paddle within city limits. Whatcha gonna do.
Anywho, Bent Paddle evokes the outdoorsman aesthetic in their design and in the names of their beers. It's usually what I bring along with me when I go camping, matter of fact. Their Kanu Session IPA in particular is a favorite of mine when I have a camp chair, a few hours of nothing to do, and I don't wanna be blathering drunk when the park ranger comes calling.
Bent Paddle's flagship beer is their Black, a coffee stout, which a lotta people lose their shit over, but I am lukewarm on it, as I find the coffee to be someone stale. I am, as it turns out, as particular about my coffee as I am of my beer.
On the other hand, Bent Paddle does a variety of IPAs (it's kinda a requirement in Minnesota, it seems), and they're all at least competent, Harness being no exception - not really as hop forward as others, it does instead strike a nice balance, with equal measures resin and citrus, with a nice sweet almost brown sugar character right down the middle. Nice and juicy to boot. One of the better IPAs in Minnesota, and one of the ones I reach for, to be sure. 3.75/5 - good, almost great.
20 Breweries to go!
Last edited by bac0n; 12-05-2018 at 04:01 AM.
Losing is like fertilizer: it stinks for a while, then you get used to it. (Tony, Hibbing)
3. XX Bitter (Belgian IPA)
Brouwerij Brasserie De Ranke (Belgium)
De Ranke XX Bitter was available exclusively online in Ontario but randomly showed up at my store when the warehouse forced out the last case. I'm still not sure if that was accidental or not. Anyways, I hadn't even heard of it, so there's another beer for the list!
It pours a deep yellow/gold, with a thick, foamy white head. Good retention. Sticks around for quite a while, with mild lacing. The nose is quite intense and floral. It's a bit grassy, with some subtle lemon notes. On the palate, it has an average feel, not too thin or heavy, and the taste is rather surprising. Not so much floral, but spicy/peppery. There's some bitterness for sure, but it's not all that bitter? There's some earthiness and grassiness again, and some resin. The beer was brewed with added sugar, and it's mild but certainly noticeable. As the beer warms, the flavors actually develop quite nicely. There are more citrus notes (mostly lemon again, which is not always my favorite citrus note in a beer; lemon is permanently associated in my mind with dish soap) and some more hops/floral notes swirling around. The finish is long, a tad sweet, and a tad bitter.
This is not at all what I expected for something called XX Bitter. It's not that bitter! There's more interplay with bitterness and sweetness, with the finish being a lot sweeter than I had anticipated. But the flavors do develop nicely, as I say, and it's all nicely integrated. Strange at first, but I could get used to this.
3.5/5
Giving up in 2020. Who cares.
maɬni – towards the ocean, towards the shore (Sky Hopinka) ***½
Without Remorse (Stefano Sollima) *½
The Marksman (Robert Lorenz) **
Beckett (Ferdinando Cito Filomarino) *½
Night Hunter (David Raymond) *
My local favorite bar, Third Base in my hometown. They don't sell it anywhere else, unfortunately.
BLOG
And everybody wants to be special here
They call your name out loud and clear
Here comes a regular
Call out your name
Here comes a regular
Am I the only one here today?
3. Sociable Cider Werks Fat Bike Mulled Apple
In keeping with bac0n's local theme, I busted out a Cider. I've tried several of CiderWerk's ciders, and am surprised that I haven't actually been there yet. I believe they have a Mead Fest too, which I really need to check out.
Anyways, this is a nice, crisp cider, with a good 'mulled' flavor. As Scarette says, 'It's Christmas in a glass!'. I'll consider that a ringing endorsement, considering its not nearly as sweet as the stuff she usually prefers.
“What we are dealing with here is a perfect engine, er... an eating machine. It's really a miracle of evolution. All this machine does is swim and eat and make little sharks and that's all.”
Oooh, I gotta get me some of that shit.
Trivia - Sociable is about 2 blocks NE of Bauhaus if you ever wanna hit it up sometime.
Losing is like fertilizer: it stinks for a while, then you get used to it. (Tony, Hibbing)
5. Blacklist Artisan Ales
Dark - Belgin-Style Imperial Stout
We're staying in Duluth for this one! The last time I had some Blacklist I was actually in the brewery, just a block and a half down from the hotel my wife and I were staying at for Scar's wedding last year. We had just gotten settled in, and we had an hour or so to kill before the groom's dinner, so the wife and I along with two of my fellow groomsmen decided to wet the ol' whistle at Blacklist before heading over to Superior Wisconsin (the most inaccurately named town in America) for the dinner. Sipping this beer right now is bringing back some pretty fond memories.
Anyway, the folks at Blacklist are obviously belgophiles, as pretty much every beer they make is a Belgian-style something, tho oddly enough I haven't seen any dubbels, trippels, or quads coming from them, the styles most people think of when they think Belgian Beer. In practice, it pretty much means they'll take a beer style, make it true to that style but for the Belgian yeast, which you typically need to ferment at around 65 degrees and ramp it up to 72 over the course of about 48 hours for it to attenuate properly. Kind of a pain in the ass, which is why Belgians are not as common as, say, IPAs or Pilsners, which tend to ferment at constant temps. The reward for the extra trouble is a beer with a very distinct character to it imparted from that yeast - you get some nice apple tartness, and a bit of pepper to it as well.
So, this beer. It's 8 percent and I've got the whole can to myself. I'm not gonna be feeling any pain by the time I am through with this, that's for damn sure. Yee-haw!
Now, stouts, especially imperial stouts you don't wanna have ice cold, as they open up considerably as they warm, so I let this one sit for 15 minutes while I futzed with that picture up above. Now that I've got it up a bit, the first thing I wanna do is stick my nose in the glass and get a good whiff. Plenty of dark chocolate and coffee and just a bit of apply sweetness, no booziness to be found. Who wouldn't want to drink that? Taking a sip, the first thing I notice is the body - it isn't as thick as a lot of Imperial stouts that I've had, probably owning to the lower than average ABV. I've had Imperial Stouts which I swear could double as motor oil, and for that reason, I tend to avoid them unless I have about 4 people to share it with, so this is a refreshing change of pace.
As for the taste. It starts a bit tangy ends sweet, and trailing about 100 yards behind the cabooze is a very coffee-y aftertaste that sticks around. The belgian yeast does a nice job of taking the edge off, mixing in a lighter apply taste in the middle - not tart, but mellow.
This is one of the more approachable and enjoyable imperial stouts I've had in a while, certainly a one I could stand more than 4 ounces of at a time. Another nice beer for when the temps dip below freezing. Nicely done, Blacklist. 4.25/5 - somewhere between great and awesome.
19 breweries left!
Last edited by bac0n; 12-06-2018 at 11:32 AM.
Losing is like fertilizer: it stinks for a while, then you get used to it. (Tony, Hibbing)
4. Bring Out The Imp!! (American Imperial Stout)
Alechemy Brewing (Scotland, UK)
After an unusually warm start to the month, it's finally getting cold tonight, so I busted out a stout. Bring Out The Imp!! is an imperial stout (10.5% ABV) from Scotland, and is brewed with "molasses, liquorish and oatmeal, fermented with a Belgian yeast and aged in Côtes Du Rhône casks" (according to the bottle). Sounds like a great way to kick off some cold weather, so let's dig in.
This pours jet black (I can almost see my reflection in the damn thing, haha) with a thin beige ring for a head. Minimal lacing, but the ring persists for a long time. On the nose, I'm hit with everything the bottle claims. Lots of molasses and liquorice, and below that, some chocolate. Lots of smoke and wood notes, too, from the casks. There's just a hint of the red wine in there, too. Quite complex, and fascinating. On the palate, there's a slick sensation from the oats, getting a little more chewy on the finish. Medium body, and absolutely no hint of the alcohol. The cask finish shines here, with a lot of burnt wood, tobacco and leather. And once again, a dash of red fruit. Somebody got their wine in my beer, and it's actually pretty good! The deeper I get into the bottle, the more oily my mouth feels. The finish is long, a bit sticky, and has just a dash of heat (I knew that alcohol was in there somewhere). There's a nice licorice note on the end as well.
I will say the flavors do pull in different directions at time. It doesn't change a lot as it warms, outside of getting a bit hotter. But the slightly sweet, delicate warming sensation it leaves in my soul is hitting all the right notes for me, so at the risk of perhaps overrating it just a bit...
4/5
Giving up in 2020. Who cares.
maɬni – towards the ocean, towards the shore (Sky Hopinka) ***½
Without Remorse (Stefano Sollima) *½
The Marksman (Robert Lorenz) **
Beckett (Ferdinando Cito Filomarino) *½
Night Hunter (David Raymond) *
5. Nordik Porter(Stortebeker)
I'm a day late because I got home pretty late last night, and wasn't about to take on a 9%-er before an early rise this morning. Probably will make up the day tomorrow, or Saturday. Anyway, this thing is right up my alley, roasty, figgy-sweet, chocolate, full bodied with a lot going on behind the heavy punch. I could see myself knocking these back pretty easily, and paying for it mightily. Best of the short journey this year, and I'd put it up with my favorite porters overall, quite enjoyable.
19 beers left
5. Blueberry Pancake Milkshake Stout (English Sweet / Milk Stout)
Rochester Mills Beer Co. (Michigan, USA)
And now for something a little different. I picked up a pack of "milkshake stouts" recently with a variety of odd flavors, including a Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake Stout (sorta bland for a milk stout, can hardly taste any marshmallow) and a Crème de Menthe Milkshake Stout (surprisingly good, basically a chocolate mint stout and it totally works). Blueberry Pancake Milkshake Stout is the one that made me really blink a few times, so I decided to save it for the list this year.
Like yesterday's, it pours a reflective, inky black, but this one boasts a bigger, foamier beige head. It dissipates quickly, however, and leaves almost no lacing. I'm rather surprised by how much this actually smells like blueberry pancakes. It's a bit like pancake batter, with cream, sugar and blueberries. It's pretty sweet, needless to say. On the palate, you can really get the lactose. This is unmistakably a milk stout. It's a bit thin, but soft and smooth. Otherwise, yeah, it tastes like blueberry pancakes. It's a gimmick. It's not bad, but it's one-dimensional. And the finish is short, never a good thing. There's a mild, brief lingering sweetness and then nothing. Set the glass down for a minute and you might forget you were drinking anything. Overall, an amusing gimmick, but an average beer at best.
2.5/5
Giving up in 2020. Who cares.
maɬni – towards the ocean, towards the shore (Sky Hopinka) ***½
Without Remorse (Stefano Sollima) *½
The Marksman (Robert Lorenz) **
Beckett (Ferdinando Cito Filomarino) *½
Night Hunter (David Raymond) *
So, Larry ‘The Axe Henning’, local wrestling Legend, passed away yesterday. Recently, Wicked Wort rereleased their Imperial Pecan Brown named in his honor.
I think I know what I need to do after work today. Bac0n, what time does your give a shit meter expire?
“What we are dealing with here is a perfect engine, er... an eating machine. It's really a miracle of evolution. All this machine does is swim and eat and make little sharks and that's all.”
It expired the minute I heard that news. Man I'd love to go, but I have the wife's holiday party tonight. Are they open for lunch? Perhaps I could swing up there then.
Losing is like fertilizer: it stinks for a while, then you get used to it. (Tony, Hibbing)
They open at noon on Friday, but I’ll be putting in OT until about two or so, last stop is in New Hope.
“What we are dealing with here is a perfect engine, er... an eating machine. It's really a miracle of evolution. All this machine does is swim and eat and make little sharks and that's all.”
Do you typically enjoy Milk Stouts? I'm a huge Double Chocolate fan so I'm inclined to try this, but your 2.5/5 rating worries me.5. Blueberry Pancake Milkshake Stout (English Sweet / Milk Stout)
Rochester Mills Beer Co. (Michigan, USA)
And now for something a little different. I picked up a pack of "milkshake stouts" recently with a variety of odd flavors, including a Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake Stout (sorta bland for a milk stout, can hardly taste any marshmallow) and a Crème de Menthe Milkshake Stout (surprisingly good, basically a chocolate mint stout and it totally works). Blueberry Pancake Milkshake Stout is the one that made me really blink a few times, so I decided to save it for the list this year.
Like yesterday's, it pours a reflective, inky black, but this one boasts a bigger, foamier beige head. It dissipates quickly, however, and leaves almost no lacing. I'm rather surprised by how much this actually smells like blueberry pancakes. It's a bit like pancake batter, with cream, sugar and blueberries. It's pretty sweet, needless to say. On the palate, you can really get the lactose. This is unmistakably a milk stout. It's a bit thin, but soft and smooth. Otherwise, yeah, it tastes like blueberry pancakes. It's a gimmick. It's not bad, but it's one-dimensional. And the finish is short, never a good thing. There's a mild, brief lingering sweetness and then nothing. Set the glass down for a minute and you might forget you were drinking anything. Overall, an amusing gimmick, but an average beer at best.
2.5/5
4. Axe is Back! Imperial Pecan Brown
This place is about as close to a watering hole as I have these days. Wicked Wort in Robbinsdale, MN is a wonderful, non-kid friendly establishment. 21 and up period, unless you're a well behaved dog.
Anyways, this beer weighs in at 8.5% ABV and only 26 IBU's. It is smoooooth, with a nice pecan taste on the back end. I'm sure bac0n will have a much more eloquent post about Wicked Wort, but I'm just here to drink. Two Crowlers of this is now sitting in my fridge, and we'll bust one open on Saturday.
“What we are dealing with here is a perfect engine, er... an eating machine. It's really a miracle of evolution. All this machine does is swim and eat and make little sharks and that's all.”
6. Boom Island Brewing Company
Biere de Garde
For the 6th brewery this month we venture back south from Duluth and into Minneapolis proper, and unfortunately a pretty sketchy part of Minneapolis at that. Breweries tend to require lots of square feet and tend to open in places where that is more economical, which is why you see them moving into industrial spaces. Well, the industrial space Boom Island is in is right on edge of the most high crime part of Minneapolis, and the shit has spread to their side of the highway in recent years, to the point that they need to close their taproom at sundown after too many of their patrons have gotten mugged in their parking lot. And worse, on more than one occasion staff working late have had to spend the night because some bikers had set up shop at the end of their parking lot and were selling drugs. That was the straw that broke the camel's back, and right now Boom Island is trying to raise money to move to a new location, and who can blame them.
So, they're in a pickle, which is definitely a shame, because they put out pretty good beer, and stand out as really the only local outfit that focuses on Belgians. They also have a good story, in that the husband and wife team who run the place in a previous life played the french horn for the Minnesota Orchestra. They come from all walks, I guess.
So, this beer. Now, I said before that Boom Island is about the Belgians, and their big seller is a Belgian Pale called Thoprock, which is tasty, but when I saw this can of biere de garde, I had to give it a go. Bieres de garde, in my humble opinion, are a grossly underrepresented style, probably due to the fact that they typically have to sit for a while on the shelf after brewing, at least 6 months and ideally a year. Hell, the name biere de garde literally means "beer for storage", and most local brewers don't have the capacity to keep kegs and kegs of beer sitting around for that long. Ya gotta move that inventory fast, people, if ya wanna pay the rent, even if it's in as shitty of a neighborhood as is Boom Island.
According to the style guidelines, bieres de garde are supposed to be mellow and sweet, with their defining characteristic being a dry finish. I haven't had enough of them to build a pallet for them, nor do I know of the benchmark of the style, or even if one exists, so I'm just gonna wing it here and say that, yes, this one definitely finishes dry compared to its belgian brethren. On the nose I am picking up notes of red delicious apple, white grape, and I am also going to say stone fruit so that I can put on airs, because nothing convinces people you are not a complete nincompoop like throwing out the word stone fruit.
As for the taste, it's a touch cidery, with also molasses/brown sugar, ever so slightly tart. Moderately sweet, extremely low on the bitterness. All in all a decent beer. I wouldn't call it special, nor would I snatch it up again if I saw it in the store, but I certainly wouldn't turn one away if offered, and they seem to hit the deliverables on the style. 3/5 - OK.
18 Breweries till the Baby Jeezniz!
Last edited by bac0n; 12-07-2018 at 08:34 PM.
Losing is like fertilizer: it stinks for a while, then you get used to it. (Tony, Hibbing)
6. London Black Cab Stout(Fullers)
The head in that picture.... I got like no head in my pour. I also don't remember grabbing so many stouts/porters. I mean, I know I grab a lot, but I thought I mixed in a good variety of things. Randomization may be top heavy (heavies?) this year. Anywho, I'm sitting here sipping a low (4.5) ABV beer that his high on bitter. Roast bitter, not hop bitter. It's almost like eating (drinking?) baker's chocolate. It's also pretty thin for how dark the pour is. Thin and bitter and low ABV, not a winning combination for an enjoyable stout, in my eyes. It's not bad, it's not good, it just is.
18 more beers to go.
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