Drinking Local: Leinenkugel Big Eddy and Flat Earth Rode Hearing

After the seeing family and friends thing, my favorite part of visiting home is drinking all the new local beers I've been missing. Being from Minneapolis, there's never a shortage of good beer and here are a couple favorites from my recent trip for turkey day. One is an odd Belgian style brewing by a tiny St. Paul brewery, and the other is craft brew mainstay brewed at a Miller plant.

Rode Hearing
Flat Earth Brewing
Flanders Red Ale

A- / 4.1
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | drink: 4.5

On-tap at the Nile (where the heck was Al?), served in a Kasteel goblet. Appears a slightly hazy red-amber, with emphasis on the red, and a short, white head.

Damn, this beer could be straight out of Belgium for all I know upon tasting. Seriously, someone made this in St. Paul? This style-accuracy by American breweries is very hard to come by in sour ales and I think this puts Flat Earth up in the elite class of Jolly Pumpkin and Russian River.

At first it reminds me of Rodenbach Classic for similar sour fruits that don't hit you over the head with funk. As I sip more, I realize these flavors are gentler and more drinkable. It reminds me of the drinkability of Goudenband on-tap. I'm tasting tangy lemon rind and oak with a bit of sweet cherries. Oh man, this is good. I suppose it could be more complex, but I'm very satisfied.

Big Eddy Russian Imperial Stout
http://www.leinie.com/av.html
Russian Imperial Stout

A / 4.3
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | drink: 4.5

On-tap at Stub & Herb's for only $5 a pint. Get it while you can. Appears a pitch black with a short tan head, no lacing.

This immediately reminds me of Surly Darkness. Not because they taste identical, but because its the most similar RIS I've had in terms of a smooth body and esters. It starts out with a mild dry cocoa note and then dives into a mix of chocolate-covered berries and hoppy citrus rind. It finishes with a big caramel-coated espresso bitterness (with some hops character mixed in) and medium-weight body that makes this all the more drinkable. It's a shame this beer will soon be extinct. Easily the best beer Leiny's ever made and one of the best RIS's I've had. Definitely a favorite.