Catching Up on MN Craft Beer

I was back home in Minneapolis for a wedding last weekend and had my work cut out for me. I'd once grumbled over the slow growth of the Minnesota craft beer scene, though there was no lack of good beer, as I watched the east and west coasts bubble with new breweries. No more.

Over my four nights I only scratched the surface of new brews, mostly catching up on the recent, but not brand new, breweries. While I had my fill of Surly, Lift Bridge, and Steel Toe, I couldn't get my hands on a pint of Badger Hill or Boom Island. Alas. Next time.

Anyways, here are the highlights from my trip. Damn there was a lot of good beer.

Irish Coffee Stout
Lift Bridge Brewery
Milk / Sweet Stout | 8.00% ABV

4.1/5
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Split a bottle with a friend, though I wouldn't have minded having it all to myself. So it's a decent strong milk stout by itself, but the coffee and whisky add delicously mild complements to the smooth, roasty stout. Most coffee stout don't show so much restraint, often taking over the beer. Likewise with the whisky barrel character, I didn't even taste it until the beer started to warm up. Once obvious, I was tasting a smooth, spicy vanilla. Not on the thick side for the strength, though a great sipper. Glad I got to try this beer.


SYX
Surly Brewing Company
American Strong Ale | 14.50% ABV

4.1/5
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Yup, that's a strong beer. Oddly, there was a clear sour funk when the beer was fresh off the tap and faded as it warmed. It tasted like a younger sourness, and, I suspect, could make this beer really interesting in a couple years.

This is a thick, fruity beer with a dry funky edge. I get apricot, marmalade, and tangerine up front and then a more toasty fresh oak barrel kick and wood astringency (not too much, just a touch). It's understandably thick for the strength, and well-balanced by the hops. It's a very good beer as is, but I think in a 12-24 months it could be great.


Sommer Vice
Steel Toe Brewing
Hefeweizen | 5.00% ABV

4/5
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had a pint at Republic on 7 Corners. Huh, reminds me of the old Summit Hefe (which I really enjoyed), as it's a crisp, spicy wheat beer with no fruity character. The clove almost tastes singed, and the dry toasty wheat and barley provide a great balance to the phenol spices. It's eas-drinking and quite refreshing on a hot day.


Lost Trout
Third Street Brewhouse
American Brown Ale | 4.90% ABV

3.95/5
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I don't often take notice of brown ale, but this has big cocoa and roasted barley flavors without too thick a body, like so many American browns. It's not sweet and fruity like an English, but also not as bitter as many craft browns. It's just a smooth, clean mix of dark grains that's appropriate in any weather. Check it out. Another fine beer from Third Street. It's great to see the folks in Cold Springs making solid beer.

Drinking Minnesota

Yes, family and friends are the best part of coming home for the holidays, but diving into the local beer scene also ranks pretty highly. With nearly a dozen local breweries or brewpubs and countless good beer bars, a new local pint is never hard to find.

Here are a few highlights of my visit and beers to watch out for if you ever find yourself in Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Festivus 2009
Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery
American Stout | 5.80% ABV

A- / 4.25
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | drink: 4.5

I ordered a pint at the bar and it appeared pitch black with a short tan head. This beer seems simple, but it's damn good. Upfront, there's a big and tasty coffee character followed by an amazing milk chocolate taste. These make for the best mocha beer I think I've ever had. The chocolate comes off creamy, like a milk stout. Drinkable and delicious, this is a great beer to celebrate the holidays and Festivus.

Summit Extra Pale Ale
Summit Brewing Company
English Pale Ale | 5.30% ABV

B+ / 3.95
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | drink: 4

I see this beer around Minnesota so much, its easy to forget that its a quality brew. It's got a fairly unique (and its hard to find something unique these days) blend of malt sweetness with rich, roasted caramel that's complimented by a balanced bitterness of grassy hops. It's a great session beer and readily available around town. Thank you Summit.


Snowstorm 2009
August Schell Brewing Co., Inc.
Baltic Porter | 5.80% ABV

B / 3.75
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | drink: 4

On-tap at Three Squares in Maple Grove. I'm impressed that Schell's took on the style and didn't just try to make a strong porter like some other American-brewed Baltic's I've tried. This has the sweet light candy, or wine-like, chocolate note under the roasted malts. My only complaint is that the middle sweetness turns to more of an old-shoe note (like oxidation) that builds as the beer warms, but it's very light. Otherwise, this is tasty and to-style take on the Baltic porter.

Bender
Surly Brewing Company
American Brown Ale | 5.10% ABV

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

A brown ale with balls. So much so, I dont even know if its really a brown ale. Dark brown, the color of a porter, with great tan lacing. Slightly roasted and sweet malty aroma. Taste is complex with roasted and chocolate malts, american hops, and maybe even oatmeal. I think I tasted oatmeal. Very smooth beer, kind of thick, but very smooth. Give me another.

The last year-in-review blog you'll read: Best Beers of 2008

Although I drink, sample, and review hundreds of beers in a given year, I come nowhere close to encompassing the spectrum of beer available in any given year. The following are simply the five best beers I sat down to write about in 2008. That's not to say they aren't world-class or fucking delicious, because they are. I'm just saying there's always the chance of better beer being out there.

#1 - Trappist Westvleteren 12
Brouwerij Westvleteren (Sint-Sixtusabdij van Westvleteren)
Quadrupel

A / 4.45
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | drink: 5

A year after trading with Leftmindedrighty, I finally decided to crack this baby open.

It's pours a dark, slightly hazy brown with a thin tan head. The aroma has a hint of cardboard, but otherwise its smooth, Belgian chocolate with a hint of fruit. The flavors going on in the beer are nuts. I'm blown away by the complexity. Just running down the list of flavors in my notes I got: chocolate (lots of it), grassy/herbal hops, caramel, candi sugar, medjool dates (really sweet dates), and cola. Everything is very smooth and one flavor melts into the next.

I tried to be skeptical, but this truly is divine beer. I had this back to back with the St. Bernardus 12, but there's not much comparison. The Bernardus is lighter in color and thus has more fruity flavors than chocolate. I love Bernardus, but if Westy 12's were just as available, it'd be my go-to.

Reviewed on: 04-19-2008


#2 - 16 Grit Ale

Surly Brewing Company
American Double / Imperial IPA

A / 4.4
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | drink: 5

Cool, I get to be the 10th review. Thanks to kroggdawg for sharing his growler. Frankly, I've gotten tired of imperial this and double that lately, but this beer rocked. It was complex in flavor, yet drinkable for the average hophead and still something different. It seems like most brewer just throw the C-hops (cascade, chinook, centennial, etc) at their DIPAs and let er' rip. This can make a good DIPA, but I've have enough of those.

Right off the bat this beer reminds me of Orange rum and then once I ponder the flavors, I realize it's similar to Surly's delicious Bitter Brewer. Orange citrus hops are the big flavor and aroma note for me in what is a surprisingly appropriately balanced DIPA. There are more pine and grapefruit in the background with subtle cinnamon spices and a very slight vanilla note. Jesus, this is good. I know I'm not the first or last person to say this, but I wish there was more of this beer. Easily one of my favorite DIPAs, better than Pliny the Elder even. If you can ever find this baby, drink it before someone else does.

Reviewed on: 12-31-2008


#3 - St. Bernardus Abt 12

Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV
Quadrupel

A / 4.4
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | drink: 4
rDev: -0.5%

You know, the last couple times I've had this beer it was on tap and I found it sweet and fruity, but unimpressive. The bottle I had, however, was damn good.

Poured into a red wine glass, its a slightly hazy brown and light tan head. Rich smell of dark fruit malts that gives way to the cherries and blackberries in the flavors that roll over your tongue with a mellow caramel. It finishes with a grassy hops note that stands up to the big malts and adds a wonderful balance. This bottle ran out too quickly.

Reviewed on: 01-13-2008


#4 - Bell's Batch 8000

Bell's Brewery, Inc.
Witbier

A / 4.35
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | drink: 4.5
rDev: +10.1%

Witbier, what? This tastes more like a big fruity and spicy saison or Belgian strong pale ale. It feels crisp on my tongue with a lot going on. There's the mild, bitter orange peel hops undertone that reminds me a touch of Saison Dupont. The yeast character has ligher fruit flavors, like candied blueberries and cherries, along with gentle-feeling spices like coriander and white pepper that especially come out in the aroma. The malt and wheat play the part of a sweet background for the fruit and spices to play on and overall this beer reminds me of Brooklyn's Local 1.

I think this might be my favorite Bell's beer to date. Don't get me wrong, Two Hearted rocks, but this beer is on another level for me.

Reviewed on: 02-05-2008


#5 - Creme Brulee (Imperial Milk Stout)

Southern Tier Brewing Company
American Double / Imperial Stout

A / 4.35
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | drink: 5

Picked up a bomber at Abe's and shared it with some friends on a Friday afternoon. The general first taste response was something along the lines of, "holy sh-t!"

It smells pretty spot on like vanilla custard and creme brulee. Damn. There's a slight bite to this beer that hints at the 10% strength and the flavor pales a bit compared to the deep and rich aroma. Still, more custard comes out on the palate with a mocha edge. The flavors here so vividly recall cream and vanilla desserts that it's easy to forget this is a stout. The balanced body and relatively thin (for a 10% stout) body also make this as drinkable as any sessionable stout.

This beer is, simply put, nuts. It's a great example of extreme beer and American brewers pushing the boundaries of what beer can beer. Bravo Southern Tier.

Reviewed on: 08-01-2008

The 56 Mile Bar Crawl

I'll be honest about this, if there were any decent form of public transportation in MN or a willing designated driver, we wouldn't have touched our bikes. This was a journey of necessity, that necessity being the need to drink Minneapolis's best beer. So on a recent, unseasonably warm Saturday, I set out with a couple friends from deep within the suburbs to East and West banks of the University of MN campus. We were able to take bike trails nearly the entire distance and followed the Mississippi most of the way.

We first hit up Stub and Herb's, taking advantage of their $1.50 off pints for happy hour. A couple highlights were the Leiney's Big Eddy Imperial Stout - beer that has the audacity to be big, delicious, and made by a brewery partially owner by Miller - and Surly Mild, a full-flavored English ale with only 4.2% abv.

Surly Mild
B+ / 3.95
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | drink: 4.5

Basically and big-flavored beer with great drinkability. The aroma is pretty subtle, with toffee and roasted-caramel malts. That same caramel makes up the main flavor, with lighter caramel and toffee around it. As it fades into the aftertaste, the malt continues to develop turns into a creamier candy flavor. If I wasn't on a mission to try other new beers, I'd be ordering a second and third pint. Just like Surly's Bitter Brewer, it makes a lot of flavor out of a litter grain and then develops as you drink it.

Later, we made our way to Town Hall Brewery, home of the infamous Masala Mama IPA. There was an interesting Dr Irish Stout on tap brewed with potatoes. I basically tasted like a fine stout, a big step up from Guinness, but there was mild potato taste that might not be for everyone.

Pot Of Gold Potato Stout
B+ / 3.8
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | drink: 4

Served on nitro, this beer is pitch black with a creamy light tan head that leaves thick lacing. The aroma gives off a hint of mashed baked white potatoes complete with skin mixed with burnt malt. The flavor is fairly mellow, but slowly develops from the cold coffee, potato note, cocoa, black malt to dry, herbal hops. Yum. There are a few better dry stouts (Sly Fox's and Victory's) come to mind, but none are as interesting as this. Definitely worth a try.


After a good long while of enjoying the sun and fine beer, we realized the sun would be dropping soon, so we scrambled over the the Acadia Cafe for one last round. I had a goblet of Rogue Ales' Charlie 1981 Ale, an American Strong Ale (think Arrogant Bastard) made in honor of homebrewing and craft beer pioneer Charlie Papazian.

Charlie 1981
A- / 4.2
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | drink: 4

JLS Release #33, Charlie 2008 on-tap at the Acadia Cafe. Served in a Duvel tulip. I'm not sure where this review is supposed to be, so hopefully this is good enough.

This beer is just big on everything and immediately reminds me of Arrogant Bastard. The grains are a touch rough with rich caramel, toffee, and biscuit flavors. Big piney hops rock the bitterness with slightly earthy and citrus flavors. Medium body and carbonation. Very tasty and fairly drinkable. A must-order if you see it on tap.

All in all, there were 4 hours of biking and 4 hours of great beer. What more can you ask for out of a Saturday?