Hopback

Rogue, Lagunitas and the Acadia

2011-12-06T17:49:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the long delay between these posts, I hope to get back to a semi regular schedule now as I have many adventures and beers to share with you.

So I went to the Acadia last night with some friends to see "the broken lines" who you can check out here. this place is slightly on the expensive side for doing beer reviews but luckily it was Monday which meant 2-for-1 bottles which ended up saving me an ass load of money. For anyone who hasn't been its your typical hipster/art student hang out that gets loud as shit. The one real drawback is that they don't do a wristband or stamp thing so every time you get a new bartender everyone in line has to produce their I.D. again which slows everything to a crawl and they also don't have an ATM. Anyways on to the beers.

Rogue Dead Guy Ale

Yes everyone has had this a million times but the friend-that-is-a-girl that I was with wanted to order it and since it was 2-for-1s I did the gentlemanly thing and got four. Since it was in a bottle I can't tell you a lot about the head or the color for that matter. But I will say when my friend-that-is-a-girl tapped the bottom of her bottle onto the top of mine it did make a nice thick head, so that from that what you will.

DGA is a bock so it is a tad on the malty side, the one flavor that really stands out to me seems to be more of a dark sweetness with some alcohol hints, that is not to say it is a dark beer. It is still crisp and delicious but it is not abundantly citrusy. The hop presence is nice and isn't overbearing like the trend in some other brews, it's not the main attraction and it seems to know that by not punching you in the face after your swallow. All in all if you have a friend that loves malt while you love hops this beer is a good compromise.

Lagunitas IPA

this beer is exactly what it says it is, an IPA and it doesn't brag about hop flavor or IBUs or anything else that hop heads really care about, which actually does it service. If you were trying to get a friend to see the glory of the hop this would be one of the easier IPAs to start them out on. I noticed a more earthy pine forest flavor then I had in the past when I drank this and it had a distinct taste of malt syrup which isn't bad, it is an IPA after all not some complex malty old mans beer. By this time in the night my friend-that-is-a-girl started passing on her drinks to me so review notes got kinda muddled and decided to try to get laid. I apologize for my lapse in journalistic ethics, it will never happen again.

ps as a gift to all of you this wonderful holiday season I highly recommend taking a pint glass, filling it about 1/4 of the way with gin and then fill the rest with apple cider. it tastes like all the best parts of Christmas in liquid form. You can thank me later.

Town Hall Tap/Brewery

2011-11-08T12:42:00.002-06:00

This weekend I managed to head down to the Town Hall Tap, which is a smaller version of the Town Hall Brewery on the South side of Minneapolis. To start things off the bar its self is a combination of modern and rustic, the tables have been artificially distressed and the lighting is dim and cozy. If you have ever been to the Nomad you get the picture. The Taps clientele consists mostly of beer snobs and aging hipsters who have succumbed to the pressures of the man and gotten a real job to afford drinking 5+ dollar beers. It is worth mentioning though that The Tap serves actual pints which is always a plus.

Columbus Red Ale
I started the night with one of the seasonal house beers, the Columbus Red Ale, a deliciously sweet and hoppy brew. I'm going to go out on a limb and say the CRA was hopped with Columbus hops. Now it was not lost of me that there is some irony in using Columbus hops to flavor a Red Ale and I must say the name lends it's self to quiet a few useful analogies. A deep reddish beer, at first glance one might think this is a regular red ale with the usual sweet malty flavor but after the first few swig you can taste the hops right away and the best part is they are equally balanced. Yes there is a stronger hop flavor then a more traditional red ale but it is not a complete annihilation of the malt flavor. In fact, in this beer Columbus and the Indians seem to be getting along quiet well. The guys at the tap seem to have found quiet the balance here in a beer that could equally please a old foggy and a hop head at the same time.

Flyingdog Centennial IPA
One of the guest taps at the bar, served in a 10 once chalice type glass with out much of a head. Acidic, grapefruity, juicy, punchy, piney, all words to describe this IPA. The light malt here just serves as a carrier for the hop flavor. For being a beer big on hops and alcohol (10% abv) it is remarkably light, and if not for the high alcohol content I would drink the beer all day. Ok who am I kidding I would still drink it all day regardless of the alcohol content.

Epic Brainless on Peaches
A Belgian strong ale brewed with peaches. I'm going to go on a bit of a rant here since I have read about this beer before. I knew that it was strong in alcohol and likely not to come in a pint glass or even a regular glass for that matter, but it came in a fucking WINE glass. I don't know if The Tap thinks because it has fruit in it it's a girly beer or that the addition of some fruit juice after the beer has been brewed is going to add complex layers of aroma that I would need to spin it around and sniff it or what. The glass the centennial IPA came in would probably have done a better job. Needless to say I drank this beer super fast to make sure no one caught a glimpse of me drinking out of a wine glass so my review of the beer will be as such. Cloudly, bright yellow, sweet with minimal alcohol presences for being 10.5 abv, pretty big peach flavor. Recommended uses, getting come college bimbo that says he doesn't drink beer drunk enough to have sex with you.

Fulton Sweet Child of Vine

2011-11-04T17:39:00.000-05:00

Yes, two IPA reviews in a row for my blog opening, stunning diversity I know. I've had this beer on tap at various bars around Minneapolis but this is my first time having it in a bottle and it tastes just as good.

Sweet Child of Vine is a local beer brewed by four guys in a ~~garage~~ brewery they just acquired. This is one of the more traditional IPAs to be found from a Minnesota brewer and it is damn good. An amber color with a hint of red, nothing two over powering. It is sweet and resiny like taking a bong hit through grapefruit juice, but delightfully delicious. I've killed a number of these during the warmer months and they go down quiet easily. While some people like to wrestle with their IPAs like its trying to knock their taste buds out this is the girl next door IPA that you can keep on drinking all night without feeling full and you'll still be able to taste your food. The head is alright (this is the girl next door after all) but it will quickly dissipate into a spider web around your glass, with a bit clinging to the side. That's fine though because this beer isn't too aromatic.

For the Foodies out there, I suggest pairing this with another one.

Potosi Snake Howl IPA

2011-11-04T15:23:00.000-05:00

I figured I would start this blog with a beer that was picked up for me by my family on their last vacation. I have always been a pretty big hop head and this beer really stands up against IPAs from other brewers such as Stone. The Potosi brewery has been around for a long long time, it is my understanding that they are one of the oldest breweries in the United States. Anyways enough with the history you can visit their webpage if you want to know more.

The beer is a nice golden orange color with out a lot of malt flavor thrown into the mix. I have been searching for the hops used in Snake Howl but so far have turned up empty handed, which is a shame because this is one of the best earthy IPAs I have tasted. While not overwhelming the oak and earth flavors are complimented by a slight hint of citrus that brings a perfect balance to everything, and at 7 percent alcohol you just get a tiny tiny hint of ethanol. For an IPA drinker this would be a great choice to have to build enough confidence to go on the karaoke stage, its not to heavy that having more then 1 or 2 or 5 will fill you up. On the downside the six pack I was given really lacked any head retention which was a shame but not a deal breaker. All in all Potosi Brewery needs to figure out a way to get this distributed in Minnesota.