Rush River Minion IPA

Rush River Minion India Pale Ale. Unfiltered. Unpasteurized. 7% Alc. by Vol. Ingredients: water.barley. wheat. hops. yeast. (Hmm, we don't see wheat in IPAs too often, do we?) 22 ounce bomber. Brewed and bottled by Rush River Brewing Company, River Falls, Wisconsin.

Rush River turns 10 this year. Boy, does that take me back. I happened to be randomly biking north on Lyndale Avenue, passing the Bulldog Restaurant and Bar, which had just taken up shop, replacing the former tenant, long-running vegetarian restaurant The Mud Pie. A large banner was strung up, proclaiming that they were the proud pourers of the new Rush River Brewery. Imagine how exciting and novel that was in 2004, to find that there was a new beer! Made in next-state-over, Wisconsin! Wow! These days, we have new breweries opening in Minnesota every other week, it seems.

I made some calls and asked some questions, and before long found out who was distributing them. Next thing I knew, owners and brewers Dan Chang and Nick Anderson paid me a visit at the Blue Nile and brought along samples. They told me that they had been frequenters of the club in the past, on reggae nights, before starting the brewery. (Makes sense, as Small Axe Golden Ale is named for a Marley tune, and Bubblejack is named for a cannabis strain.) Before too long, I found room for the porter on tap at the Nile, and continued to try out their beers over the next few years, but less and less so as our local market grew.

I still like what they make, and try to keep up with them. (Although I wish they'd throw us some curve balls once in a while, and make some bigger beers, some experimental ones, even. Come on, you can do it. You're not just selling to dairy farmers, guys.)

So, here we have Minion in a bomber. Let's see what that's all about.

Appearance: highly hazed, bright golden, slim, off-white head. good looking unfiltered American IPA.

Aroma: Bright citrus-y notes at play here, bountiful tropical notes, lemon and pineapple aplenty. Very lively.

These coasters from my collection give a glimpse at the changes in branding for Rush River Brewing over the past ten years. 

Taste: Brisk, bristling hop bitterness commands the palate from the start. It's got that powerful bite and snap that we desire in our IPAs. Rowr! It's a fierce one. Sweet malt body hangs just below, and the wheat is coming through, it's firm, fresh, and tasty. I'm not 100% sure what sets this apart from Bubblejack, perhaps Citra hops, versus Centennial? The malts? Doesn't matter, it's delicious, and definitely drinkable. I like this one.

The third IPA they've made (if you lump in double IPAs) in ten years, but there are so many other styles they haven't tackled. Where's a Baltic Porter, fellas, or a Chocolate Stout? Oh, right, you did do one of those. Old Ale? Dubbel? Be bold, gentlemen!