Fargo Brewing Wood Chipper IPA

Here's the second beer that I know of that's titled after a quote or concept from a Joel and Ethan Coen film. The first was Fulton's Worthy Adversary, based on a line from Walter Sobchek in "The Big Lebowski."  This one refers to the unforgiving machinery that ended the life of Carl Showalter, played by Steve Buscemi, in the oscar-nominated "Fargo." "Fargo" only takes places in Fargo, North Dakota for the first scene, where Jerry Lundegard first meets Showalter, a stickler for punctuality, and his associate Graer Grimsrud, who'd peed three times already. The rest of the story occurs in Brainerd and Minneapolis, or in a car en route from Brainerd, where they got laid and watched Johnny Carson,  to the City of Lakes, where Carl just wants a little more to talk about than where is pancakes house.

"Hey, look at that, Twin Cities. The IDS building, the big glass one? Tallest skyscraper in the MidWest after the, uh, Sears in Chicago….John Hancock building or whatever….you ever been to Minneapolis?"

"Nope."

"Would it kill you to say something?"

"I did", the tall Swede informs him.

"No." re-states the little fella, kind of funny-looking. "First thing you've said in the last four hours. That's a …that's a fountain of conversation, man. That's a geyser. I mean, whoa, daddy, stand back, man! Shit. Now, I'm sitting here, drivin'….doin' all the drivin', man, whole fuckin' way from Brainerd, just trying' to…chat…you know, keep our spirits up, fight the boredom of the road, you can't say one fuckin' thing just in the way of conversation? Oh, fuck it, I don't have to talk to you, man. See how you like it. …Just total fuckin' silence. ….Two can play at that game, smart guy. We'll just see how you like it. ….Total silence. "

Maybe if Carl had been a little easier-going, he wouldn't have met an unkind fate with Graer's hatchet and found himself in the wood chipper.

Which brings us to the beer...

Fargo Wood Chipper India Pale Ale. Brewed by Fargo Brewing Company, in Fargo, ND. 6.7% ABV. 70 IBU.

Appearance: Clear, amber-hued, slim, short-lived white head.

Aroma: All the fresh, leafy green goodies are here: an explosion (though not a bomb) of citrus and pine in the nose. Lively and satisfying.

Taste: In the mouth, it's a juicy burst of hops up and down the palate, dripping delicious, refreshing bitter hoppitude. Great little trickle on the tongue. A pleasant, incessant tingle. Medium bodied, long, hoppy finish.

Good to see a nice IPA coming out of North Dakota. I am digging this one. Excellent addition to the ranks of MidWestern IPAs.

Hey, there's loads of info on the can, let's read it: "This classic American IPA showcases an aromatic, bold hop flavor. Oats and Horizon hops provide a sleek, velvety body and balanced bitterness while two pounds per barrel of dry-hopping offer initial waves of citrus and pine. We'd give our left foot for another pint!"

Malts: NW Pale Ale, Munich, Carastan, Oats. Hops: Horizon, Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Simcoe.

"Why don't we take care of this right here? In Brainerd?"