12welve Eyes Clout Chocula Cereal Milk Stout

A couple weeks ago, I made my second visit to the Twin Cities premiere spectacle-themed brewery, 12welve Eyes in St. Paul, which I will always pronounce "twelve-welve", because that's how it's spelled. Once again, I was hanging with Ed. I decided to take home crowlers this time, and when Ed saw my selections, he told me, "you got one I liked, and one I didn't." This is the one he didn't. But, you know me, I take the bad with the good. I try to avoid the bad when I can, but sometimes you gotta just try.

12welve Eyes Brewing, St. Paul, MN. Clout Chocula. Cereal milk stout. 4.9% ABV.  12 IBU. Canned on 10/18/18.

Solid blackness, with nice brown head.

In the nose: some sweetness, which starts small and grows and grows until the adjunct addition of sugary cereal is quite apparent. Not bad, actually.

In the mouth: more sweet and malty from the top. Body’s on the lightish side, minor hop presence, just a little unbalanced. Actually, it’s fine for a milk stout, but if they really did add Count Chocula to it, there were no improvements. They’d have been better off using real chocolate instead of a gimmick adjunct.

Breakfast Cereal beer? Pass.

Venn Batch 93 London Porter

Venn Batch 93 London Porter. 7% ABV. 29 IBU. Venn Brewing Company, Minneapolis, MN.

Deep dark, roasty brown head, leaving a little lace.

In the nose: lightly bittersweet, minor hops, major malt. Chocolate, caramel, just sweet enough.

In the mouth: classic, clean, smooth and malty. Just enough hops for balance. Medium-bodied and tasting terrific.

That's all I got, but that's enough. Good porter, and you can drink it. Time after time, they prove it. These guys know what they're doing.

Roasty, dark chocolate, dark fruit. An upsized version of a typical British-style Porter.


Malts: Stout Malt, Flaked Oats, British Chocolate, American Chocolate, Pale Chocolate, Caramel 20, Honey, Extra Dark Crystal.
Hops: Warrior, Willamette.
Yeast: British Ale.

Town Hall Oktoberfest

Every time I go to the Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, I have to look and see if there's anything new that I need to take home in a growler and write about. And once in a while, I search through this blog to see if I haven't done so already. This happened recently with this beer, and I was astounded that in the eight years that I've been adding beer reviews to this blog, I've not done so with Town Hall's Oktoberfest. This lead me to wonder if I've ever written about it, and off to BeerAdvocate.com I go, where I discover that I, "feloniousmonk",  added the beer to their database on October 15, 2008.


Here's what I said then:

Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery Oktoberfest marzen lager. 6.9% ABV. Minneapolis, MN.

Clear and copper-colored. Cream toned froth atop, slims down with quickness.

Semi-sweet, malty nose, grainy, herbal, vegetal. Slightly spicy, mild, and pleasant.

Taste: crisp, smooth, and malty-sweet. Rich malty flavor is big at first, then rolls back, but never quite quits.

Medium-bodied, richly flavored, but never too much, and not the least bit not enough. Here's a beer you can drink. And that's saying something.

First Oktoberfest from Town Hall. Not sure why it took almost eleven years. Was it worth the wait? Just about maybe...

Now, that above remark may not have been accurate, but I could find no evidence there being one before 2008. The style seems like a no-brainer for a craft brewpub that it seems strange that they'd avoid brewing one for so long.

Giesenbrau Bier Co. Bavarian Gangsta India Pale Ale

Giesenbrau Bier Co. Bavarian Gangsta India Pale Ale. 7.5% ABV. Giesenbrau Brewing, New Praque, MN.

Clear, amber-hued, heavy helping of ivory froth atop.

In the nose: clean, slightly sweet, lightly malty, Just a touch floral, fruity, and feeling all the way classically Deutsch. (And only slightly butter-y.)

In the mouth: Bitterness comes on strong at first, but doesn't dominate, nor is assertive in any way. Just nice and cool. Light-bodied, sweet, juicy malt. Tasty. Balanced. Maybe a little too on the sweet side. (Diacetyl? Can't say for sure. And, as the first beer I've reviewed from them, I'd be irresponsible to suggest it.) Getting some citrus, some pineapple, a little orange. Very mellow, very groovy. I kind of like it.

7.5% High IBU - zee Germans historically are not known for their IPAs but they grow some really good hops for them, so we used all German hops and malts to brew this IPA. Featuring Hallertau Blanc and Mandarina Bavarian hops, expect a juicy IPA with notes of Mandarin, grapefruit, pineapple and grape.

Indeed Stir Crazy porter

Indeed Stir Crazy Porter. 6.5% ABV, 40 IBU. Indeed Brewing, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Stir Crazy Porter began it’s life as a Winter Ale brewed with pulverized raisins and brown sugar in early 2013. I originally reviewed it from a pint off of a keg at my old place of work, The Blue Nile, way back then. This year is the first time that the word “porter “ appears prominently in the label. Also, the raisins and brown sugar are gone. And the owl has lost his toque. So, it’s time for a re-review, I think.

Dark brown body, creamy tan head, leaving a little lace.

In the nose: cocoa, malty, coffee Just slightly sweet. Delightful.

In the mouth: Full-bodied, robust, satisfying. A malty mouthful. Flavors of chocolate, dark fruits, and coffee swim about the palate, ending nice and dry. This is a truly well-made robust porter, without any frills. Just solid goodness. We need more of this, not less.

Some may disagree with the above statement. I've already heard comments such as: I've already got the two that I like, what do I want this for?

Surly Furious Black

And here we have a beer that's been available on tap at the brewery beer hall or at various bars and restaurants for a good handful of years now. I've had it on at Acadia, but have fallen out of the habit of taking notes at the bar. At last, here we have it in cans. (It was out in bottles for awhile, but I have a feeling that I passed on it, having already tasted it on tap, and always on the hunt for the new.)

Furious Black, 6.7% ABV, "high" IBU, Surly Brewing Company, Minneapolis & Brooklyn Center, MN.

Remember Black IPAs? They were still a thing back in 2015 when this
beer was created. I thought it would be cool to photograph this beer
in my rare all-black logo Surly pint glass. I was wrong. 

Solid blackness, slim layer of cocoa-toned head atop.

In the nose: grassy, citric, caramel-covered hoppiness. Bright and dark at once. Nice.

In the mouth: more bright, citrusy, juicy, covered up, wrapped entirely with dark malts. Medium-bodied, easy-drinking, very tasty. Roasted malt flavors linger long in the finish. Hops continue to play on the palate. I’m loving how long it persists. Lovely stuff.

Black IPAs have certainly fallen out of favor in recent years, but this one reminds us of how good they can be.











BLACK IPA
COLOR
Black

HOPS
Warrior
Ahtanum
Cascade
Simcoe
Amarillo
MALT
2-Row
Golden Promise
Aromatic
Medium Crystal
Roasted Barley
Carafa 3
OG
15.5º Plato
YEAST
English Ale
IBU
High
ABV
6.7%
SURLY MN USA
BC Small Batch Seasonal
BREWED FOR: EMBRACING THE DARKNESS.

Created for Darkness Day 2015, its overall presence and citrusy hoppy aroma is recognizably Furious but with subtle roasted notes and black in color.

Gray's Bully Porter

Gray's Bully Porter. 4.5% ABV. Gray's Brewing, Janesville, Wisconsin. (Home of Paul Ryan, let us not forget.)

So, Gray's Brewing has been around for awhile. Since 1856, it seems. I feel like they've been distributed here before, or did I get my previous tastes of their beers from friends who visited our neighbor to the East? Well, they're here now. And someone is distributing them, so I got this sample, and I drank down the bottle a few weeks ago, while looking back at my old notes.

Here's what I said about it back in August, 2009.

Dark brown color, smallish cola-tinged head.

Nose is sweet and nutty, not quite as dry or as rough as I'd expect or want from a porter. But nice...

Drinking it...drinks nice. Smooth, sweetish, cola, nuts, ...Medium bodied, mellow, easy-drinking...but flat in the finish, and sparse in flavor. Good, or, perhaps, average, but not great. A bit too watery, a bit lean...wanted more...but, hey, you can drink it...

eh, ...hoo-boy. Not great, this one. Not great at all. Sigh....

What I said nine years ago occurred once more in this new sampling. And now I have new reason to feel conflicted about this beer. In a moment of carelessness back then, the contents of the glass fell all over the keyboard killing that MacBook. Again. Sigh. Damn it, why did it have to be Gray's Bully Porter to kill this computer that I'd had for 2 years? From now on, I take the notes on an iPad and post them the next day.

So, now you get two lessons: don't drink and blog, and avoid this beer.

Oliphant Medium Talent Imperial Stout

Oliphant Medium Talent Imperial Stout. 9% ABV. Oliphant Brewing, Somerset, Wisconsin.

Utter blackness, beautiful cocoa-tinged head, leaving lace.

In the nose: soft, malty, slightly sweet. Cocoa/ toffee, coffee, earthy. Nice.

In the mouth: deep, rich, malty. Coffee, chocolate, anise & more. A little bit of spice. An enticing combination. Not as rich and full-bodied as other RISs, but there ain’t nothing wrong with that.
Quite tasty. I’d even say malt-tastic.

The name gives away the fact that this is no thick and thunderous, balls-to-the-wall powerhouse. (Or does it? We don't really know, now.)
But does everything need to be? This one has it’s own thing going on. And I quite like it.

medium talent

some say a medium’s talent is medium talent. who says that and in what reference is that to?. grab you qwegee board and ask away!!!!!

imperial stout. 9% abv

Venn Batch #105 Citra Simcoe IPA

Venn Brewing Batch #105 Citra Simcoe IPA. 6.6% ABV. 40 IBU. Venn Brewing, Minneapolis, MN.

Cast in golden haze, under a brilliant ivory head, looking very nice.

In the nose: Bright citrus, touches of tropical, floral, fruity, slightly sweet.

In the mouth: Bold bitterness kicks it off on the palate, lively hoppiness tripping on the tongue, just the way I like it. Simcoe's doing it's usual thing, sharp and citrusy, piney, with the bright, juicy Citra sensations taking it on in tandem. Delightful stuff. Medium bodied, easy-drinking, and easy pleasing.

Another one knocked out of the park. Keep making these fine IPAs, Venn, and I'll keep coming back.

Juicy, tropical fruit, oranges.
An IPA featuring Citra and Simcoe.

Malts: White Wheat, Domestic Pale, Flaked Oats.
Hops: Citra, Simcoe.
Yeast: American Ale. 

Indeed Wooden Soul Blue Blood

Indeed Wooden Soul Blue Blood. Brett Saison with blueberry and blood orange. Wood barrel aged ale with blueberry and blood orange peel. (I'm merely copying the label, not repeating for the sake of repetition.) Bottled by Indeed Brewing Company, Minneapolis, MN. Bottle conditioned. 8.5% ABV.

Bright crimson color, throughly opaque, pinkish head on it. Very inviting.

In the nose: Fruit and tart, sweet and sour, plump and pithy. Devastatingly complex and arousing. Can't stop liking this.

In the mouth: Big sour followed by big sweet. Fierce fruit, intense pucker, citrus notes follow the blueberry. Tasty, tasty tart in this barrel-aged brett saison. Just enough funk in the trunk.

I'm not 100% down with this one. It's not a perfect blend. Are blueberries unsuited for the sour saison? It's good, but not quite perfect. I'm going to look at the label and see if that helps me understand it:
"A juiced up saison brewed with multiple Brett strains, Blue Blood is refermented on fresh blood oranges and blueberries. Pouring a hazy, translucent plum color, Blue Blood greets you with pronounced notes of blood orange, passion fruit, and a hint of clove. With a dry, tart and fruity finish, it's a bitter citrus sensation."

Wood-aged Brett Saison with blood orange & blueberry. Aged 5-6 months.

Okay, now I'm getting it. The bitter, the fruit, the sour....there's a lot going on. And I can dig it. Good sour fruit saison, and....you can drink it. Go do it!

Cigar City Maduro Brown Ale

Cigar City Maduro Brown Ale. 5.5% ABV, 25 IBU. Cigar City Brewing, Tampa, FL.

Dark brown coloration. Fairly opaque, slim brownish head. Looking good.

In the nose: Richness, dark malts. Cocoa. Coconut? Molasses? Sweet and malty.

In the mouth: More of the same. Rich, sweet, tasty, filling. Keeps the palate happy with malty goodness. Touch of cinnamon? More flavor associations keep popping up. Minor hops, if at all. Medium-bodied, excellently consumable, and downright delicious. This sky-rockets to the top of my favorite brown ales. Nothing but niceness in this one.

This is the third one of these I've ever had. The last was in July, the first sample I got from either distributor or brewery rep. Wait, no, it was old distributor rep, then new rep. They don't have a local rep yet, I don't think. I didn't take notes on it in July, because I knew I had this one that I could take notes on. Put this one off for too long. And the first one? According to Untappd it was five years ago, but I didn't indicate where. Probably a friend sharing a can he brought back from Florida. Probably Dave. Thanks, Dave.

Maduro is a Northern English-style brown ale with some American affectations. Maduro is higher in alcohol than the common English brown ale and features flaked oats in the malt bill which imparts a silky body and works to mesh the roasted, toasted and chocolate components together in Maduro’s complex malt profile. The end result is a remarkably full-flavored yet approachable and sessionable brown ale that pairs well with mild to medium cigars. 

Blake's Hard Cider Co. Wake Fire

Blake's Hard Cider Co. Wake Fire. Infused with Michigan Cherries and Orange peel. 6.5% ABV. Blake's Hard Cider, Armada, MI.

Clear, pale gold, no head.

In the nose: bright, golden apple. Cherries slowly unspool, traces of citrus, too. Cherry gets bigger and bolder.

In the mouth: Crisp, dry, bursting with fruit. Light bodied, easily consumed, and tasty. It's a good cider and you can drink it. And drink it, I will.

One more time, I've got to say it: I'm trying to find the trick to writing about cider. Is there anything I'm missing? Do I have to learn a new terminology? Am I getting it? I'm giving it all I've got, and I want to know if I'm doing it right. Until I learn better, I'm going to keep trying as best as I can.

It's impossible to replicate a Michigan summer. Recreating a northern night under the stars would be a futile endeavor. So, we've done the next best thing - we've crafted summer's perfect ally. Experience WakeFire, a comforting blend of Michigan-grown cherries, orange peel and our famous Blake's apples.

Town Hall East Kent Dry-Hopped Ale

Town Hall East Kent Dry-Hopped Ale. 5.6% ABV. English Mild Ale. Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, Minneapolis, MN.

Clear, amber/bronze coloring, slim white head.

In the nose: lightly floral & fruity, mild malt, slightly sweet.

In the mouth: Bold & assertive hop character bombards the palate, with a bright, crisp flavor.
Light bodied, easy-drinking, and ever, ever-so tasty.

I'm interested to know more about the ingredients on this one, but I can't find anything online. It's a uniquely delicious ale which particular flavors I can't really pin down. I wish I knew why I liked it so much. Which hops should I thank? What malts worked their magic? It's a mystery.

I'm going to try to stop bashing my friends at MTHB for their lack of info on the seasonal beers. It may get tedious and redundant. But I'd rather they correct it and give us just a little more. Pretty please? With hops on top?

I'll admit one thing here. The keen-eyed observer may spot in the photograph a tell-tale date. Town Hall has always stamped the growlers with a best-by date two weeks away from the time of filling. I have so many beers in the fridge, I've found it too easy to pass this this by, and I've been trying to drink less, especially while I had a cold last week. Imagine my surprise that I was drinking this 3 weeks past the best-by date. And what is the result? It tasted just as good as the first growler I enjoyed (didn't take notes on that one) and every pint at the pub. This doesn't mean you shouldn't take their suggestion into consideration, but know that it's not a hard set rule. There's not need to pour it out, as if it's spoiled milk.

Venn Brewing Double NE IPA. Batch 91

Venn Brewing Double NE IPA. 8.2% ABV. 55 IBU. Venn Brewing, Minneapolis, MN.

Lightly clouded, bright golden color sparkling ivory head. Looking good!

In the nose: Sweet tropical fruit notes, at first, pineapple, mango, etc. Along comes citrus, orange and lemon. Low bitterness.

In them mouth: Sweetness strikes first, again, but is met quickly by a good amount of hop bitterness, setting up the balance on the palate. Moderate malt. Considerably smooth, light bodied, and doggone tasty. Stays sweet and slightly bitter, then ends it with a dry note. Very nice.

Top-notch interpretation of the style. Has it all happening. And I'm glad that this is just one of 100+ beer styles they've put out over the past nine months, rather than NE IPA after NE IPA after, oh, now, let's do a milkshake IPA, and this fruit, and that fruit, and on and on and on...

Juicy AF, hazy, soft. A scaled-up New England-style IPA featuring Citra & Simcoe hops. Malts: Unmalted Wheat, Domestic Pale, Flaked Oats.
Hops: Citra, Simcoe.
Yeast: American Ale.

Veltins Grevensteiner Landbier

Veltins Grevensteiner. C. & A. Veltins. Naturally Cloudy Beer. 5.2% ABV, 23 IBU. Brewed and bottled (or, maybe, canned?) in Germany by Brauwerei Veltins.

Clear, amber-hued, slim white head.

In the nose: Malt. Grain, cereal. Sweet.

In the mouth: Clean, balanced, sweet, malty. I said half those words already, didn't I? On the fruity side. And downright tasty. Not much more to say than that. Fairly straightforward. I'd drink it again. And maybe again.

This beer has been referred to as a "land bier", but I don't know what that is. It has also been called a kellerbier, or zwickel, and I do know what they are. Those are unfiltered lagers, as this one appears to be, somewhat. I've found out that "land bier" translates from "country" or "house" lager, and can range from light golden to dark brown. But there isn't a great deal of consensus currently about what they are, and the phrase seems to be catch-all used for marketing. The name seems to amorphously apply itself to more than those above-named categories, stretching out to Munich dunkels, as well.

Here's something ripped from their website: The beer presents itself in a palely amber colour with orange reflections and a mellow soft head. The complex flavour is firstly dominated by caramel with a slight undertone of honey, roasted almonds, and fresh fruity flavours that bring tastes of green apple to mind. Grevensteiner Original appears very crisp and elegant despite its round and malty-sweet body. A smooth toasty character paired with nutty flavours opens a distinctive finale, which unfolds impressions of butterscotch.

I don't know if the above was written in the Deutsch language and translated into English, or written in English by a German, but I do enjoy reading such stuff.