BlackStack Pull Tabs Pale Ale

 BlackStack Pull Tabs Pale Ale.

6% ABV, BlackStack Brewing, St. Paul, Minnesota. 

I swore I’d release my self from the burden of reviewing the BlackStack IPAs that come my way, to avoid repeating myself. Well, this one is a pale ale, so that doesn’t count. Let’s try his one out. 

Hazier than I like a pale ale to be (and this is not labeled as a hazy, per se, at least not on the can, so there was a chance of some clarity, says the guy who’s been fooled before), bright golden hue, slim, lasting, white head.

In the nose: softly citric, grapefruit hints, carried away by slight tropical tones. Pleasant hoppy aromatics.

In the mouth: exceptionally smooth entry on the palate, gliding effortlessly over the tongue. Light hop bitterness, easy drinking, medium bodied, soft and squishy. Just a little juicy. Nice and breezy. 

I’d like a little more in the way of crisp and clean, but it wouldn’t be BlackStack, then, would it? 

Hazy Pale Ale w/ Mosaic, Strata & El Dorado... PULL UP!

Surly Cyber Wolf Black IPA

 Surly Cyber Wolf Black IPA. Black India Pale Ale.

Hoppy/Citrusy/Dark.

6.5% ABV. Surly Brewing, Twin Cities, MN. 

Fully black, absolute opacity, slim tan head.

In the nose: bright and grassy, pine and citrus notes peeking up through the chocolate below.

In the mouth: dark malts keep time with the hops. Plenty of bitterness on the palate. Medium bodied. Easy enough drinking. I can’t knock it. 

Cyber Wolf’s howling blend of roasty malt and citrusy hops defines this defiantly dark IPA.

Headflyer Mint Chocolate Factory

 

Headflyer Mint Chocolate Factory. Chocolate Pastry Stout.

8.5% ABV. Headflyer Brewing, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

I have a strict ban on “pastry stouts.” If it’s on the label, I won’t buy it. This came to me free. Once upon a time, you would just it a chocolate stout, and now they’re pastry beers. Moronic. Let’s drink it anyway.

Solid black, complete opacity, slim brown ring atop.

In the nose: mint and chocolate, there it is, mild roast, slight sweet, overall pleasant.

In the mouth: again, mint hits first, then cocoa. Medium bodied, smooth and easy drinking. Nearly non-existent bitterness, only for balance. Inherently likable. Enjoying this. 

Stone 26th Anniversary Imperial IPA

 

Stone 26th Anniversary Imperial IPA. A triple dry hopped Imperial IPA 26 years in the making.

Mostly clear, bright orange color, slim white head. 

In the nose: dank and citrusy, high hopping stepped up into the stratosphere, set afire. Orange, grapefruit, mango.

In the mouth: popping with hops, turned up a notch or ten. Busy bitterness on the palate. Resinous to extremis. Big, juicy, dry, dripping, hot, wet, sizzling…this one’s a beast. And I can dig it. Sometimes you got to go all out. 

One of our favorite releases every year is in the summer when we celebrate our anniversary. This one is two-fold: 26 years of Stone Brewing and 25 years of Stone IPA. To honor that beer, we did this supped-up version with massive amounts of Centennial hops and 9.7% ABV! Cheers to us, cheers to you, cheers to Stone IPA, and cheers to another amazing year.

25 years ago we celebrated the 1st Anniversary of our fledgling brewery with a beer that was far away from the craft beer norms at the time. It was far too intense. It was far too hoppy and bitter. Yet it became the shot heard ‘round the world, and beer history was changed forever. We’re talking of course about our flagship Stone IPA. So, to celebrate the beer that (eventually) launched generations of hop fanatics, we present this imperial version of the beer that made our name among the (budding) craft beer legions. Loaded with gloriously bitter notes of piney, citrusy, resinous dankness, it’s everything we love about our classic West Coast style IPA…properly turned up to 11.... we mean 25 for the occasion.

Drekker Flizzard Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout

 Drekker Flizzard Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout With ice cream, Oreos, cacao nibs, and milk sugar. 

12.5 % ABV, Drekker Brewing, Fargo, North Dakota. 

Here he have a beer that I would never have purchased on my own. The price is usually prohibitive and the ingredients go against my principles. But my nephew brought it to Christmas and gave it to me, so I suppose that I had better drink it. 

Full on ebony, complete opacity, tight brown ring.

In the nose: cocoa and cookies, dark chocolate, fudge. Whispers of crème filling. Hints of nougat. So much richness.

In the mouth: more richness, more depth, more chocolate explosion on the palate. Not sure how ice cream contributes to anything, it’s a gimmicky additive, if nothing else. Why use it? 

Full body, full flavor, loads of deep delights. And cookies! Yay! Cookies…whee!

Oreo®️ Flizzard is the first of what will be a whole series of stupidly fun Flizzard stouts. This one was built on a blended base stout from some of our favorite barrels, and conditioned on ice cream, oreos, and milk sugar.

I will now shut up and….just drink…

Back Channel Slappy Beer Girl New England IPA

 

Back Channel Slappy Beer Girl New England IPA. 

7% ABV, Back Channel Brewing, Spring Lake Park, Minnesota. 

I am going to break my vow and examine an NE IPA here in the Nib, if only to enter into the record this beer named for my friend Michelle Davila, who passed away from cancer last year. This is it’s debut in cans, having been released on tap about a year ago, shortly after her passing.

Back Channel was a favorite hang for Michelle and her husband Rod. The meaning of the name is derived from an old email account. None of us knows to this day why this beer girl would describe herself as “Slappy”, and I know of no instances of slapping. Never slapped me, as far as I can remember. Teased me, now and then. All in good fun. 

She liked pink flamingos.

And the beer…heavily clouded. Dull orange. Slim milky white head. 

In the nose: soft and citrusy, orange and papaya, grapefruit and mango.

In the mouth: smooth, slightly sweet, light bitterness. Bright fruit sensations on the palate, wrapped up in fuzz. Tropical notes chime higher than citric on the tongue. It’s a juicy, fruity blend. Slides down the throat with effortless ease. 

I still haven’t been to Back Channel, though I would like to, for I need to drink from a bowl once in my life or I haven’t lived. 

For now, I finish this tribute to Michelle in wildly inappropriate glassware and think fondly of that sweet woman. You were loved and you will be missed. 

Revolution Infinity Hero India Pale Ale

 

Revolution Infinity Hero India Pale Ale. Next-Gen hops Juicy Citrus Character.

7% ABV, Revolution Brewing, Chicago, Illinois. 

What if Dr. Strange had a hop cone for a head? Well, they did that once in the ‘70’s, didn’t you read that arc? When he fought that elder god with the rutabaga head? Around the time Clea dated Ben Franklin? (I didn’t make that one up.)

Clear, bright golden hue, long lasting and lace-leaving ivory head. 

In the nose: popping with citrus notes, with a dose of tropical, pineapple and papaya mingle with grapefruit and orange. Perfectly pleasant. 

In the mouth: just a little juicy, then turning dry. Hops resound on the palate. Blast of bitterness comes on like Kirby’s forced perspective while Ditko’s otherworldly weirdness casts spells on the tongue. Medium bodied and ridiculously drinkable. 

By the hoary hosts of Hoggoth, I’m happy that IPAs like this still exist and I admire Revolution for making them. 

The universe has long been at odds between Classic and Hazy IPAs. Infinity-Hero sets out to unite these dimensions by weaving the best of both worlds into an extremely drinkable, forward-looking IPA. A next-gen dry hop including Nectaron, Strata, HBC #586, and HBC #1019 provides a glimpse into the future of hop innovation with seemingly endless juicy, citrus character.

Wabasha Zeus Double IPA

 Wabasha Zeus Double IPA.

8% ABV, 69 IBU. Wabasha Brewing, St. Paul, Minnesota.

I’ve had some bad luck with Wabasha in the past, and have been staying away from them. This one, however, has gotten good reviews from friends and I was able to get a single, so here we go…

 Nearly opaque with reddish tint, small milky head. Some floaties. This is not super fresh, nor is it super old.

In the nose: fruity and sweet with a glimmer of dank below. 

In the mouth: bitterness grabs the palate right off, with sweet, juicy, fruity flavors rushing in. Citrus and tropical tones. Alcohol rises up to meet. Full bodied, fully flavored. This isn’t my favorite type of double IPA, but still like it. Don’t love it, do like it.

Orange, Grapefruit and tangerine with earthy pine undertones

A. Schell’s Limited Batch Scotch Ale

 

A. Schell’s Limited Batch No. 008 Scotch Ale.

7% ABV, 20 IBU. August Schell Brewing, New Ulm, Minnesota.

Clear, dark reddish color, slim beige head.

In the nose: slightly sweet, malty, earthy, notes of toffee and caramel.

In the mouth: smooth and malty, expertly balanced. Just enough hops to keep malt sweetness in check. Medium bodied and exceptionally easy drinking. Note perfect Scotch. Quite tasty.

Revolution Jukebox Hero Black IPA

 

Revolution Jukebox Hero Black IPA. A power chord of amped up hops. 

7.5 % ABV. Revolution Brewing, Chicago, Illinois. 

From the current League of Heroes variety pack. 

Nearly black color, full opacity, with a slim tanned head. 

In the nose: cocoa meets grass and pine. 

In the mouth: smooth and malty at the start, hops popping up. Bitterness is low, but lays long, if light, upon the palate. Chocolate and caramel malts carry it, though the hops could go further. Yeah, it could be bigger in a few ways, but as is it’s decent and downable. 

Half Acre Tend Winter India Pale Ale

 Half Acre Tend Winter India Pale Ale.

6.8 % ABV. Half Acre Beer Company, Chicago, Illinois.

Largely clear, rusty toned, slim white head.

In the nose: malty and moderately hopped.

In the mouth: a little spice up front, with just a dose of hop bitterness gliding across the palate and slipping down the throat. Caramel-y malt flavors. Rich and delicious. Toasty delights abound. A delightful winter IPA. 

Tend Winter IPA. Seasonal beers, more than most, are big for beer makers to fiddle with the associations living in the recesses of your brain. In Tend, we’ve looked at the cycling, Gregorian hold-down that is Midwestern cold. Brewing beer for the cold, we think hearty, chewy beer. Give us color, increased density and heft to live with the sunken temps, but hopefully beers brewed in rhythm with the season push on associations. In Tend, a range of specialty malts tilt us into a Caramel, baked & toasted bread landscape ~ chord wood, simmering soups, wind-licked skin. Some of our favorite hops, Mosaic and Simcoe, bake-in the notes of pine and orange, berry marmalade ~ Norway Spruce, dense outdoor soundscapes only heavy snow can provide and fractalized horizons sliced-up by naked trees. Weighty Winter IPA brewed for wood smoke and fire to lift your mind out over the dim, long cold.

Pipeworks Infinite Galaxy Galaxy Hopped India Pale Ale

 Pipeworks Infinite Galaxy Galaxy Hopped India Pale Ale.

6.5% ABV. Pipeworks Brewing, Chicago, Illinois.

I was first sold on this one being a non-hazy IPA (on account of being sick of the hazies), and I was secondly sold on the label illustration. Show me a space tortoise and I am all in.

Ever so slightly hazed, bright golden hue, lasting layer of milky froth atop. 

In the nose: arresting aromatics, chock full of citrus and pine. 

In the mouth: brief bitter bite starts it off, with a little bit of juicy on the palate. Fruity flavors splash about. Hops aplenty here, running amok with ultimate autonomy. Vastly delicious. Medium bodied. Delightfully drinkable. 

This is the sort of IPA that makes me love Pipeworks all over again. 

Sisyphus It’s Not On the Menu Double Barrel Imperial Stout

 Sisyphus It’s Not On the Menu Double Barrel Imperial Stout. Buffalo Trace & J. Carver Bourbon barrels.

13.5 % ABV. Sisyphus Brewing, Minneapolis , Minnesota.

For much of 2022, there was a special beer on tap at Sisyphus that you could only order if you were, you know, in the know. At last, I’m sitting down with a bottle of It’s Not on the Menu. 

Solid ebony, strictly opaque, brief brown head. 

In the nose: molasses, cocoa, caramel, vanilla and whiskey all the way. Charcoal and cherry. Smoke and oak. 

In the mouth: bombardment of riches deployed upon the palate. Much deliciousness. Super double massive attack. Cocoa and caramel, roast and toast. Low bitterness, but sweet is kept in check, too. Big and balanced. Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom. 

All the goodness unfolds deliciously. Cherry and chocolate wrapped up in bourbon. Layers and layers of delight. 

I may need to buy a few more of these. A speakeasy double bba ris, utterly unmarketed, is a magical thing. A wonderful, magical thing. 

Mikerphone Step Into the Freezer Cold India Pale

 

Mikerphone Step Into the Freezer Cold India Pale Ale.

6.5% ABV. Mikerphone Brewing, Elk Grove Village, Illinois.

Here we go. A cold IPA. Do I like them now? Let’s find out. 

Crystal clear, bright yellow color, slim white head.

In the nose: lightly spicy/citrusy hop notes, a whiff of malt. Not really digging this part. 

In the mouth: minor bitterness. Light bodied. Grainy. Crisp and clean. Hop flavors sizzle slightly on the palate. Lacks overall in the flavor department.

This cold IPA stuff? I don’t get ‘em. They barely resemble an IPA. The rice factor doesn’t appeal to me at all. 

At least I didn’t pay for this one. As with hazies, I’m pretty sure I’ll never put my own money down on one of these. It’s a fad style I’ll be staying away from.