Steel Toe Worn Sole Imperial Alt

 Steel Toe Worn Sole Imperial Alt.

8.5 % ABV, Steel Toe Brewing, St. Louis Park, MN. 

Dark brown color, slim tan head, nearly opaque.

In the nose: cocoa, coffee, caramel. Slightly sweet.

In the mouth: more of the same on the palate, rich and robust. Practically delicious. Full bodied. This brings to mind the king of this style, the Urrige Doppelsticke. That’s a compliment. 

It’s been gone for a bit, and I deeply regret not buying more than one six pack. So very tasty. 

Aromas of dark caramel, toffee, raisin, and slight spice. 

Steel Toe Finally Hazy IPA

Steel Toe Finally Hazy IPA. W/ Citra, Strata, Nelson Saigon + Nelson Sauvin CGX Hops. A long-awaited collaboration. 

7.2 % ABV, 40 IBU, Steel Toe Brewing, St. Louis Park, MN.

I’ve made no secret of my affection for Steel Toe Brewing of St. Louis Park, MN. I also like Barrel Theory Brewing of St. Paul, MN. What I’m not so crazy about is catering to the trends of the beer geek crowd above all else, which has been BT’s stock in trade, since they opened five years ago. Neglecting fads and staying true to classic styles has been ST’s modus operandi for just about 11 years now. And now we have this.

Finally was released at both breweries last week at their respective taprooms. They say “finally we collaborated with Barrel Theory.” One could also easily say, as many have, “finally Steel Toe brewed a hazy.” I would have been happy if it had never happened. And I am presented with a dilemma. I like to try everything they make. Should I go to the tap room and pay $7 for a pint I may not enjoy? Or plunk down $17 for a 6-pack (Sticker Fight is $14, and delivers every time, Size 7 is $12, ditto.) when I may not feel like drinking all six? Oh, I would, but I might not enjoy them. 

My boss had a solution. He would buy a 6-pack, we would sample a can, and the rest would go home with us all. Let me tell you, free is the best. So, let’s drink it.

Highly clouded, dull yellow color, slim white head. 

In the nose: yeasty fuzz. Extra citrus. Orange and lemon, with a dose of grapefruit. Bursting with hoppy flavors. 

In the mouth: soft, mild, wet, squishy, citrusy, hoppy, with absolutely no bitterness whatsoever. Medium bodied, languid finish. In my opinion, this is exactly a Barrel Theory beer, and not at all a Steel Toe. It tastes like every single BlackStack beer. It’s pretty much dull as dishwater. Not a pinch of bitterness to be found.

They blew through kegs last week and cans are sold out. I hope we never see it again. Long live Size 7.

The Steel Toe crew finally teamed up with Barrel Theory Beer Company to brew our first hazy IPA Brewed with Pilsner and 2-Row malt, as well as a healthy amount of oats and wheat. We whirlpooled it with some Citra and then gave it a big ol’ dry hop consisting of Citra, Strata, Nelson Sauvin, and Nelson Sauvin CGX. Notes of peach, melon, white grape, and passion fruit. 

Steel Toe Cold IPA

 Steel Toe Cold IPA.

6.7% ABV. Steel Toe Brewing, St. Louis Park, MN,

Phone Post #1. What is a Phone Post and why is this #1? I’ll tell you later.

Slightly cloudy, bright golden hue, small white head.

Big citrus in the nose, lemon and grapefruit, with a pinch of pineapple. 

In the mouth: startlingly smooth. Virtually no bitterness. Light body. Crisp and clean, with a hoppy undercurrent. Satisfies some of my requirements, ignores many others. 

Is Cold IPA the new hazy? Will it catch on or remain a fad? Personally, I couldn’t care any less, as long as Size 7 is still around. 

Fermented cold and hopped with a heavy hand. Steel Toe Cold IPA is a golden beauty that has a white foam stand with aromas of berry, dank pine, and candied pineapple. Finishes crisp and smooth with light bitterness, yet all the hop goodness. 

From the iPad: It was nearly 20 years ago that I first took notes on beer. It was Lion Stout from Sri Lanka, which a friend brought back from Chicago and gave to me. (Years later, at last, it was distributed here and I tapped it many times at the Blue Nile.) For months, I took notes with pen on paper, until I could get to a coffee shop with WI-FI, to log into BeerAdvocate and share my beer thoughts with the world. In 2003, I finally got a laptop and internet connection, and from there on nearly all of my reviews were written at home. If I had a beer only on tap at a brewpub, bar or brewery taproom, it did not find it’s way here. I would have to buy a crowler, growler, can or bottle and take it home to review. Why? Those are the rules. Part of it has to do with the distractions of that environment and some has to with not looking like a weirdo in public.

And that rule continued though the nearly 12 years of this blog. A few months ago, I lost my laptop. Unable to buy a new one, I started using my iPad for blog writing. Unfortunately, there were problems with this. Eventually, I tried the thing I didn’t want to do: writing and publishing on the iPhone and you know what? It’s not that bad. The iPad problems are gone and I don’t hate typing on the tiny keyboard that much. 

So, I thought, why not occasionally take notes at the bar on the beers I can’t or needn’t take home? Why not? Will the writing be that different? Maybe, but you know what?  So what. I’ve had so many beers that never appear here because of my stupid rules. It’s time to change some rules. 

This is Phone Post #1. There may be many more. 

Steel Toe Giganticbery IPA

 Steel Toe Giganticbery IPA. 

6.76 % ABV, Steel Toe Brewing, St. Louis Park, MN.

A new IPA from Steel Toe and it’s...is it?...a hazy? A hazy collab? Oh, well, better than another “cold IPA”, I guess.

Hazed out, golden toned, ivory head atop.

In the nose: grassy, pin.mey, dank. Traces of tropical, plump with citrus pulp.

In the mouth: juicy and bitter at once, when it boards the palate. Citrus and tropical notes, again, mixed with a bit of berries. Nicely balanced, smooth and flooded with flavor. Crisp and refreshing. Deliciously hoppy. Medium bodied, moderate bitterness, fresh and zesty. 

Giganticbery is a collaboration beer with long-time friends Hollingbery and Son Hops and Gigantic Brewing Company that brings the best of the west coast and the Midwest together in one awesome IPA. Giganticbery has yeast-driven aromas of white grape and fruit salad, then a generous dry-hop addition contributes watermelon, pineapple, and tropical notes to the juicy deliciousness. 

Steel Toe HopTread 9 India Pale Ale

Steel Toe HopTread 9 India Pale Ale. Experimental IPA Series. 

6.9 % ABV, 60 IBU.

Brewed and bottled by Steel Toe Brewing, LLC, St. Louis Park, MN.

Last Monday, on a whim, I decided to bike to Steel Toe. It had been over a year since I'd done so, and a few months since I'd been there at all. Once on the GreenWay, a sign was posted: Trail Closed August 24. What? No! So, this would be be my last chance to travel there that way in...who knows how long? Will I have to walk next time? 

I took home two bottles from this visit, and you have seen one already, the Schwarzbier that I actually reviewed that one the very evening that I took it home. 

Clear, bright golden hue, large and lasting, creamy white head. Looking great. 

In the nose: screaming out citrus and pine, putting me in hophead heaven, and I haven't even tasted it, yet. We can use the dank word here. A hopslosion, of sorts, very diggable. 

In the mouth: Bitterness pounds the palate and pleases the senses from the first sip, hop flavors flow over it all. Grapefruit and lemon, orange peel, tangerine. Crisp, refreshing, and bubbling with bitterness. Light bodied. Downable, delicious, delightful. Pretty much yum a dum dum. 

For fun, I looked back on nearly 10 years of Steel Toe Brewing reviews. In 2017, I once again kicked myself about how I don't get out to the brewery enough and took notes on the HopTread #1 that I was drinking. Four years have gone by and I missed seven HopTreads. Damn. I'm going to have to get used to that walk, I guess. 

Steel Toe Schwarzbier German-Style Dark Lager

Steel Toe Schwarzbier German-Style Dark Lager.

5.1% ABV, 22 IBU, Steel Toe Brewing, St. Louis Park, MN.

In the 10+ years of this blog, there have been only 11 appearances of a schwarzbier. And only one of them is from it’s fatherland, Germany. That would be Kostritzer. There are two from Dave’s BrewFarm, one from Japan, one from Brazil, and the rest from Minnesota and Wisconsin breweries. Hey, breweries of the world: make more schwarzbiers, because I want to drink them!

Leave it to Steel Toe to give us their version, but guys, did it have to take you ten years?

Nearly full-on blackness, almost complete opacity, short-lived brownish head.

In the nose: coffee and cocoa, together as one. Roasted malts. Toasty and sweet. So very nice.

In the mouth: the dark flavors that you would find in a porter or stout are playing in the field of dark German lagers. Toasty, roasty, coffee and a hint of cocoa and nuts.  Moderate bitterness, great balance, just  a bit of breadiness, and ever-so smooth. And ever-so tasty. 

I like a good schwarzbier, and this is one. A very good one. 

The style of Schwarzbier literally in German “black beer” originates from the Thuringia, Saxony and Franconia regions. So few German examples are exported, you may have never even come across this style. Lo and behold, the latest release in our ongoing brewers series is a true to style version. Deep mahogany in color with a ruby veil. The aroma is of chocolate and floral hops. The flavor has just enough of a dark chocolate character to provide interest, mild coffee, with a crisp dry finish. Very mild bitterness and supremely drinkable. This beer is as perfect on a hot summer day, as it is on a cool late summer night. It hits all the right highlights of a dark beer, while maintaining a light pilsner-like quality. Please enjoy our latest offering. Prost!

Color: Dark brown with ruby highlights

Aroma: Chocolate, floral

Flavor: Floral dark chocolate, clean, light on the pallet, dry mild bitterness finish.

Alcohol content by volume: 5.1%

International Bitterness Units: 22

Steel Toe Split-Point Pilsner (part one of Twin Cities Breweries 2020)

Steel Toe Brewing, 
St. Louis Park

I decided to take a detour from my plan to revisit all of Minneapolis' breweries and took a little trip to neighboring St. Louis Park and Steel Toe Brewing. (Actually, some map apps and such give Minneapolis as the city for Steel Toe, but they are wrong.) During our time of strangeness, when I revisit breweries or write about them for the first time and they are outside of Minneapolis, I'll call it either Twin Cites or Greater Minnesota, or something, I'll figure it out, no big deal.

Additional diversion: Once, Jason declared that I could count Steel Toe as "my local" since it is so close to me, and the closest ones to me don't count, because I'm not much of a fan of either LynLake or Herkimer (recently expired). Those two are 0.7 miles from me. Steel Toe is 2.9 miles from me. Closer than that are EastLake (2.0), Lakes & Legends (2.4), and Sisyphus (2.3). I'll keep calling Sisyphus my "local."

Okay, enough of that. I decided to go to Steel Toe because it's so close, and I feel like I don't visit them enough. (Later on, I checked Untappd. It seems that I went there last October, and September, and August...I guess that's not bad.) I get on the Midtown Greenway, taking it to the Cedar Lake trail until it hits the construction road block and take the detour through the office park. In moments, we go from Beltline Boulevard to 35th St. and see Steel Toe Brewing, where they have added to the patio by encroaching into their parking lot, which was always plenty big. Underneath a tent out front is longtime bartender Chelsea, who didn't recognize me with my mask on. You buy drink tickets from her, or whoever mans the stand, and take a reservation marker to your table. I had no choice but to use a 4-top, though they were never entirely full during my stay. Into the taproom to get a pint, where they've removed all bar stools and tables, replacing them with metal shelves, housing empty growlers. A bar with no stools made me very sad, indeed.

It's a warm, sunny day, but clouds are encroaching. I started out with a Rainmaker, a random decision, but a beer I like and haven't had in a while. served in compostable plastic. Beer #2 was the raspberry wheat called Sissel, which went down smooth, tart, and fruity. It was excellent accompaniment to the brisket sandwich from the Market Barbecue food truck.

The threat of rain drove me indoors (though, of course, it didn't really start raining until I was on my way home, on bike), where I had a final pour, the bourbon barrel-aged Dissent, their regular export stout. This was wonderful, not too thick or heavy, but full of bourbon-y goodness. I would have liked to take a bottle of this home, but that was not possible.

What I did take home was a growler of Size 4, because I have no pale ales at home, and the only beer I'd never had before, the pilsner, notes on which you will find directly below.

Steel Toe Split-Point Pilsner. 5.5 % ABV. 38 IBU.
Steel Toe Brewing, St. Louis Park, MN.

Crystal clear, bright golden, large ivory hued head.

In the nose: Exquiiste. I don't say that often. Flowery, delicate, delightful. Nicely hopped.

In the mouth: Lean bodied, lightly hopped, moderate bitterness, slim malt character, too, and exceptional use of drinking. Crisp, clean,  light, and lovely. If there/s a pilsner lover in your party, they won't be disappointed. Pretty much delicious and refreshing. Exactly what you want in a pilsner.

SPLIT-POINT PILSNER (May/Aug seasonal)                                                                                  American-style Pilsner with German influence

Built on the success of our previously available Brewers Evolution Series Pils, we made some tweaks to get this Pilsner right where we wanted it. Brewed in a traditional process, using 100% imported German malt, and only the finest noble hops. Exemplifying the crisp, crackery malt base, with a distinct hop character. Our classic interpretation is our continuation toward a semi-regular lager brewing program. Look for more to come.

Pale straw, crystal clear.
Alcohol content by volume: 5.5%
International Bitterness Units: 38

Steel Toe Floriane Blanc Dry Hopped Tart Ale

Steel Toe Floriane Blanc Dry Hopped Tart Ale.
6.2 % ABV. IBU: low. Steel Toe Brewing, St. Louis Park, MN.

Clear, bright golden hue, slim white head.

In the nose: Floral, funky, fruity, tart. Delicate and intriguing.

In the mouth: Starts out with the tart, nearly sour, and continues with the smack of citrus. Fairly effervescent. Definitely delightful. Lip-smackingly fruity flavors abound in this, lime and peach and melon, with the kiss of hops planted upon it. Light bodied, and refreshing.

This is one of the most unique beers yet in the Steel Toe repertoire and a step forward for their beers. I think I need to return to the brewery for some more bottles to share with friends.

FLORIANE BLANC “WHITE FLOWER” (DRY HOPPED TART ALE)

SEPT. 2019

The newest release in our Brewers Evolution Series, Floriane Blanc “White Flower” a wine-like spritzy lightly tart ale. Unlike anything we’ve done before, this beer pushes the limits of what beer can be. Refreshing, fruity, tart, dry hopped. The aromas are of white peach, melon, kiwi and lime, with a ripe berry undertone. The aromas carry through on flavor, bright citrus fruit, wine like, with a bright refreshing acidity finishing. Tantalizing the taste buds at every sip, this beer is sure to please the palate!

Color: Bright pale straw, clear
Alcohol content by volume: 6.2%
International Bitterness Units: Low

Steel Toe Mighty Fresh IPA

Steel Toe Mighty Fresh IPA.
6 % ABV. IBU: ?
Steel Toe Brewing, St. Louis Park, MN.

It's fresh hop season. I haven't had any fresh hop beers yet. Nor have I ever had this one. Let's kick it off...

Clear, bright golden hue, large, lasting ivory cap on top.

In the nose: Ah! Fresh, lively, pure. Plump with citrus and pine. Gorgeous.

In the mouth: Sweet at first, followed swiftly by bitter. Plenty of citrus punch on the palate, lemon, orange, grapefruit. Just the thing my tastebuds require. Medium bodied, easy drinking, just right.
This is exactly my kind of IPA.

I wish I had more information on this one, but I'm coming up empty everywhere I look. Should've taken a pic of the menu while I was at the taproom, maybe that had some answers.

Steel Toe Beltline Brown Ale

Steel Toe Beltline Brown Ale. 6.5 % ABV.
Steel Toe Brewing, St. Louis Park, MN.

Dark brown color, thoroughly opaque, slim beige head on top.

In the nose: Malty, nutty. Minor notes of coffee & cocoa. Slight bitterness.

In the mouth: Smooth, cool, dry. Medium bodied, and ever-so tasty. Touch of the sweet balance by bitter. Flat out delicious.

An American Brown Ale built to be balanced; with aromas of toasted nuts and malty caramel are countered by a subtle yet present floral hop aroma and present, yet refined bitterness. Comforting and familiar at its best, perfect for those cool fall days.  Fall Seasonal.

Color: Brown
Alcohol content by volume: 5.6%
International Bitterness Units: 30

Steel Toe Doppelbock

Steel Toe Doppelbock.
8.3 % ABV. 35 IBU.
Steel Toe Brewing, St. Louis Park, MN.

Clear, rich amber/copper coloring, slim whitish head.

In the nose: Rich and (liquid-) bread-y. Sweet, and a bit boozy.

In the mouth: Caramel malt, a touch of toast. Campfire in a glass. Rich malt, exquisitely balanced. Little hops, just enough to do the trick.This one is not as dark, rich and full-bodied as I prefer a doppelbock to be, but, hey, I don't mind, it's a different take, and it is tasty.
And boozy.
And there ain't nothing wrong with that.


Doppelbock Lager

Color: Pale Gold
Alcohol content by volume: 8.3%
International Bitterness Units: 35
Bready rich malt backbone, caramel, toast.

Steel Toe Pacific Midwest Pale Ale

Dear friends, I have a confession to make. The last Steel Toe entry here in Ye Olde Nib was in June of last year. I thoroughly chastised myself in that post for taking nearly a year to revisit them. And after such self-flagellation, I went ahead and stayed away for over a year and two months. Not that I didn't consider it over and over again. Not that that counts. I can recount the reasons, but none of them are sufficient excuses. 

I've got to live up to the promise and stop in and see them more often, this time for sure, bike trail closures or no bike trail closures. I finally did so this past Thursday, and on this visit, there were several new-to-me (and the Nib) beers to try, and I took some of them home in growlers and bottles. Here's the first.

Steel Toe Pacific Midwest Pale Ale. 

Featuring El Dorado & Cashmere Hops, a Collaboration with Hollingberry. 

5.6 % ABV. 40 IBU. Steel Toe Brewing, St. Louis Park, MN. 

Fairly clear, bright golden color, solid slab of ivory foam on top. 

In the nose: bright, fresh, fruity. Citrus, melon, stone fruit and berries. Delightful and intriguing. 

In the mouth: Bursting with hoppiness, but beautifully balanced. Medium bodied. Lush malt. Crisp, smooth, and refreshing. Bitterness remains moderate, drinkability is running on the high side. Quite delicious. 

In collaboration with Randin (formerly of Steel Toe, formerly of Boneyard Brewing) now with Hollingbery & Son Hops in Yakima, WA, we bring you Pacific Midwest Pale Ale.

Our updated take on the modern American Pale Ale falls right in our favorite ABV wheelhouse, with some updated hops and processes that allow us to get maximum hop character while still maintaining a golden crystal clear appearance.

We scoured through our experience of ingredients and picked some of our favorites. Utilizing Simpsons Golden Promise malt, and featuring El Dorado ® & Cashmere hops.

The aroma is bright with ripe strawberry, pineapple, kiwi and a finishing lime zest character. Light body, but with enough light toast malt backbone to balance, it finishes crisp and dry. Supremely drinkable!

Aroma/Taste: Strawberry, pineapple, kiwi, lime

Color: Bright clear pale golden

Alcohol content by volume: 5.6%

International Bitterness Units: 40

Steel Toe Brewers' Evolution Series Pilsner

Steel Toe Brewers' Evolution Series Pilsner. 5.4% ABV. 20 IBU. Steel Toe Brewing, St. Louis Park, MN.

So, I made it to Steel Toe the other day. First time in nearly a year. Why? Why, why, why? I have simply got to stop saying, "I must see them more often" and just do it. Once a month, is it that hard? It's a fifteen minute bike ride, less time than it takes me to get to work. Just do it, dummy! (I'm talking to me, there, not you. Unless you visit Steel Toe even less than me.)

And there were many fine beers there, but only one that I could take home that I'd never written about here in the Nib. And now we will drink it.

Clear, bright golden hue, slim white head.

In the nose: Nicely hopped. Floral and lightly spicy. Sight grain/cereal/malt.

In the mouth: soft and smooth. Hops up front, laying long on the palate. Classic German hop profile. All the nobles. Pilsner malt. Little bit of cracker. Nicely balanced. Light bodied. Tasty. Consumable. Yeah, this one works. Good pilsner and I can drink it.


Color: Straw, brilliant clarity
Aroma: Slight floral, light, sweet cracker malt
Flavor: Balanced, pilsner malt, distinct and refined noble hop character and bitterness

Minnesota Breweries One By One #36: Steel Toe Brewery, St. Louis Park

On of the many amenities of the Steel Toe taproom includes
an enormous Steel Toe logo mural. Also, not much else.

Dear readers, you may remember my quest of 2016 to visit all of Minnesota's brewery taprooms and write about them. I made it to 113, skipping any breweries that did not have a place to drink a pint, and I believe I got to them all. But I didn't write them all up, and the project has been on a hiatus for the past seven months, for no good reason. Among those no-good reasons are: the time it takes to write these, the time I have available to me, and the pressure of that huge pile of unwritten brewery visits. Where to start, how to proceed, what? How?

I won't let it get me down, but at the same time there's a mounting stockpile of beers to review that I'm working on knocking down. As I try to make progress, I slip and it grows. It grows without me slipping, they just accumulate. And so in the middle of a night off, with about 3 reviews down and no end in sight, I decide to heck with it, let's finish off a brewery. I'm going to put a Steel Toe beer in the fridge and when it's cold enough to drink, I'll be halfway through my report. Let's do it!

Why is Steel Toe #36? Because it was the 36th brewery I visited that year, and the first of the day that Sunday, the first of May. Jason and I had a plan to do Steel Toe, then LTD in Hopkins, and finally Modist in Minneapolis, all by bike. (This was the second time we'd done this path. The first time, the year before, or was it two?, we finished our triple brewery visit with Fulton.) While at ST, I picked up 2 bottles of barrel-aged Wee Heavy, and I took notes on it for use in my MN Breweries report, which never got written (until now) for this reason: I lost the pictures. Got to have the pictures. Pics or it didn't happen, dude. Later on, I utilized those notes when I opened bottle #2. You can read those here.

As I've said in previous Steel Toe reviews, my eyes were lifted once I realized how close I was to their brewery by bike. Since I've moved to the Uptown area, I'm only about 12 minutes away. I tested this out in May, when I brought home a growler of Almost Special Bitter. A month later, I took that trip on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. June 25, to be exact. I jumped on the Greenway, about six blocks away from my place, and took that path all the way to St. Louis Park, where it crosses Beltway Boulevard. Not far from there, we can see a "Brewery is open" sign on the street and follow that road until we can see the building off in the distance. 4848 W. 35 St. The patio is full, and so is the bar. Because of this, I found a table in the larger beer hall, took my notes on the 2 beers I'd never had before.

 First off, HopTread #1, the first in a series of experimental IPAs. Here's the notes: HopTread #1: Lightly hazed, bright golden color, slim ivory head.

HopTread 1

Aroma burst with tropical notes, pineapple, mango, guava, low bitterness, plenty of fruit.

In the mouth: powerful bitterness at the start, then nothing but pleasure. Juicy, fruity, with a lingering bitter smack through the finish. Very dry, despite the frequent fruitiness. Medium body. Terrifically tasty. I’m going to have to look up the hops for this one, I’m liking this combo, whatever it is.

Next up, Sissel, the Raspberry Wheat Ale. These are the notes:

Slim white head, hazy, near-orange coloring.

Sissel Raspberry Wheat

Raspberry all up in that nose. Tart and sweet and wheat. Lovely.

In the mouth: Bracing tart at first grab on the palate, lightly bitter, utterly smooth and delightful. I like a good raspberry wheat, I won’t lie. I really like a really good one. Really. And this is one. Fresh, delicious, tart, and damn it, you can drink it.

So, new to me beers down, notes done and I wandered back to the bar once some seats opened up. I like sitting at the bar. There were some real goodies on tap, Before the Dawn, the barrel-aged black barleywine, and then 2016 Lunker, the rye barrel-aged English-style barleywine.

Four beers in, and my fifth is a Dissent, while I recapture
my youth with some old Kirby Klassics.

As you can see by the illustration at left, those amazing barley-wines weren't quite enough, and I capped off the visit with a Dissent dark ale. Go ahead, call it a stout. The only thing wrong with this visit was a complete lack of Frank Goldman. It's just not a visit to Steel Toe without a little bit of Frank.

But the brewery staff is friendly, the atmosphere is comfortable, and while the place is really as no-frills as they go, it's all about the beer. Steel Toe has been successfully following their motto of having "big dreams of staying small." I like that plan a lot. They don't do a lot of different brews, but what they do, they do well.

That last visit was over 3 months ago, and it makes no sense to me. There were plenty of opportunities to return. As I look at the website today, I notice for the first time that they're open Tuesday now, too. I had all day off today, and didn't go. Also, there are 2 more new-to-me beers, including the second HopTread. Put that to the top of my to-do list.

I feel a certain obligation to stay on top of the beers of my home city of Minneapolis, and now that there are 30 breweries in the City of Lakes, and 12 and counting in our neighboring St. Paul, it's easy to forget about our neighbor to the southwest. Only 12 minutes away. The more I say that, the more it sounds stupid that I don't stop there more often.

The theme of this taproom: industrial.

Maybe I didn't see Frank on that trip, but on my
previous visit, I did bump into JD.

A peek at the patio.

Steel Toe Almost Special Bitter

Dusting off some old notes. These were taken on May 29. Why did I hold on to them for weeks? Well, there's a story there, but it's boring, so I'll keep it to myself. So, here's a bit of an English bitter from Steel Toe Brewing of St. Louis Park, enjoyed from a growler in my home in Minneapolis, after having a pint at the taproom. 5% ABV, 24 IBU, more info after my notes.

Steel Toe ASB. Almost Special Bitter.

Clear, dark amber, nearly brown color, slim whitish head.

In the nose: malty, earthy, a little bit nutty. Slight sweetness, nicely balanced.

In the mouth: there it is, again. More malt, earth, nuts, just a touch of bitter, ending with the dry. A very cool, tasty, and specially drinkable British style ale.

This one is part of something I hadn't been aware of, the Brewer's Evolution Series, and here's what they say on the website:
Inspired by the seasonal shift; Fat Tuesday, Fasching, Spring, Solstice, whatever…it’s the time of year when we start to see the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel of winter. The sun is higher in the sky, its coming warmth apparent, even on cold days. This is that transitional beer; malty, slight nutty character balanced with a spicy bright English hop aroma and defined earthy bitterness. This beer occupies the space where malt and hops collide. It’s not an English Pale Ale, it’s not an E.S.B…but it’s almost there! Enjoy!

I did, don't you know. And I will be back more often, Steel Toe, now that I'm a 12 minute bike ride away.

Steel Toe Brewing Barrel-aged Wee Heavy

It's May 1, 2016. Jason and I went to 3 breweries that Sunday by bike. Heading from my place in Powderhorn Park to Steel Toe Brewing in St. Louis Park, then to LTD in Hopkins, and finally back to Minneapolis for my second visit to Modist Brewing. There were bottles of this beer at Steel Toe, and opened one shortly after, took notes and saved them here on this blog, waiting until I would use them at the end of Steel Toe's Minnesota Breweries One by One entry (they are #36).

But that entry was never written, because the photos accompanying them were lost. I saved to an iPod Classic of all thing, my computer went down, and I cannot figure out how to get those pics transferred elsewhere, or if it is even possible. I have to have the pics. Pics or it didn't happen, right? This effectively stalled entires #31-42. It even has the geniuses at the Apple Store baffled. If I had the power to time travel, first I'd go back and kill Hitler, then I'd stop John Lennon's assassination, and after that I'd prevent the foolhardy choice to encapsulate those important pics in an old iPod. Sheesh.

So, anyway. I finally opened up bottle #2, as part of a big ol' tasting party with some friends last night, and here are the notes:

Barrel-aged Wee Heavy, Scotch Ale aged in Whiskey Barrels. Brewed and bottled by Steel Toe Brewing, St. Louis Park, MN. 11% ABV,
24 IBU.

Dark brown coloration, short-lived, slim brown head.

Deep, oaky aromatics, dripped in whiskey, vanilla and caramel abound. Charcoal, smoke and molasses. Complexity aplenty.

In the mouth: richness, sweetness, bomb-diggity-dangness. This is barrel-aging at his best, perfect combination, with the base beer and the barrel. Deliciousness for the win. So much delicious, with a little bit of alcoholic burn in the back. Beautiful night cap. Sublime fashion to end the day. Ah, yes.....

Those were the 2016 notes. I did not take notes last night, for I was in the company of friends, but 11 months later, it's even more satisfying.

Steel Toe Sticker Fight Double India Pale Ale

Steel Toe Sticker Fight Double IPA. 8.5% a.b.v. 85 IBU. Steel Toe Brewing, St. Louis Park, MN.

Before I drink it, a discussion about the name of this beer. I have no idea what it means. So, don't ask me. But, someone did and I had to guess. Gee, I don't know, someone got into a fight with stickers? There's always a stack of stickers at the point of sale at Steel Toe's taproom. Maybe, one night, the staff was restless and started slapping them on each other? Makes sense, right? Silly, sure, but there are lot worse names out there, a lot of dumber ones, more vulgar ones, incomprehensible ones, and just plain crazy ones. The less said about that, the better. Let's drink a beer.

Clouded, yet bright, golden-hued, with a vast and lasting cloud-white head. Looking incredible, if it's okay to roll out superlatives so early. Well, I'm in charge here, so I say it is okay.

Bright, bold, fierce, fresh, and pithy aromatics. Screams of grapefruit. Freshly ripped rind, dripping with pine. Certain to revive any deprived hophead. This is the juice, the crank, the high grade shit. Ah... just about perfect.

In the mouth and on the palate, it's more of the same, much much more. Totally lupulin pleasure. Bursting with vibrant American hop flavors, lean-bodied, crisp malt, but completely hop-forward. A text-book definition of an amazing double IPA.

The label is typically fresh of gobbledygook, in Steel Toe Style, not even a mention of the ABV. I'd guess 9%, maybe more. Hops? Citra, Mosaic, Galaxy...I'd just be guessing. They could be the usual suspects of Cascade, Centennial, Columbus...I'll look it up. Maybe it's out there somewhere.

The alcohol is slowly creeping into the flavor, and we're getting more of that intensity, the texture grows deeper, the flavors widen. The citrus fruit flavors turn candied, become sharper, more magnified. And this is when it really gets good, as far as I'm concerned. This is going to destroy me, but it is sending me somewhere special, while it tastes so very good.

I will have to consider this one of the best double IPAs I've ever had. Goes right up there with the best of them.

Edit: Four years after this review, all the information I can find on this beer is on the Untappd listing and is inaccurate, of course: Double IPA exclusive to the tap room.

Edit  #2: Found more: Our Double IPA, Sticker Fight is the big tropical fruity, juicy fruit, mango laden friend, you’ve always desired. The body is crisp, with just enough sweetness to counter the onslaught of aromatic and flavorful hops. Supremely satisfying, utterly demanded by fans.

Steel Toe Size 4 Session IPA/Pale Ale

Steel Toe Size Four.  Steel Toe Brewing, St. Louis Park, Minnesota.

Year two of this brew. I tried it for the first time last summer, and enjoyed it. But, whenever I visited the brewery for a growler, they were out. S.O.L. Until this week. It was no longer on tap, but only available in growler, so I could take some home. And just in time for me to order some for the Acadia bar. I'm pretty excited for that, let me tell you.

(I'd like to share more information from their website, but it's missing, oddly enough.)

Enough of that jibber jabber, let's drink some.

Clear, bright golden appearance, slim ivory head, high carbonation.

Gorgeous aromatics, and that ain't no lie. Pineapple's spilling out with orange, grapefruit's knocking boots with mango, and banana is getting down with lemon and lime. Beautiful. Perfect. Good lord, it's lovely.

On the tongue and back down the palate, it's a citric delight. Perfect flavor for any hop-head, bright citrus-y sensations are a treat to drink down. Those who know me can attest that I treat language delicately, but this, this is fucking delicious. It's all Mosaic hops, or so I heard, and it's absolutely perfect.

Light to medium body, long bitter finish, interminable citrus-y flavors. Grapefruit spritz, orange peel, lemon zest. Every hop-head worth his membership card needs to keep shoveling this down his gullet at every appropriate occasion

Steel Toe Collision Course Double India Pale Ale

At last! At last, at last I found a bottle of this double IPA from Steel Toe! Collision Course, they call it, and there's not a ton of information on it, other than it was bottled on April 27th of this year. Let's drink it.

Appearance: clouded, golden-hued, strong ivory-toned head of foam atop.

Aroma: ah! that's the stuff! at first hit to the nose, it gives up the goods! A blast of fresh citrus and an explosion of pine. Lemon, orange, and tangerine, plus the scrapings of the forest floor. It's right on, brother.

Taste: Bitterness blasts the palate, scours the mouth, spreads bracing, arresting deliciousness. Each new sip brings a fresh deliverance of citrusy hop beauty. So good. So, so good. This is a beer that does not fit it's name. There's no collision here, no clash, no terrible contrast. It's big, it's bold, but it's far from bad. In fact, it's damned near perfect.

Each new entrance into my mouth, this ale brings delight and deliciousness. Nothing but happy. This should go in the top of any list of favorite double IPAs I should care to create.

The great sadness, though, is that I couldn't get more than this one bottle. I put off visiting the brewery, and when I finally made it in, there was one left. And I got it, buddy, I got it. So glad that I got it.

And I'm drinking it by myself, so I can tell you all about it, but how I wish I could have more to share with others.

Further Tranformations (Yet Another Autobiographical Post)

If you saw my last posting of a beer from Eastlake, you may have noted a lack of enthusiasm about the American adjunct lager called Tall Bike. I couldn't muster up any appropriate energy for that one, and held back on any criticism. I was looking forward to being a big booster of the next new one coming out, especially because the current line-up was weak and I was eager to express some excitement over Belgian strong dark ales and such.

Steel Toe Collision Course Double IPA, at the brewery, April 4. I'm on the hunt for bottles. Hope it's not sold out!

Unfortunately, the brewery whose taproom I have served in from the start, which I waited 2 1/2 months to open, enduring unemployment and staying just above the poverty line, has decided to carry on without me. Not going to go into the details, wouldn't be prudent, na--- ga--- da--- (read that, of course, as Dana Carvey as George Bush.) Fine. Whatever. Moving on. Now the question is will I continue to visit them and drink and review their beers, this time not holding back with my opinions? Maybe. Just maybe. But not until I'm re-employed. Which actually took about 3 days.

So, I'm posting this to inform my readers of this change in my life (I'll tell you where I land later). And just for kicks, here's some beers I've had recently that weren't beer reviews (some were, previously), but I did take their pictures. Cause. Just 'cause. Enjoy. (And these are just the beers I took pictures of, there are plenty that got away. )

Dave's BrewFarm's The Bruiser, at the source, April 12. I enjoyed this so much, I have to finally at last admit that this one should be listed among my all-time favorite beers. Such deliciousness.

Simpson's Scottish Ale, at the Surly taproom, April 26, also enjoyed this past Sunday, May 9. A tasty, bold Scottish style made with a new malt from Simpsons, available only at the brewery. And yet another inadvertent nod to creations of Matt Groening (see also: Bender, Surly (one of the Duff mascots at Duff Gardens), Moe's Bender.)

Also 4/26, the newest edition of Pentagram, which is amazing. I've not enjoyed a beer so fine since  The Bruiser.

April 17, Sisyphus. Imperial Rye.

Fair State Brewing Lactobac: Two Sour Saison,  4/26. Part of the LactoBac series. I need to get back there and have more of this stuff, and talk about these guys more in general. 

May 9. Sisyphus Imperial Stout.

The Winkelman Double  IPA, Fair State, also 4/26.

Town Hall Mango Mama, April 23.

Stay tuned for more, bitter ones.