Modist Planet Lunch New England Lunch IPA

Modist Planet Lunch New England Lunch IPA. 5.2 % ABV.
Modist Brewing, Minneapolis, MN.

What the Heck is a "lunch IPA"? Inspired by Maine Brewing's Lunch IPA, which I've had once, a few years ago, and yeah, it's good alright, or maybe it's something else? Naw...

Hazy, bright golden hue, long-lasting, lacey ivory head.

In the nose: Bold, assertive citrus flavors, big time hoppiness.

In the mouth: Big blast of bitterness, huge attack of citrus-y goodness, bright and beautiful. Bitterness mellows out quickly, and all is smooth, until it returns again. Tasty, stuff. Medium bodied, delightfully drinkable.

This one's got it all.

New England IPA for lunchtime! Brewed with Pilsner malts, flaked oats, & wheat malt. Hopped and dry hopped with our hand selected Simcoe, Citra Cryo, Simcoe Cryo & El Dorado.

Here's some more copy, if you've got nothing but time to waste: You know that expression “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse”? Well, what if “horse” was “planet”? And what if it was lunchtime and you were actually a giant space monster and your space monster head looked eerily like a planet so that it would attract other planets? And as soon as those planets got close enough to you and felt safe around you because they thought you were just another planet like them, you grab them and start chomping away at ‘em?

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

Town Hall Juice Haze NE Pale Ale (part three of Minneapolis Breweries 2020)

My Spider-Man mask is not upside-down. I meant
to do it that way, because...

A peek at the numbers shows that Town Hall Brewery is tops here in the Bitter Nib. They've appeared nearly 200 times so far. There are many reasons for this: I've been going there for eighteen years. It is the most prolific brewery in close proximity to my residence over that time. And, of course, they are always making great beers.

It comes as no surprise, then, that the first place I went to when bars and restaurants could re-open, outside only, was that brewpub on Washington Avenue, back on the 8th of June. A nice little lunch on the patio with a couple or three beers. They were taking walk-up reservations. All the requisite safety pre-cautions were in place. Had a Masala Mama, a Mango Mama, and a Good as Gold IPA. I drink a lot of IPAs.



I returned to Town Hall some three weeks later, on the 30th of June, for my birthday. Last year on my birthday, the gathering looked like this:

L to R: Rick, Ed, Dean, Rita, Kelly, me, Angie,
Nick, Jason.

Two years ago, we convened for my 50th and this was just a slice of the attendance:

L to R: Sharon, Dave, Jason, me, Michelle, Nick,
Jeff, Rita, Kelly. Missing: Dean, Ed, Patti, Lynn,
Alex, Jeff B, Dave A., Summer...others?

Ed is having a guest beer, for once.
It's a Hoops Brewing blueberry milk
stout, chosen so that Ed could have
one of Dave's beers at Mike's brewery.

Well, these days in our times of social distancing, tables may not seat more than four individuals, although six at a table is allowed if they are all from the same household, for some reason. Gatherings like the above simply are not possible. So, I got together with Ed, and Kelly joined us. That would have to be enough. Maybe we could have slid a few more in, if they showed up, but it's hard to get people out these days. It was very slow, no one was at the bar, and my mind went back to memories of eighteen years of hanging out at that bar, (my first visit was in summer of 2002), all the good times and comradery with new friends and old. Silent, for now. Sad, when you think of it. And I do.

I had a new IPA called Hop Cruise, because that's what I do, for my second beer I asked Ed to choose and he went with cask Masala Mama, and I finished with a delicious Rye Barrel. Took some crowlers home, as I do, and one of them is their new hazy pale ale. Because everyone has to make a hazy, and I have to drink them, because sometimes there isn't anything else.

Town Hall Juice Haze NE Pale Ale. 5.5 % ABV.

Even Town Hall has to go hazy, once in a while.

Highly hazed, bright golden hued, small white head.

In the nose: Big citrus, orange, grapefruit. slight sweetness, touch of tropical.

In the mouth: Burst of bitterness, followed by the juicy. Citrus and tropical in equal amounts. Terriffically tasty. Hazy, fuzzy, with light bitterness. Medium body, light drinking. Bright and fruity. Tasty. I like it.





Juicy New England style pale ale packed with tropical fruit hop character.

56 Brewing (part two of Minneapolis Breweries 2020)

There are beers that I've written about and breweries that I've written about. There are breweries whose beers I've reviewed here, but never the business itself, it's taproom, facilities, or itself as a corporate entity. I try to cover the Minneapolis scene and have been remiss in posting articles about a handful of our local breweries, and my visits to them, and these include: ONE, Inbound, 612, HeadFlyer, Utepils, Pryes, Falling Knife, and 56. Some of these I will write about when I visit them again, and then there is one I don't intend to step foot in unless something changes.

A few more things. One of the truest things about this blog is that I will review every beer that finds it's way into my fridge. How this happens is divided into two categories: either someone gives that beer to me, or I go out and I get. I go out and get it at a store, or in a growler or a crowler on a taproom/brewpub visit. Whether I visit a taproom or not, and with what frequency, is determined my different factors. Do I like the people there, do I enjoy the space, do I crave their beers? Is the facility in close proximity to home, or work. Is it hard to find?

If you search for 56 Brewing in this blog, you'll see that they've appeared here eighteen times, which is more than other brewers I might actually like a little better,. If you examine these entries with a keen eye, you'll notice that the vast majority of these beers were samples. If you give me a sample, it's goes in the blog, good or bad. Go ahead and read them. I wasn't thrilled with this brewery at first.

56's Lake Sandy Rye Lager went on tap at Acadia around five years ago, before I started ordering the kegs. A nitro keg of Dark Territory also went on before I was in charge, and afterwards I decided not to continue with them until I they got better. Samples stopped coming, and I never picked up any of the bombers that appeared in the stores. But I did make an obligatory visit to the brewery in 2016. This was a space without a taproom, due a lack of restroom facilities. (The same once-used by NorthGate, and now Broken Clock, who have fixed that issue.)

Occasionally, they would have events, with outdoor seating and a Biffy, and on October 14 I got on my bike and made my way up to California Street in NorthEast Minneapolis to try the Octoberfest among others. Certain special beers were being poured from kegs inside a delivery truck: Railyard Black Iron Porter (Bourbon Barrel aged), Maple Porter, 1/2 Ton V1 DIPA, and Oktober56fest were the ones I tried. I wasn't happy with any of them. I took notes and pictures, including one of the brewer in front of the truck, hoisting the plastic cup of beer he's about to serve me, but I postponed the article forever. Just couldn't work up the energy to write up a so-so brewery working out of a doomed facility.

Cut to nearly a year later, September 2017, and my first stop at the new facility, just around the corner. All this information comes from Untappd (as well as much of the above data). I had a Black Iron Porter, Simcoe Double IPA, and others, all in plastic cups, for some reason. You've got a brewery, you pour your beer in glasses. (Unless, this is another weird case where they "wanted to get rid of them.") And I was surprised by how much I liked them. This might also have been when I first met Mahad, I know I'd seen him there at least twice.

So, they've got a new building, new brewery, new brewer, and an actual sales rep, who was dropping off samples. The beer was much better, and I felt like I could bring them back in. Looking on the reviews, I published notes on everything they brought me, whether from a growler, can, or crowler. And every now and then, I'd bring in a keg.

Once 56 had cans in the market and a hazy IPA inside them, they started to catch on. Recognition grew and so did their favor among the beer geek crowd. Every now and then, I'd even buy one of their beers on my own, for home consumption. This happened in late 2017, when I bought a six-pack of an IPA that I'd previously sampled from a growler brought in by the sales rep. It had (and still has) the unfortunate name of Nose Hair Bender. You might think that that is a clever way of describing your IPA and it's effect on the insides of someone's nostrils, but there are several things wrong with it, and it's flat out weird that they would go through with such a poor marketing strategy. In my review, I wrote: "Someone should have said no somewhere."

I made another stop in January of 2018, pleased that they were using glass this time. Took home a mini-growler of 'ssippi Squeeze IPA, which I liked and sold at the bar. Still put off writing about them. The samples kept coming, and I'd put them on once in a while. Didn't make it back to the taproom again until April of last year, a quick stop with my niece to return all these empty growlers from all the samples. Had a Peach Cobbler IPA that I didn't mind at all. Still didn't use that opportunity to write a post.

So, I've got 52 check-ins on Untappd, 18 reviews here on the blog, and one untapped keg of Super 'ssippi Squeeze waiting through this infernal shut-down, sitting in the cooler, ...and the one brewery owner who doesn't know a damned thing about racial sensitivity, or just being a good human being.

When I first met Mahad, I thought it was great to see some diversity behind the bar, it's cool that Black folks are becoming part of the industry. This place must be cool to have him on board, I thought. They must be cool people for hiring him. They couldn't possibly be racist, of course. No?

No?

Oh, sure, you have some knots lying around, and some are noose-like, and your sole Black employee feels uncomfortable, and you feel a joke coming on. Someone should have said no somewhere. And that's you, man. In your head and in your heart is where you say no to something stupid and harmful. Some things aren't jokes, and the people of diverse ethnic backgrounds in your employment shouldn't have to be in a potentially toxic environment. It's not terribly hard to not be racist.

That's just fucked up.

So, this is the blog post where I write up the brewery that I don't intend to step foot in again, unless the Johnsons sell, get out of the business, and let someone take over, rename it, make it a haven for respect, caring, and inclusivity. We can't put up with shit like this anymore.

I think we have enough breweries where we don't have to support the one with a racist owner.

La Dona Cerveceria El Reyna IPA ( and part one of Minneapolis Breweries 2020)

One thing has been missing from this blog lately, and you know what it is. Individual write-ups about visits to breweries, rather than simple reviews of their beers. I've seen many breweries and not written them up here, and I can offer no excuses or explanations.

In addition to this, I wanted to accomplish the task of doing brewery reports of Minneapolis first, close the circle on it, so to speak. At year's beginning, I began a project of hitting up brewery taprooms until I got through a certain number, all through the year. Well, you know what happened. But now, the breweries and taprooms are re-opening, and I still haven't gone back to work full-time. As good a time as any to try, try again.

In the logo for La Dona Cerveceria, Minneapolis' Latinx-themed brewery at 241 Fremont in North Minneapolis (it's practically outside Downtown), we see very prominently the number 2016. This is one of those cases where that number does not reflect the year that they opened, but the date of their inception, the time they decided to start doing something, maybe the date they formed their LLC. If they'd opened in 2016, I might have written about them sooner.

In fact, they opened in late 2018, and I put off visiting them until May of 2019. This is when they first appeared here, after bringing home a couple of crowlers from my Monday stop. I'd been hearing from friends who'd been there, and raved about their brown ale or their Mexican lager. That wasn't good enough for me, I had to see if there was more to them.

You walk in and see the Mexican-themed art is everywhere. There's a long bar, surrounded by all kinds of other seating, with televisions all around. Past the bar is a small restaurant area that's been occupied by various enterprises. It wasn't open that night, and I'd just missed the night's event, a lesson in Spanish. Other advertised events included Latin dance lesson, DJs, and bands. Outside, a miniature futbol field, definitely the only one of it's kind attached to a Minnesota taproom.

I had three beers that time, and took no notes. They included Bromista, an American Pale Ale, El Rey, an American IPA, and Xipe, a Mosaic & Simcoe IPA. I was pleased with all three, found them all refreshing, tasty, and being indicative of their respective styles. Perhaps I should have gone outside my usual comfort zone, and tried different styles, but that's just the way I was feeling that night. Two crowlers came home with me, and they were hits with my palate, too: an Azacca DIPA and a Coffee Brown Ale. I didn't want to only praise their lagers, as one might suspect that a Latinx brewery would be best known for lagers, and wanted to make sure there were other treats
available.

Now I have to ask why it took me so long to return. One theory might be that in order to get there from where I live, one would need to pass Sisyphus Brewing, and would I really want to skip them.?Also, no buses will take you there, you'd need to walk a mile from the area near Sisyphus, and in winter, do I want to do that? No excuse for when I'm on bike, though. No excuse at all.

In the before times, we used to gather.

And so it came to be that my second visit was on a Sunday night in March of this year, when I was at Sisyphus, near closing time. Sam was going to go there for some televised futbol after closing, and offered to give me a ride, so that was that. A large crowd had convened to watch the local Loons kicking around the Soccer ball in Portland, OR, much larger than the 30-some that the management had anticipated. I saw my futbol-loving friend Steve at the bar and squeezed in between the stools. My super-fan friend Rich, who had gathered all these fans there for the occasion, saw me and uttered, "Al! You're at a soccer game?" "No," I told him, "I'm at a bar." "But, you're watching a football game!" "No, there's a game on, where I'm drinking beer." Silly.

I had two beers while there, first, one of their standard IPAs, La Reyna, which you will hear more about below. I followed that with Cuauhtil, a Russian Imperial Stout. Which you will hear about when I crack open a bottle. They were both served in plastic, due to the larger number of patrons than they suspected. It seemed that they were doing a good job of keeping up with cleaning the glasses, though, and I spied the back-up snifters sitting dry on a shelf. Asked if I could get my imperial stout in one of those, instead of plastic, please. Nope, only plastic while the game is on. But it's right there, I think, but don't say. Okay, whatever, I won't argue. I took my leave and Ubered home.

I wished that I could have brought crowlers home from that visit, but it was after 6 pm on a Sunday, and that wasn't allowed. Too bad. This was nearly the last taproom visit of 2020, until recently. I'd done a Wisconsin trip to see Oliphant & Dave's BrewFarm, after,  and a pop-in to Town Hall, before it all came crashing in, and the world shut down. So many things seem like ages ago. The carefree feeling of standing/sitting next to people. Crowds. Being able to walk in without worry. I won't say "freedom" because that makes me sound like certain other people.

We're slowly opening up. Now, at last, I made my third visit to La Dona, on a Saturday afternoon, again biking south after seeing Utepils. And there's no fuss about reservations. We can take glassware outside. Plenty of room for "social distancing". They ask that patrons wear masks while indoors, and everyone complies. Jason and I moved our table to the shade, and just enjoyed spending the time. I was delighted by the 3:17 to Cologne kolsch, which hit all the right notes. Next up: the Dona Fria lager, a style I typically skip, but was perfect for the weather at the time. I finished up with Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, a kolsch/IPA hybrid that didn't knock my socks off, but I enjoyed, nonetheless. In the middle of the beers, I had a chorizo taco ($4 each).

This time I was able to pick up crowlers/bottles, and I went with 2 of each. One of which is reviewed below.

La Dona Cerveceria El Reyna IPA. 6 % ABV. 73 IBU.
La Dona Cerveceria, Minneapolis, MN.

Clear, bright golden hue, larges, lasting, lace-leaving ivory head. Looking good.

In the nose: Slight sweetness swiftly subsumed by hop aromatics. Resiney, piney, some citrus.

In the mouth: Starts out bitter and bridges over to juicy and hoppy. Ending on a dry note. Big bite of citrusy hop flavors, a touch of tropical on the side. Long, bitter finish, that I love. Medium-bodied, and easy-drinking. A splash of sweetness continues to counter the brittle, bitter side.
Juicy, bitter, dry, cha, cha, cha.

I like this one. My kind of IPA. I'll drink it again.

North meets South as Simcoe and Mosaic hops create a duet of piney and tropical fruit aromas and flavors.

After three visits, I haven't found a La Dona beer that I didn't like. And I'd be a fool to not return with more urgency. I just have to see every other Minneapolis brewery first. Maybe. We'll see.

Here's how they describe themselves, by the way: We are the nation's first Latino-influenced for-benefit beer company, supporting and accentuating the Latinx communities of Minnesota. Inspired by our upbringings, our goal is to provide quality craft beer to anyone who appreciates beer with purpose, culture and heart. We are fusing Latin and local Minnesota culture, one cerveza at a time

Come for the waste elimination, stay for the art!

Lagunitas Hazy Memory IPA

Lagunitas Hazy Memory IPA.
8% ABV. 55 IBU.
Lagunitas Brewing, Petaluma, CA.

Lightly hazed, bright golden hue, slim white head.

In the nose: bold and citrusy hop explosion. Orange and lemon with grapefruit on the side.

In the mouth: juicy meets bitter when it joins the palate. Bursting with citrus fruit flavors. Medium/light bodied, easy drinking, despite the higher alcohol. Watch out for it.

Tasty stuff, this, good IPA and you can drink it.

We're going a bit blurry on this nebulous release... Hazy Memory is a cloudy IPA full of oats and smooth wheatly-esque-ish-ness, packed with some of the murkiest, juiciest, turbid Loral 291, Hallertau Blanc,Galaxy, and Citra hops. It's a huge flavor you won't forget!

Three Floyds Sexy Neckbreaker Hardbody Pale Ale

Three Floyds Sexy Neckbreaker Hardbody Pale Ale. 6.4 % ABV.
Three Floyds Brewing, Munster, IN.

I'm not entirely sure what it is, but this is positively my first "hardbody pale ale." I suspect that there is something going on here that I will need an education upon.

Also, I must admit to my local readers that this is not a Three Floyds beer you can find around here. I am lucky to receive certain gifts from time to time. This one is called a "Brewpub Only Release", but was probably distributed to stores in their home market, due to the brewpub remaining closed during our current pandemic crisis.

Clear, bold amber color, ample layer of ivory froth, leaving some lacing.

In the nose: Big citrus and pine aromatics, fine and fruity, with sweet malt keeping time and balance. Caramel apple mixed with grapefruit and orange.

In the mouth: Big slap of bitterness on the palate, nice and hoppy, lip-smackingly delicious. Citrus and pine lead the flavors, with malt mixing it up just behind. Smooth, tasty, medium-bodied, refreshing. A good ol', zesty pale ale, and you can drink it.

Cheers, Cory!

What I'd like to have right now is for all fat, out of shape, craft beer drinking sweathogs to keep the noise down while I take my robe off and show all the ladies what a real man is supposed to look like.

I have no idea what they're going on about.

Surly Mango Supreme Tart Ale

Surly Mango Supreme Tart Ale.
Berliner Weisse. 4.5 % ABV.
Surly Brewing, Minneapolis/Brooklyn Center, MN.

Clear, light golden hue, slim, soon-gone head.

In the nose: Sweet, fruity, tart. Mango-y.

In the mouth: Big carbonation, very spritz. Along comes the mango, and the tart. Quite light, minimal malt flavors, precious little hop flavors, low bitterness. Clean and easy-drinking.

Patio crusher, ideal for hanging out in the sun. Get to it.



A perfect summer quencher, Mango Supreme is the tart, refreshing answer for that empty spot in your cooler. 

Sisyphus Helles Yeah Helles Lager

Sisyphus Helles Yeah Helles Lager.
4.5 % ABV. 15 IBU.
Sisyphus Brewing, Minneapolis, MN.

I've said it over and over again, but maybe you weren't there when the memo went out. I'm not that much of a lager lover. But, sometimes, the time is right for one. And I felt that tonight was the night to try out the helles lager from Sisyphus.

Clear, golden-hued, slim white head.

in the nose: Lightly hopped, floral, touch of malt sweetness.

In the mouth: Light bodied, smooth, easy-drinking. Low hop bitterness, touch of sweet malt/cereal grain flavors. Just a whisper on the palate, then off she goes. Thirst quencher, indeed. Damn, that's a nice helles.

You guys aren't open, what the helles wrong with you? We still want to get you this thirst quenching beer with our curbside ordering. Come grab one, two, or 12 crowlers to get you through this work week.

Contrary to what the above states, Sisyphus Brewing is open again, and it feels fine to sit down at a bar once more and relax with fine craft beer in hand. A little pinball. Chat with Sam for a bit. The prospect of slowly returning to normalcy. Little bit, by little bit.

Town Hall Wheat Shine Ale

Town Hall Wheat Shine Wheat IPA. 5.9 % ABV.
Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, Minneapolis, MN.

Hazy. Bright orange hue, large white head, softly drifting down.

In the nose: Highly hopped, within the realms of balance. Fresh, floral, dank.

In the mouth: Hoppy, slightly bitter, nice and smooth. Medium bodied, long, hoppy finish. Bright, lively wheat ale, bursting with hops. Tasty, tasty stuff.

Brewed with American 2-row, wheat, & oats.
Pacifica, Mosaic, & Nelson Sauvin in the kettle. 
Pacifica, Mosaic, Simcoe, & Summit in the fermenter.
Some orange peel, too.

Three Floyds Sicario Pina

Three Floyds Sicario Pina. Barrel-aged Pineapple Saison.
6.6 % ABV. 21 IBU.
Three Floyds Brewing, Munster, IN.

Clear-ish. Crimson colored. Slim white head.

In the nose: Funk, fruit, and more funk. Brett and oak are in full effect. Pineapple lurks below. Getting louder, though. Complexity abounds.

In the mouth: Sharp, acidic, slightly sweet. Brett drives this, along with the power of the barrel. Red wine barrel flavors unspooling. Pineapple lies beneath, but never comes near domination. It almost seems pointless, but you've got to have some fruit in play, might as well try that one out.

Acidity and tartness is large in this one, Very refreshing and just about delicious. Delectable.
Plenty of citrusy flavors to balance it out. I like this one.

I keep wondering what kind of barrels this was aged in. Muscat? Well, that explains it.

Muscat barrel aged Brettanomyces pineapple saison. Primary aroma is reminiscent of fresh squeezed pineapple juice. The pineapple is balanced by oak, citrus, and fruity/earthy Brettanomyces character.

Falling Knife Ghost Step-Bali Natural Coffee Stout

Falling Knife Ghost Step-Bali Natural Coffee Stout.
5.6 % ABV. Falling Knife Brewery, Minneapolis, MN.

To the eye: Absolute blackness, fully opaque, slim brown ring.

In the nose: Earthy, chocolatey, semi-sweet. Epresso rich, lightly fruity.

In the mouth: Coffee notes climb boldly on board. Light bitterness, rich malt forward flavors. Medium bodied, easy drinking, for a stout. Nicely roasted. Small doses of caramel and toffee. Quite tasty.

Sweet Stout showcasing Bali Natural coffee beans from UP Roasters

Bauhaus Guavatron Pink Guava Gose

Bauhaus Guavatron Pink Guava Gose. 4.9 % ABV. 5 IBU.
Bauhaus BrewLabs, Minneapolis, MN.

At long last, the final can from the Breezebox. Also, the final beer from my last purchase at Minnehaha-Lake Liquors. Nowadays, if you do a Google search on the George Floyd protests and riots a few weeks back, you'll likely see a picture of this store in flames. I hope we don't see anything else go up from now on. Peace and love, people.

So, it's pinkish/pale yellow, highly hazed, slim white head.

In the nose: Tart and fruity. Grapefruit and guava. I can catch a little salt.

In the mouth: Intensely tart from the start, turning to the juicy side, ending on a dry note. Refreshing. Medium bodied, easy drinking. Some of the salt requisite for the style is coming through. Nice, fruity sour. I certainly enjoyed it.

Fulton Chocolate Oatmeal Milk Stout

Fulton Chocolate Oatmeal Milk Stout.
5.5 % ABV. 25 IBU.
Fulton Beer, Minneapolis, MN.

Final bottle from the Fulton sampler pack.

Pitch black, fully opaque, slim brown head.

In the nose: cocoa and cream, semi-sweet, very inviting.

In the mouth: Slight bitterness, very smooth, light roast. Medium bodied, easy-drinking. Long lasting cocoa flavors. Delightful stuff. Good oatmeal chocolate milk stout, and you can certainly drink it.

Built on a backbone of Pilsner and Marris Otter, this stout showcases the flavor and complexity of 9 different varieties of malted barley and oats.  We used oats for over a quarter of the malt bill and added a touch of lactose to the kettle to create a full bodied, smooth stout while still coming in at just 5.5% ABV for easy drinkability. Northern Brewer hops were used with restraint in order to allow the malts shine through. After fermentation, we "dry-hopped" this beer with cacao nibs from Ghana. These particular cacao nibs were selected because they impart a milk chocolate/nutty/coconut flavor. Our Nitro Chocolate Oatmeal Milk Stout is an exceptionally smooth, chocolatey, malty milk stout that's exclusive in this form to our taproom.

Untitled Art Hazier Triple IPA

Untitled Art Hazier Triple IPA. 9.5 % ABV.
Untitled Art, Waunakee, WI.

And here we have the first beer from Untitled Art here in the Nib. I don't see them often at some of the stores I frequent, and I tend to skip anything that says "milkshake" or "smoothie" on the label. Or "puff". That's how it is, folks, deal with it.

This one says IPA, which I like, and tripel, which is sometimes good, and also, at the front, Hazy(Hazier), which I'm less thrilled about. It was more expensive than I like, more than $18/4-pack, but I felt like, heck, let's go in all the way with this one.

But before I begin, I went looking for more information on this particular beer, which is something that I do. What the can tells us is: Triple India Pale Ale. Brewed + Canned by Untitled Art, Waunakee, WI. And: Artist: Stephanie Kamen. So, I took to their website, and under the heading of "Beer", there are three options to click on: Artists, Collaborators, Distributors. There is no place to learn even the names of their beers, or to read any words about the recipes, ingredients, etc. But I kind of want to know some of that stuff. And then I found this, on Untappd:

Our goal is to make new and exciting beer styles available in Wisconsin. Called "Untitled Art", the beers are presented without explanation allowing the drinker to formulate their own opinion. In a market filled with exhausting back stories and kitschy names, we strip this away and let the beer speak for itself. With creative influence from Levi Funk, Untitled Art is similar to a gypsy brewery. We brew what we want, when we want it.

Okay, that's cool. It's just odd that Untappd lists 121 beers from this company, but their website won't tell me anything about any of them. That's just a little backwards. There's a lot about their sparkling waters, though.

On with the beer:

Hazy, yeah. Bright golden hue. Slim white head.

In the nose: Big citrus. Traces of sour/tart, verifiably funky. Complexity abounds, outside of the fruit.

In the mouth: Grapefruit, lemon, and orange, with an extra-urgent pungency I can't quite trace. Alcohol content reveals itself early on, limning the length of the palate, sending the fuzzies up into the brain. Flavor remains fruity and juicy, and never remotely bitter, with a side of scalding booze.

I'm not 100% sure that I'm into it. But that's what you get with your triple IPA, right? I do wish it were more of an IPA. There's some bitterness here, but not enough for my liking.

Well, I drank down 4 of them without complaint. But, I won't hand over $20 that easily again.

Town Hall Inspired By...Session IPA

Town Hall Inspired By...Session IPA. 4.6 % ABV.

Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, Minneapolis, MN.

My first crowler purchased at the brewery in over two months, on the occasion of my first meal and pints there (on the patio, not yet my desired bar stool) since the shutdowns due to COVID-19.

Apparently this is the start of a series. I think the session IPA that inspired this one was Steel Toe Size 4.

Clear, amber/golden hue, small slice of white foam atop.

In the nose: bright and citrusy.

In the mouth: Light bodied, easy drinking, quaffable. Citrus fruits on the palate, with a touch of stone/pit fruit, to boot. Slim malt component. Stone fruit takes over for a while, apricot, peach, getting closer and closer to deliciousness. In the end, I gobbled this one down. I drink one again, and again, and again.

Belching Beaver Melty Hops Double India Pale Ale

Belching Beaver Melty Hops
Double India Pale Ale.
Collaboration with Revision Brewing Company.
8.8 % ABV, 70 IBU.
Belching Beaver Brewing, Oceanside, CA.

I can't pass up any beer whose label riffs on Salvador Dali. I mean, duh.

Clear, bright golden hue, large white head, leaving some lace.

In the nose: magnificent mix. Citrus and sweet, tropical and dank, overpoweringly delightful. Orange, grapefruit, pineapple, pine tree, a little guava.

In the mouth: Starts slightly harsh and bitter, until the fruit pops up, citrus and tropical. Juicy. Bitter. With alcohol rearing in, loading onto the palate for the long haul. It's got everything I'm looking for.
Medium bodied, good drinking, nice balance of the sweet and bitter. Guava meets orange, grapefruit butts up against pineapple. Tasty, tasty stuff. Nice and melty, too.

We are proud to collaborate with our good friends from who happen to be some of the best hoppy beer brewers in the world. This beer is loaded with Citra, Simcoe, Cashmere, and Azacca to create a bouquet of tropical fruit, pine, mandarin orange, and tangerine.

Falling Knife Hidden Temple Hazy IPA

Falling Knife Hidden Temple Hazy IPA. Azacca and El Dorado NE IPA.
7.3 % ABV. Falling Knife Brewing, Minneapolis, MN.

Super hazy, bright-ish orange, large ivory head.

In the nose: Citrus notes, following by traces of tropical.

In the mouth: Starts off slightly bitter, all come grapefruit, orange, lemon, and their pals, ending with tropical touches, the sweeter stuff. Medium bodied, with a whole lotta haze. Yeast aplenty. Pineapple begins to take control, splash of guava on the side. Moderate bitterness. Just a little bit juicy.

Quite an enjoyable version of this style.

The Brewing Projekt Oh Snap! Hazy IPA

The Brewing Projekt Oh Snap! Hazy IPA. With Citra, Simcoe, and Sabro.
6.7 % ABV. The Brewing Project, Eau Claire, WI.

It's a strange time, as we all know. Lately, it's been hard to find a beer around here. (Though it's getting better.) On a particular Wednesday of last week, I set out for some beer, and found the liquor store closest to me, a mere 3 block walk, still boarded up after riots and looting. (Still, today, too.)
I thought about all the stores down the street, most, if not all, named after the street, Lake Wine and Spirits, Chicago-Lake, Hiawatha-Lake, etc, and how they were all looted. And Minnehaha-Lake was burned down. Zipp's, too, closed to looting. My bike had a flat (my tire pump went missing, the bike shop nearby was still closed due to COVID, and the gas stations I would go to to use their pump...burned or closed due to looting), I still don't drive, and I was picking my options due to walking distance, before picking the bus.

These are not complaints. I am not complaining. These are first world problems, white privilege problems. I'm not dead. I'm never been harassed by police due to my race. (Due to other things, but that's another story.) I'm just saying how it is.

So, I head to another store that I thought would be fine, being far from the looting zone. It was all boarded up. There's the looting zone, and the fear of the looting zone. I walk a few more blocks, and head up to a store I thought would be safe and they were putting the final nails in the boards. Okay. Keep on walking, and the next place is open, but the windows are boarded. A manager is guarding the door, keeping the customers inside to a minimum. Masks are mandatory. Everyone is keeping social distance. And I'm impressed at the selection. This place, Franklin-Nicollet Liquors, used to be the closest store to me years ago, and I rarely went there. I'd go out of my way to Zipp's for the better selection. This time, the craft section had widened significantly. Most of my choices for purchase were beers I can get most anywhere, but love to drink. Having so much time off during quarantine means more time to drink. I can only have so much Snapple before I've got to crack open a beer. Got to have the good old good ones. Steel Toe Size 7, Surly Furious, Three Floyds Alpha King, and one more.

I was surprised that they had The Brewing Projekt, which has really been hyped up these days, though I've been skipping them. I look on ye olde Nib, and I've only reviewed two of theirs, one was the Hero Project collaboration with Oliphant, and the other the Cryo Citra Dare Mighty Things IPA. In the review, I said "I hope there are more to come." And this was nearly two years ago.

So why did I pass them over again and again? Price. I just hate the $20 4-pack. I hate it to Hell. And this one was a mere $16 4-pack. Or $15.50 or something. And I bet those $20 4-pack beers are good, and I just might go back to pick some up, if they still have them, because I don't know, maybe the hype is worth it...I still hate that price. This is one reason I will buy Steel Toe Sticker Fight every time I see it, the $11 6-pack price. And it's awesome.

Enough of that jibber jabber, let's talk about this beer:

No slouch in the haze department. Dull orange color. Huge white head, leaving lace, looking good.

In the nose: Pow! Bam! Whoa! Hop resins wafting out with wild abandon, citrus explosion. Nice! Fruity, but dry.

In the mouth: Yow! Powerful meets delightful. Bursting with citrus, profoundly juicy, smooth and delicious. Slight sweetness steps ahead of mild bitterness, swims about til it turns dry on the palate. Easy drinking. Quite consumable. This one goes down well and good.

Again, I went through the first three quickly and with great aplomb, leaving this last one for the review. And I wish I had more. It's very good.


OH SNAP! ⁣
Is that a UFO? Starlink? Space Force? A hazy IPA bulked up with Citra, Simcoe & Sabro hops?!⁣
⁣
Probably the last one. ?⁣
⁣
Oh Snap is prepped for launch and set to blow your mind.?

Pipeworks Emerald Grouper Double IPA

Pipeworks Emerald Grouper Imperial IPA. Brewed with honey and Citra hops.
Collaboration with 4 Hands Brewing.
9.5 % ABV. 75 IBU.
Pipeworks Brewing, Chicago, IL.

Clouded, bright orange hue, large white head.

In the nose: Big, bold citrus and stone fruit notes in the aroma. Orange, grapefruit, pineapple, and mango.

In the mouth: Juicy, aggressively bitter, grips the palate with powerful hoppiness. Blasts of citrus and more. My kind of IPA. Robust hop character, juicy, fruity, malty, easy drinking, despite the alcohol. Slightly out of balance, but I don't mind that. Various levels of dank and sticky-icky are getting it on up in here. Yes, it's that kind of DIPA. And there ain't nothing wrong with that.

Dudddde.... we put in like what was it... honey. No, like insane amounts of honey. Annnd... pssshh... seriously dank hops I got from this one guy I know. I think it was like... dude.... I am so gone. Simcoe and some Citra and some Mosiac and what if the colors I see are like not the colors you see... what was I saying? Right, right, 4 Hands. They brew the stickiest of the ickiest.