More and more Minnesota beers are popping onto the store shelves, more often than not in canned form. It's a can craze, dear readers, and I've procured a few of late for examination. Here's one from the North Shore's Castle Danger Brewery, situated in Two Harbors, Minnesota. I visited their original location in Castle Danger, MN back in 2012, and returned with a growler and a glass (alas, since busted). Recently, I picked up a 6-pack of cans at a local liquor dealer, and here we go, ready to taste some 17-7 American Pale Ale, 5.8% Alc. by Vol. "7 Hop Blend."
Appearance: First off, the can design is a bit busy, ill-focused, with an unfortunate color scheme. Just doesn't work. That aside, let's look at the beer.
Clear, amber-hued, large and lasting, lace-leaving ivory head.
Aroma: Some funky esters lead thing off, with floral/citric hop notes behind. A whiff of sulfur. Not entirely right.
Taste: That prior assessment starts us off, unfortunately. Just a little bit not all there. After that mysterious quality, caramel malt, a minor hop buzz. Taste again, there's more of the hops, a long, lingering bitter finish. Sip again, and the malt profile leads the charge, caramel, small amounts of chocolate, little hints of fruit, but not exceptionally organized, shall we say. I'd prefer something cleaner, more cohesive, with a bolder hop character. There's something just off-putting here. Medium-bodied, drinkable, but not especially special.
I'm going to go through the 6-pack, and consume them without quibble, but I won't return to this beer. I'll give their other varieties a go, though, but perhaps as single investigations, rather than a whole six-er, if I can find them sold as such.
It's time to read the label. Let's go! "17-7 Pale Ale is named after our address in downtown Two Harbors (17 7th Street) which is also home to our taproom that overlooks Lake Superior. 17-7 was born out of necessity while brewing on our original 93-gallon system in Castle Danger. We love hops and IPAs, but brewing an India Pale Ale takes several extra days for adding more hops so we created our pale ale recipe to keep up with demand. 17-7 is a hop-forward pale ale brewed with our own 7 hop variety and has enough of a biscuit-malt backbone to keep it honest. It has become one of our go-to beers and is great for any occasion! Enjoy!"
Wait, there's more: "Castle Danger beer is unfiltered, unpasteurized and shold be kept cold. For a filtered beer, we suggest teeth for a course filter or facial hair for a finer polish."
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