4 % ABV. Barrel Theory Brewing, St. Paul, MN.
Back in the end of March, when the quarantine was just getting underway, I broke free enough to pay a visit to Minnehaha-Lake Liquors, a store at the intersection that the name describes. Their beer selection had been getting better and better over the years and I liked to pop in and encourage that from time to time. It was on this occasion that I saw for the first time crowlers of Barrel Theory beer for sale at a retail location. A wonderful development, saving me the trip to far-off St. Paul. (And, currently, that extra hassle of pre-ordering for curb-side pick-up.)
My friend Leif, who used to tend bar at Pizza Luce while I was at the Nile, was working then and said he was surprised that they lasted the few days they'd been there. Maybe word hadn't gotten out yet?
Out of the several varieties available, I picked the least expensive ($10) and the wrong one. Somehow, I completely forgot that Rain Drops NE IPA was not only here in the Nib already, but actually the second BT beer I'd reviewed from a crowler, over two years ago. Oh, well, it's still good beer, and you can still drink it. (I committed a similar sin on my last visit, picking out of all the Drastic Measure beers one I'd already reviewed. You'd think I'd had all this stuff memorized, right?)
I keep thinking as the weeks went on that I should return and find more of those BT crowlers, but my plans ever changed. The 3-mile or so bus trip down Lake Street is longer than I like, and I didn't do until a week ago, last Friday. There was one left, this one, and the date on it was 3/23. Was it in that cooler the whole time? Did word just never get out? Did M-L never get a fresh shipment?
And then this week happened. A white Minneapolis police officer took a black man's life and the city went up in flames. Peaceful protests at the site of the murder, but violence rocked the corner of Lake and Minnehaha as demonstrators took their cause to the 3rd Precinct Police Station, across the street from Minnehaha-Lake Liquors. The store seemed safe for a few days, but fire took it eventually, Thursday night. The structure still stands, but the inside is a hollowed out husk of ash and smoke, and the iconic neon sign that stood above has disappeared. I've always wondered what "Drive-In" meant. Apparently, you can drive in to their parking lot, get out, and shop inside. These old-style neon signs, like the one above Hum's at 22nd & Lyndale, have a lot of charm and appeal for me. Where is that sign now? Did someone loot it?
(No, is the answer, at least for now. Photographic evidence finds it smack dab in the middle of the rubble.)
They'll come back, eventually, with a new building, and maybe that same logo. (Probably not.)And I'll be back, too.
So, on with the beer!
Hazed, bright orange color, tiny head that whittles away.
In the nose: Sour blasts out of the aroma at first, followed swiftly by pineapple and it's pals.
Pulpy, potent, powerful. Sweetness and sour, together.
In the mouth: The duo are sharing space on the palate, doing a two-step between tropical tones and the tartness. Tasty stuff. Medium bodied, with a swift finish. Mango steps out front once in a while, pineapple peeks back up, and here comes guava. Just a little bit of sugar, with a big bunch of sweet. Banana butts in. Just delicious.
I don't normally like paying $14.99 for a crowler, but I do like this quite a bit.
And I hope to see more Barrel Theory crowlers out there at stores, whenever they open up again.
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