Barley John's Brewpub Citra Wheat IPA

Barley John’s Citra Wheat IPA. Growler from the brewpub. Barley John's Brewpub, New Brighton, MN. 6.2% ABV.

In the eye: Clear, light amber color, slim white head atop.

In the nose: lively citrus zest aromatics, lemon and orange galore.

In the mouth: Lush malt, nicely hopped. A delicious dose of Citra hops pounce upon the palate. Medium bodied. Positively refreshing, with a potent blast of hops to keep it interesting.

Very nice. I put this growler away in one sitting.

Barley John's Brewpub Citra Smashsd

I received a growler of this beer from the man who brewed it, Andy Rosenthal, the ginger elf himself.

I tried finding information about it and went in search of it's Untappd entry, but that was a chore, indeed. I was searching through all of the recent entries under Barley John's Brewpub in New Brighton, MN, but all that I ended up wading through was check-ins for cans from Barley John's Brewing Company of New Richmond, Wisconsin. Much confusion. Many of them are the very same beers, names, brands, recipes, etc, as the ones that originated, and are still brewed, at that premier spot in NB, MN. Eventually, I just sorted the beers by "most recent" and this one popped up first.

After all my blather about people confusing these two
operations, here I am using a Brewing Company glass
with my Brew Pub beer. I had a Brew Pub glass once,
years ago, but busted it up by accident, like so many.
I still miss it so. 

6.5% ABV. IBU:?. I tried to find out more from the website but it's not there. What did Andy tell me? That it's a SMaSH (single hop, single malt) with Citra. What else do you need to know? (The malt, maybe?) Let's drink it....

Clear, bright golden coloring, lush white head, leaving lace, lasting. Looking nice.

In the nose: lemon, grapefruit, orange. Huge citrus. That's why it's called Citra, right? Little piney, but mostly citrus fruit. Beautiful.

In the mouth: Bright fruit, low bitterness. Supremely drinkable. Light-ish bodied. Clean, and well-balanced. Fine pale ale with bountiful citrus flavors. Big bitterness increases on the palate. Is this more IPA than APA? It's got the hops. It's got the bold citrus, and a bit of the tropical, too, a hint of pineapple and mango. Tasty, tasty stuff, indeed. Delicious.

I keep wondering, though. Maybe the website is up to date, and it's no longer available.  The last entry on Untappd was a full 4 days ago. Did Andy give me the last of it before it ran out? If so, thanks, Andy, thanks, this is a good one, indeed.

I also tried looking this one up on BeerAdvocate but it was unlisted there. Not enough users keeping up with the place. Maybe that's why I turn to Untappd more and more these days. Unfortunately, Untappd calls it "Citra Smashsd", and I know that can't be right. My lid merely reads "Citra", so I can't be sure. They're not bad spellers over there at Barley John's. They're better than that.

Breaking news: I've been informed by both Andy and Brewing Company head brewer Bob McKenzie that the "sd" at the end stands for "single decoction." Well, that's cool, and there we have it.

Barley John's Rogue Galaxy IPA

Barley John's Brew Pub Rogue Galaxy India Pale Ale. 6.2% ABV. Barley John's Brew Pub, New Brighton, MN. (Although I'm using my "brewing company" glass. I accidentally destroyed my BJBP tulip glass many years ago.)

An IPA Andy made after receiving an unexpected package of Galaxy hops that are all the rage now, and seeing a certain film taking place in a galaxy far, far away.

I stole this pic from Andy's
facebook page. His pose of the
action figure reminded me of
when I used to do that, at the
start of this blog. I've since
given all my action figures
to my niece. Maybe, some day,
she'll pose them with her beers,
when she's old enough.

Clear-ish, amber-y toned coloring, full, creamy head.

In the nose: light bitterness, fruity, pleasant.

In the mouth: boards the palate easily and assuredly, leaves traces of bitterness behind. Medium mouthfeel. Plenty of malt in there. And quite tasty. Nice splash of citrus at the front, a little bit of hop spice kicking in, malt keeps it all in check. Quite a nice balance in this one, very even, very cool.

It's a good India Pale Ale and I can drink it. And there ain't nothing wrong with that. Ain't nothin' wrong at all.

Barley John's Brewpub Across The Pond Barley-wine

Barley John's Brewery has appeared in this blog six times, so far. Barley John's Brewpub? None, until now. I haven't not been to the pub in more years than I've been doing this blog. I'm overdue for a visit, of course. This growler was a gift, delivered to me by the brewer himself. Maybe he's giving me a hint that it's time to get out there?

Across The Pond Barley-wine. 10.4% ABV.

Dark crimson color, thin, but lasting, off-whitish head.

Fruity, malty nose. A touch on the sweet side.

In the mouth: rich, malty, well-balanced. This one is starting small, and getting richer, bolder, more flavorful as we go further in. More cherry, more apple, more brandy...getting vaster and wider. Tasty, tasty.
Not as big and beefy as, say, Bigfoot, not a monster or behemoth, no, this is a nice one. And there's room for that, isn't there? They don't all have to over-the-top and Americanized.

From the website: 10.4% ABV |  53 IBU’s Malts Used: 2-row, Marris Otter, Ruby, Biscuit, and C-55| Hops Used: Warrior, Target, EKG| Yeast: American Available in: 5oz | 16 oz | 750ml | 64oz Pitcher | Growler Current Tap Status: on Tap!