Founders Sumatra Mountain Brown

Founders Sumatra Mountain Brow, Imperial Brown Ale brewed with Sumatra coffee. 9.0% Alc by Vol.  40 IBU. Founders Brewing, Grand Rapids, MI. Bottled on 4/05/16. (So, I'm a little late to this party.)

Dark brown coloring, slim, cocoa-tinged head, some loose particles floating about.

Aroma: Dark malts meet deep, rich coffee tones. Caramel, toffee, molasses, allspice, clove...little hints of each.

In the mouth: Chocolate malts hit first, then caramel, then all the richness hits. Here comes the sweetness, matched with bittersweet and coffee flavors. Full bodied. Nice balance, just enough hops to keep sweetness at bay. Tasty stuff, indeed.

Let's read the label, shall we? "This bold brown ale gets it's body from a team of malts, including caramel malt for sweetness, flaked barley for dense foam, a bit of chocolate malt for color, and aromatic and Munich malts for added depth. German and Perle hops add a touch of bitterness to balance the sweetness. The addition of rich Sumatra coffee takes this perfectly balanced brown ale to a decadent level."

Well, not quite decadent, but close enough. I prefer coffee beers as stouts or porters for that extra, added depth and decadence, but this suits me just fine.

OLIPHANT Brown Sugar Brown Brown Rum Barrel-aged

Behold, one and all, the mighty mini-growler! Oh, I'm not talking about the half-growler you can get in Wisconsin, or the 750 ml size (25 ounces) we are allowed in Minnesota. No! Witness before you the 16-ounce glass growler. Only (so far as I know) at OLIPHant! And only for their 2nd Anniversary party.

(By the way, I call them OLIPHant because auto-correct keep changing it back to Elephant.)

I went out there really quick with Jason on a Saturday, several weeks ago (August 27, to be exact), and brought back 2 of each of their anniversary offerings. I gave J. one of the Bone Sword of Soomalakinakinas, or whatever it's called, in appreciation for driving me all over, and that means I get two of these all to myself. Let's open one up and drink it....

Brown Sugar Brown Brown Rum Barrel-aged. 6.7% ABV.

Solid brown coloring, rich and full lush head of off-white foam atop. Looks great.

Gorgeous aromatics. Malty, nutty, fruity, creamy, with effects of the barrel just ramping up. I love this.

In the mouth: Mmm, mmm. Big, fat, huge, rich, lush and wonderful. Candy bar in the mouth. Rum barrel flavors run over the richness on this. What was a fine beer before is much, much more. Toffee, caramel, molasses, brown sugar,...it's all in here. Just delicious. A glorious nightcap.

Insight Rise of the Lambton Dragon (Chapter XXXIX) Session Ale

Insight Rise of the Lambton Dragon Session Ale, drafted by Insight Brewing, "We Craft Legends." All. 4.1% ABV. Minneapolis, MN.

So, you may be asking yourself...no, wait, you may be asking me, "Hey, Al, is a balloon snifter the appropriate glass for a session ale?" Well, maybe not, and I could just as easily add an Insight pint glass to my collection, but I have too many of those as is. If I'm going to have any Insight branded glass, it'll be this one. So, into the balloon snifter it goes. And let's drink it.

Amber / crimson hue, slim white head.

Earthy/spicy hop notes pierce the olfactory first. Citrus-y notes join next. Big grapefruit.

In the mouth: Big hop flavors start it off, then they quick abandon the palate. Very lean bodied. Very light, easy, breezy, nicely balanced and super drinkable. Light 'n' easy. Did I say that already. Good beer and you easy drink it.

"...Then, before me, the great beast stirred groggily and uncoiled from his long slumber in the springs below the tavern. Had it been their secret ingredient all along? Could dragons taste like toffee and hops? Pressing questions, but meanwhile, the monster opened it's menacing maw...."

F-Town American Red Ale

F-Town American Red Ale. 28 IBU. 6.1% ABV.

Solid crimson coloring, Dark, slim head.

Sweet, caramel malt-accented nose.

In the mouth: rich and malty, with a slightly bittersweet hop note. Tasty stuff, drinkable. Long, malty finish. Just enough bitterness for balance. It's good beer and I can drink it. 'Nuff said

What's the gobbledygook say? "Complex notes of caramel, apple, floral and citrus with a mild earthy finish. This big flavored bold bodied red ale grabs your attention."

Thirsty Pagan Yukon: Mixed Fermentation Sour Ale

Thirsty Pagan Yukon: Mixed Fermentation Sour Red Ale. Thirsty Pagan Brewing, Superior, WI. 7% ABV. 20 IBU. Bottle Date: 8/9/16, bottled by: AR.

A few weeks back, Dave Anderson and I went up to the North Shore to visit some of those breweries up there: The Boathouse in Ely and two in Grand Marais, as well as Canal Park in Duluth, on a Wednesday. Thursday was Castle Danger in Two Harbors, and then Bent Paddle (already written about here) and Fitger's. Friday morning, before heading back down to Minneapolis, we crossed over Lake Superior into Superior, Wisconsin, for my 3rd ever visit to Thirsty Pagan Brewing. I'd been informed that there was a sour ale event the previous weekend, and some might still be on tap. Wasn't I surprised to see that there were several left, as well as barrel-aged beers. Dave and I both did flights in order to try as much of their beers as we could before getting back on the road. And I brought home this bottle.

Dark reddish brown coloring, small, soon-gone head.

Aroma: the funk and the sour hits first, followed by dark malt, dark fruit, raisins, dates, with a little touch of vinegar below.

In the mouth: lip-smackingly sour, big pucker, finishing dry, sour, fruity. Not a touch of sweetness, lots of rich malt. Just delicious. Pretty damned near close to a Flanders Red-style. A crowning achievement. Mmm. Yes.

Minnesota Breweries One By One #43: Excelsior Brewing, Excelsior

Those of you who follow this blog with any regularity and retain in your memory some of the trivial details that I divulge herein may recall that there was a lull in activity earlier this summer. A solid six weeks of no posts at all, and a full month of no new breweries visited. I have made up for it on the latter side, having been to 16 breweries in just the past month, getting up to a grand total of 82 Minnesota breweries so far. My list shows that there are 26 (8 of those are in Minneapolis, 5 in St. Paul) more to get to in the next 14 weeks or so. Definitely doable. This does not count, of course, about ten breweries threatening to open before the year is up. Maybe more, that's just the ones I'm keeping an eye on. At some point, I'll have to call it quits. If that place in International Falls opens on the 30th of December, I may have to leave it till next year. But the goal will continue beyond 2016, for once I've made to as many as I can in this year, I'll still keep trying to visit the new ones as they pop up.

I've kept up the pace of the brewery visits, but not the writing of them. Since starting up after the stall, I've only written up 14 of the new visits, out of 33, and haven't touched on the ones from April, May and June. We'll make some headway into this by going back to May 22, when Jason and I took some trips around the breweries near Lake Minnetonka and it's environs, starting with Excelsior Brewing in Excelsior, at 4231 Excelsior Street, just a few blocks away from where Prince insisted to Appolonia that she purify herself, in that purple-tinged film of long ago.

Excelsior, population 2, 397, approximately 12 miles west of South Minneapolis. What else to say? They love their boats and docks, and that big ol' lake. And they got a brewery.

Yoga at the brewery? Sure, who doesn't do that, but a
release party for a bike jersey? Whatevs.

I've reviewed six of Excelsior's beers here in the Nib over the years, covering the core brands and a few others, and visited the brewery taproom once before, in 2014, also with Jason.There's a few out there that have slipped past me, including the cherry wheat ale, Sunburn, which I just finished a keg of at Acadia. For various reasons, I don't take notes at the bar that often.

 This time, I was impressed by the larger selection of beers and styles beyond the flagships. And what else did I see, hear and do? Well, I'll tell you, once I start a new paragraph.

Over-dressed in Excelsior.

It's a beautiful Sunday, one of the nicest days of the year so far, the sun shining and summer is beckoning. It's seems that all of Excelsior is out there enjoying the weather and in the taproom digging the wide range of ales and lagers. And I'm the only schmuck in the joint wearing long pants and a hoodie and no sunglasses. Everyone else is in shorts and t-shirts or biking gear. We stepped onto the patio area, where a folky combo was making music under a tent, but couldn't find anywhere to sit. Over on the stage, a trio of women are demonstrating their hula hooping prowess. It's all hustle bustle over here.

(Editor's note: Many months later, on Halloween, those same women came into Acadia Cafe, hula hoops and all, and I told them I remembered them from this Excelsior gig. Crazy, man.)

We checked out the choices and I made my first one a "hoppy wheat" made in collaboration with the Enki & Waconia breweries, called Triad #3. It had a cloudy amber appearance, a distinctive hop bite, with a slight tartness to the flavor. Ultimately, it was nice, smooth, drinkable. Jason, meanwhile, chose the Peach Sour, and after tasting his, I kind of wish I had, too.

Sipping on Jason's Peach Sour.

Just enough peach, just enough sour. Nice.

Did someone say "barrel-aged imperial
stout"?

And then I had to go and be the only person in the place to order the 10.6% Barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stout, because, you know, I had to. If anyone still suggests that this brewery makes tame or safe beers, well, let's let this post be a testament to the contrary. Roast-y, toasty, bittersweet, but just a bit more bitter than sweet. Notes of chocolate, cherry and espresso, getting bigger, richer and more intense as we get further in, picking up raisins, dates, vanilla and oak traces, too. This was one I really wanted to relax and luxuriate in. It's not the type of beer I'd have as my second beer of the day. Ideally, it's a nightcap, late-night chilly weather beer, but I had no choice. It was there and I had to drink it.

We couldn't luxuriate too long. There were two more stops to go in our drive along Lake Minnetonka and it's neighbors. Had to save rooms for more beers. And so we bid adieu to Excelsior Brewing, and it's boats and it's sports equipment and bikes hanging on the ceiling, and it's hulu hoopers and we're ready to visit another brewery obsessed with lakes and watercraft.

Hula hooping at the brewery on a Sunday afternoon. 

Every taproom has a growler collection, it seems, but
who else has waterskis on the ceiling?

This is the result of using the panorama feature on the iPhone camera
without knowing what you're doing. 

F-Town American Brown Ale

F-Town American Brown Ale. F-Town Brewing Company, Faribault, MN. 29 IBU, 4.7% ABV.

Medium-brown coloration, slim white head, active carbonation.

Aroma: sweetness first, rich malt, high caramel and toffee. Just a little hop presence to combat it.

In the mouth: Sweet again, more malt, more caramel. Perhaps a bit too much, very little hop presence on the palate to offset it. "Hints of delicate hops" it says on the side of the can. Maybe it could use more than some hints?

What else do they tell us? "Toasted malt, hints of delicate hops, and the creaminess of oatmeal. This brown ale satisfies malt lovers with it's full, rich flavor."

Okay, I'm getting some of the "delicate hops", but I feel they could be a little louder, more aggressive to off-set the massive malt. Just a bit too much of the sweet for me.

Other than that, not bad. Not terrible. Just me, but I'd like it a bit drier.

Dark Horse Smells Like A Citra Safety Meeting India Pale Ale

Dark Horse Smells Like A Citra Safety Meeting India Pale Ale. Dark Horse Brewing, Marshall, MI.

Double IPA. 8 % ABV.

Hazy, deep amber coloring, average white head, lasting long.

Nice, hoppy, citrus-forward nose on it. Very lively.

In the mouth: Boom! Big, hoppy, spicy, citrus-y, with plenty of malt body to back it up, which goes against the grain of the modern IPA, especially ones with Citra. Plenty of pep on the palate here. Lush, sweet malt meets high hops. This one tastes good, and I like it. Good beer, and you can, etcetera.

This one was in an IPA sampler pack that Dave A. purchased and gave some to me, what a heck of a guy.

Clown Shoes Mango American Kolsch

It happened again. I bought a 6-pack during the dog days os summer, drank the first five up like it's nothing, and saved the sixth to take notes on, and now it's looking at me, asking: "When? When will you drink me? Take those notes, already, damn you!" So, for the sake of this bottle, I'm doing it at last.

Clown Shoes Mango American Kolsch. Brewed by Clown Shoes Beer, Clifton Park, NY. All. 5.5% by Vol.

Hazy, bright golden, slim, pure white head. Beautiful.

Sweet, fruity nose. Mango's there, as well as other lighter fruit notes, and malt.

In the mouth: Smooth on the palate, light and malty, delicately delicious. Mango is judiciously used, also, giving just the right amount of flavor.This one does it, got to give it to them.

Gobbledygook: "We took a light, refreshing German beer style and bastardized it. This atypical kolsch is dry-hopped and has all natural mango flavor added. Warning: this beer is NOT Reinheitsgrebot!"

Minnesota Breweries One by One #67: Roundhouse Brewery, Brainerd, with Golden Spike IPA

It's Sunday, August 21, and it's time to go up north, 131 miles up north, a 2 1/2 hour drive, to Brainerd (county seat of Crow Wing county, population 13, 592, one of the largest cities in Central Minnesota, straddles the Mississippi river, founded as a site for railroad crossings, serves as a major tourist destination, and if you'd like to learn more, check out Wikipedia, like I did) and it's neighbors to four breweries I've never been to, some I know very little about. First up is the sole Brainerd brewery, only open since April of this year, located in an old, defunct Northern Pacific railroad station, Roundhouse Brewery. 1551 Northern Pacific Boulevard. Keep on Chugging'...responsibly. (By the way, if you like to laugh, check out the blog on their website. It sure made me chuckle.)

It's a wide open space, full of railroad and train artifacts and memorabilia. The seating area greets us first when we enter, with the bar in the middle of the room, and the brewery behind it. We get our seats and look over the choices, while one of the owners comes over to serve us. Laminated cards with all the information on the beers are held together with a metal ring and are on the bar for perusal. Even better, when one orders the flights, as we did, the cards are also in place next to each glass. These guys have it figured out. There's no skimping on knowledge here. You're not going to guess about the style,

ingredients, ABV, origin of the name, etcetera.

Ten beers were available, with six beers in the flight. Jason and I each got a flight, with two beers overlapping between them. First for me was the No. 10 Hefe Weizen (5.4%, 15 IBU), which was right on the mark, with the inherent banana and clove notes that the traditional weizen yeast delivers, smooth and refreshing. One flaw, however, was just a little bit of that plastic/chemical off-flavor that we often relate to band-aid. It was very minor, and didn't make the serving undrinkable. I passed it along to the owner, who appreciated the feedback. This flaw didn't appear in any of the other beers.

Next up: Straw Hat Saison (6.4% ABV, 24 IBU), malty and slightly sweet, clean, but with an intriguing addition of rye malt for spice and flavor, to match the citrus notes. A real anomaly and really refreshingly delicious.

I chose for the third the Golden Spike IPA, and took notes on it, but I also chose to take home a growler, and those notes will appear below. I must have liked it.

Next up in the flight was Angel Seat Amber and the Old Betsy Brown. My notes were very minimal on these as I found that they satisfied on every level. I couldn't find any flaws and decided that they well represented the styles. Just plain old good and right on the money.

Number five for me was Cinder Dick IPA, which was not a dirty reference in the least, but instead a nod to railroad detectives. Oddly enough, I didn't take notes on it, nor snap a photo, but I liked it.

From Jason's flight, I took sips of Boom Lake Lager, Crow Wing Cream Ale, Cowcatcher Ale (a California Common/Steam beer style), and the Coal Train Porter, neither a nod to saxophonist John, nor the famed lyricist, but instead to actual trains that carried coal, and the porters who moved it about. And the beer, too. I took small notes on these beers, too, and they seemed to say that these renditions of the styles fell right in line, and delivered exactly what you want in them.

I believe it was when we tasted the brown ale, not a style of which I am usually fond, that I was especially impressed. There simply wasn't a dud in the bunch. These guys found a brewer that knows what he's doing!

This is when this project is the most fun, when we enter a brewery taproom, sometimes far out and away from everywhere, and find that it's all working. It could easily be a bunch of profiteers financing a misbegotten business plan, hiring a brewer with no know-how and little understanding, offering lifeless brews, often infected, pawing them off on unsuspecting consumers, and just barely getting away with it, since no one knows any better. But quite the opposite is happening in Brainerd.

An interesting side note was that we were informed that the Cream Ale is quite popular among the light beer drinkers, but the Golden Spike IPA is the big hit at Roundhouse. There's just enough craft beer fans out here, as well as recently turned hop fanatics, that they've got to keep brewing the stuff. I did my part and got a growler to take home. Notes below:

Golden Spike IPA. 8.9% ABV.

Clear, copper-y/ amber hue, lush off-white head, leaving lace. A fine looking glass of beer.

Bold citrus and pine leads the hop attack in the nose, with earthy tones, and sweet  malt notes for balance. Bitter, fruity, beautiful.

In the mouth: Sweet malt greets the palate, with hop bitterness coming in quick. Bittersweet, earthy notes, vibrant happiness, some citrus, some prickly pine, with an unending undercurrent of smooth malty deliciousness. I like this. It's well-constructed, clean, and like the golden spike, combines the best of east and west coast (IPAs). Tasty stuff that I can just keep drinking.

It was a pleasant way to while away part of an afternoon, our little stay at Roundhouse. If I were a Brainerd-ite, you know I'd haunt the place with regularity. It's a comfortable space with all they typical taproom trappings, and live music on the weekends, and great beer to go with it.
If these guys nail these styles as well as they did, I can only imagine what else they can brew if they set their minds to it.

Destihl The Duke of Norrington Saison de Imperiale

Destihl The Duke of Norrington Saison de Imperiale. 10.7% ABV. 25 IBU. Destihl Brewery, Normal, IL.

Heavily clouded, off-amber, slim white head.

Aroma: plump with Belgian yeast and malt. Vibrant fruit notes, stone and citrus. A little sharp, a trifle hot.

In the mouth: Richer, fuller, and more flavorful than a meager non-"imperial" saison. Big 'n' beefy, and just a little hot. Sweetness abounds, fruit, bubblegum, typical Belgian-style flavors at play on the palate. Still smooth, none too troubling, and quite tasty. Flavor lingers long. Finishes dry, though sweetness always comes back.

I must admit though, that this is a style I don't like to see "imperialized." It feels like it's big and boozy just for the sake of being big and boozy. Comes across more like a Belgian strong golden, and loses any "saison-ness."

Here's what they say about it: "The Duke of Norrington is the powerful elder statesman to our family of saisons. The nose of this imperial saison is reminiscent of black pepper & hibiscus, which is then met with flavors of added coriander and hints of cherry bubblegum esters. The beer's medium body is swept away by a bone-dry finish and subtle notes of traditional spicy Belgian yeast character, Cheers!"

Towards the end of the bottle, it mellows out some, and the thornier edges have calmed. Good, strong beer and you can drink it. Go right ahead and do so.

Rodenbach Alexander

Rodenbach Alexander. Federbier with sour cherries. Brouwerij Rodenbach, Roeselare, Belgium.

Clear, crimson coloring, slim white head atop.

Aroma: ah, cherries! Ah, funk, ah, weird, ah, sour......You can smell the barrels, you can feel the cobwebs, you can drink in the age, the complexity, the depth. Oh, Ah. ooooh.

In the mouth: Sweetness first, then the sour takes over. Cherries jubilant. Big tart, and huge refreshment. Wow. Palate gripping, mouth-pursing, tongue twisting, and ultimately delicious.
Yum. Flat-out yum.

This is the first time I've had this beer in probably 15 years or more. (Edit: Wrong! See below.)My memory is not good enough to recall how closely this matches the earlier versions. But, damn, if this isn't just what it's supposed to be. So good. So sour, so cherry, so tasty, and so very deep and so very good.

Why aren't you drinking one now?

P.S. Surprise! Guess what? I reviewed this one 13 1/2 years ago, way back in my infancy. I hadn't had a lot of experience with Flanders Reds, or as the kids call them these days, "sours." Here's what I wrote about it when I was but a babe....

Bubbly head, and deep, dark cherry red color.
Aroma is loud and sweet, projecting a fierce cherry flavor far and wide.
Sour cherries! Tantalizing, lively. Not a kriek lambic, but merely a "sour ale" flavored with "cherry essence."
And that's just the thing. It's simple and consistent. You get sour, you get cherry. I like it, and I can imagine it as an excellent dessert treat, but it's not the sort of thing you can imagine drinking very often.

Brooklyn American Ale

Brooklyn American Ale, brewed by the Brooklyn Brewery, Utica, NY. 4.5% ABV.

Clear, bright golden coloring, slim white head.

Mild hop aromatics, low bitterness, nice and even, lightly fruity. Grapefruit and orange zest.

In the mouth: Bright, sunny, citrus-y. Light bodied, good balance, lean malt bill, as well. Low hop bitterness. Good ol' American Ale and you can drink it. Ain't nothin' wrong with that.

Bauhaus Still Kickin Summer Pale Ale

Bauhaus BrewLabs Still Kickin Summer Pale Ale. Limited Release. "On the Haus"
Better drink this one before it's too late and we're officially out of summer.
5.6 % ABV. 50 IBU.

Slightly hazy, amber/golden hue, slim white head.

Aroma: mild fruity esters, citrus-y hop notes, low bitterness. tropical tones, too.

In the mouth: smooth sailing. Light malt, light hops, just enough flavor to hold you through. Good balance. Citrus-y/tropical hop flavor keeps it fun and tasty.
Pretty easy going. Good beer and you can drink it.
The can has more gobbledygook about the fine charity that this beer supports. Ain't nothin' wrong with that.

Bell's Oatsmobile

Bell's Oatsmobile. Final bottle from a six-pack, the other 5 long gone. Been putting this off. Far too long. Session Pale Ale brewed with oats. Brewed and bottled by Bell's Brewery, Comstock, MI.

Hazy, golden-hued, slim ivory head atop.

Big citrus-y nose, nicely hopped, malt lurks below.

In the mouth: Smooth, malty, toasty and tasty. Citrus-y hop flavors continue on the palate, easy-drinker, nice and lean and clean. Many pleasures to be had in this one. I'll have another, thanks. (Oh, wait. Oops.)

From the label: "Aromatic. Approachable, Unique. Intriguing. Happy-go-lucky. Full-bodied. And we're not just talking about the horse.

Minnesota Breweries One by One #77: Bent Paddle Brewing, Duluth, with HopMosa

It's Thursday, September 1, and it's finally time to visit Bent Paddle Brewing Company in Duluth. (This is stop #6 of my 2 1/2 day Up North Mid-Week Vacation. Don't worry, we'll get to #'s1-5 soon enough. This time I mean it.)

I've known the owners of Bent Paddle for years. Bryon Tonnis since he took over the reins of the downtown Minneapolis Rock Bottom from Todd Haug in 2005, and Colin Mullen from his years brewing at Barley John's Brewpub. And their wives, Karen and Laura, as well. (In fact, Karen recently revealed to me that the four of them cemented the plan for Bent Paddle while having dinner and drinks at my old place, the Blue Nile.)

Left: Me. Right: Bryon.

When I heard that the four were joining forces and moving up north to start a new brewery in Duluth, I knew that nothing but good beer was going to come out of there. I was thrilled to try it when their first beers came out three years ago, and actually it was my traveling companion for this adventure Dave A. who brought me some of my first cans. I never got to tap them at the Blue Nile when they started distributing to the
Cities in early 2014, but once I started ordering beer for Acadia, I brought them into that bar for the first time ever, and haven't been without their beers ever since.

And so, it's been three years for them, and three years that I haven't been to their brewery. Four years since I've been to Duluth, and I was chomping at the bit to take a seat at their taproom. Total disclosure: word got out that I was coming, and so we got comped. I have to admit that it's nice when that happens, and it's good for my budget. (Visiting 8 breweries in 2 1/2 days can do a number on the bankbook.) The taproom manager Pepin Young was on hand to give us a tour, and Bryon happened to be in the brewery. (Colin was waylaid in the offices across the street, unfortunately.) We arrived at the taproom just about an hour after opening, and it was already nicely populated for a Thursday afternoon, getting downright frisky by the time we left. I can only imagine what this smallish space is like on a Friday night.

Bent Paddle has appeared in the Bitter Nib ten times so far, covering just about everything they've produced in cans. One glaring exception is Double Shot Double Black, which disappeared swiftly in bottles locally. I tasted some from a keg that we had on tap back in March.  (Hey, if you have an extra bottle that you don't know what to do with, hook me up with a trade. )

The selection on tap included the seasonals, the full regular line-up, an infusion, two nitro beers, the collaboration with Surly (called Mother of the Gut, for reasons still unknown to me), and the promise of cask to come. I took a sample of the collab, a Belgian blonde with tea, and it was nice, but not what I wanted to drink. I went with a pint of Cold Press Black, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and picked a Bent Hop IPA to take inside the brewery for the tour.

The Bent Tap, as the taproom is called, is a cool, homey space of wood, brick and steel, though is seems a bit small for a brewery as popular as Bent Paddle. I was told a plan is in the works to move it to a larger location. All the normal taproom things are in place: board games, merch racks, a food truck idling outside. But this is a brewery that needs a wide open drinking hall, not a cozy room.

Beer #3 for me was the HopMosa, which I took home in a growler, with notes below. My fourth beer of the visit was a pint of the seasonal Roof Rack Lager, also recently reviewed from a can. I've got a firkin of that to tap soon at a Acadia. Cask Vienna Lager? Yeah, that's new to me, too. Looking forward to trying it, that's for sure.

And so we'd seen the facilities, we got the low down, we soaked up the atmosphere, and enjoyed some fine beers. It was time to move on to the next one and check yet another brewery off the list until I can say that I've been to them all. But, I'll be back to Bent Paddle the next time I'm in Duluth, and every time after that.

Now here are some notes on a growler I took home with me:

HopMosa,  beer I had for the first time as part of the Infusion Evolution event we hosted at Acadia in March. Bent Hop Golden IPA infused with orange zest. This was so popular it's been brewed over and over again, with an extra large batch just for the Minnesota State Fair. It was on tap when I visited the brewery and it's taproom for the first time, and I was lucky enough to get a growler. I'm definitely more of larger taste than I did on the day of the event.

Clear, vibrant golden/orange coloring, stable white head rests above.

Citrus explosion in the nose. The largest and loudest expression of fresh orange in any infusion I've ever had. And I like it! The hop notes are nearly blocked out by the zest, but I don't particularly mind.

In the mouth: Big orange zest again, meeting the hop bitterness, all kept in balance with lush malt. Medium-bodied, easy drinking, just delightful.

Blacklist Rhubarb Wit

Blacklist Rhubarb Wit. Belgian-style wheat ale brewed with spices & rhubarb. 8.0% Alc. by Vol. Brewed & bottled by Blacklist Brewing, LLC, Duluth, MN.

This one was a gusher when I  opened it. Is this typical, or did I mishandle it? It's stable long enough. Lost a little bit to the table, the floor, the rag....

Heavily clouded, pale reddish coloring, huge, brilliant ivory head, leaving meringue-like topping, looking good.

Aroma: soft, spicy, definitely Belgian yeast at work. No rhubarb evident yet.

In the mouth: Soft, smooth, malty, with just a hint of the vegetable. It's getting bigger as we go, but never too big. And who wants that? So here's just enough vegetable sweetness for flavor and body, and I like it. Not bad at all. And it gets better as it goes. Removes some of the citrus zest I really like in a wit, and replaces it with completely different flavors. Rhubarb flavor gets stronger, but doesn't deliver it's truly sharp and tangy essence, which is fine by me. You don't really want that. This skirts shy of the full flavor of the plant, but gives just enough.

This is only the second rhubarb wit I've heard of, the other being from Urban Growler. Hope it's still on, it would be nice to compare them.

Lagunitas Stoopid Wit

Lagunitas Stoopid Wit. Alc. by Vol 6.3% ABV. 50 IBU. The Lagunitas Brewing Company, Petaluma, CA & Chicago, IL.

Hazy, orange-toned hue, immense ivory head, lasting long atop the glass.

Aroma: Spices hit first, followed by citrus notes. Light and lovely. I suspect there's more than coriander in this, though. Plenty hoppy.

In the mouth: Higher heat than normal. Smooth, slightly sweet, utterly refreshing, but for that pepper-y heat. Did they use peppers? Doesn't say anywhere, and I've looked. Or maybe just a lot of coriander?
Okay, it's calmed down some. It's smoother now. Nothing but smooth. Just delicious. And I like it. Good stuff, go drink it.

I don't like a preponderance of puns, and here's some anyway: The Bard said that it's better to be a witty fool than a foolish wit. True dat. Wit dat in mind we take you now to the stoopid side of the classic wit on the wings of Yakima's finest. What's it got to do with beer? Give us a call. 707.769.4495. Cheers!

Bent Paddle Roof Rack Vienna-style Lager

Bent Paddle Roof Rack Vienna-style lager. Brewed and packaged by Bent Paddle Brewing Company, Duluth, Minnesota, contains: water, malt, hops, yeast. 5.7% ABV, 27 IBU.

Clear, bright golden hue, edging on orange, large, lush ivory head, leaving lace.

Aroma: vibrant, malty, with light fruity esters. Classic vienna profile, with a slightly hoppier twist to it. Plenty of peppy citrus-y notes.

In the mouth: Soft entry, with the lush, sweet malt sliding in, and just enough hops to keep it in check. Balance is key here, and it is just about perfect. Delicious, smooth, and so easy drinking. Mmm, mmm, good.

Let's read the gobbledygook on the side: "The end of paddle season comes with a sense of the bittersweet---just like our roof rack lager. This Vienna lager plays malty with a bit of toastiness from Vienna malt and is dry-hopped with Mandarina Bavaria hops. Hoist your craft to your roof rack and enjoy this festive lager."

The key note there is "festive", as the flavor "plays malty" like an Oktoberfest. If this is their seasonal offering, a la marzens, I'm all for it.

Full disclosure: This wasn't really a gift from the Sample Man (though I don't always tell you, the reader, every time that a beer reviewed here is), but was part of a 6-pack given to me when I visited the brewery a few days ago. I wouldn't have gone out and bought one anyway.

Alpine Mandarin Nectar

Alpine Mandarin Nectar.  Brewed and bottled by Alpine Beer Company in San Diego, California. Orange Blossom Honey Ale with Orange Zest and Coriander.

I had this beer for the first time a few months ago at a neighborhood pub. I like it so much I tried to get a keg of it for Acadia, but I was too late. Settled for some Willy Vanilly instead. Now, I've finally got a bottle of Mandarin Nectar and it's time to open it up and see what's inside....

Clear, deep golden/amber hue, hefty helping of ivory froth atop.

Aroma: citrus and cream hits the nose first. Lots of fruit and spice.

In the mouth: citrus zest begins the fray, juicy malt holds it up from behind. Hardly any hops here, it's all malt and smooth and fruit. Orange aplenty. Low bitterness. Good balance. Tasty. Consummately consumable. Coriander never quite quits, butting in amid the citrus from time to time.

This one is a beautiful summertime refresher, and yes it's still summertime, and I'll continue to say so for the next few weeks until I'm forced to wear a jacket everywhere. Until then, ....ah!!! Delicious. So good. Go out and drink it. You won't be sorry.

"Delightful and zesty--like a mountain breeze through the citrus trees. Mandarin Nectar is a crisp blend of the finest malts. We've added generous amounts of citrus zest, coriander, and a touch of orange blossom honey for exceptional flavor. Perfect for warmer weather. Don't drink more. Just drink better." Also, "DRINK ALPINE BEER or GO TO BED!" Yikes, no need to yell it!