BlackStack Magic Misfits West Coast IPA

 BlackStack Magic Misfits West Coast IPA.

6.5% ABV, BlackStack Brewing, St. Paul, MN. 

Crystal clear, bright golden hue, slim white head. 

In the nose: bright, bold, floral, fruity. Mango meets grapefruit. 

In the mouth: begins with bitterness, followed by fruit. Nice and dry, a bit brittle. Lighter bodied, bristlingly bitter, clean, popping with hops. Right on the money. A well-done West Coast IPA from BlackStack. 

Scott Johnson had a long history in beer here in Minnesota, one of the owners of the importer/ distributor All Saints, which brought us many great beers, back in the day. When he was putting his brewery together back on 2016, he would often lunch at Acadia with his crew while I was behind the bar and the conversation was always lively and he always overtipped. When I visited BlackStack, I could never spend any money. He gave me beers, growlers, glassware, merchandise. I never felt good about panning his popular NEIPAs and regret that our last interaction was when I posted a review online that he took issue with. A really great guy who left us too soon. 

Brewed with our buds at the Real Magic House in Hudson & Magic Giant, fine purveyors of top notch ear candy, in honor of a special show in a special place with some special folks. Chock full of Strata & Motueka with Phantasm, a newer product made out of Sauvignon Blanc grape skins from New Zealand that helps out hops shine even more brightly.

Duchesse Petite Barrel Aged Sour Ale

 Duchesse Petite Barrel Aged Sour Ale. Flanders Red Ale. 

4.5 % ABV. Brouwerij Verhaege, Vichy’s, Vlanderen, Belgium. 

Dark, dusky, magenta hue. Slim, off white ring of foam. 

In the nose: oak, cherries, plums, deep, earthy, fruity. 

In the mouth: slightly sweet, a little  bit tart, mostly smooth and fruity. Notes of chocolate and figs. Minor bitterness. Light bodied, full flavored, delicious. 

Duchesse Petite is an authentic Flemish Red Ale, brewed and bottled in Belgium. This refined ale, also known as "The Burgundies of Belgium" is a blend of beer matured in different oak casks for many months. 100% natural.

Lazy Monk Mad Monk IPA

 Lazy Monk Mad Monk IPA.

6.9 % ABV, 80 IBU. Lazy Monk Brewing, Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Clear, but lightly billowy, immense ivory head, bright golden hue.

In the nose: bold, piney, citrusy. Lively hop attack. 

In the mouth: bitterness blazes the palate, a pleasing bombast. Orange and grapefruit and mango. Splashes the senses with hop flavors. Utterly delightful. This is my kind of IPA. 

A Centennial hop bomb, this unfiltered cloudy bier exudes strong pine & floral aromas that will remind you of warm summer days at the cabin. The taste will not disappoint you either; with 30 pounds of hops in 10 barrels, it holds all the hoppy bitterness that speaks to the heart of IPA lovers. 

Westmalle Trappist Extra

 Westmalle Trappist Extra. Belgia Enkel/Patersbier. 

Brouwerij see Trappisten,Van Westmalle 

4.8 % ABV, 30 IBU. 

What is a patersbier? A beer that the fathers enjoy, ie the monks who make it. They can’t, of course, do their brotherly duties while getting high off their own supply. One cannot live piously while sipping away at dubbels and tripels. 

Enkel? That means single. Like, below the dubbels and tripels? Or, you could say, table beer.

Well, I got one so, let’s drink one.

Clear, bright golden hue, luscious, long-lasting ivory head. 

In the nose: soft, fruity, citric. Bubblegum and orange peel. 

In the mouth: starts out smooth, mild with slightly sharp bitter bite. Belgian yeast character meets the juicy hop flavors up front, with mellow malt below. Crisp and cracker-y, with slight spice and splashes of citrus all over the palate. Light bodied and especially easy-drinking. It’s fun to drink like a monk!

This is one of the oldest beers of Westmalle Abbey, with a tradition that dates back to the start of our brewery. It was created to drink with meals in the abbey, something the monks still do today. As a top fermented golden yellow Trappist beer, the Extra is unique in combining a low alcohol content (4.8%) with a rich flavour. Enjoy its fruity notes and its refreshing, thirst-quenching character.

Firestone Psychedelic Arcade West Coast Golden Rye IPA

 Firestone Psychedelic Arcade West Coast Golden Rye IPA. 

6.3 % ABV, 50 IBU. Firestone Walker Brewing, Paso Tobles, California. 

From the current variety pack. 

Clear, bright golden hue, slim white head. 

In the nose: citrus and spice, with a pinch of pine.

In the mouth: hops are popping on the palate, bitterness buzzes, and the rye malt character comes shining through. Rich, spicy, nicely malty. Clean and just short of crisp. Delightfully delicious. 

Golden IPA brewed with rye malt and featuring Galaxy, Nectaron, Strata, and Simcoe hops for notes of ripe tropical fruit, grapefruit, pine dust, and dank.

Dual Citizen Cereal Money Breakfast Stout

 Dual Citizen Cereal Money Breakfast Stout.

7.8% ABV, Dual Citizen, St. Paul, Minnesota. 

Solid ebony, thoroughly opaque, slim brown head. 

In the nose: roasty, chocolatey, deep and malty. 

In the mouth: rich, full, and smooth. More cocoa, some espresso hints. What makes it a breakfast stout? Cookies? Are cookies a breakfast food. There’setness a description on the back, but the type is too small for me to read. 

Light, but evident, sweetness. Moderate bitterness. Well balanced. Roasty toasty. A tasty treat. I feel like I understand why they’re not going with that lazy phrase “pastry stout.” It’s not that sickeningly sweet. 

A breakfast stout brewed in collaboration with our friends at Treats. An oat heavy stout brewed with six breakfast cereals, waffles, cocoa nibs, and Gus Dean coffee. 

Inbound Radio Edit West Coast IPA

 Inbound Radio Edit West Coast IPA.

5% ABV, 62 IBU. Inbound BrewCo, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Clear, bright golden hue, lush ivory head. 

In the nose: citrus and pine, orange and grapefruit. 

In the mouth: bristling with bitterness, appropriately dry and just popping with hops. Medium bodied and easy drinking, never-ending hoppiness on the palate. 

I’m enjoying this one, and I hope they keep making it.

Let the radio waves of this IPA take you to the coast with righteous additions of Citra, Mosaic, and El Dorado hops. At a balanced 5% ABV, you have a beer most suitable for drinking on repeat.

Warpigs Lord of Wolves Blackened India Pale Ale

 Warpigs Lord of Wolves Blackened India Pale Ale.

7.7% ABV, 63 IBU. 

Brewed and packaged under the supervision of Warpigs Brewing, LLC, Munster, IN, by Summit Brewing, St. Paul, MN. 

Dark brown color, nearly opaque, rich beige head atop. 

In the nose: grassy hops, slight citrus, major malt. Caramel and cocoa. 

In the mouth: hoppiness hits first. Malt rushes in. Just enough bitterness to loom over the dark malt below. Little bit of sweetness to balance the bitter. Medium bodied, excellent drinkability. Pretty much yum a dum dum. 

It is not by will alone that we persevere. It is by the strength of the pack that we survive.

Three Floyds Jinx Proof Lager

 Three Floyds Jinx Proof Lager.

5.7 % ABV, 35 IBU. Three Floyds Brewing, Munster, Indiana.

From the Three Floyds variety pack

Clear, bright golden hue, lush, creamy white head. 

In the nose: slightly floral, light hoppiness.

In the mouth: crisp and clean, light bodied, easy drinking. Snappy. Light bitterness. Good ol’ quaffable lager, ain’t nothing wrong with it. Like a lager? Go ahead and drink it. 

This refreshing continental-style pils has a light body combined with a pronounced noble hop aroma and a crisp dry finish. This is the perfect beer for easy flavorful drinking. Brewed in collaboration with our friends at Jinx Proof tattoo in Washington D.C.

Bauhaus Brew Labs X Hammerheart Brewing Company Schwarzbear

 Bauhaus Brew Labs X Hammerheart Brewing Company Schwarzbear Smoked Dark Lager. 

5.4 % ABV, 25 IBU. Bauhaus BrewLabs, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

I did it again. I sat on this beer. I tucked a 4-pack away and brought it home long after it sold out. That was a month ago. Had to try it out, for it’s our last taste of anything Hammerheart until they get their new brewery up and running sometime soon.

Dark brown, nearly opaque, slim beige head.

In the nose: mellow, malty, smokey.

In the mouth: brisk and smooth, rich maltiness, judicious dose of cocoa and espresso. Smoked malt flavors are subtle and delicious. Especially drinkable. Definitely delightful. 

I love a schwarzbier, even a smokey schwarzbier. Quite tasty. 

BlackStack Stacksman West Coast IPA

 BlackStack Stacksman West Coast IPA. 

6.9 % ABV, BlackStack Brewing, St. Paul, MN. 

Months ago, I decided to stop reviewing hazy IPAs, especially those from BlackStack. I grew bored with my own complaining about this style of IPA that is not for me. I’d still drink them if I got them free, but I would no longer comment on them. But this one is not a hazy. So, let’s drink it. 

Clear, bright golden hue, slim white head. 

In the nose: bold and super-citrusy. Lemon, orange, grapefruit, in that order.

In the mouth: somewhat crisp, somewhat bitter, clean and smooth. Citra and Mosaic, that classic combo, mixed with Strata. Medium bodied. A touch of sweet and juicy. But it could be drier and bitterer. That could bring it closer to a true West Coast. 

A meeting of the minds with Ax-Man Surplus, a Twin Cities institution that we've been purchasing all manner of knickknackery from for crafts and/or nonsense for 25+ years. Who'd have though that our hand selected Strata, Citra, Mosaic & Columbus Cryo could come together so well? A heavy dose of love for the Ax-Man from the Stacks Fam.

Surly Lemonade Refreshing Ale

 Surly Lemonade Refreshing Ale. 

5.5 % ABV, Surly Brewing, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

And now it is time to drink a refreshing ale. A Surly Lemonade refreshing ale. 

It is clear, bright yellow, with a slim white head. 

In the nose:lemons. Lemony, lemony, lemony. Not too tart, not too sweet. 

In the mouth: it’s a lemonade beer. It’s lemony. It’s sweet and a little tart. They’ve got some lemons in here. And water. Probably malt, hops and yeast. Sugar? Quite possibly. 

Do you like lemons? You might like this beer. 

Do you like beer? Maybe you will …maybe you won’t. Personally, I don’t care to ever try this one again. I might not even finish the damned thing. Might change my mind when it’s 100° out, but, hey, that’s when I like IPAs the most.

Slightly tart with balanced sweetness, Surly Lemonade squeezes fresh flavor into every single drop. Bright, crisp, and lemony, this incredibly drinkable ale quenches and refreshes.

Invictus Gimme That Razz Raspberry Sour Ale

 

Invictus Gimme That Razz Raspberry Sour Ale.

4.4 % ABV, Invictus Brewing, Blaine, Minnesota. 

Crimson colored, vaguely opaque, slim pink ring.

In the nose: tart, berries, …that’s all you need. 

In the mouth: more of the same. Bright and tart, full and fruity. Medium bodied. Long, fruity fresh finish. 

Not too shabby of a raspberry sour. Go ahead and get some. 

Firestone Walker Wookey Jack Black Rye IPA

 Firestone Walker Wookey Jack Black Rye IPA . 

8.3 % ABV, Firestone Walker Brewing, Paso Robles, California. 

Fully ebon appearance, complete opacity, rich and lush, rocky, cocoa-toned foam. 

In the nose: bready, toasty, malty. Grassy hops lurk below. Spicy rye peeks through. 

In the mouth: silky smooth, malty and mellow. Hops are here, but slightly subdued. Rye malt is king in this. Nicely spicy and rich. There’s a lot going on here and it all comes together well. 

Full bodied, long malty finish, and no lack of hops. Lasting bitterness on the palate. Highly enjoyable. This does all the things it needs to do. Wish I had more than the one. Next time, I’ll know better. 

A unique twist on the Cascadian Dark Ale style.  Wookey Jack offers true hop aroma to rival most IPAs, with pungent citrus and herbal hop nuances, a hint of peppery rye and earthiness on the nose.  Big roasty malt flavors with balanced hop bitterness and spicy rye offer a full and complex texture with a refined bittered finish.  A truly different IPA for dark beer fans. 

Three Floyds Zombie Ice Undead Pale Ale

 Three Floyds Zombie Ice Undead Pale Ale. 

8.5% ABV,  55 IBU, Three Floyds Brewing, Munster, Indiana. 

Clear, golden hue, lasting layer of snowy foam. 

In the nose: big burst of citrus, bright and bold. Grapefruit, lemon, little bit of mango. 

In the mouth: rich malt, high hops, evident alcohol. Medium bodied, long finish. Never ending flavors. Ending nice and dry. Popping with hops. A fierce and terrible delight. 

This is can three from the variety pack. They came out along with six-packs of this one together a few weeks back. The Zombie Ice ran out in two days. I gobbled up up my first two cans in no time, and now wish I’d saved a Zombie Dust can to drink them side by side. I’ll probably get more of this before I get more of that. Unless another 3F DIPA comes out first. 

What I’m trying to say is that I’m glad this is a year round. I will return to this one.

Crafted with an unholy amount of citra hops, this Undead Double Pale Ale heralds the zombie evolution after the dust has settled from the apocalypse.

Elm Creek Outta Pocket West Coast IPA

 Elm Creek Outta Pocket West Coast IPA.

7.5 % ABV, Elm Creek Brewing, Champlin, Minnesota. 

And now for a West Coast IPA from a brewer known only for hazies. Let’s see how this works out. 

Hazy (big points docked!), deep orange hue, milky froth atop. 

In the nose: citrusy, tropical, slightly sweet, orange peel and passion fruit. 

In the mouth: soft, mild, too sweet. Hardly qualifies as a West Coast IPA. Barely distinguishable from any of their hazies. Lacking any crispness or hop attack of any kind. Lack of clarity disqualifies this as a West Coast IPA. 

Hop flavors linger on the palate, but there’s almost no bitterness, which is required in a West Coast. It tastes like any other hazy IPA and nothing like a West Coast.

Let’s go back a bit. This brewery arrived at the store where I work sometime last year and brought samples of their NE IPAs. They were good for that style. The fruited sours were also decent. And that’s what they kept bringing, time after time. One day, I teased the driver: don’t you have anything else but hazy IPAs and fruity sours? His response was, hey, if it ain’t broke, why fix it? I found this utterly nonsensical and shared the story on my Facebook page. Friends who get out to taprooms more than I told of the other styles they make well and the awards they’ve achieved. And yet they don’t release those. 

Months later, they released a kölsch, but I was never in the mood to pick up a 4-pack with my own money. 

Finally, a sample came my way, allegedly in my favorite style. 

But, it’s not. Not even close. It’s just another hazy, lacking any connection to the style. Boo!

A traditional West coast IPA brewed with Amarillo and Centennial. With aromas of orange pith on the nose, followed by a smooth mouth feel and flavors of Stone Fruits.  

I honestly don’t think they know what they are talking about. There’s nothing “traditional West Coast IPA” about this. 

Summit Saga Hazy IPA

 Summit Saga Hazy IPA.

? ABV, ? IBU. Summit Brewing, St. Paul, Minnesota. 

So, the other day I bought a Summit IPA variety pack and enjoyed a Saga IPA at home. Checked in on Untapped. Ed warned me about the hazy version and I said, “that’s got to be taproom only, they’ll never package it.” The next day I went to work and checked in five cases of this stuff. Shows what an idiot I am. Luckily, I somehow snagged a sample.

Lightly clouded, bright golden hue, milky white head, leaving some lace. 

In the nose: citrus zest, a pinch of pine, a twist of tropical. Maybe. Or am I imagining this? We still wonder if this is merely Saga Unfiltered. 

In the mouth: brief bitterness, despite big hop bite. Soft and smooth, with plenty of hop flavors. Grapefruit pith and orange rind aplenty. Not too protein rich, not overtly chock full of gauze, not threatening to choke the throat. Not getting into BlackStack’s  grill. 

You want a hazy? Here’s your hazy! I’ll wait and see how this works out. I don’t really think Summit drinkers want this. Did they ask for it? 

It’s still not what hazy fans want. Long hoppy flavors and appropriate bitterness, There’s a reason why I don’t hate this. They can’t hold back. I’ll always admire Summit. Their English IPA, way back in 1992, was the first beer I ever fell in love with. It was a different time. 

I will now taste this next to a Saga, un-hazy….  and, I still like it better. 

Fierce with flavor, worthy of the gods. Mythical hop haze with an epic soft finish. 

The above is taken from the box. No other information can be found. 

Bent Paddle Cold IPA

 Bent Paddle Cold IPA.

6% ABV, 35 IBU, Bent Paddle Brewing, Duluth, Minnesota. 

Part of the recent IPA Explorer Adventure Pack.

Clear, bright golden hue, slim white head. 

In the nose: ripe melon, passion fruit, pink grapefruit and orange. Citrusy meets tropical. 

In the mouth: soft and smooth. Low bitterness. Extraordinary drinkability. Light bodied. Refreshing and all that. Just a little juicy. Almost like an unhazy hazy. 

I mean, if you like Cold IPA, don’t let me stop you. Me, I can skip ‘em. 

Cold IPA explores the role yeast play in the IPA style. Fermented at cooler than normal temperatures, this IPA highlights the hop and malt profiles by providing a clean interplay between them with a reduced contribution of the yeast esters. Bright, crisp, and hop forward with Citra, El Dorado, and Strata leading the charge. This "new-ish" style pushes the boundaries of IPA! 

Revolution Soul Hero West Coast-style India Pale Ale

 Revolution Soul Hero West Coast-style India Pale Ale.

6.6% ABV, 40 IBU, Revolution Brewing, Chicago, Illinois. 

Last can from the latest League of Heroes variety pack. (That I’ve been sitting on too long.)

Clear, bright golden hue, slim white head.

In the nose: bursts of citrus and pine with a dose of tropical on the side. 

In the mouth: tidy little hop bite up front, just enough bitterness to please the palate. Clean, lean and popping with hops, dry, bitter, beautiful. Bright, shiny, just what I want from a West Coast. 

Style and substance harmonize in a West Coast-style IPA that's clear as a bell and expressive as a torch song. Grace notes of passionfruit, mango, and citrus share the spotlight with a bright, crisp, light body.

Surly Skeleton Tree Baltic Style Porter

 Surly Skeleton Tree Baltic Style Porter. 

7.2 % ANV, Surly Brewing, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

Dark brown color, nearly opaque, slim brown head. 

In the nose: slightly sweet malty notes, creamy, caramel. Light roast. 

In the mouth: smooth, creamy, sweet, clean and balanced. Cocoa stands tall in the flavor, with coffee and nuts below. Low to no bitterness. Majorly malty. Medium bodied, definitely drinkable. But…I’ll have to file this under average, at best. 

Although I must admit I liked this better with can #1, months ago. It shouldn’t have fallen off so much after a mere five months. 

As the leaves fall and winter approaches, reach for the silky smooth chocolate notes and roasty flavor of this Baltic-style porter..