Steel Toe Brewing - Dissent

Tonight I'm reviewing another beer from a local brewery that I have just personally dubbed "Best IPA Crafter in the Universe".  That's right, I said it.  You wanna fight about it???

Two weeks ago I reviewed Steel Toe's Size 7 IPA.  It was, hands down, one of the best IPA's I had ever tasted.  I'm simply giddy about the fact that they are within a 10 minute drive from my house.  I can't wait to see their beer on tap locally.  I know they are going to be a big hit.

The bottle of Dissent I'm reviewing tonight was purchased during the same visit I picked up Size 7.  Ever since I reviewed Size 7, this bottle has been staring me down every time I open my beer fridge, just pleading with me to open it.  I know, or at least hope, it's as good as my last Steel Toe experience.

Dissent is an extremely dark brew.  The light from my lamp doesn't even make it through when I hold my glass up to the bulb.  A deep brown foam froths up and hangs around for a while without ever fully receding.  The aromas are prominently roasted malt.  It reminds me of a big porter or schwarzbier.  But the flavor brings me more towards a stout style.  Creamy, medium body, slightly high carbonation, roasty flavors with a smooth finish. Now I'm friggen confused.  Is it a stout? Porter? Schwarzbier? Santa?  Whatever it is, I like it. As it warms further more roasty and dark chocolate characteristics shine through in both the aroma a flavor.

Overall - This was tasty.  BUT, not as good as Size 7.  Sorry Steel Toe, you set the bar really high with your IPA.  I'm not saying Dissent is bad, not by any measure.  It's a great beer with plenty of flavor to appease anyone who is looking for a roasty, chocolaty brew. It's not a stout, nor is it a porter.  It's a hybrid, and a good one at that.  Definitely pick up a bottle if you are a fan of robust porters.

Steel Toe Brewing - Size 7 IPA

Tonight I am reviewing a brand new beer, straight off the brewery floor.  Steel Toe Brewing is one of the newest breweries to bring their craft to Minnesota.  Duns and I are lucky enough to only live about 20 minutes away from Steel Toe.  In fact, Duns went over there to get his own growler tonight!  They just started selling growlers about a month ago and their bottles are hitting store shelves in limited quantities now.  Soon, their kegs will hit our local watering holes and the suburbs of Minneapolis will have another craft beer to choose from.  Steel Toe's growlers have been selling like drug-laced hot cakes since they launched.  I'm excited to jump on this beer wagon and try their beer for the first time tonight.

Currently Steel Toe is offering three beers: Size 7, Dissent and Provider.  Provider is a light ale with a floral hop aroma.  Dissent is Steel Toe's version of a dark ale with oats.  I was also able to grab a bottle of Dissent and am looking forward to trying it as well!  Soon, Steel Toe will roll out a hoppy red ale named Rainmaker.  They are also teasing an oak aged stout and an oak aged barley wine in the future.  Hopefully we see those this winter!  However, tonight I am drinking Size 7.  This is an IPA that has 77 IBU's and weighs in at 7% ABV.  See the trend here?

Light orange, brilliantly clear with a fluffy white head that never quite goes away.  The aroma is akin to pulling a fresh hop cone off the bine, rubbing it between your hands and sticking your nose in the middle of the crushed lupulin and leafs.  It smells amazingly fresh and potent.  Lots of citrus and grapefruit with hints of malty sweetness in the background.  The flavors are intensely hoppy with a bold citrus and fruity hop-forward bitterness taking hold of my pallet every sip.  A subtle malty, bready sweetness helps to provide a semblance of balance this IPA needs.  The alcohol is barely there while the carbonation creates a smooth and crisp mouthfeel.

Overall - All I have to say is Wow!  I am not as much of a hop head as Duns but this IPA would easily make me drink an IPA every day.  Size 7 is floral, aromatic, smooth, bitter (in a good way), flavorful and dangerously easy to drink.  This IPA has earned a full time spot in my fridge.  I'm extremely excited to see what else Steel Toe has in store.  I think Surly may have a real competitor on their hands!

Surly - Five

I'm especially excited for tonight's review.  Surly Brewing has been in existence for five long and prosperous years.  They have made it a tradition to brew an anniversary ale every year since their inception.  Each ale is a unique brew that is only released once.  After all the bottles are sold, you are SOL.  You will never be able to taste that beer again.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to get my hands on a bottle of Four last year.  And years prior to that I was naive to Surly's anniversary creations.

So tonight is my first experience with a Surly anniversary brew.  Five is unlike anything Surly has brewed before. Five is 100% fermented with Brettanomyces.  "Brett", as it is affectionately known in the brewing world, is a type of yeast that produces a distinctly sour flavor throughout your beer.  Some of you may be thinking "Why the hell would anybody want a sour beer?  Isn't that a bad quality?"  In most beers, yes.  If you open a Pilsner and you taste sour, throw that crap down the sink.  However, Brett is unique in that the sour quality added to the beer is one that plays nicely with the other ingredients commonly found in beer.  The most prominent examples that utilize a sour flavor are Fruit Lambic and Gueuze beers - the primary flavors in these styles involve fruit (duh).  However, it wouldn't be a Surly beer unless they took a normal use for an ingredient and turned it into something completely unique.

The first thing you notice with this beer is the bottle.  How cool is that art work?!?  Plenty of breweries include unique art work on their bottles but I haven't seen anything that compares to Surly.  Aesthetic Apparatus is a local Minnesota art shop that was commissioned to create the label for Five.  I love the dark green theme with a demon-like antelope (I think).  Its an image I wouldn't want to face in my dreams.

Five is a dark ale aged in red wine barrels.  Both Todd Haug and Omar Ansari wrote a note on the back of the bottle describing the inspiration and tasting notes for their fifth anniversary ale.  Todd mentions the use of Dark Munich to provide a smooth malt chewiness along with a few tasting notes that include cherry, tobacco and oak.  He also mentions that this ale can be consumed immediately or be cellared for a few years.  I'm obviously going with his initial recommendation.

Surly Five looks like a demon flowing out of the green-waxed top.  Smooth as oil with a minimal tan foam, this ale is a very deep mahogany which lets no light through.  The aroma is distinctly "Brett".  Not Favre, although he looks like someone who smells sour.  Hints of tobacco, cherry, and I think red wine support the initial sour aroma.  The flavors are amazingly smooth.  The Dark Munich really gets the job done here.  Sweetness from the Munich offset a noticeable sour base flavor.  Its not subtle, but its also not overpowering. This sour tang supports the cherry, oak, green apple, subtle chocolate and tobacco flavors throughout.  Carbonation is very low which keeps the sour flavors from becoming too sharp.  I also am having trouble finding any alcohol flavors as well.  I have no idea what the ABV is but I imagine its above 7%.  It wouldn't be a Surly beer otherwise.

Overall - I must say, I've never tasted a beer like this.  The profile is extremely complex.  I couldn't discern all of the flavors but I'm sure others will have no problem.  Everything blends together nicely between the sour, sweet, earthy and fruity characteristics.  This isn't an everyday beer but its one that you must try.  If you have an adventurous palette you should try to hunt down a bottle.  This is a very limited release so go find one now!!!

Brainerd Lakes - First Pull IPA

Tonight I stumbled upon some left over brew from my trip last week.  No, its not the Oktoberfest or Lake Maid I mentioned on Monday.  These bottles were actually ones that went unconsumed from a six pack we purchased up in Crosslake.  They were stuffed under some cheese and crackers that we stuck in a cooler which then went into our fridge during the frenzy that was unpacking and were left there until today.  The beer I speak of is First Pull IPA from Brainerd Lakes Beer.

Brainerd Lakes, best I can tell, is brand-spankin' new.  Their website is a single page that boasts the only two beers they currently produce - First Pull IPA and One-Eyed Pike.  Had I known these guys were just getting started I would have picked up both six packs!  Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you see it, I am left with two bottles of First Pull for my... nay, our reviewing pleasure!

First Pull IPA is clear, almost on the verge of hazy bright orange.  The foam is an egg-shell white and lingers around as a thin layer throughout the pint.  Aromas come at you with a sweet fruitiness of peaches and light grapefruit and a subtle malt forward presence.  Not the IPA I had expected but still very pleasant none-the-less.  The flavors are nice and full.  More fruity flavors come through from the hops.  Grapefruit, orange and peach come together with a light bready and malty backdrop.  There is a bit of a hot alcohol flavor that comes through towards the end but nothing that really detracts from the overall experience.

Overall - For a small brewery in the Brainerd Lakes area I'm certainly impressed.  I think these guys have a bright hoppy and malty future ahead of them.  First Pull IPA is not the West coast hop bomb most are used to these day.  I'm guilty of it.  This IPA is, dare I say, more delicate?  Its lighter, fruitier and well balanced.  Easy to drink and refreshing on a hot summer day by the lake!  Good work guys!

Summit - Extra Pale Ale

After a two day hiatus from Summit Brewing Week we are back to wrap things up with Summit's most well known beer, their Extra Pale Ale.  This beauty won 1st place at the World Beer Cup in 2010 for best English Pale Ale.  That's quite an amazing achievement for a Minnesotan brewery to take home gold in an English style brew.  Especially when you are going up against the best breweries in the world!  Summits's EPA also took home silver at the Great American Beer Festival in 2010 as well.  Last year was a pretty good year for this brew!

Dunz reviewed this EPA back in April and found it to be a delicious brew for this scorching weather we have been having recently.  I'm certainly happy I have a few of these from the Autumn sampler pack at my disposal today.  Dunz and I brewed our first beer of 2011 this afternoon and holy crap was it hot out.  A nice, crisp pale ale was definitely in order after we finished up.

Summit's English iteration of the pale ale style has a gorgeous presentation.  Crystal clear, amber orange with a soft white foam.  The aromas here are very floral with a sturdy malt backbone.  Some herbal citrus fruit tags along with a bready malt base.  The taste is a smooth light caramelized malt with balanced by a snappy hop bitterness.  That citrus flows through to the taste but stays mellow enough to retain an English-style profile.  A moderate level of carbonation helps to solidify the crisp and clean mouthfeel.

Overall - You cant go wrong with Summit's EPA.  Its a clean, flavorful and refreshing easy drinker that is included in every sampler pack Summit produces.  You can find this on tap at just about every bar within the Minneapolis - St. Paul area.  This is what I buy at the bar when my only other choices are that light stuff people claim to call beer.


That wraps it up for Summit Brewing Week.  I'm definitely looking forward to the release of Summit's 25th Anniversary IPA next week.  Keep your eyes peeled for our imminent review of what is surely to be a delicious treat!

Summit - Pilsner

Another day of Summit Brewing Week, another Summit beer to taste!  Tonight's brew is a Bohemian style Pilsner.  This style of Pilsner is known for its smooth mouthfeel when compared to its German style brother which is generally on the crisper side.  Saaz hops provide an additional layer of spice in both the aroma and flavor while the overall profile is clean and slightly bitter.

There is a neat fact about the procurement of the barley used to brew this Pilsner on Summits website.  Apparently all of the Moravian 37 style barley purchased is harvested from Mark Stutrud's, the founder of Summit, cousin Jim and his son Todd's North Dakota farm.  I'm willing to bet you wont find very many breweries that purchase their grain directly from their family members farm!  Good work Summit.

This Bohemian Pilsner starts out just like any other within the category; a brilliantly clear pale yellow with a fluffy white head.  I was surprised to notice the aroma right away after I finished pouring.  Nice and malty with those prominent saaz hops right in the forefront.  A little spice from those hops adds a bit of complexity to this otherwise straight forward and clean aroma.  The flavor comes through with a clean malty base for the spicy, bitter and slightly grassy hops.  The carbonation is just right as it helps to smooth out the overall mouthfeel and accentuate the spicy hop bitterness.

Overall - Dunz reviewed this Pilsner back in March and had good things to say about it.  I also found this to be a great addition to the Autumn sampler.  I think it was a good decision by Summit to include the Bohemian style as opposed to the German style here.  In the Fall you want a smoother beer that warms your palette instead of a crisper profile that tends to refresh your palette.  This would be a great beer for tailgating or any other outdoor event this Autumn.  And lucky for us, it also comes in a 12 pack year-round!

Summit - Great Northern Porter

Summit Brewing Week continues with another style that is an Autumn favorite of mine.  Porters, especially ones that are on the bolder, almost smokier side of the spectrum are perfect for an evening outside in the cool Autumn breeze.  The smooth roasty and chocolaty flavors that come together in this style warm the body throughout the Fall and on through the Winter.

Summit, clearly understanding of this styles deliciousness in the cold Winter months, named this brew after the Northern majestic railway which stretched from St. Paul (Summits current location) to Seattle.  I'm sure the workers on this railroad would have loved to go back to their lodge/pub/backdoor gambling ring and tossed back a few of these.  The profile of this porter is distinctly American with a higher than average hop profile and an edge towards the roastier side of the porter spectrum according to Summit's website.

Barely a hint of light sneaks through my pint when I hold it up to the light.  This puppy is dark!  A lighter than expected foam lingers around as a lacing.  The roasty and earthy hops are easily discernible upon my first whiff.  Slight hints of sweet chocolate come through as well.  Roast, coffee and semi-sweet chocolate create a bulk of the flavors.  Earthy hop bitterness finishes off this bold, roasty porter.

Overall - Another treat to have in the Autumn sampler.  Well rounded and full of flavor.  This isn't a porter that people who don't like stouts would like.  It has many of the same characteristics as one. The differences are Summit's porter has a lighter body and a larger hop profile than what you would typically find in your standard stout.  But for somebody like myself who loves me some bold porter action this one is right up my alley.  Along with the Oktoberfest the Great Northern Porter also comes in a 12 pack as the Autumn season draws near.

Summit - Oktoberfest

Woohoo!!!  The Oktoberfests are here!  The Oktoberfests are here!!!  Wait... whats that you say?  Its the 1st of August and breweries are already starting to produce this marzen style treat?  Your damn right they are!  Well, not every brewery is starting to release them.  But Summit is!!!  In fact, due to a shortage of their Summer sampler pack Summit Brewing made the decision to release their Autumn sampler early.  And for people like me this was like seeing the bright white light behind the 12 pack in the beer store fridge.  It was simply glorious.

If you cant tell already I have a bit of a thing for the beers that are generally released in the Autumn months.  There is nothing better than a chilly afternoon with a delicious Oktoberfest style beer in your hand.  Aside from warming up on the couch in front of a fire with a nice, bold stout I can think of no better place I'd like to be than outside on a cool Autumn day with a cooler full of Oktoberfests by my side.

On Saturday I posted my review on Summit's Unchained #07 series Honeymoon Saison.  Since I have a delicious Autumn sampler sitting in my fridge I am going to declare this week Summit Brewing Week!  Its almost as awesome as Shark Week but instead of deadly flesh hungry fish you get delicious craft beer!  Its also Summits 25th anniversary this year which gives us all the more reason to give this Minnesota based brewery a week of its own.

Oh baby!

I don't think Dunz has any Summit beer in his fridge at this time so Summit Brewing Week will be contained to my posts only.  That is unless Dunz can run out to the store and find a few Summit brews we haven't reviewed yet!   I hear they have a killer 25th Anniversary IPA that was just released...

Summits Oktoberfest boasts a rich, caramel hue and fluffy off-white foam.  The head quick recedes only to leave a thin lacing in its place.  The aroma is rich, bready malt with touches of caramel and toast.  Maybe some faint earthy hops are mixed in there but its tough to tell.  Creamy, biscuity, malty, bready all come together to form a delicious flavor profile.  The carbonation is moderate to low and levels out with some time. Right away its a bit sharp.  But after a few sips you start to get a nice, smooth malty brew.

Overall - I don't know if its the anticipation of my first marzen brew of the season getting to me here but this Oktoberfest was simply fantastic.  Flavorful aroma and taste throughout.  The finish was clean and ensured that I would be back for another sip in short order.  I'm sad there are only three in my sampler.  I guess that just means Ill need to pick up another!

Summit - Honeymoon Saison

Tonight I'm reviewing another saison brew. Its that time of the year where this style really flourishes.  With its light, refreshing characteristics and floral, sometimes fruity aroma the saison style is an easy choice on a hot, humid day.

Summit just released this brew as part of their Unchained series of craft beers.  We reviewed the Imperial Pumpkin Porter which was number 5 in the series earlier this year.  This series of brews give the brewers at Summit a chance to craft their own, unique beer and produce it on a small scale for all to enjoy.  Generally its the brewmasters that create the recipes and hand them over to the brewers.  This time, its the brewer who's in the drivers seat.

I tried this saison for the first time last night on tap and it was fantastic.  This was a great alternative to the bud I was drinking on the golf course earlier in the day.  Those golf cart drink girls need to start stocking some of the delicious stuff as opposed to bud light lime and other pseudo-piss water.

Summits website has a great overview on the background of this creation straight from the brewer himself.

Batch #07 has a very clear, pale yellow color with an unsettling lack of head retention.  As I described in my review of St. Feuillien's Saison I was rather impressed with the amount of foam that lingered around throughout the brew.  So to see the exact opposite leaves me a little taken back.  The aroma, while not very prominent, is still inviting.  Sweet malt and honey are the front runners here with a subtle orange and citrus dancing in the background.  The taste is where this saison puts on its fancy pants.  That saison spice of candied sugar and black pepper come forward with a sweet honey malt and grapefruit citrus.  Not a lot of carbonation here but that's ok.  There isn't enough sweetness here to make overly cloying.  In fact, its nicely balanced between the saisons spice, the honey and 5.3% ABV.

Overall - Summits Unchained #07 definitely lives up to the hype surrounding its release.  Its an easy drinker that will go over well with the MN craft beer market.  With its slant towards accentuating the honey this brew wont fall nicely into the saison category.  But thats not a big deal for me.  It has the characteristics I like in a saison and its refreshing and easy to drink.  Its difficult for me to complain about that.

Surly - Cynic Ale

Tonight I'm reviewing another brew from our friends at Surly. Their Cynic Ale is the lone Belgian style ale they produce. It's not a surprise, however, since Surly produces a handful of brews from outside the states, Surly Hell bring another example within their repertoire.

In standard Surly fashion there is a short background of the beer printed on the can. "oh great, a fizzy yellow beer in a can, that's just what the craft beer world needs! Cynic Ale melds old world ingredients in a new school style. French malted barley, English oats and Belgian yeast create honey & black pepper flavors. Lively Slovenian hops provide the floral, apricot and peach notes. Toss your doubts away, toss one back and enjoy!"

Slightly hazy, golden orange and lacking in any head retention, the appearance is a little lacking. The color is nice though. Lots of spice with hints of fruit within the aroma. It's certainly inviting and not subtle. The initial flavor is full of Belgian spice, black pepper with a subtle fruit background balancing everything out. The apricot is actually more prominent than I had expected but I like it. The 6.5% ABV is hidden behind the robust flavor profile and warms as you finish each sip.

Overall - This is a nice, bold example of a Belgian style brew from Surly. Nothing too harsh or out of place. The flavors mesh nicely and provide a unique level of complexity that is typically not found in other Surly brews. If you like Belgian beers and Surly then you will certainly enjoy Cynic Ale.

Schell's - Hefeweizen

Well, I'm a little disappointed in myself today.  Dunz and I try to pride ourselves on buying locally brewed craft beer to support the hard working brewers across Minnesota and the Midwest.  We generally accomplish this goal too - when I'm out at the bar Ill order a Surly, Summit or Schell's when its on tap.  But what I failed to realize was the fact that we have completed neglected one of the oldest breweries in the nation and the oldest in MN - August Schell's - on The World of BeerCraft.  After figuring this out I realized this had to be changed.  I grabbed myself Schell's latest release and returned to my beer reviewing couch to get to work.

As I mentioned during my post about Summit's Hefeweizen, this style of beer is best consumed fresh.  Its part of the reason I love living in a state that supports locally brewed craft beer.  You get the opportunity to sample a number of fresh examples of the same style without having to travel any further than your favorite beer store.

Since we haven't reviewed any beers from Schell's in the past I'll provide a brief history of this local landmark.    August Schell (this guys beard was badass) was born in 1828 and migrated from Germany to the United States in 1848.  After traveling up the Mississippi for a few years he eventually traveled to Minnesota with his colony and merged with another colony in the area to create the town of New Ulm.  Shortly thereafter August realized that good German beer was hard to come by in Southern Minnesota and decided to build his own brewery in 1860 along the Cottonwood River.

The brewery flourished through the turn of the century, not without a few bumps of course, until 1919 when that pesky prohibition took a stranglehold on the brewing industry.  Luckily Schell's survived by producing 'near beer', soda pop and candies until prohibition was repealed.  It wasn't until the late 1980's that Schell's success was noticed on a national scale.  It was about this time when beer cans were introduced.  Schell's took this opportunity to create award winning designs on their cans to make their beer stand out from the rest.  It was also around this time that Schell's ventured out into crafting different styles of beer such as the Pilsner, Hefeweizen and Pale Ale.  In 2002, Schell's purchased the 109 year old Grain Belt beer, effectively saving it from extinction.  Today, Schell's continues its local dominance of the Minnesotan market through its passion for great tasting beer and the local community.

OK!  Now that you know everything you need to know about August Schell's, lets dive into the beer we came to review today.

Schell's Hefeweizen is a classic example of a Bavarian Wheat beer.  It has a distinctly cloudy, light orange color with a plume of fluffy white foam.  The aromas are refreshing with citrus, clove and banana at the forefront.  Sipping this beauty brings a clean, fruity and yeasty flavor profile alongside the clove and banana I found in the aroma.  Each taste ends clean and sweet.

Overall - A perfect beer to enjoy after working outside in the muggy heat.  Schell's balances their flavors nicely without overdoing anything.  Very refreshing and easy to drink.  This Hefeweizen is a must try for anyone who enjoys the style.

Surly - Hell

Tonight's review is brought to you from Hell.  Surly's Hell to be exact.  This isn't your normal Hell though.  In Surly Hell beer flows freely, the bearded men dancing about are not devil spawn (although this is not confirmed...) but brewmasters and the heat is from the brew kettle instead of Satan's torture chamber.  This is a Hell you want to be in!

Surly Hell is a Helles style beer originally brewed in Munich, Germany.  Its a clean lager brewed primarily with pilsner malt and German noble hops.  Its not necessarily crisp like the Helles malts namesake would suggest.  Its slightly sweet with the malty characteristics accentuated as opposed to the hops.

I enhanced this photo to make the can and color stand out.  It looks awesome!

In Surly's rendition of the style they decided to use American hops to put their own twist on the beer as they do with most of their brews.  However, the story on the can assures us that the "American hops take a back seat to the Pils malt sweetness and fresh bread aroma".  They go on to ensure you that "dont have to sell your soul to get another".  Thats a good thing considering I'm looking forward to drinking all four!

The Hell in my glass is a brilliantly clear, nicely carbonated pale yellow brew.  A thin egg-shell white head hangs around even after half the pint is consumed.  Sweet malt and bready aroma are prominent and easily muscle past the faint smell of earthy hops.  More of the same with the flavor; a solid sweet, malty base and just enough hop bitterness to balance out the sweetness to a very enjoyable level.  Plenty of carbonation to keep the flavors alive and the finish clean.

Overall - Another winner from Surly.  We have reviewed their Abrasive Ale, Bitter Brewer and Furious in the past and Hell is right up there in the rankings.  Clean, easy drinking and relatively low alcohol make Hell easy to go back to.  Its a summer seasonal so be sure to go pick it up before the supply runs out!

Summit - Hefe-weizen

Tonights review is of a style that's a summer time favorite of mine, hefe-weizen.  You will see this style on your local craft beer store shelves listed under a number of different monikers such as weissbier, weisse, hefeweizenbier, weizenbier and basically any other derivation of the word 'weizen'!  They all roughly translate into the same thing, yeast wheat.  The origin of the name is very basic - wheat malt is one of the primary ingredients within the beer and the yeast in this beer is never filtered out after fermentation has completed.  Thus, yeast wheat!

This style of beer is also unique in the way that you are supposed to pour the beer out of your bottle.  Most unfiltered, bottled beers will have a layer of yeast sediment on the bottom.  In almost every case other than the hefeweizen style you want to do everything you can to keep that yeast from entering your glass.  However, with hefeweizen, part of the experience and overall flavor profile of the beer comes from the yeast.  So when you go to pour your hefeweizen out of your glass you want to do it in three steps.  Step 1 - Pour the first 2/3rds into your glass.  Step 2 - Swirl the remaining 1/3rd in the bottle to stir up all the dormant yeast at the bottom.  Step 3 - Pour the yeasty remaining 1/3rd into your pint and watch as your beer comes alive with a subtle cloudiness and effervescent, fluffy foam.  If you don't believe me that those last two steps make a difference you can take a taste of your beer before steps 2 and 3 and see how it changes after you finish your pour.  Its night and day.

Summits Hefe-weizen was just released to stores in just the past few weeks.  That means freshness for us up here in MN where the brewery is only 15 min away from my house!  Hefeweizens ideally should be consumed fresh.  These wont age well at all due to the yeast eventually breaking down within the bottle which will produce some funky flavors.  So the sooner you can get it after its bottled and packaged the better.  And while some German breweries may be able to produce a more authentic example of hefeweizen, its generally pretty tough for us out in the Midwest to get a fresh example.  Having a high profile and award winning brewery right at your doorstep can be the best way to experience a weissbier.

This pale golden beauty initially fills my pilsner glass with a crystal clear beer as the yeast is still settled at the bottom.  After going through steps 2 and 3 the brew changes into the cloudy, fluffy hefeweizen I expected to see.  A lofty white head threatens to flow over the brim as I finish pouring the last few drops.  Loads of clove, banana and lemon zest comprise a very pungent aroma which further lends itself to the taste.  More spicy clove, citrus and hints of banana flow through into a dry finish.  The mouthfeel is very light and fluffy with the carbonation helping to accentuate the crisp finish.

Overall - A great summer beer.  For the price, you cant beat it.  This brew has everything you would want in a hefeweizen without being overly complex.  For those of you who have never had the style before, Summits example would be a great place to start.  Just make sure you get it fresh!

Surly - Bitter Brewer

Happy Friday everybody!

Today has been a great day for me.  As some of you may already know I am a giant tech nerd during the time that I am not being a beer geek.  I love games, gadgets, gizmos and anything that is shiny.  And today I was able to get a new toy, the HTC Evo 3D!  I've only been using it through the day so far and I must say I'm amazed.  Super fast, crystal clear, and most importantly - shiny!  Plus, it has a fancy new camera on the back which means better beer pictures for you!

Tonight's brew comes from what is likely the third most popular brewery in MN behind Summit and August Schell's, Surly.  If anybody knows how to market to us craft beer nerds its these guys.  The name surly loosely means 'the anger fueled by the inability to find good beer'.  They are a small, but quickly expanding brewery that does everything in its power to appease Minnesotas local craft beer scene.  And they do a pretty damn good job at making beer too!  You may have read the post by Dunz on Surly Furious which is basically his second all time favorite beer behind Surly Wet.  Anytime Surly is mentioned around Dunz I am pretty sure angels sing in his head as he momentarily dreams about diving into a large cauldron of Surly beer.  I myself am not as brainwashed by Surly's impressive mind control prowess.  But I still find myself enjoying their beers year round.

That's right, we got wide screen pictures baby!

Bitter Brewer is a spring seasonal brew loosely based off of the European bitters style of ale.  Although if anyone from Europe traveled to MN and tasted this they would most likely get their knickers in a bunch complaining about how Surly abused the style.  But thats what they are here to do - push the boundaries of craft beer. This also holds the title of lowest % ABV at Surly, coming in at only 4% and 37 IBUs.  Its dry hopped to bring the floral citrus aromas to the forefront.  Lets see if they accomplished their goal.

All 16 ounces fill my mug with a hazy light copper ale with a lofty white head.  Those citrusy aromas are certainly present alongside a subtle bready and malt mix.  The body is very light and smooth.  Lots of carbonation to accentuate the bitterness but not so much so that it makes it harsh.  Woody, bready and almost dense orange flavors mix together and find harmony amongst the abundance of American hops.  An extremely dry, bitter finish brings this beer to an end while living up to its namesake through the entire experience.

Overall - I started typing 'refreshing' but I'm not so sure that description fits here.  Its an easy drinker, crisp and light.  But I wouldn't want one after mowing the lawn.  There is a lot going on here that makes it complex and fun to drink.  Its one of my favorites from Surly without a doubt.  This beer is one for those who enjoy their beer on the hoppier side but also like the complexities that come along with a nicely brewed beer.  Find a four pack before the seasons over!

Summit - Imperial Pumpkin Porter

Recently Dunz and I have started to share the word of our beer blog with our friends, colleagues and acquaintances who love beer.  We have received some great feedback and are looking forward to sharing more of our beer tasting experiences with everybody.  One of the comments we received was directed towards our lack of reviewing any Summit beers.  To me, Summit is a staple beer at any bar you go to in the metro area.  Their pale ale recently received a silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival.  Its one of those breweries that us here in MN just take for granted.  They brew great beer, are friendly people, and actively participate in the community and promote their new creations.  So tonight I will take the time to write our first review of a Summit beer.

Summit started their Unchained series about a year and a half ago with Batch #01 Kolsch.  This series is designed to give the brewers at Summit a chance to flaunt their creative side when it comes to brewing beer.  Since the release of their Kolsch style brew they have released four other styles; Scottish 90/-, India Style Rye Ale, Belgian Style Golden Ale, and tonights beer of choice the Imperial Pumpkin Porter.  This was released back in November but I have been keeping a bottle in my fridge to review for about three months now.  I dont know why I havent cracked this one open since then but I figured now was as good a time as any.

This beer pours... no wait... beers dont pour, I pour them.... let me rephrase that.  As I pour this beer into my Summit branded pint glass a light tan head forms atop a very deep black beer.  The aromas are immediately noticeable.  A little coffee, sweet caramel malt and some pumpkin spice combine to form the backbone of the aroma.  The flavor is nicely balanced between the spices and the porter itself.  A roasty, coffee, malty are the flavors you will notice first.  As this brew finishes you find those pumpkin spices sneaking up on you to remind you this isnt your typical porter.  The finish is slightly bitter from the hops and roasted malts with hardly any hint of alcohol present.

Overall 5.0/6.0 - This is my kind of pumpkin beer.  One that is not so overpowering with the spices and pumpkin that you cant even discern the underlying beer.  This one does a good job keeping the base porter prominent while bringing in a nice cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg (I'm shooting from the hip here since I'm assuming those are your standard pumpkin spices) flavor to finish off your overall experience.  Its unfortunate that this is a limited release.  I hope Summit brews this one again in the fall.

Brau Brothers Brewing - Hundred Yard Dash Fresh Hop Ale

Brau Brothers Brewing is a locally owned and operated brewery based in Lucan, MN.  This brewery produces only for the local/regional market, which extends as far south as Iowa and tickles a couple towns in North Dakota, sorry folks outside of the region you are SOL on this one.  The Brau Brothers brews small batches, and "develops beers that people in Minnesota like to drink".  I suppose that means they brew really F'ing good beer!  I don't have much experience with Brau Brothers brews, but tonight I'll be drinking their fresh hop brew, Hundred Yard Dash. 

The bottle is green and covered in hops, and on the label in bold is "A Ridiculously Fresh Hopped Ale".  Being a hop-head, these brau brothers definitely have my attention.  After opening the bottle, the aromas waft out like fumes.  It's an herbal, grassy, resin aroma that all combined almost remind me of bubblegum.  The beer pours a light amberish orange, very clear and clean.  Over a full finger of bright white head that resides slowly, but holds on at the end and never quite leaves. 

Wow, there are those cascades and centennials!  Very bitter up front, lots of resin, you can taste the freshness of the hops....it's a slightly oily bitterness.  I also taste some spicyness and grasses in there.  Towards the end I find some of those malts, but they are really just a side-show in this beer, and the 6.8% alcohol is really no where to be found!  This can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your beer-drinking intentions....  The finish tastes dry, but feels kind of sticky in the back of my throat.

Overall Rating:  Good (3.25 out of 6.00) While I appreciate the big-time bitterness of those american hops up-front, this isn't my favorite fresh-hopped ale.  I just can't get past that sticky feeling I get on the last leg of each drink.  The best gauge of drinkability is whether you're tempted to open a 2nd, and I can safely say I don't have the temptation.   

*Side Note - In my opinion, Surly Wet is the heavenly nectar of wet hops and sets the bar unfairly high for everyone else.  I tend to be very critical of beers in this style because it's one of my favorite styles, and I tend to compare them to Surly Wet.  As of yet nothing has compared (or come close). 

Flat Earth Brewing - Cygnus X-1 Porter

Flat Earth Brewing Co. is one of the newer small craft breweries to come on the scene in the Twin Cities over the last 5 years.  Founded in 2007, the head brewer Jeff Williamson started this brewery with the goal to create beers that aren't normally found in the upper Midwest, with a philosophy to "brew on the edge" and create new interpretations of traditional brewing assumptions.  They also create unique, conspiracy-filled names for each of their brews.....the beer I'm drinking tonight is called Cygnus X-1 Porter.  Black hole, anyone?

Statistics:

Brewed with English Pale, Brown, Amber, Chocolate and Rye malts.  Fuggle hops, Irish Ale yeast and St. Paul water

OG - 1.065

IBU - 45

Alcohol (ABV) - 6.5%

This brew comes in a 1 Pint bottle with a little galaxy swirling around a black hole on the label, very cool design.  It pours a dark hue - almost black, but when held up against the light it seems more like mahogany.  It leaves a full finger of light-colored head, which hangs around for quite a while.  The smell is predominantly roasted malt with some dark chocolate, a tad bit smokey.  I can tell from the smell there will be some nice bitterness to this brew.

First sip brings those roasty malts home, along with a slight bitterness and some smoke.  Another sip and I definitely catch some dark chocolate in the malts, and a dry finish.  There's a dark fruit in there, plum or raisin....subtle but I like it.  It seems like part of the bitterness lingers a little too long. 

The medium body and fairly heavy carbonation help carry the flavors through - almost velvet-like mouthfeel. 

Overall Rating:  Good (3.8 out of 6.0)  This is a nicely balanced porter with a great roasty flavor profile.  I don't think I could drink more than one of these in a sitting, partially because of that strange lingering bitterness at the end.  That said, this local brew is well-done overall and something I could buy again.