Bauhaus Brew Labs Bauhaus Wonderstuff 5.4% ABV, 48 IBU The brewers at Bauhaus Brew Labs in Minneapolis have done the Czech pilsner style the justice it deserves by serving up a brew light in body, full in flavor, and gracefully fills your mind with dreams of the days you will share with it under the … [ Read more]
Paradox Skully Barrel No. 22
May 28, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Paradox Beer Company Skully Barrel No. 22 8.5% ABV It’s exciting to see a well-made elderberry beer in the market, and not just for the possible Monty Python references. Skully Barrel No. 22 is worth seeking out for this fruit, which adds a juicy-sweet element to an already complex red wine–barreled sour. This is a … [ Read more]
Brauerei Heller-Trum Helles Schlenkerla Lager
May 28, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Brauerei Heller-Trum Helles Schlenkerla Lager 4.3% ABV, 30 IBU One of the best parts of summer is having campfires with friends—and also subsequently having your clothes smell nice and smoky. With that in mind, what could be more fitting for the season than a slightly smoky helles lager? Helles Schlenkerla Lager has the light, crisp, and … [ Read more]
No. 12 Cider House Sparkling Dry Cider
May 28, 2015 by Leave a Comment
No. 12 Cider House Sparkling Dry Cider 7.4% ABV While everyone and their mom has noticed that craft beer is on the rise in popularity and presence, not everyone has taken note of the rise of craft ciders that are being produced with just as much care and attention to detail. Enter No. 12 Cider … [ Read more]
Blacklist Makrut Wit
May 28, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Blacklist Artisan Ales Makrut Wit 8.0% ABV We may be more than 4,000 miles away from Belgium, but the people at Blacklist Artisan Ales are making sure that we aren’t that far removed from tasting Belgian-style beers. Their Makrut Wit is a Belgian-style witbier with a hint of lime, providing the hazy, dark-golden treat that brings … [ Read more]
Element Plasma Sake IPA (Gluten Free)
May 28, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Element Brewing Company Plasma Sake IPA (Gluten Free) 9.3% ABV, 64 IBU Celiac disease? Gluten intolerance? No dietary restrictions, but you want an awesome bottle-conditioned, unique IPA? Fear no more, Element Brewing has a beer to solve all of these problems! Using brown rice and malted millet in the grain bill, this hop-forward golden IPA … [ Read more]
Boom Island Saison
May 28, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Boom Island Brewing Company Saison 6.0% ABV, 48 IBU The first signs of spring in Minnesota aren’t when birds start chirping or when plants start sprouting, it’s when the saisons start popping up on shelves. This year we are lucky enough to have Boom Island’s Saison make its first ever appearance in bottles. With excellent … [ Read more]
Svyturys Balta (Svytuys White)
April 27, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Svyturys Brewery Balta (Svytuys White) 5.0% ABV What is essentially a wheat hefeweizen, Baltas—also referred to as Svyturys White—shows a deep golden color with a slight haze when poured; the initial thin white head dissipates quickly. The nose carries some serious banana Laffy Taffy notes along with grains and apple skins. The Belgian yeast wields … [ Read more]
Paradox Skully Barrel No. 17
April 27, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Paradox Beer Company Skully Barrel No. 17 8.5% ABV What Reese’s did with peanut butter and chocolate, Paradox does with hops and sourness. This October 2014 beauty has a pretty, coppery-orange hue that’s bright and vibrant. The head is almost non-existent with a few scattered bubbles lazily making their way to the surface. The somewhat … [ Read more]
Nebraska Black Betty Imperial Stout
April 27, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Nebraska Brewing Company Black Betty Imperial Stout 11.3% ABV, 67 IBU The jet-black liquid supports a sandy-colored cap of carbonation that fades to a translucent film. Bakers chocolate and burnt bitterness jump out of the glass, as does a trace of gaminess. The body is surprisingly light, given the color. The whiskey barrels in which … [ Read more]
Brouwerij Van Steenberge Piraat Belgian Ale
April 27, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Brouwerij Van Steenberge Piraat Belgian Ale 10.5% ABV A nice, puffy white head persists with lively carbonation below the surface. The foam is not excessive, as is often the case with Belgian beers. The nose showcases the distinctive Belgian yeast with a slight pruney character in the background. The head retention and the bubbly mouthfeel … [ Read more]
Oskar Blues G’Knight Imperial Red Ale
April 27, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Oskar Blues Brewery G’Knight Imperial Red Ale 8.7% ABV, 60 IBU Oskar’s G’Night is a beauty of an imperial red. Really: the shiny mahogany, blood-orange appearance is completely alluring. A thin, off-white layer of foam lies peacefully at the surface and the nose beckons memories of the sweet orange marmalade that topped the plain white … [ Read more]
Dark Horse Sapient Trip Ale
April 27, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Dark Horse Brewing Company Sapient Trip Ale 9.5% ABV, 34 IBU This Belgian-style tripel is cloudy orange in color with the whitest head you can possibly have. An apricot aroma with a slight sting of bitterness mingles with notes of banana and caramel, as well as some slightly aggressive hop bitterness. What does all that … [ Read more]
Bull Falls Holzhacker Lager
April 27, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Bull Falls Brewery Holzhacker Lager 5.5% ABV, 14.7 IBU Ever eat Corn Flakes for breakfast? This full-bodied Helles lager will bring to mind that cereal, matching the grain flavor with sweetness on the backend. A grainy wheat bread nose dominates, with a dry finish. Everything about the Holzhacker fits the Helles lager profile in the … [ Read more]
Uinta Wyld EPA
April 27, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Uinta Brewing Company Wyld EPA 4% ABV, 29 IBU First sniff, this EPA exudes a strong, dank, damp-grass smell—the same aroma that you kicked up when you ran around the yard as a kid. You would think with such a strong smell, the hops would overpower in the taste. Not so: the malts balance out … [ Read more]
