The Growler’s editorial staff partnered with official BJCP judges in a blind tasting to determine the best Hazy IPAs in Minnesota. The results may surprise you.
Opinion: The IPA Paradox
March 13, 2019 by
Niko Tonks is a co-founder and head brewer at Fair State Brewing Cooperative based in Northeast Minneapolis. The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author. Craft beer is all about variety, choice, an antidote to the sameness of industrial pale lager. Right? That’s the story we’ve been telling ourselves since the first … [ Read more]
Food & Wine rates Town Hall’s Masala Mama as one of the “Best IPAs in America”
December 14, 2016 by Leave a Comment
What do you get when you mix Amarillo, Cascade, Centennial, Mount Hood, Citra, and Experimental 342 hops? Well, according to Food & Wine, it’s Minnesota’s best IPA: Town Hall Brewery’s Masala Mama. In a recent editorial, the magazine picked the Best IPA in every state. For our neighbors to the east they chose Ale Asylum’s Bedlam!, in … [ Read more]
Homebrew Recipe: 1997 IPA
September 28, 2016 by Leave a Comment
This recipe appears in Michael Dawson’s book, “Mashmaker: A Citizen-Brewer’s Guide to Making Great Beer at Home.” Learn more at mashmakerbook.com. <old man rant> Some of us here can remember a time when craft beer (back then we called it “microbrew”) wasn’t so complicated. It wasn’t so fraught with issues of identity, craft versus “crafty,” … [ Read more]
Fair trial: Our favorite new State Fair libations
August 26, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Drinking at the Minnesota State Fair is all about balance. You don’t want anything too thick or heavy, nor anything too dry. You’re looking for something crisp and tart, light and refreshing. Something to pep you up. Something to help you slink amidst 100,000 of your closest statesmen. Something to help wash away whatever cheese and … [ Read more]
Dangerous Man makes exclusive beer for Record Store Day
April 7, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Brewing our collaboration with @efetusmpls today. It’s an Organic IPA with a blend of Amarillo and Bravo hops. #yum pic.twitter.com/6oGWEPgjKV — DangerousMan (@DangerousMan7) March 22, 2016 With Record Store Day right around the corner (April 16), music buffs are gearing up to battle it out to get their hands on rare releases and vintage vinyl. … [ Read more]
The Taste Test: Blind-tasting 53 Minnesota IPAs
March 28, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Blind tastings. If you’ve never done one, you should. Comparing beers of similar style without the biases and preconceptions that come with brand identification is humbling at the very least. It’s mind-blowing at best. Beloved beers fall short of expectations. That much-derided brew suddenly gains new luster. You’re left with the realization that you don’t … [ Read more]
Ale Asylum enters the bomber game with Hu$h Money IPA
March 10, 2016 by Leave a Comment
When Madison, Wisconsin, craft brewery Ale Asylum introduced their 2016 beer calendar, they also announced they will be offering single batch, limited quantity 22-ounce bomber bottles throughout the year. Their first release comes March 21 with Hu$h Money IPA, a 7.8%ABV, bright, bitter IPA with the “aroma and juicy flavor of white grapes being shot from a … [ Read more]
New England-style IPA: Is it faulted or fantastic?
March 4, 2016 by Leave a Comment
According to the Beer Judge Certification Program Guidelines of 2015 (category 21A, if you’re keeping track), the appearance of an American IPA “should be clear, although unfiltered dry-hopped versions may be a bit hazy.” But a movement is afoot that leaves IPAs intentionally cloudy. The “New England-style” IPA is meant to deliver a different, creamier … [ Read more]
IPA craze hits China after Xi has pint with Cameron
December 10, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Two politicians walk into a bar. Suddenly, the world’s largest nation is clamoring for India pale ale. That’s the story from an official state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to England, where he ate fish and chips and drank a pint of Greene King IPA with Prime Minister David Cameron. President Xi enjoys a cult … [ Read more]
New Brew: Indeed Let It Roll IPA
August 25, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Indeed Brewing is set to release their new autumnal IPA this week. Let It Roll has a hefty dose of rye in the mash and will inhabit the colder months while Let It Ride is hibernating. Let it Roll pours a dark copper hue with intense, lemony citrus on the nose. It’s a medium-to-full-bodied sip … [ 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]
3 Sheeps Really Cool Waterslides IPA
April 27, 2015 by Leave a Comment
3 Sheeps Brewing Company Really Cool Waterslides IPA 6.2% ABV, 60 IBU We love IPAs. We also really like cool waterslides. So naturally, an IPA called Really Cool Waterslides is going to rank pretty high in our books. An aroma reminiscent of oranges dumped in soap takes over the smell profile. Don’t worry: that is a … [ Read more]
Boulevard The Calling IPA
April 27, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Boulevard Brewing Company The Calling IPA 8.5% ABV, 75 IBU From Boulevard’s Smokestack Series comes this lovely American IPA. With more hops than Timberwolves rookie Zach Lavine, this pale-gold elixir leaps out of the glass with bright grapefruit and pine aromas, does a 360 mid-air showing a hint of peach, and then slams it down … [ Read more]
Rogue Ales Rogue Farms 7 Hop IPA
April 27, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Rogue Ales & Spirits Rogue Farms 7 Hop IPA 8.02% ABV, 90 IBU The Pacific Northwest, where Rogue is located, conjures visions of burly, bearded lumberjacks. Although the beards are bigger than ever these days, men are more likely to be downing Voodoo donuts than giant redwoods. However, their taste for bold beer hasn’t changed, and … [ Read more]
