The Pint Report: Northbound Smokehouse Brewpub's Fresh Hop IPA

There are some fall seasonal beers that are only out for a seemingly limited time.  It is not that there aren't a lot of barrels of these beers brewed.  It is that these beers are made so well, that the masses consume them at a rate on par with adolescent boys at an AXE body spray giveaway.  Between Oktoberfests, pumpkin beers and harvest ales that so many breweries are putting out, it is easy to look past the special variety of Fresh Hop IPAs that are out there.

Northbound brews their version of this beer with three hop varieties: Cascade, Columbus and Centennial hops to give it a very clean and distinct hop flavor.  They brewed 14 barrels of the Fresh Hop IPA this year.  Northbound gets their hops for this beer from Gerhard Hops, a local hop farm in Pine City which also happens to be the largest MN hops producer.  This beer comes in at 6.9% ABV with 80 IBUs.  

The Fresh Hop IPA is medium amber in is very clean and clear.  There is not a lot of head on this beer.  The beer smells amazingly earthy and floral.  At the time of the review, I was one of several people at our table enjoying this beer and we all agreed that the aroma is what makes this beer a great selection.  I have had several other fresh hop beers and they are all very clean and aromatic.  This is a great beer style for someone who is intimidated by the bitterness of IPAs because this beer is the definition of approachable.  The 80 IBUs might also cause one to pause at ordering this beer, but fear not, the hops are not going to split your tongue in half.  

The flavors in the Fresh Hop IPA are nicely balanced.  One great thing about how Northbound brews this beer is that the drinker gets the appealing sensory elements of each hop they use in the beer and they all go well together.  There are floral and citrus notes from the Cascade and Centennial, and the slight bitterness from the Columbus and Centennial.  Because this is fresh-hopped, these flavors are all very much at the forefront of this beer.  There is some light bitterness, but that showed up in the aftertaste. The mouth feel of this beer is unique because it is initially crisp, and then seems to smooth out.  

This beer pairs very well with the smoked buffalo wings that I ordered.  The logic behind that pairing is that the smoked wings highlight the flavor of the smoked meat because they are not swimming in sauce.  The Fresh Hop IPA has clean hop flavors front and center and I wanted to see how it would hold up the the smoke and spice of the wings.  I was very pleased with the combination.  Northbound also had a very limited supply of Fresh Hop IPA infused with Tangelos, a hybrid of citrus fruit made of tangerine, mandarin orange and grapefruit.  This was a very refreshing taste and combination.  So, if you are lucky enough to find the Fresh Hop IPA with Tangelos on tap, order a pint because it won't be around long!  The Fresh Hop IPA is a great beer to enjoy on Northbound's patio as Minnesotans soak up the sun and hold on tight to the last few nice days of fall.

Winterfest: Top Notch Minnesota Beers

 

(In the crowd at Winterfest) 

My wife and I were lucky enough to score a couple last minute tickets to The MN Brewers Guild’s Winterfest 2014 (thanks, Lynn!), what we didn’t know was that the tickets were actually to Beer Nirvana!

Winterfest 2014 was held at the newly renovated Union Depot in Down Town Saint Paul. The venue was beautiful and really added some class to a beer event. The price point of 75 bucks may seem a bit steep at first, but with the historic venue, catered food with carving stations, and phenomenal beer the cost seems fairly on point.  And although the crowd sometimes felt like it had outpaced capacity, it was still surprisingly easy to get around and get a beer.

 

(Winterfest 2014 at the Union Depot)

The beer was ridiculous! It really felt like the brewers, 41 in total, brought their A-games to this one. The specialty beers they brought were inventive and threw around some awesome flavors. There were way too many good beers to be able to list here, but I’ll touch on a few that stood out to us.

Bent Brewstillery’s Winterfest Sour was one that we really enjoyed. Lots of beer drinkers don’t enjoy sours, Vicky and I love em! I have been wanting to try this one for a while. It tasted great and lived up to what I hoped it would be.



(Getting some Winterfest Sour from Bent Brewstillery)

Brau Brothers had a cask conditioned Spiced Sheephead. This version of their Sheephead had just the right spiced taste to add some interesting, but not overpowering, flavors. They nailed what a lot of spice beers miss with this one. They also have a great sour you gotta try in the Bancreagie Sour 26!



(Having fun pouring myself a Bancreagie Sour 26 at the Brau Brother's Booth)

 



A one-off beer we wished would be around all the time was the peaches and cream version of Farm Girl Saison by Lift Bridge Brewing Co. Farm Girl is a beer Vicky and I have liked for a long time. For this version they added organic peaches and sweet milk sugar. It was sweet, fruity, smooth, and refreshing. I would love some of this in the summertime.

 

(Mmmmm... Beer....)

Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery (the Raspberry Coconut Jack Frost was delicious!) won Best Brewery of the fest, while Barley John’s Brew Pub won Best Beer for Rosie’s Old Ale, made with champagne yeast and coming in at a whooping alcohol content of 18%. Congrats to them! That is a big accomplishment with the stiff competition at this fest. Unfortunately with tons of beers to try, we never got around to try Rosie’s Old Ale.

For both of us though, the beer of the night was Snownami by Northbound Smokehouse and Brewpub. This beer, a double chocolate raspberry stout, was finished with Belgium dark chocolate, cocoa nibs, and raspberries. It was chocolaty from the scent all the way to the finish with raspberry flavor that waved in and out on your palate. Liquid greatness!



(Vicky enjoying some Snownami)

Some beer fests might seem like a bit more of a party. Some beer fests might be a lot bigger with more breweries. But with all the quality Minnesota breweries bringing so many top notch beers, Winterfest is definitely the top notch BEER fest.