The Pint Report: Big Wood Brewery's Wicked Ex IPA

We've all been through a tumultuous relationship at some point in our lives; one that seems like a great idea, full of some fun times, but ultimately leaves you feeling as though you are missing something, bored, or just feeling downtrodden.  For seasoned beer geeks, this describes their relationship with IPAs. Oh, they were that beer that got you started down this dark path of beer nerdery, but now you can't stand the site of them after either discovering more unique styles or having so many of them, the mere smell of one makes you cringe in horror.

But sometimes, beers like Wicked Ex from Big Wood Brewery out of White Bear Lake, MN make you remember why you fell in love with this rather popular style in the first place.  In the right kind of glass and the right temperature to show off its figure and taste, Wicked Ex rushes back all those early memories of you falling in love with IPAs and makes you forget, even for just a moment, whatever fancy style it is you are consuming/brewing now.

This brew has just enough of a bite to it that tickles the taste buds, but not too much that it repulses away the adventurous spirit.  That small hint of bitterness comes from the blend of Ahtanum hops, mixed with Cluster hops and a special blend from Northern Brewer.  The Anthanum hops give this brew that familiar citris and pine aroma and flavor that excite both the tongue and nostrils.

Oh, you may have found yourself steering away from beers of this variety, given your time and experiences with every other IPA that you've found nowadays, but the Wicked Ex is a Siren of this style.  It lures you in with an initial sweet flavor, then slams you up against the wall with that fresh bitter hop that will linger just long enough so that you don't forget it, but not too long so that you can't enjoy that burger and fries later on.

For beer purists, Wicked Ex tends to point in the direction of being a West Coast IPA, similar to other local Minnesota brewers who brag a similar style.  While this beer doesn't outright advertise itself as such, the fact the main hops hail from the Pacific NorthWest, coupled with the strong hoppy aroma of this brew, would suggest that is the style the brewer was going for.

Calm yourselves everyone, I'm married

It's ok to say you still love hoppy beers. It's even more ok to say that Wicked Ex IPA from Big Wood Brewery is one of those subtly unique beers that makes you think of those early days. Boasting an 80 IBU, the hoppiest of beers from the suburban brewery, this beer packs a nice little love bite that will keep you coming back for more.  Try not to daydream too much about this foxy beer; sure you may have moved beyond this type, but you still gave it your heart at one point in your life for a reason.

How to Talk Like a Beer Geek!

(Yep, I guess I’m a beer geek...)

How to Talk Like a Beer Geek is a new blog series here on Beerploma. Reading beer reviews and talking to a beer geek can sometimes seem like a separate language. When I started getting into craft beer there were times I would read a blog or a review of a beer and walk away knowing even less about the beer the reviewer was telling me about!

My idea of a great beer review was “dang this beer is tasty!”, or, “I wouldn’t drink that with your mouth!” Over the years I have learned what these weird and sometimes unnecessary terms mean. And, I am going to share them with you so you can cut through the jargon us beer geeks use and get the actual info you need!

Our first beer term today is QUAFF/QUAFFABLE. I know, quaff kind of sounds like it should be some sort of unpleasant bodily function. What it really means is to drink heartily. Like you can get er down. Nice full gulps. I see this a lot with session beers. Here is an example: “This low A.B.V. session beer is highly quaffable.” or "Mmmm... I'd quaff that!"

Speaking of SESSION BEER, let’s just get that one out of the way as well! The meaning of this one had eluded me for quite a while into my craft beer beginnings. At first I thought that it was a big robust beer that you could only drink a little bit of during a tasting session... I don’t know, just made sense to me. I was wrong. It is actually the opposite. A session beer is a very easy drinking low alcohol beer. Basically you can sit down for a good long beer drinking session and have plenty of session beers without getting just completely obliterated or burnt out on any intense robust flavors. I was close right?!?!

The last beer geek term for today is LACING. Nope, this doesn’t have anything to do with your shoes, nor does it have anything to do with the ruffles on your fancy underpants! Lacing is the way the foamy head clings to your beer clean glass as you drink it. A beer with a good head served in a properly cleaned glass will leave some of the head clinging to the glass. It almost has a lace-like pattern, hence lacing!

 

(Some lacing on a Bent Brewstillery Acclivity at Ward 6)

Well, there you have it! Your first three terms to help people talk like a beer geek. One thing to always remember though; if beer tastes good it tastes good, and if it doesn’t it doesn’t. There is really only one way to actually find out... Drink it!

Milwaukee Ale House; A Brew City Bright Spot!

Recently I had the opportunity to head to Milwaukee to perform a show with my band, Marked 4 Deletion. Milwaukee is one of my absolute favorite cities. The water, the architecture, the festivals, and of course the BEERS!

(The taps!)

This time I decided to hit up The Milwaukee Ale House with my drummer and our beautiful wives for lunch. I had read the menu online a bit earlier, and honestly I will have to admit that what sold me was how great the food sounded!

(Brewery at MKE Ale House)

To set the stage, let me tell you about the place itself. Milwaukee Ale House is a restaurant/taproom/brewpub in Downtown Milwaukee along the river. Inside the Ale House there are tons of taps, lots of wood, and tons of space. There is even a nice sized stage for entertainment. This is a really nice clean place perfectly decorated that tiptoes the lines between taproom, restaurant, and night club.

(MKE Stage)

We sat outside on their beautiful second story deck overlooking the Milwaukee River. I have had a lot of beers at a lot of places in Milwaukee, but this patio has to be one of the best spots to enjoy a cold one and a bite to eat. You can even go straight from the patio down to the river walk and work off your extra calories after dinner. Heck, they even have a few boat slips if you are on the river and want to stop in for a beer or some food.

For my first beer I tried a Sonne Weisse, while Vicky had the Columbian Siason. The Sonne Wiesse is a hazy berliner style weisse beer that had a nice tartness to it from the lactobacillus that was balanced by a sweetness that was achieved by the use of strawberries during this beer’s cellaring, which interestingly came across only as sweetness, not actual strawberry taste. I will say, this beer had significantly less bubbly carbonation than I am used to a berliner weisse having. This was a great tasting, refreshing, easy drinking beer. As is I would drink it again for sure, with a touch more sparkling carbonation I would drink it by the bucket!

(Columian Saison on the left, Sonne Weisse on the right)

Next, the food came. I ordered the Duck Sliders. Hot damn these were good! BBQ duck confit using Louie’s Demise BBQ sauce on local mini pretzel buns with apple slaw and goat cheese. First off, I am a sucker for anything on a pretzel bun. I’ve never even seen mini pretzel buns. They were dynamite! Kudos, Milwaukee Pretzel Co. The duck was perfect, the apple slaw worked with the BBQ sauce awesomely, and goat cheese was the absolute correct cheese pick for these mini pieces of heaven!

(Duck Sliders and Sweet Potato Fries)

I washed down my sliders with a Pull Chain. Pull Chain is a citrusy, hoppy IPA. It wasn’t a bitey hoppy, but instead had a nice smoothness to it. Carbonated perfectly. This was a really good IPA and my favorite beer of the visit.... Not just the visit to Milwaukee Ale House, but my favorite from the whole trip to Milwaukee!

(Increased Wheat on the left, Pull Chain on the right)

Vicky opted to stay on the healthy side of things and had a hummus wrap, which she said was really good. Hummus just ain’t my thing, but she loved it! She had the increased wheat with it, which is a berliner weisse with gooseberries. I didn’t try this one, but it sounds great. Wheaty, tart, sweet... What’s not to like?

(Hummus Wrap)

Great view, great place, great food, and great tasting beer all in an awesome city! Milwaukee Ale House; come for the food, stay for the beer... wait... come for the beer, stay for the food... wait... ummm...  Either way just go there and you will love it!

Dealing With Beer Fatigue

 
Beer fatigue!  In one form or another all craft beer drinkers will experience beer fatigue, it's inevitable, it will happen.  Whether you are at a beer fest on your second trip through the tables or you are at your local liquor establishment and are starring and a wall of IPAs thinking that cascade hops is just not what you are looking for today, we are here to help!

First off lets define beer fatigue.  I define it (and have experienced) in two terms:

Beer Fatigue #1:  When you are at a beer tasting event and all the beers start taste the same, or you are not picking up the details of the flavor you were when you first started the session.

Beer Fatigue #2:  When you simply can't decide what beer to choose because "they all sound the same".

Today we will be tackling the first type of beer fatigue

1. Eat Something to Cleanse the Pallet:  Do you know those little necklaces of pretzels everyone is wearing at a beer fest?  These are great to cleanse the pallet.  They are light so as not to fill you up (i.e. room for more beer) and the salt help to reset your senses.  Lately I have been seeing beef sticks and cheese on necklaces too, but I don't recommend these as the oily processed cheese and the grease laden beef snack can linger on the pallet masking the more delicate flavors of complex beers.  Personally when available I prefer grapes over pretzels, but this is probably more for your home experience, and not for the beer fest!
2. Drink plenty of water:  I can stress this enough.  Water is the "universal solvent" for a reason.  Not only that but the majority of your body AND beer are made of water, so guess what?  They make a natural fit!  Take it as a queue from nature and clean out your pallet with some good ole H2O
3. Take a break:  I know, with beer fests this can be tough.  You want to get to all the tables before those rare one off casks are gone.  But eventually you need to slow it down.  At private tasting events this is a lot easier to do!  Make some conversation, it doesn't have to all be about the beer.
4. Take small portions:  Want to taste more beers before fatigue sets in?  Take smaller sips.  This is why I like to host beer parties with around 6 to 8 people.  You can take one 12oz bottle, give everyone a little over 1oz of beer and your whole table can get though twelve bottle easily.  Just remember spitting is wine drinkers, suck it up and swallow!
5. Don't Smoke:  Who doesn't love a good cigar with their beer?  Well lots of people, but me I do enjoy a good stogy from time to time, and yes I have broken this rule on a number of occasions.  Save it for the end of the night.  Smoking will ruin your pallet!
6. Drink from Light to Dark:  Whenever possible drink from light to dark.  The fresh citrusy hops that are more abundant with lighter beers will actually help keep your pallet fresh.  Meanwhile the more earthy, thick stouts and porters will coat your mouth masking the flavors of the next beer.
7. It's okay to switch from analyzing to fun:  My last bit of advice is something I learned while trying to marathon through a bunch of beers for my journal.  Eventually even drinking 1oz pours gets to you.  Your head starts getting fuzzy, and soon all the pilsners start tasting the same.  It happens.  It's okay to say "Okay, now I am drinking for fun".  At this point if I am hosting I like to have something local on hand like Grainbelt of Summit EPA.  Relatively well liked by most of my circle of beer drinking friends, and less expensive because at this point you don't want to be drinking that $40 bottle of Fulton's War and Peace you have been aging for a year.

So what are your tips and tricks for dealing with beer fatigue?  Leave us a comment!

Oh what was I saying...well it seems like I am hitting some writers fatigue.  But that is a story for another blog.  Until next time!  PROST!

Sand Creek Brewing Co. Pit Stop

On a recent road trip through Wisconsin (which between heading to the shack, driving to shows for my band, or heading to a beer event seems to be every weekend with me) we made a pit stop at Sand Creek Brewing Company. Sand Creek Brewing Company is Wisconsin’s third largest microbrewery! That is pretty impressive anywhere, but is even more impressive in the relatively small town of Black River Falls.

The brewery was built in the mid 1800’s for The Oderbolz Brewing Company. It’s a pretty cool old building with tons of history. After becoming several different businesses during and after prohibition, the building was hit by a fire that destroyed a couple of the top floors. You can even see the different bricks used to rebuild the damaged floors of the building. I love a brewery with some history to it!

The taproom itself was fairly small. But while it may not be the right size for a big city brewery, it was perfect for a smaller town. We had no problem getting a beer right away nor did we have any problems finding a place to sit down and take a load off while enjoying our beer.

And ohhhhhh the beer! Well I should say the beer and the hard lemonade. That is a fairly unique thing at a craft brewery, a craft hard lemonade. And actually they make two. They have a regular hard lemonade and a hard pomegranate lemonade. Vicky started with the pomegranate lemonade. It is great stuff! Fruity, tart, and refreshing, and tastes nothing like its corporate mass produced counterparts. It makes me think they could pour a mean shandy using one of their craft beers and their craft hard lemonades!

I started with a Noir. You beer snobs out there may get on me about this... I know, light to dark – light to dark... But I have a soft spot for barley wines. I love em. I must have them when I find them. And this time of year they can be hard to find, so I couldn’t help myself! Noir is a barrel aged barley wine. It was dark, sweet ‘n malty, with a nice hop presence. Good and drinkable for a big beer. I. Want. More!

Next up, a Wild Ride! Wild ride is an IPA made with Chinook and Cascade hops. It has a big hoppy taste paired with a nice smooth finish to it. It’s a nicely done IPA that I could drink all day!

After a couple beers we headed out as we had some ground to cover. It was then that we discovered the best part of this brewery. No, it wasn’t the shiny tanks or the popcorn machine with free popcorn... An old school Donkey Kong arcade game! And it was rigged up for free play!

Sand Creek Brewing Co. was a great stop. The building, the history, the great beer, the Donkey Kong game... I’ll for sure be back during my summer Wisconsin travels. It’s a great stop!

http://www.sandcreekbrewing.com/



Brews and Reviews: Stouts for Summer Badger Hill Foundation Stout

Stouts are not just for winter drinking anymore.  There are plenty of drinkable, sessionable stouts that almost qualify as "lawnmower" beers.  In my opinion Badger Hill's Foundation Stout fits the summer bill for craft beer stout drinkers.

This beer pours inky black with a decent foamy soft brown head.  A noticeable coffee aroma pleasantly passes my nose as I pass my glass under it.  The first sip gives off bitter coffee tones with a hint of chocolate.  It reminds me of my favorite mocha lattes.  Where the difference really lies in this beer from other stouts is in the feel.  Most stouts come off with a heavy mouth feel, this beer has a light-medium mouth feel, and had amble bubbly carbonation.  This stout also doesn't leave the heaviest of after tastes.  And has a lingering coffee bitterness with a hint of a sharp citrus hoppiness.  As the beer warms up the beer takes on a slightly heavier chocolaty tone, as well as a more fruity ale like flavors. 

Overall this is a solid beer, and will be a staple in my beer fridge since I first drank.  I give this a **1/2 Rating (Excellent).

So fear not stout and porter lovers, while winter is still a few months away, there are plenty of great stouts to fit the season.  So grab the lawnmower, get some yard work and done, and finish off the day with a well deserved Foundation Stout by Badger Hill!

Brews and Reviews -Wings and Craft Beer at Pizza Luce

So Andy and I headed out to Pizza Luce last week for a little strategy meeting about the blog.  Pizza Luce is so far the best place in Richfield, MN that I have found for craft beer.  They have a cozy little patio, and the staff was in good spirits and quick on their feet.

Andy and I had a pretty good night working on Beerploma's future so we were both in the mood for celebrating.  I wasn't quite up for pizza, but their wings looked pretty good:

I ordered the spicy buffalo and the spicy peking.  Both sets of wings came out whole, with great charring on both sides.  The peanut dipping sauce was a bonus.  Creamy, flavorful and paired well.  Also both wings were ample spicy.  For those of you who want to "crank it up notch" every time you order something hot, and get something Minnesota hot (you know, like Ketchup), then these wings are for you!  After so many mediocre wings, these were a spicy treat to behold and cherish, and no, I did not share them with Andy.

There beer list was extensive and had a little something for everyone.  If I had one recommendation I would have a couple more local porters/stouts on hand, especially to pair with some of their more earthy pizza, but overall really a good selection.

First on my list of beers to try is Enki's Hootenanny Hefe Weiss (Seasonal):

This hazy golden brew serves up a thick banana/clove armoma.  It had a very smooth taste with slight spicy notes, and a great biscuit/malty flavor.  Very well carbonated.  Thicker mouthfeel then what I am used to for Hefe beers, but this seems to fit and didn't detract from the beer at all.  It was perfect for a summer day and paired best with the Peking wings.  Rating:  ** (Very Good)

Well Andy and I rarely get together and have just one.  A second one was definitely in the works.  For me it was Lift Bridge's Shadow Effect on Nitro:

This pitch black beer allowed no light to escape it.  The aroma gave off an inky chocolaty smell, and was served with a creamy head.  Smooth caramel like flavors with back hints of chocolate, and a fruity sweetness.  It had a silky medium mouthfeel.  A dry finish with a light coffee like bitterness.  This a very well put together beer, and a great choice for porter/stout beers who are looking for something different.  Rating:  ** (Very Good).

Great wings, great beer!  Who can ask for anything better then that!

Beerploma Craft Beer Tour: Cigar City, Miami Brewing, and more from Florida

I love getting to travel to work.  Well let me clarify.  I miss my family and friends...but I get a hotel room all to myself, get to meet new people, get to see new things and try new foods, and most of all I get a free trip to try new beers.

My recent trip to Miami, FL was no exception.  I got to go with a great crew, who were very adventurous about craft beers.  And of course I went on the hunt for the Legendary Brewery:  Cigar City!

Our first beer on the list was from the Florida Beer Co. Florida Lage:

The thick white foamy head topped the light reddish color of this beer.  It had a piney aroma.  The taste was low on malt flavors and high on the piney saaz hops.  It was a very solid beer that reminded me of many German pilsners, especially Jever.  Over all it was a good solid beer.  On my scale of 1-3 stars I gave this * (Good). 

Next up on our list is OPB's Orange Blossom Pils:

I have heard a lot of good things about this beer, even reading it in many of my Beer Suggestion books.  I had to give the beer a try.  Like the Florida Lager it had a very clean piney aroma.  It was almost identical in color to it as well.  The taste is what sets these two beers apart.  This one had low hops in the in the flavor, slight sweetness.  I picked up a little bit of the honey, but I kind of would have liked more.  Overall another solid brew earning a rating of *(Good)

Next on our list are two beers from Miami Brewing:  Vice IPA and Gator Tail Brown Ale

Vice IPA:  This dark reddish IPA started with a thick foamy white head.  It had a really thick caramel aroma.  It had a medium mouthfeel and left a piney/citrus after taste.  The malty caramel came on strong through out the tasting.  This is very much done in the British Styles of IPAs.  It was a solid hit and perfect for sitting pool side on a hot spring day.  It scored a *1/2 (Very Good) rating.

Gator Tail Brown Ale:  This was the sleeper hit of all the beers I tasted on this trip.  It pours thick and foamy with a tan head.  It had a medium mouth feel.  It was light on carbonation.  It had a really robust sweet coffee aroma.  It was the heaviest beer I drank, but still light enough for the Florida weather!  Great coffee flavor, and a very well rounded beer.  Fans of porters would enjoy this!  It scored **1/2 (Excellent).

And last but not least we have two beers from the legendary Cigar City:  Florida Cracker Belgian, and Hotter then Helles Lager.

Hotter then Helles Lager:  This brewery lives up to the hype!  This hazy gold elixir had a soft fruity apple aroma.  It carried over into the flavor.  Light biscuit notes from the malts.  I have been to Germany many times, and this would go right up their with the best of the German Helles, easily.  Rating is **1/2 (Excellent)

Florida Cracker:  This hazy straw gold brew poured light with a thick foamy head.  It had a great spicy aroma., most notably a coriander scent.  Very well carbonated, light mouth feel.  It had a spicy taste with a hint of cloves.  This beer is enough to make you forget that Blue Moon even exists.  Quite possibly the best Belgian Wheat beer I have ever had.  Rating:  ***(Awesome)

I am looking forward to getting down there again to partake in even more of these really awesome beers!  Until next time keep those beer mugs full!  PROST!

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.