Tag: indeed

Fading Trend: Black IPA

About five years ago there was a beer style that was showing up in taprooms all over the country with the intention of attracting fans of IPAs and Porter alike. They called this style a Black IPA which seemed silly considering the “p” in IPA stands for pale. It would later be re-named a Cascadian Dark Ale or CDA. At any rate, the style became so popular that some of the breweries starting canning their own version (think 21st Amendment’s Back in Black) for sale in liquor stores.

Some characteristics of this style are that the beer should be light bodied, roasty, and use plenty of northwestern US hops which provide flavors such as citrus and pine. Not many local breweries are making Cascadian Dark Ales and the future doesn’t look bright for them as Milkshake IPAs and Hazy New England IPAs continue to soar in popularity.

The only two local examples worth a damn are Steel Toe’s Douglas and Indeed’s Midnight Ryder and with good reason. The recipes and execution are on point unlike some of the others that have been attempted here in Minnesota. Indeed even decided to go with MIdnight Ryder as one of their original two flagships along with Day Tripper which was a bold move at the time. Will we see any local breweries attempt this style with any success again? The answer is most likely no.

Indeed’s Sour Program on Display at Republic’s Sour Social this Saturday

Indeed Sour

Sour beers are huge right now and Indeed Brewing has one of the better programs around. The Wooden Soul Series is run by Adam Theis and is coming up on one year now. Adam was first introduced to sours at Town Hall Brewery where he brewed under Mike Hoops. “We got La Folie there [a sour beer from New Belgium] and I was like oh my god” says Theis. “It was really intriguing to me.”

He left Town Hall and went up to Third Street for a little while until he was contacted by Tom Whisenand and Josh Bischoff from Indeed. The Northeast brewery really wanted to start up a sour program and since they had worked with him previously at Town Hall, the move made sense. “I was a fan of sour beer, and I couldn’t pass that up” he says.

The Wooden Soul beers start out just like the others in that they are brewed and fermented at the regular brewery prior to making their way over to Adam’s house of funk which is just down Broadway. So far there have been five entries in the series, a set that rivals any being brewed here in the state.

Wooden Soul #1 Saison
Wooden Soul #2 Sour Blonde Ale
Wooden Soul #3 Sour Blonde Ale aged on cherries
Wooden Soul #4 Sour Blonde Ale aged on grapefruit
Wooden Soul #5 Saison fermented with apple juice

The most popular one around town seems to be #3 which was a Sour Blonde Ale aged on cherries. This is not Adam’s favorite though so far. “A lot of people liked #3, but it wasn’t my favorite. I really like citrus fruit so I’d probably go with the grapefruit [Wooden Soul #4] one as my favorite” he says.

There is one that hasn’t been released yet that he’s very excited about. It’s a Red and Brown Ale mix which is aged on cherries in a very unique barrel. One that Adam states is working really well right now. This brew will make an appearance at Sour Social which is a beer dinner being hosted by Republic on Saturday. The event itself will pair six dishes with sour beers from both breweries (New Belgium and Indeed) in a casual environment.

Overall the sour program has been a successful operation and should only grow from here. “We’ve experimented with everything and we are always trying out new techniques. These beers are just a slow evolution that plays out right in front of us” says Adam.

If you are looking for tickets to the event Saturday, you can purchase them here for $50 plus fees.

Cheers!

Congrats Minnesota GABF Winners!

gabf_medalsThis year Minnesota breweries took home six medals from the Great American Beer Festival. The GABF, organized by the Brewers Association, is the largest commercial beer competition in the world. Winning at GABF is a tremendous honor and our local brewers should be proud of their accomplishments. This years’ results honor several first-time winners from our beer scene, which is really awesome. Congrats to all!

Gold:

Badger Hill Brewing White IPA – American-Belgo-Style Ale
Steel Toe Brewing Wee Heavy – Scotch Ale

Silver

Indeed Brewing Co. Mexican Honey – Honey Beer
Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery Buffalo Bock – Wood and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer

Bronze

Bent Paddle Brewing Co. 18° ESB – Extra Special Bitter
Summit Brewing Co. Extra Pale Ale – Classic English Style Pale Ale

Check out the complete list of winners here

Indeed Let it Ride IPA Release Tuesday

indeedLIRMarch is almost here, and despite the waist-high snow in my front yard, I have hope for spring as spring seasonal beer releases start to take place. Indeed Brewing Company is helping to bring at least a small smile to my face with the release of their Let it Ride I.P.A. at Blue Door Longfellow on Tuesday, February 25.

In addition to draft availability, this year Let it Ride will be available for your imbibing pleasures in 12 oz. cans over the next couple of weeks as well.

At 90 IBUs and 6.8% ABV, Let it Ride packs a nice hop punch that’s offset by a malt presence that includes both American and English Crystal malts as well as German dark Munich malt. The beer features some newer aroma hop varieties in the form of Mosaic, El Dorado and Calypso. Brewer Josh Bischoff says “There’s a bunch of aroma in these new varieties of hops that we weren’t getting from hops, even a few years ago. Expect big fruity aromas containing, but not limited to, dank citrus, pineapple, blueberry and tropical fruits.”

Let it Ride Details:
American I.P.A.
ABV: 6.8%
IBU: 90
Hops: Mosaic, Calypso, El Dorado
Malt: Pale, Medium Crystal, Munich, Carapils, Caramel 80

Release Event:
Tuesday, February 25th, 5pm
Blue Door Pub Longfellow, Minneapolis

Minnesota Beer Dinner With Homebrew Chef Sean Paxton

Beer dinner with homebrew chef sean paxtonThe Better Beer Society is hosting a beer dinner of epic proportions. An all-Minnesota beer dinner is cool in itself, but BBS is turning the proverbial dial to 11 by bringing in famed beer chef Sean Paxton (aka The Homebrew Chef). Paxton is no stranger to world-class beer dinners, having crafted beer dinners for tons of great breweries as well as events like The Great American Beer Festival and the Craft Brewers Conference.

This particular dinner is set to take place on Friday, April 26th at Republic in Uptown. Brewers and owners from Surly, Schell’s, Indeed, Summit and Steel Toe will join Paxton and BBS as they discuss the finer notes of cooking with beer and beer ingredients and pairing beer with food. Tickets are are $90. Call 612-886-2309 to reserve your spot. No doubt this will sell out.