The Beer'd Baron Visits: Big Axe Brewing

Finally, a Gastropub near me! I was extremely excited to visit Big Axe Brewing last night and sample their selection of beer.

Ugh...I need a better camera.

That's supposed to be a picture of the beer menu but it didn't come out too particularly well...They have 5 beers on tap and no clever names for them. Amber Ale, IPA, Chocolate Oatmeal Stout, American Wheat, and a Red Ale.

I had a flight so I could try them all and I was relatively impressed. None of them stood out as being amazing but they were all good beers. The Chocolate Oatmeal Stout was definitely lacking chocolate...to the point that I tasted none but it was still good. If they just called it a stout I wouldn't have been disappointed at all but since they called it a Chocolate Oatmeal Stout I was looking for chocolate that just wasn't there.

The IPA was the best beer but that's not really a surprise coming from me. I love IPA's. Big Axe's is definitely a good one. Nice citrus flavors, good hops, just a good overall IPA.

The Red, the Amber, and the Wheat were all good with the Red standing out the most. Good flavors, good hops, good beer.

I'll definitely return in the future. The food was good but I'm not going to get into that since this isn't a food blog but I will say I had a tasty cheeseburger. 

I'll be going back in the future and writing more in depth about each of their beers individually but for now I'll just say that I was satisfied.

CHEERS!

Avery Brewing Maharaja Imperial IPA

Avery Brewing Co. is another brewer I completely new too but if this is an indication of their quality, then you can say that I'm a fan. To be fair, I'm a fan of IPA and this is a IMPERIAL IPA or an IIPA. I I CAPTAIN! 102 IBU? Yes please. I would like all of the IBU's to dance on my taste buds. 10.2 on the Drinkenscale? WHOA!  But it's just so drinkable! I wouldn't have guessed this was a 10,2 and I'm still having a hard time believing it. Are you lying to me AVERY BREWING COMPANY? Is your label a farce?!?!?

I love me an IPA, all of the bitterness and the citrus and the smell..nothing smells better than a good IPA and this is a good smelling IPA.

If it has a flaw it's that it really is another IPA but to me,..that's not really a flaw. The Maharaja doesn't really bring anything new to IPAs but I don't care because it does what it does so well.

Strange Brew Breakfast Grapefruit IPA

This beer surprised me. I don't like grapefruit. In fact, I think it's just awful. That being said, I have enjoyed a grapefruit radler in the past, most notably the Schell Shocked from August Schell Brewing This is an IPA made with grapefruit and when I poured it, I could smell the grapefruit and I got nervous. The radler works because the grapefruit doesn't really stand out. This IPA is the opposite...it works because the grapefruit takes center stage. Give me a glass of grapefruit juice and I'll punch you right in the mouth. But for some reason, when you mix that flavor with beer, I suddenly like it. This grapefruit IPA comes from Strange Brewing Company out of Denver, CO. It's the first beer I've ever had from them and it puts up a strong showing. There is citrus coming out of the wazoo with this beer and I love it. The grapefruit works quite well. I think I would like this more with a different citrus fruit but I like this as is. 7.0 on the drinkenscale and pretty light so it's an easy drinker though the 65 IBU, which I think is enhanced a little by the grapefruit, might turn off some drinkers. If you get nervous about a beer over 50 IBU this might still be a good beer for you because some of the bitterness is coming from the grapefruit and it's not the same as a high IBU IPA. I will definitely drink this again given the opportunity.

O'Dell's Tree Shaker Imperial Peach IPA

After the first two heavy and high drinkenscale beers I'd had I figured I would lighten things up a bit...

Look! You can see through it...and it has the word Peach in it! It must be lighter and lower on the drinkenscale, right? 

Well, it is...but not by much. This robust Imperial Peach IPA measures in at 8.0 which is still enough to put you down if you aren't careful. It doesn't taste like it at all though. This is a Ninja Beer. You never see it coming. One minute you're upright and enjoying life then BAM! katana in the gut. Ninja Beer. 

The peach is subtle but it's good. I'm a little concerned this beer isn't sure what it wants to be. I see IPA and I think IBU but it's relatively low at 48. I see peach and I think fruit beer but the peach isn't the star of this beer. It's a good beer, just not what's expected when you read the label. It is very crisp and refreshing though. I could sit and drink these all day but I only bought one bottle. O'Dell's has never let me down in the past. I'll keep drinking their beers going forward, that's for sure.

Lucid Foto IPA

Lucid Foto is an American IPA which I suppose makes it an American Indian Pale Ale so....it's an IPA made in America. It's good. It's an IPA. It doesn't reinvent the style or anything but it tastes good. 6.5 on the Drinkenscale and 65 IBU. I would like to say more about this beer but I don't have much else to say. You like IPA? You'll like this beer? You don't? You won't. It's just that simple.

I'll talk a bit about the brewery instead Lucid Brewing is out of Minnetonka, Minnesota, another one of the fine craft brewing establishments here in the north. I've had a few beers from them in the past and they've always been quality. I'll be sure to keep drinking and talking about Lucid in the future!

New Holland White Hatter

New Holland calls their White Hatter a WPA. It falls somewhere between a pale ale and an IPA and it really skates the line quite well. When you combine two styles of beer, you can end up with something that ends up lacking in both departments. However, with their White Hatter, New Holland has really created something unique. It has some of the citrus and hops you'd expect from an IPA combined with the subtlety of a pale ale. Where Oskar Blues failed me a little by advertising their beer as an IPA, New Holland calls theirs something different and so I knew to change my expectations. That doesn't mean this is some amazing beer, it isn't, but it is good. I"d drink it again. Also, with it falling on the lower end of the Drinkenscale at 5.5 you don't have to worry about getting too drunk.

Oskar Blues Pinner Throwback IPA

Oskar Blues is the creator of one of the best beers ever made, Old Chub on Nitro. This however is a very different beast. Pinner is what they call a "throwback IPA". I'm not 100% sure what that means but this doesn't remind me of an IPA at all. It lacks the bitterness and the strong flavor I associate with an IPA. It honestly reminds me more of a pilsner. It has some of that citrus flavor you expect from an IPA but it's so subtle that you might miss it. I like this beer, but since I was expecting something different I was disappointed. It's a low 4.9 on the Drinkenscale which makes sense with it's overall weak flavor. I don't know...this is a hard beer to judge because of my expectations. I feel like I'd have to drink it again to really give it a fair shake and maybe I will in the future. Going in knowing what to expect might raise my opinion Pinner quite a bit. As it stands though, I would have a hard time recommending this beer as labeled. If you go in expecting IPA prepared to be left wanting.

Green Flash Green Bullet TRIPLE IPA

DO YOU LIKE IBU'S? If not...stay the hell away from this beer. It's pushing the needle to 100 IBU which means BITTER. Personally, I love it. I'll take all of the IBU you want to throw at me. This is my first beer from Green Flash, a brewer out of San Diego, and I'm very impressed. This thing is heavy, coming in at 10.1 on the Drinkenscale. It tastes like it too. While the alcohol isn't excessive, it's definitely there. There is no hiding from that burn. This is a beer that could be absolutely overwhelming to someone who doesn't drink a lot of beer, so...novices? beware. (I don't like that term, novice. It sounds pretentious...like I'm a PROFESSIONAL BEER DRINKER.) But, if you're used to drinking light beers and such, I wouldn't recommend just jumping right into something this strong. Really, really great beer.

Sierra Nevada Flipside Red IPA

Sierra Nevada makes some excellent beers. I don't know if I've ever been disappointed by them. Their Flipside Red IPA continues this trend. Coming in at 6.2 on the Drinkenscale and a robust 60 IBU, this is an IPA through and through. Though it rates relatively highly in the IBU department, the bitterness seems to be kept in check, so i you don't like IPA's and IBU's usually, this one might surprise you. It's a really good beer for that in between time when the beers are getting lighter but the weather might not be cooperating for a day on the beach.
It looks impressive in the glass with it's very red hue, and it feels delicious in the mouth with it's bitter but somehow still smooth flavor. This is an every man's beer whether you're looking for bitter, malty, light, or anything else. I'd be surprised to find a beer drinker who doesn't think Flipside is delicious. It's not going to blow anyone away and I doubt anyone will put this at the top of their beer list, but it deserves a place in your fridge as a good casual drinker.

Bent Paddle - Bent Hop

Bent Paddle is another Minnesota brewer (you'll see a trend of Minnesota beers on here since I live in...well, Minnesota) Bent Hop is a pretty American IPA clocking in at 6.2 on the Drinkenscale and measuring 68 IBU. It's got a golden color and really strong citrus flavor. I'm a big fan of IPA's and IBU's in general, and this beer is one of the good ones. If you like IPA's you'll like this beer.