Rodenbach has returned to the Twin Cities market after a near two-year absence. A brewer of benchmark-quality sour red ales, they are a must-try for any beer aficionado.

There are limitless ways in which an aspiring craft beer connoisseur can find their curiosity for the hobby. Each person experiences their own, unique “Aha!” moment—it could be that bottle of Fat Tire from a neighbor’s BBQ back in the late 90s, perhaps a vase-shaped pour of Bavarian hefeweizen in a summery beer garden, or that first enlightening sip of Trappist ale from the shadowy corner of a Belgian beer bar. For many in the generation older than me, it was a pilgrimage to the Rockies for bottles of Coors Banquet and laying tracks in freshly fallen powder. For me, it was that first bottle of Surly Darkness shared amongst the company of my college roommates. Memories like these form an emotional bridge between a beer and an experience. Within the near-infinite expanse of beer, there lies a few unique, regional specialty beers that tend to evoke these sorts of experiences. One of these is Rodenbach.

The beers from Rodenbach are both strange and extraordinary; a flavor experience that is unexpected yet oddly satisfying. Their stable of brews is unquestionably the pride of West Flanders, a Dutch-speaking region of Belgium to the north of France. It is from this small region that their beer style gets its name—the Flanders, or Flemish, Red Ale—a specialty that has been brewed there since the Middle Ages. Rodenbach’s characteristic flavor comes from maturation in large oak vats called foeders, pronounced “foo-der.” Rodenbach has nearly three hundred of them, varying in size from 120 to 555 barrels. The staves of these foeders are home to an abundance of microorganisms that gently sour the maturing beer, adding a vinous-like quality.

Rodenbach’s base beer is brewed from a grist of pale and caramelized roasted malts, then hopped with aged hop pellets so as to minimize their flavor contribution. The wort is fermented with a mixed culture yeast and sent to lager in horizontal tanks for four weeks before being racked into the aforementioned foeders, where it will develop for up to two years. Using foeders to mature Rodenbach was perfected by Eugene Rodenbach, a grandson of brewery founder Pedro Rodenbach. His early studies of English brewing developed his skills in wood-aging, blending, and the acidification of beer—three core components of Rodenbach beer. Most all of the packaged brews are blends, with some exceptional foeders being bottled singularly. Though each beer differs in character, they all feature a mosaic of fruity complexity, sweet malt, oak structure, and pleasing tartness.

Rodenbach Classic — $11.99/4pk Can

The youthful beer in Rodenbach’s lineup; Classic is a 3:1 blend of young to matured beer. The larger portion of young, un-soured beer contributes a notable freshness to the palate. Slightly vinous on the nose with cracker-y, caramelized malt and a medley of dark fruit notes end with a soft, apple cider vinegar-like tartness.

Rodenbach Grand Cru — $15.99/4pk

Grand Cru, French for “great growth”, is a term used in the wine world to classify certain vineyards as having the greatest potential to produce grapes and terroir of highly regarded quality. As such, this designation is not used lightly. Rodenbach Grand Cru, though a beer, showcases the qualities of a great wine. The 2:1 ratio of matured to young beer shows greater complexity and power. Aromas of dried, dark fruit and cherry tart accompany hints at the forthcoming acidity. The rounded palate features spicier oak, complex fruitiness, and a punchier lactic and acetic finish.

Rodenbach Alexander — $15.99/4pk

An homage to Alexander Rodenbach—co-founder of the Rodenbach brewery, parliament member, mayor, writer, and as a man who suffered blindness as a child, a lifetime advocate for blind and deaf Belgian people. Alexander is essentially Grand Cru that has been macerated with sour cherries, and this aroma leaps from the glass. Fresh fruitiness is balanced by softly sweet, caramelized malt notes and finishes with a lingering complexity akin to a fine Burgundian pinot noir.

by Bill

A little over 2 weeks ago, a woman named Brienne Allen, who works at a brewery in Salem, MA, started sharing stories on her Instagram page from other women about emotional, physical and sexual abuse they’ve experienced while working in the beer industry. What started with just a few, very quickly turned into several hundred, if not over a thousand individuals sharing their own stories through Brienne’s Instagram page.

I forced myself to read every story, and even went back to reread some of them a second time. Having it laid out in front of me, story after story after story, I realized the magnitude of it all. Deep down, I know this behavior happens; it happens everywhere. But having the drumbeat go on and on, it started to stick in my head. And once that drumbeat gets stuck, all you can do is think about it all the time. If it was just one woman sharing her story of abuse at a brewery how easy it would be to read it and then keep scrolling until a 12 second video of pandas falling out of trees caught my attention instead. Poof, that story of abuse is gone. And there it is–that’s what made me so heartbroken. This issue is so ingrained in our daily lives that we’ve become numb to it. It had to take 1000 women screaming “STOP IT!” to get my attention instead of just one woman doing it.

I want to say that I’m not a big believer in “cancel culture”. And I’m unsure whether I’m “woke” or not. I’m also pretty sure I don’t believe that the beer buyer at your friendly, neighborhood liquor store should be your moral compass on social injustices, but I do believe in doing better. I believe in kindness. I believe in taking accountability for poor decisions. I believe in telling the truth, even if it hurts. I had to grow up to learn that one. The truth is that our 4th best-selling brewery in the store was named on Brienne’s page. A few other breweries we sell were also mentioned. Over the last few weeks, I’ve sat down with most of the women in the liquor store and we’ve had a few lengthy meetings about all this. The team and I even had a chance to sit down with one of the owners of a local brewery and have an open discussion with him. I tried to shut up, listen, and take it all in.

We all live in our own little bubbles. My main two bubbles are my wife and work. My bubbles are safe for me. I’m a white, middle-aged male, so that might not come as a surprise to anyone. Imagine not having safe bubbles. Imagine your home not being safe for you. Imagine your work not being a safe place for you. Think of those poor souls that experience both. Imagine always getting beaten down, emotionally and/or physically.

One of my coworkers came to France 44 to escape the abuse that they were experiencing at their previous job. I knew some of their story but stayed out of it because I thought it wasn’t any of my business. Months went by and I simply forgot about it. For the last couple of years, without even thinking about it, I’ve brought in a beer that had a direct tie to their previous job. For those 3-4 weeks it took us to sell that limited release beer each year, my coworker had a constant reminder of the pain of that prior job every day they came into work and saw that beer in the store. I failed my coworker. And even though they didn’t work in the beer department, I now know that they knew about that beer in our cooler. I apologized to them and said “I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking.” They responded matter-of-factly, “Why would you have thought about it?” That cut to the core because I instantly thought to myself, “why wouldn’t I have thought about it?” How could I have simply forgotten this? That one beer isn’t important to the store. We get over 2500 new beers each year! Maybe that’s why I didn’t think of it. Maybe it was just another beer in the never-ending flow of new beers, but that one beer made their day harder. That one label caused them pain. By listening to them and taking action, it said that I care. I don’t have my blinders on, and I hear you. I want their bubble to be like mine. I want their bubble to feel safe. The older that I get, the more I realize my coworkers are an extension of my chosen family. I spend more time with them than my friends and with the exception of my wife, I spend more time with them than anybody else. Defend your coworkers like they are your Sisters, your Brothers, or your Mom or Dad. They are your second home. You should be their second home. If you witness something, say something. Don’t be silent. Even if it’s hard. And by the way, strangers need your help too. We shouldn’t stop standing up for people just because we don’t know them.

It’s the little things that you can do that make a difference. It starts at my desk at work. It starts in my neighborhood. It starts with kindness and taking off your blinders. Try stepping out of your bubble and seeing the world from a different perspective. That’s hard because it involves getting uncomfortable. It’s hard because it might involve confrontation, maybe even with someone you love. It’s hard because it might expose things within ourselves that we don’t like. It’s hard because deep down we know there’s a problem out there and we have to ask ourselves, what are we going to do about it?

If you’re familiar with our beer selection, you’ll know we curate our cooler quite a bit. We work hard in the beer cooler. We care about our products. We don’t have frat boy, misogynistic labels with stupid innuendos in our cooler. That’s one super simple thing we do, but that makes a difference. As a team, we reject far more products than we say yes to. Quality-wise, we try to bring in what we think are the best examples of what’s available to us. So why should I stop at quality and not take into account social issues as deciding factors? Because unfortunately, that becomes a slippery slope and soon I might not have much to sell you after a while. How far do you want me to peel back the curtain? How much digging do I do? What if one employee at a brewery did something bad 5 years ago? 10 years ago? Last year? How do I process that information and how should it affect how I buy for the store?

I removed a local brewery off of our shelf for a period of time last year because of blatant racism. I later found out that I’d held out longer than pretty much every other store in town. This was a good little brewery for us. We sold a decent amount of their beer and our customers liked it. Since then, numbers-wise, they haven’t gotten back to where they were before I removed them. They might not ever. Was removing them for that long the right thing to do? Why should I treat sexism any differently than racism? This brewery worked amazingly fast and removed the majority owner completely from their business. I can’t imagine how hard it was to do that. They had to quickly come up with money for the buyout, try to keep the staff intact, try to keep their customers, all while trying to control the social media PR nightmare of his actions. Oh, and on top of all that, it was right in the middle of COVID. I’m sure it was an absolute nightmare and their work bubble was bursting. So why did I punish them so long after they removed the guilty owner? I’m now convinced that I made a mistake. I thought it was the right thing to do at the time, and I guess it made me feel like I was at least doing “something”. I don’t think it’s my job to be Judge, Jury and Executioner to these breweries. You trust me to put together a great selection for you. I trust you to buy what you want. I might get up on my soapbox every once in a while and let you know what’s going on but ultimately, YOU the Customer will decide these products’ fate. While writing this I thought “why didn’t I write a blog on racism in the beer industry?” To be honest, I think a year ago when this happened I’m not sure I had the insight to write something about racism, or even sexism. Last June, working retail in a pandemic, I was just trying to survive. It’s not lost on me that that’s exactly what People of Color have been saying all along.

Do I want these breweries to close? Of course not. I want these breweries to be accountable. I want these breweries to be proactive instead of reactive when they get caught doing something. I want these breweries to clean up their shit and be better. And if that means that hard changes have to be made, or if it means that they have to be the social media punching bag for a while, so be it. Just be better.

Personal growth is uncomfortable because change is uncomfortable. Admitting flaws is uncomfortable, but when we start doing these little things (sometimes not so little), hopefully they can grow into big things. Just concentrate on your corner of the world and let it spread from there. Stand beside your team. Stand beside your Family.

I can’t solve sexism. I can’t solve racism. But I can try and that’s a small start.

Look at that, I did that all with only swearing once.

We’re all constantly learning, evolving, and trying to do the best we can with the information available to us. The absolute best thing we can do is to keep these hard-truth conversations going. After you read this blog, go talk to your friends about it. Bring it up to your family. See what your coworkers have to say about it. You’re guaranteed to learn a lot, and you’re also guaranteed to make talking about it easier and less cringey and uncomfortable. The more we talk about it, the more language we have. The more language we have, the more power and confidence we have to take a stand in the moment when something needs to be said.

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Want to read more about all this?

Ratmagnet Instagram

Emboldenactadvance Instragram

Want to help?  Check out some of these organizations:

https://www.witchhuntmpls.org/

https://brewingchangecollaborative.org/

https://www.pinkbootssociety.org/

We’re doing our part to keep the conversation going, and we welcome anyone who wants to enter that conversation with us. Feel free to reach out to us at hello@france44.com with your thoughts and questions.

by Bill

Let’s talk about our beer biases…

The other week, I had a conversation about local breweries with someone in the industry, and he said something along the lines of: “Minnesota breweries really aren’t good enough to compete on the national stage.” To be fair, I think he meant MN Hype Beers (DDH DIPA Hazy IPA & Over Fruited Sours, etc), but I really can’t remember how the conversation went from there because I instantly was filled with blood boiling rage and I blacked out for a moment or two. After I came to and calmed down a bit,  I decided to step back and take a rational look at the statement and why I think it’s wrong.

I guess the first thing for me to do is establish my own biases. First, I’m a local, and I try to support local business, in and outside of my job.  That alone is a hard thing to ignore when we’re discussing this.

But it gets harder: roughly 80 of our top 100 selling beers in the store are Minnesota made (or right on the state border). The top 100 is where most of our beer sales are, especially in the top 50. There’s a dramatic drop-off in overall sales once we get out of the top 100.  Those beers outside the top 100 are super important to us, and they help make the store way more interesting. But it’s those top 100 that are directly responsible for France 44 being able to fully staff the beer department, provide them with living wages, a matching 401K, and good health insurance. So, if 80 out of our top 100 are MN made, I’m clearly heavily invested in how well those MN breweries do.

But wait, there’s even more! On top of all of that, we know lots of these breweries personally. We’ve watched them grow. We’ve shared beers with them. We’ve developed lasting relationships. I call some of them friends. So, can I objectively, without bias, look at this subject fairly? Probably not…

Now let’s quickly look at what I assume the other guy’s biases are. First, he doesn’t sell a Minnesota made beer, so he directly competes against MN breweries for market share. The better local beer does in our store, the more his beer gets pushed out. Buying local hurts his sales. The second thing is that he’s not a local. He maybe doesn’t have the emotional connection to the Twin Cities community like I do. Third, and this is a big assumption (but I think I’m right), he hasn’t tried nearly as many local beers as we have. He hasn’t watched/tasted the progress these breweries have made over the years.

Okay—here’s my argument: I say if we try to remove our personal opinions and biases (we hear a ton of them in the beer cooler), several Minnesota Breweries have caught up to some of the “best” breweries in the country. If we actually just critique the beer for what style it is and how well it’s made, I think you’ll start to agree with me. When I was studying for WSET (The Wine & Spirits Education Trust), I learned how they wanted you to judge a wine. If you have a Sonoma County Chardonnay in your glass, you don’t judge it against other Sonoma Chardonnays–you judge at against all other wine. That was hard for me to wrap my head around. Before that, I’d judged Chard vs Chard, Hazy IPA vs Hazy IPA, etc.  What WSET forces you to do is simply concentrate on the wine directly in front of you, try to remove your personal opinions and judge the wine as just one wine among many. It’s hard to do because the instant you see the label of the bottle , your brain already starts making assumptions.

So here’s where I’m going to upset some of you. There won’t be another Tree House (MA), Trillium (MA) or Alchemist-Heady Topper (VT) in terms of Hype/Popularity because the rest of the Nation has caught up with them. These 3 breweries are no doubt at the top of their game, and I’ve had great beers from them. But I’ll argue that their lasting legacy in the Beer World will be more for creating the popularity/hype of the style(s), and not for the beer itself. I say this because you can walk into the store right now and grab a local beer that’s super close in style/quality. You just can’t grab one that has a Trillium label on it. I know some of you will be shaking your heads right now in disagreement—and I know what a bunch of you are thinking; “these breweries just make better beer”. But I’ll say that just because the brewery you’re thinking of doesn’t distribute their IPA to Minnesota (probably because they hardly make any, or, more likely, they don’t even know where Minnesota is… sorry!) that doesn’t make that brewery or their beers better–it just makes it a lot harder to get your hands on. And, I’ll argue that the high price you end up paying to get your hands on it corrupts your brain and your palate and forces you to justify why you just spent $50 getting a 4pk of beer that your 3rd cousin shipped 2nd Air to you from Boston.

Rarity creates a false belief that anything rare must taste better. I’ve been suckered into this thinking many, many times and I’m here to tell you it’s simply not true. Rarity just makes it rare–and typically expensive. Again, we are trying to put aside opinions, beliefs and biases and simply look at the beer for what it is, with no emotional baggage attached. Is that can of beer from Tree House really better than one of our best from MN?

In no order, here are our top 5 selling Hazy IPAs:

• Blackstack Local 755 | $12.99/4pk
• Falling Knife Verbal Tip IPA | $12.99/4pk
• Modist Dreamyard IPA | $13.99/4pk
• Fair State Mirror Universe IPA | $12.99/4pk
• Drekker Ectogasm IPA (I know, technically not MN, but come on…) | $14.99/4pk

These are just the flagship, everyday IPAs these breweries make, and they are great beers. I’m not listing all the limited, weekly releases these breweries are pumping out constantly. These limited releases are really where the roots of my argument are. These limited beers (remember, the Beer Department averages about 50 new beers each week) are the ones that really step up our MN hype game and it’s these beers that truly make us equals.

These breweries are not doing well in Minnesota because they’re MN breweries. They do well because they brew a world-class beer.

France44 is honored to have the exclusive release of a special beer made by Broken Clock Brewing Cooperative and Brewing Change Collaborative.

Brewing Change Collaborative (BCC) is a 501c3 MN Nonprofit organization whose mission is to foster Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for People of Color in the brewing and beverage industry through advocacy, outreach, and education.  We’d love you to learn more about what these two Minneapolis organizations are doing locally to be agents of change.

The Messenger Volume II is a DDH Sour Ale brewed with tamarind, guava, pineapple, coriander, sea salt, and sorghum.  This crowler is a full on sour ale.  The tart guava and tamarind really shine through.  Clocking in at 6.4% ABV with a medium weight body, this beer is straight up lip smacking and tasty.  But more importantly is message on the label; The Messenger V2 shares the stories about two women who fought their whole life against racism and inequality.  We’d love you to learn more about these amazing woman and how they participated in the movement.  Click the link to read the stories of Ida B. Wells & Lena O. Smith

Order online here: 750ml Crowler $9.49

VOLUME 2: THE WOMEN OF THE MOVEMENT

Ida B. Wells

In the late 19th century, publications such as the New York Times, prided themselves for being a paper of record, that was objective and dispassionate. However, they failed to recognize and expose the truth behind lynching. Instead of aligning themselves with the type of work that reflects their “values”, they decided to attack Ida B. Wells, the person. For her courage, and her willingness to question lies and myths perpetrated about Black Men, in an editorial in 1894, the New York Times called her: “a nasty-minded mulatress.”

In the podcast Backstory, Episode 185: Advocacy Journalism in America, historian and host Joanne Freeman asks her co-host and historian, Nathan Connelly: “… How much did Wells’ work actually change the myths that were circulating about lynching?” In his response, Nathan points out that it took the big newspapers of that period decades to recognize Ida B. Wells’ work, “Black Americans”, he continues, “… recognized immediately that what Wells’ was doing was digging up the truth.”

There are striking similarities between the late 19th century and our modern times, in terms of our propensity to let popular stereotypes guide our behaviors, our beliefs, and our decision-making, without questioning or attempting to understand their origins or facts presented. Below are two recent examples of a couple of commonly held stereotypes against Black Women :

The Pre-Pandemic (March 2020) Bureau of Labor Statistics & Labor report shows that Women of Color have a higher unemployment rate than the national average (9.7% for Black Women vs 5.5% in national average). One prevailing, and false stereotype argues that’s because, Black Women in particular, and Women of Color in general are lazy; a sentiment expressed by Oklahoma State Legislator Sally Kern, who is white, echoed this stereotype in 2011: “I taught school for 20 years and I saw a lot of people of color who didn’t want to work as hard — they wanted it given to them […] women usually don’t want to work as hard as a man” because “women tend to think a little more about their family.”

Black Women aren’t asking for handouts.

A Black Women decides to push back, to lead, to voice her opinion and advocate for herself and/or for others. She is called angry, threatening, and loud. This stereotype stems from 19th century minstrel shows.

In 2018, Serena Williams, one of the greatest athletes of our time was fined for breaking her racket and calling the umpire a “thief”. The behavior was no different than most elite athletes who play at her level. The difference is this: in other white and/or male athletes’ cases, they are called “passionate, competitive”, whereas, in Serena Williams’ case, she is called an “angry Black Woman”.

The fact that we are willing to trust news reports, publications, or the Internet, blindly at times, without going beyond the headlines, highlights the importance of Ida B. Wells’ pioneering work in investigative journalism. This has become even more important now that we tend to settle into our preferred corners and bubbles, defined by the news sources we frequent or our political leanings, which often only serve to confirm or reaffirm our biases.

Ida B. Wells’ willingness to question popular opinion, invest time and resources to collect actual facts, and persevere despite being a minority and a lone voice, is an inspiration. Ida B. Wells believed that if she could present reliable facts, the truth would prevail. She was right.

Ida B. Wells was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in May 2020, for her outstanding and courageous reporting.

Let’s honor Ida B. Wells, a forgotten Black Woman, by cultivating habits that she pioneered throughout her life:

(1) – Digging deeper than the surface, (2) – Allow our decisions to be guided by reliable fact, and (3) – Advocate for those who are unable to advocate for themselves.

Lena O. Smith

Have you ever walked into a professional networking group wondering if someone would look like you in the room? Or encounter individuals at work who do not think you even belong in the room with them? These questions are just some of the questions that faced Lena O. Smith during her career as a lawyer.

She moved to Minneapolis in 1906 with her mother and sisters from Lawrence, Kansas after losing their father. Lena was an entrepreneur who owned a beauty salon with a white woman. Following the salon she became a real estate agent, a profession that was widely known for its racial prejudice. Through her experiences as a businesswoman, especially as a realtor, she became motivated to change policies & behaviors from within the system.

Lena O. Smith became the 1st African American woman licensed to practice law in the state of Minnesota in 1921 and remained the only one do so until 1945. This was in our state’s history when only a dozen white women were also licensed to practice law in Minnesota. She did not cower if she was the only one who looked like her in the room. It motivated her to change public habits so that every room would be diverse with individuals and opinions.

Lena took on civil rights cases with a militant drive to provide equal access to public accommodations for all people. She argued cases against White Castle & Nicollet in this endeavor. She helped bring change to the Pantages Hotel Theater when she and couple African American men were denied seating on the main level.

But perhaps she is more known for her work on behalf of Arthur A. Lee and his family when they purchased a home in a previously all-white neighborhood in South Minneapolis. While the Lee family was advised by a white attorney to sell their home to the neighborhood committee Lena fought for them. She ultimately fought for and protected their right to stay in their home.

Lena O. Smith continued her work in Minnesota as she helped form The Urban League in Minneapolis in 1925. In 1930 she became the 1st woman president of Minneapolis’ NAACP.

We learn many lessons from Lena’s work in the 1st half of the 20th Century. She teaches us to learn our history so that we can step back from our own settings and become aware of our own preconceptions. If we only see from one perspective we can never learn another’s experience. It is in our diversity that we become stronger as a society.

Second Lena reminds us the importance of living in and working with community. Public interest is best attained when people live in the community they are advocating. Lena’s home was just a couple of blocks from Arthur A. Lee and family. She understood the daily the harassment the Lee family faced and the beauty of the neighborhood. Lena’s suit pant cuffs were dirty from the same dirt.

Lena fought legal cases not to change the law but to change the public’s mindset. She understood the long-term work that was required to acquire justice. It is a lifetime commitment that continues today with each one of us. We continue Lena’s work and honor her legacy to push the government to be more responsive to those without power or money. We live in community with one another getting our own pant cuffs dirty striving to make our community stronger.

We raise a glass to Lena O. Smith thanking her and honoring her by doing the right thing.

The beer you know as “The Messenger” is an amalgamation of two collectives; Brewing Change Collaborative (BCC) and Broken Clock Brewing Cooperative (BCBC)

Our organic union came about through the sheer desire to not only speak on the dissonance of America’s penchant for white privilege/preservation and it’s dearth of Black existence, but to ascend and become agents of change.

As the hours fall off the clock and time inevitably marches on we, BCC and BCBC will seek to voraciously create waves of change. From a point of beer into a barrel to a tsunami from the ocean washing across this entire industry, BCC and BCBC will create the iridescent reality we wish to live in.

by Bennett Porter

The year is 2021, the Beer planet continues to circle a galactic vortex that top astronomers have named “Hazy IPA.” The planet, whose inhabitant “Beerlings” subsist primarily on fermented malt beverages, was first drawn into the vortex years prior when it was caught in a gravity beam of juicy hop flavor. Upon entering the galaxy’s rotational forces, an odd phenomenon began to spread. The Beerlings—who formerly enjoyed styles such as brown ale, hefeweizen, milk stout and Czech pilsner—have become enraptured by a cloudy “India Pale Ale” that is said to have been from an unknown location called “New England.” By way of its juicy, tropical aroma and flavor, silky body, and gentle bitterness, the Hazy IPA is gradually taking over the minds of the Beerlings, methodically squashing out the dwindling beer styles in its path. The future is bleak, and hazy at best.

After picking up a fuzzy distress beacon from the depths of galaxy “Hazy IPA”, a small faction of bitter, seasoned brewers travelling from “The West Coast” and beyond have united in order to rescue Beer planet from its impending engulfment by the entrancing tropical hop character, and to reclaim the flavor balance of past eras. The future of Beer depends on it.

This silly movie plot-like scenario is playing out in real time in craft beer coolers across the country; a single style becoming so popular that less popular styles are chewed up and spit out in its wake. I am certainly part of the problem, often choosing the newest hazy IPA over another style. But each time I try a quality west coast IPA, I am reminded of why I admired IPAs in the first place. It’s something in the hop character—the spicy, floral, grassy, piney, citrus that takes your nose on a camping trip. It’s the softly sweet malt character and slick, oily mouthfeel. It’s the tongue-punching bitterness that commands another sip. It’s the nostalgia, a subtle reminder that these experimental hoppy brews were part of the Zeitgeist for a craft beer revolution.

Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA | $8.99/4pk Can | Born in the heart of wine country, Racer 5 is arguably the benchmark for this style, winning gold in the IPA category for two consecutive years at the Great American Beer Festival. The original recipe was a mistake; hops from Bear Republic’s Red Rocket Ale were accidentally added to the “house IPA” at the time. A few tweaks later and Racer 5 was born, inspired by owner Rich’s love for car racing. Racer 5 exemplifies the classic “C hops”: Cascade, Centennial, Chinook and Columbus all bringing their classic citrus, floral and pine characteristics. A softly-sweet crystal malt character balances the sturdy 75 IBUs of bitterness.

Ballast Point Sculpin IPA | $12.99/6pk | Ballast Point has a story like many breweries; it all started with a group of college homebrewers who turned a hobby into a business. First came Home Brew Mart, a homebrew supply store that opened in 1992. Four years later, the brewery began operations from the back of the store. By 2005 the recipe for Sculpin would be released, quickly becoming one of the most highly regarded IPAs of the decade and earning BP “best small brewery” at the 2010 world beer cup. Sculpin drinks like a pale ale, despite its 7% abv and 70 IBU, thanks to its simple, clean malt base. Piney, spicy bittering hops accentuate the bright stone fruit and mango notes from the aroma hop additions.

Lagunitas Waldo’s Special Ale | $12.99/4pk | If you know anything about Lagunitas, you know of their fascination with a certain, um, plant. This fascination has inspired much of their beer culture, and is best embodied in their annual spring release of Waldo’s Special Ale. This triple IPA began as a collaboration between Lagunitas and the Waldo’s, a group of former San Rafael HS students who famously met around a statue of Louis Pasteur at 4:20 to smoke before embarking on a treasure hunt of sorts in Point Reyes. The dankest and hoppiest of Lagunitas brews, Waldo’s features a botanical assault of hop character, sticky icky sweet fruitiness, warming alcohol and an oil slick mouthfeel. For all the treasure hunters out there. 

Modist Day of Another Dream IPA | $14.99/4pk Can | Taking their Dreamyard New England-style IPA into The Upside Down, in this alternate reality Day of Another Dream is a west coast IPA brewed with the same ingredients but different techniques. Wheat malt and malted oats lend their typical textural smoothness and while Citra and Sultana hops get more time to isomerize in the boil, bringing jabs of piney bitterness and pithy citrus.

Worthy Mentions:

Stone IPA

Drastic Measures Jimmy’s Dirty Dena West Coast IPA

Deschutes Squeezy Rider West Coast IPA

Eagle Park KFBR392 IPA

Hey fellow sportsball fan! Excited about the big game coming up? I heard there’s a GOAT playing quarterback for the Panhandle Pirates. Who knew they lived to be 43 years old? And how will he fare against that young man that’s always accidentally throwing balls into his neighbor’s backyard barbeque? That dude’s got quite an arm. Wouldn’t want to get in a close game with him. 

It simply doesn’t get better than championship sportsball. The culmination of a season of yelling “pass interference!” at my television and throwing my crumb-covered remote in predetermined agony. All the 16oz curls and couch commentary have prepared me for this moment. I’m in peak shape for the hustle of 40 foot refrigerator dashes and blocking pass rushers from my crockpot full of meatballs. High-intensity exercise like this requires some quenching hydration. What can I get you? I’m grabbing some ultra-refreshing suds to wash down the conveyor belt of nachos that will be entering my mouth. Fix yourself a plate of dips and grab a brewski from the fridge. Don’t forget your koozie! Who’s looking forward to the Weekday’s halftime performance? “Ooooh I’m blinded by the lights…”

Hamm’s — $5.49/6pk 16oz or $16.49/30pk

Theodore Hamm was really on to something back in 1865. While the beer is no longer brewed in Minnesota’s land of sky blue waters, it is still just as delicious. Sourcing the purest Milwaukee water, the choicest barley, the most concentrated corn syrup and the greenest hops, it’s no wonder as to why Hamm’s is still the peak of refreshment.

Schell’s Bock — $8.99/6pk

This lager style from Einbeck, Germany was often mispronounced by the southerly Bavarians as “ein bock” which loosely translated to “goat.” Bock beer has since been strongly associated with the imagery of goats. There is a goat playing in this game. Could there be a more perfect beer style to gulp while watching foosball history in the making? The answer is no. Also, this Schell’s brews an excellent bock.

BlackStack Side Of Ranch Lager — $8.99/4pk

It may not be from a hidden valley but dang, this stuff goes with everything! Pour it on your pizza, pour it on your cocktail weenies, pour it in your mouth. This intentionally uncomplicated lager was brewed with a sprinkle of rice for a light, crisp impression. And it’s perfectly slammable for times when your team just coughed up a fumblerooski. 

Castle Danger White Pine Project IPA — $18.99/12pk

A good beer for a good cause. If you’re a true outdoorsy Minnesotan, you understand the importance and beauty of the white pines in our northwoods. Proceeds from WPP go toward planting new white pines along the north shore to revitalize their population for future generations. Pops of bright citrus and piney bitterness balance a gentle malt character. At 5.6% abv, it’s mild enough for a long day of gluttonous consumption in front of the big screen.

2020 sure was a doozy.  I could list all the reasons why, but I’m guessing that you are quite familiar.  Having normal life pulled out from underneath us was not something that (hardly) anyone could have predicted if asked just one year ago.  It’s been a tough adjustment for everyone.  Because life during a pandemic has cut down on our typically expansive freedoms, it’s been easy to feel stuck in a rut.  Maybe you have been stuck in a beer rut too–falling back on the comfortable and familiar over something new and unknown.  That’s perfectly okay!  BUT–it is a new year–and I know that everything didn’t just magically get better, but it does feel like we have a cleaner slate than before.  So now is a great time to mix it up a bit and go outside your comfort zone, maybe try a new beer style that you are unfamiliar with. Here are some situational recommendations to consider if you are feeling spontaneous.

Do you like Kettle Sours? (e.g. Fair State Roselle, Pryes Royal Raspberry)

Try: Funk Factory Meerts American Lambic — $11.99/750ml

A perfect introduction into the world of spontaneously fermented beers. Levi Funk of Funk Factory Geuzeria in Madison, Wisconsin has been leading a movement of traditionally-made lambic beer here in the Midwest. Producing beer in this fashion is extremely time consuming and filled with mystery. First, Funk Factory sources locally brewed turbid mash wort from a handful of breweries, then ferments it spontaneously in a coolship. The beer is then racked into french oak foeders, where it continues to ferment and develop. After many months or even years, the beer is blended (and sometimes re-fermented on fruit) before continuing to condition in the bottle. Meerts is considered the brewery’s session beer. Its name is actually a reference to the meerts/bière de mars style that is now nearly extinct in its home of Belgium and France. Meerts is made from the less sugar-concentrated, second runnings of wort. It ferments for a “short” three months in large oak foeders before conditioning in the bottle. Beautiful and delicate, it features prickly acidity, gentle carbonation and an enticing funk.

Do you like maltier American beers? (e.g. Bell’s Best Brown, Deschutes Black Butte Porter)

Try: Brasserie d’Achouffe McChouffe Belgian Brown Ale — $11.99/4pk

If you’re the type of beer drinker who enjoys amber ales, brown ales, or porters, try adding some yeast-driven flair with a Belgian brown or dubbel. McChouffe has a more robust body than LaChouffe but goes down just as easy with the help of candi sugar. Many Belgian brewers use candi sugar to add strength to their beers but increase their drinkability. Please note this doesn’t add sweetness! McChouffe has an aromatic character of clove, coriander, anise and dark fruit. On the palate it has a soothing combination of aniseed, licorice, toffee, and molasses. The finish has a balanced bitterness and tingle from the carbonation.

Are you a Pils-nerd?

Try: Früh Kӧlsch — $10.99/4pk Can

A regional specialty from Cologne, Germany. Kölsch was first produced as a reaction to the growing pilsner movement. Local ale breweries wanted to compete with pilsner and lager beer without completely losing their heritage. Kölsch is essentially an ale/lager hybrid, fermented with ale yeast at warmer temperatures then conditioned cold like a lager. Früh has a noble hop character similar to pilsner with floral and grassy notes, but is a tad more subdued. Its medium-light body shows hints of vanilla and a faint fruitiness from the ale yeast. Kölsch is a great style to mix it up with if you are stuck picking the same lagers.

Love hazy IPAs but need a little break?

Try: Indeed Hop Dab IPA — $10.49/4pk Can

Let’s just put it out there: hazy IPAs are awesome, but can sometimes get a little tiring. The style that has become a behemoth in today’s beer world is almost unrecognizable from the IPAs we grew up on. Sometimes I like to go back to my roots and pour myself an IPA that I can see through, something with a dank, piney citrus aroma and a whack of bitterness. This IPA does the trick. Freshly-lit herb aromas carry to the palate with hints of berry, citrus and pine. The base of pure, honest maltiness supports a firm bitterness that leaves you wanting more.

Hit stout season too hard and looking for a substitute?

Try: Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock — $12.99/4pk

Is your palate feeling a bit fatigued from dense, chocolate-y, roasty stouts but you are still craving a wintery beer? Give doppelbocks a try. Doppelbock, a “double bock”, is a strong dark lager from Germany that oozes maltiness but isn’t overly sweet. The style has been referred to as liquid bread because of its full character and ability to satiate fasting monks during lent. Ayinger has been brewing their doppelbock since 1878. Celebrator brings waves of toffee, caramel, coffee and dark fruit flavors. It is somewhat reminiscent of a tootsie roll. What a delight!