A funny thing happened when I went to write this column: I realized that my top five beers this month all had something in common. What's that? Well, for one, they’re all delicious. Duh. Somewhat more notably: None of them advertise an IBU. Not on their cans, not on Untappd. Their breweries just do not report them, Sam-I-Am. And, I think that’s pretty neat.
Why? Well, IBU, for those blissfully unaware, stands for “international bittering units” and is an estimation (based on hop varieties and usage) of a beer’s bitterness. Or, well… sort of. See, the thing is that IBU is an incredibly bad measure of bitterness.
In fact, IBU doesn’t measure a beer’s perceived bitterness at all. It only measures the—almost always estimated—amount of “iso-alpha acids” in beer. These iso-alpha acids taste bitter, but there’s a lot more to perceived bitterness than that. A 70 IBU west coast IPA clocking in at 7.0% ABV is probably pretty bitter. A 70 IBU imperial stout clocking in at 10.0% ABV is… almost definitely not. Don’t get me wrong, IBU can be a useful number for brewers (and homebrewers) looking for insight into a recipe. But for consumers? IBU is silly. Heck, it’s not even a great measure of “hoppiness” given that there are a lot of beers with a pronounced hop character and a low IBU—hazy IPAs being an obvious example.
The fact that IBUs are advertised at all is an artifact of the west coast IPA wars of yesteryear, and I honestly wish people would just stop with all that nonsense. It barely meant anything, even then. These days, not reporting an IBU is pretty common with Hazy IPAs and light lagers because no one drinking those beers ultimately cares, but I, for one, welcome breweries not reporting IBU more generally.
Haggard Barrel Brewing (and BlackStack): Tinned Fish
Hazy IPA / 6.6% ABV / ?? IBU
“Tinned Fish” is a horrific name for a hazy IPA that smells like watermelon and tropical fruit, but when some weirdo in Washington names a watermelon-forward hop “Anchovy,” I guess you might as well roll with it. This was the first time I’ve tried a beer made with Anchovy hops, and I didn’t know what to expect. I love that, and I love being pleasantly surprised even more. The flavor of “Tinned Fish” is light and sweet with more watermelon and tropical fruit to complement the aroma. Any bitterness (surprise, surprise) is barely there. My cans were slightly low in carbonation and very creamy/pillowy. All around, really great, but I suppose that’s to be expected when you collaborate with the BlackStack folks on a hazy IPA.
Haggard Barrel recently opened its St. Louis Park taproom (like, literally less than two weeks ago), and together with this beer being released, it’s feeling really auspicious.
Falling Knife Brewing Company: Gimme the Aux
Pale Ale / 5.8% ABV / ?? IBU
You put an aux cable on your can of beer, and I’m buying it. That’s just how that works. Call it nostalgia for a pre-Trump era where phones were for playing Snake, iPods were for listening to music, and computers were for talking to strangers on the internet who may or may not be middle-aged men.
“Gimme the Aux” pours clear yellow, and smells like blueberries. It tastes herbal with a bit of vegetal bitterness on a lemon rind background. Northeast's Falling Knife used two “new to them” hops here—Alora and Erebus—which were also new to me. Falling Knife notes blueberry, citrus, peach, and yuzu notes coming from this combo. I can’t say I got the peach and yuzu flavors, but I definitely got the blueberry and citrus, and it was delicious. It also had a nice medium body with a slightly silky mouthfeel, something for which we apparently have “West African Fonio grain” to thank. If you’re looking for a pale ale unlike many you’ve had before, this is a great option. Really fun and unique.
Modist Brewing Co.: Drowning My Demons
New Zealand-Style Pilsner / 5.4% ABV / ?? IBU
Well would you look at that—a Modist beer that isn’t oak-aged has made my list. Modist gets plenty of love from me, but I’m not actually sure when I last covered a “normal” beer from them. Yet while “Drowning My Demons” is not oak-aged (though I am convinced it would be a nice twist), it’s hardly “normal.” It smells like dry and peppery biscuits, and its flavor is more black pepper combined with white wine grapes and light crackery malt. The black pepper notes apparently come from Pacific Jade hops, which I can’t say I’ve had before either. It all adds up to a very fun and not remotely “normal” pilsner from the North Loop brewery. It’s like, the pilsner your beautiful hipster girlfriend with a nose ring who is completely out of your league would order after rolling her eyes at you ordering a Hamm's (in a good way).
Talking Waters Brewing Co.: Blabbermouth
Hazy DIPA / 8.0% ABV / ?? IBU
Two hazy IPAs in the same month? Yes. Because this one is a double. It’s a totally different thing. I’ve been a fan of Montevideo’s Talking Waters for a while, but I have quite shamefully neglected to cover one of their beers up until now. You’d have to go back to the original Doer of Beers, Jerard, to find another Talking Waters review. But! I’m fixing that now.
Blabbermouth is a great hazy DIPA. It smells like floral pineapple, and has a lightly sweet flavor with more pineapple and... papaya? Yeah, I’m going to say papaya. After a bit, the fruit notes fade to a light, effervescent, resin bitterness. Blabbermouth is medium-bodied, but not as pillowy as many hazies, which makes for a nice change of pace. Basically, it’s very good.
P.S. Jerard, if you happen to read this, please add “Doer of Beers” as a skill on your LinkedIn. I will endorse you.
Hammerheart Brewing Company: Stjørdal
Alderwood Smoked Norwegian Farmhouse / 7.0% ABV / ?? IBU
I’m doing it, guys, I’m doing it! I’m finally covering a Hammerheart beer! Up until now, all my attempts have been thwarted—either by monthly themes, or by concerns about availability. It’s a real bummer, too, because I really love this Ely-based brewery's beer. But the planets have finally aligned, and all you smoke freaks who have been shaming me for not covering Hammerheart can rest easy in the knowledge that I have finally delivered on my promise.
I really respect Hammerheart’s commitment to smoked beers. It’s a unique angle, and it’s even more unique that they do it so well. Størdal is my favorite of their releases this round. Fimbulvetr, a smoked wheat IPA, is also fun, but probably less approachable. Størdal has a very subdued smoke and bready malt aroma. Its flavor is sweet malt that fades to a relatively mild smoky astringency. It doesn’t really have any hop character to speak of. As with many smoked beers (and peaty whiskeys), the smoke notes are most apparent when you first start drinking it, but they fade into the background over time, leaving you to taste everything else. It’s a fun experience, and I’d encourage people who are not into smoked beers to give it an honest go. You might be surprised.
