ryan says I wish I had a cool last name like “Brau”
February 25th, 2008
The Brau’s have been plugging away in the brew world for a number of years - first with the Brauhaus brewpub in tiny Lucan, Minnesota and more recently with Brau Brothers Brewing Co. It’s a small, family-run affair and they do almost everything in-house, from the brewing to poster-printing, silk-screening t-shirts, etc. Up until recently, they were even hand-screening their beer bottles.
On to the beer… Brau Brothers’ Frame Straightener is a Belgian-style pale ale, not terribly unlike Flat Earth Belgian Pale Ale. Copper color, with a thin white head. Think old man in Miami. The yeast comes through in the aroma as well as some fruit and biscuit-like notes. More of the same in flavor with a touch of sweetness and a dry finish. The six pack is already gone. Dammit. Nicely done. Dustin has a history of brewing tasty Belgian-style brews with the Brauhaus, so it’s nice to see him using their Single Batch Series to reach back into his bag of tricks.
ryan says Why doesn’t it taste like EPA?
January 20th, 2008
Just to clarify (or beer-dorkify), Belgian Pale Ale, in itself, is a style of beer. If you’re expecting a blend of Summit Extra Pale Ale and Chimay, you’ll probably be disappointed…
That being said, Flat Earth’s Belgian Pale Ale pours a clear copper color with a slightly off-white head and tons of sticky lacing on the sides of the glass. Give it a sniff and you might catch some spice, Belgian yeast and some caramely sweetness. Biscuity malts definitely come through in the flavor as well as more yeast and spice. Very drinkable. Drunkable, in fact.
We managed to kick one of Al’s kegs at the Blue Nile on my wife Dawn’s 30th birthday. Given the selection of good beer at the ‘Nile, I hadn’t really planned on drinking the stuff all night (though the Surly one was 9% abv, so this was probably a safer option), but once I got started, I just kind of fell for the stuff.
If you get a chance, stop by the brewery for a tour sometime. Jeff and Cathie Williamson (some of you might remember Jeff from Town Hall) put their hearts and souls into this brewery, and it comes through. Good work!
Julie says Flat Earth, Full Taste
January 17th, 2008
Being a huge fan of IPAs and Pale Ale’s, I was wondering how this would compare to some of my favorites. I really like this beer! I enjoy hoppy beers, but the medium level of hops in this beer is a nice refreshing change to the super-hoppy ones. There is just the right amount of everything in this beer: the hops level, the orange tastes, and the toasted-ness.
The brewer says that it is inspired by (among others) Fat Tire. Let me tell you, I have drank many a beer from New Belgium Brewery and love their brews. But Fat Tire is my least favorite of theirs. Flat Earth’s Belgian Pale Ale far surpasses Fat Tire. Makes me proud to be a Minnesotan!
CJ Camp says I hate the big decisions
January 14th, 2008
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Continue reading I hate the big decisions