Masala Mama
Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery

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From:
Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery
 
Minnesota, United States
Style:
American IPA
Ranked #35
ABV:
6%
Score:
96
Ranked #1,163
Avg:
4.31 | pDev: 9.05%
Reviews:
688
Ratings:
1,410
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 26, 2023
Added:
Jan 01, 2003
Wants:
  867
Gots:
  92
American IPA brewed using Amarillo, Cascade, Centennial and Mt. Hood hops. A beer with crisp hop flavor and bitterness well balanced with American malt sweetness.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by skybluewater:
Photo of skybluewater
Reviewed by skybluewater from Minnesota

4.65/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
From a growler (best by Dec 12, consumed Dec 7 and 8), pours a nice orange-copper color. Smells of all sorts of fruits, namely peach and citrus. I love the taste. It's fairly bitter, but not so much that it gets in the way of the great taste. There's some caramelly/biscuit-like malt there, and it just explodes with fruity flavors, such as orange and peach.

Overall, this is a delightful IPA. Very flavorful, but not overwhelmingly so. A fine brew all around.

Second day: I couldn't finish the growler, so I'm finishing it the next day. It's actually still very good. There's a nice hiss when I open it, and the beer itself, while having lost a bit of carbonation, is still highly flavorful.
---
3/20/05: Just updating a bit. I had a growler of this last night, and it was much better than the last one. Perhaps my pallete has grown since then, or maybe I got a fresher growler, but whatever it was, I have to conclude that this is one fabulous brew. All the pieces come together perfectly to create a brew that, while it's not the absolute best beer in the world, is one of the most well constructed beers I've had to date.

One final thought: I'm so glad I live in the Twin Cities metropolitan area!
Dec 11, 2004
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by Nyoder

Nov 26, 2023
 
Rated: 4.15 by EdFed from Illinois

Nov 10, 2023
 
Rated: 4.44 by DownyIsHungry from Minnesota

Jul 30, 2023
 
Rated: 4.1 by not2quick from Missouri

Jun 09, 2023
Photo of AdmiralOzone
Reviewed by AdmiralOzone from Minnesota

3.99/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4
Pours a clear amber/gold with a legitimate amount of off-white head. Leaves nice lacing. Aroma is a bold mix of caramel malt and piney hops. Flavor follows the nose, malty up front with lots of bitterness in the finish. Feel is medium bodied, a little light on the carbonation. Overall, a fine ale.
Oct 07, 2022
 
Rated: 3.79 by BRLockwood from Florida

Sep 29, 2022
 
Rated: 3.5 by blackcloud from Alaska

Sep 22, 2022
Photo of NCSapiens
Rated by NCSapiens from Indiana

3.85/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
CO2 version is an annoying combination of pine, resin and caramel malt.

Cask version is creamy, warm, and mild.

Neither yanked my crank.
Jun 16, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by atlbravsrno1 from Maine

May 07, 2022
 
Rated: 4.15 by adosen01 from Minnesota

Oct 04, 2021
Photo of jeffoert
Reviewed by jeffoert from Minnesota

4.21/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
This is, no doubt, an old-fashioned IPA, strong on the malt/hoppiness side. This is much better than their Dortmunder beer, I thought. I bought a growler of each. Definitely a better than average IPA but not sure it is worth the extra trouble and cost.
Jun 10, 2021
Photo of hhughes2008
Reviewed by hhughes2008 from Minnesota

4.37/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
L: Copper-auburn color with 1 finger of soapy foam that retains well, some lacing
S: pine, grapefruit, some biscuity/carmel malt aromas
T: resinous with a chewy malt backbone. Grapefruit, Candied oranges, cherry.
F: medium body, somewhat velvety, good carbonation
O: Crushed a 32 oz crowler of this easily and probably could have had more. Def my go-to West/Midwest IPA in the twin cities.
Sep 11, 2020
 
Rated: 4.25 by MonkeyPilates from Minnesota

Jan 31, 2020
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.93/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Cask pour at MTHB. Cloudy, medium amber with cap of thick creamy head. Aroma is light hops with some fruity overtones. Taste adds a layer of hops to the bready malt base, subtle. Cask brings a nice creaminess to the brew, but hard to believe this is a Top 50. Not impressed.
Nov 05, 2019
 
Rated: 4.06 by wisegreensoul from Idaho

Aug 08, 2019
Photo of metter98
Reviewed by metter98 from New York

4.29/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Cask at Town Hall Brewery, Minneapolis, MN

A: The beer is crystal clear amber yellow in color and lacks visible carbonation. It kind of looked like a beer on nitro when the waiter brought it to the table with the yellowish and amber colors settling down and mixing together. It poured with a finger high white head that this excellent properties and consistently left a quarter finger high head covering the surface.
S: Light to moderate aromas of citrusy hops are present in the nose along with notes of floral hops.
T: The taste follows the smell and has flavors of citrusy hops - orange and grapefruit stand out in particular - along with notes of floral hops and hints of herbs. There is a light amount of bitterness.
M: It feels very smooth and creamy on the mouthfeel and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: I;'m really glad that I had this beer from a cask as it was a pleasure to drink, especially with the smooth and creamy mouthfeel.

Serving type: cask
Aug 04, 2019
 
Rated: 4.11 by smithj4 from New York

Aug 04, 2019
 
Rated: 3.99 by dbrauneis from North Carolina

Aug 04, 2019
 
Rated: 4.42 by mrcraft from California

Jul 08, 2019
Masala Mama from Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery
Beer rating: 96 out of 100 with 1410 ratings