'97 Masala
Town Hall Brewery
- From:
- Town Hall Brewery
- Minnesota, United States
- Style:
- American IPA
- ABV:
- Not listed
- Score:
- 89
- Avg:
- 4.08 | pDev: 10.54%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 5
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Mar 20, 2016
- Added:
- Feb 01, 2016
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
SCORE
89
Very Good
89
Very Good
Batch 2000 - Masala Mama recipe from 1997. Hopped with Cascade and Centennial.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by jcMPLS from Minnesota
5/5 rDev +22.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
5/5 rDev +22.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Masala Mama was the first craft brew I ever tasted, and my first true beer love. It was 2002 and I had no idea what I was getting into when my boss offered to buy me a beer across the street to celebrate my 21st birthday. The flavors blew my mind, and I was instantly hooked on IPAs and trying as many different beers as possible.
It had been years since I've been to Town Hall, so I was surprised to see that they had a '97 Masala on tap though I suppose it was foolish to expect that things don't change over time. I assumed that the '97 would be closer to the Masala Mama that I knew and loved, so I started with that. No doubt. This was the beer. This was the IPA that opened my eyes and I was instantly brought back to being that 21 year old college punk. Not sure how much of it was nostalgia, but it was perfection.
I wasn't nearly as impressed with the current version of Masala Mama...still good, but not the perfect score IPA that I fell in love with.
Mar 11, 2016It had been years since I've been to Town Hall, so I was surprised to see that they had a '97 Masala on tap though I suppose it was foolish to expect that things don't change over time. I assumed that the '97 would be closer to the Masala Mama that I knew and loved, so I started with that. No doubt. This was the beer. This was the IPA that opened my eyes and I was instantly brought back to being that 21 year old college punk. Not sure how much of it was nostalgia, but it was perfection.
I wasn't nearly as impressed with the current version of Masala Mama...still good, but not the perfect score IPA that I fell in love with.
Reviewed by mothman from Minnesota
3.56/5 rDev -12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
3.56/5 rDev -12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Off white head with lace. Golden orange color.
Flavor seems a little light compared to regular masala. Grassy and earthy hops. Bready malts.
Medium bodied and light bitterness.
Decent.
Mar 11, 2016Flavor seems a little light compared to regular masala. Grassy and earthy hops. Bready malts.
Medium bodied and light bitterness.
Decent.
Reviewed by feloniousmonk from Minnesota
3.68/5 rDev -9.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.68/5 rDev -9.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Clear, pale copper appearance, slim head, drifts down quickly. Leaves a little lace.
Spicy/fruity hop aroma, citric blend, orange and grapefruit, nice, but restrained. Not as out loud as the current crop.
Tasting....Big hop attack right at the front, brisk and bitter. Again, nice mix of fruit and spicy notes, pouncing on the palate. Lean-bodied, light finish, but lingering hop bitterness. Hop flavor never goes away, just fades a bit, after every swallow. Cascade and Centennial, the classic West Coast hops, are the two in this, rather than the larger bouquet of the contemporary recipe (I've forgotten the other hops in the current incarnation....they've got to be around here somewhere...). A bit sweet on the way down.
Not the fierce hop assault of our modern mama, but it was probably good enough for '97. They kept the name of the original IPA, but it got quite a tweaking when Mike Hoops came in the door and got his hands on the mash paddle.
I sort of wish I'd brought home a growler of regular Mama, the one that I fell in love with back in '02 and set me on my long history with this brewery, just to try them side by side. But while it isn't as intense or full-bodied as this year's model, '97 Mama was not bad, not bad at all.
This information is lifted from the world wide web dot com: Darker, sweeter, and far less hoppy than the Masala Mama of today. The malts used in '97 Masala are similar to today's Masala Mama, however the ratios are very different. Hopped with Cascade and Centennial.
Mar 05, 2016Spicy/fruity hop aroma, citric blend, orange and grapefruit, nice, but restrained. Not as out loud as the current crop.
Tasting....Big hop attack right at the front, brisk and bitter. Again, nice mix of fruit and spicy notes, pouncing on the palate. Lean-bodied, light finish, but lingering hop bitterness. Hop flavor never goes away, just fades a bit, after every swallow. Cascade and Centennial, the classic West Coast hops, are the two in this, rather than the larger bouquet of the contemporary recipe (I've forgotten the other hops in the current incarnation....they've got to be around here somewhere...). A bit sweet on the way down.
Not the fierce hop assault of our modern mama, but it was probably good enough for '97. They kept the name of the original IPA, but it got quite a tweaking when Mike Hoops came in the door and got his hands on the mash paddle.
I sort of wish I'd brought home a growler of regular Mama, the one that I fell in love with back in '02 and set me on my long history with this brewery, just to try them side by side. But while it isn't as intense or full-bodied as this year's model, '97 Mama was not bad, not bad at all.
This information is lifted from the world wide web dot com: Darker, sweeter, and far less hoppy than the Masala Mama of today. The malts used in '97 Masala are similar to today's Masala Mama, however the ratios are very different. Hopped with Cascade and Centennial.
Reviewed by Evilyak from Minnesota
4.4/5 rDev +7.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.4/5 rDev +7.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
i had this at the bar, and then brought some home with me. i'm not gonna brag, but i think i got pretty lucky here.
pours a very clear amber color with a thick head and lots of lacing.
this is definitely a flowerbomb - lots of floral aromas and that's the dominate taste that lingers. hints of pine to the background on this one, but definitely a secondary characteristic. taste is a bit bitter, but it's well tempered by the malt, with just a hint of lingering hops.
body is medium and a bit oily, with some dryness at the end.
here's to hoping that the '97 ipa becomes the standard for the 2017 ipa. best ipa i've had in a very, very long time, but not surprisingly they didn't make it taste like mangoes.
Feb 28, 2016pours a very clear amber color with a thick head and lots of lacing.
this is definitely a flowerbomb - lots of floral aromas and that's the dominate taste that lingers. hints of pine to the background on this one, but definitely a secondary characteristic. taste is a bit bitter, but it's well tempered by the malt, with just a hint of lingering hops.
body is medium and a bit oily, with some dryness at the end.
here's to hoping that the '97 ipa becomes the standard for the 2017 ipa. best ipa i've had in a very, very long time, but not surprisingly they didn't make it taste like mangoes.
Reviewed by MattyG85 from Minnesota
4.46/5 rDev +9.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.46/5 rDev +9.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
On tap at the brewpub. 16 oz. serving in a shaker glass.
Appearance: Color is a deep amber orange. Moderate amount of bubbles and a solid finger of off white head that settles into a thin creamy layer.
Smell: A juicy and floral hop forward aroma with a scent of citrus hops and caramel malt. Upfront citrus hop scent of grapefruit, orange peel, melon, tangerine, mango, and lemon along with some berries. Floral hop hints along with some earthy hints of pine. Solid malt backing with some hints of caramel, grains, and yeast. A very solid aroma.
Taste: Like it smells, a juicy and floral hop driven taste with notes of citrus and caramel. Good juicy citrus hop flavor with notes of grapefruit, orange peel, tangerine, melon, mango, and lemon. Also some subtle fruit notes of berries. Good notes of floral and earthy hops with some pine. Nice malt presence with some notes of caramel, grains, and yeast. A very good taste.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Nicely juicy and oily with a drying finish.
Overall: A great juicy IPA just like the current version. I'll have to have them side by side to compare.
Feb 23, 2016Appearance: Color is a deep amber orange. Moderate amount of bubbles and a solid finger of off white head that settles into a thin creamy layer.
Smell: A juicy and floral hop forward aroma with a scent of citrus hops and caramel malt. Upfront citrus hop scent of grapefruit, orange peel, melon, tangerine, mango, and lemon along with some berries. Floral hop hints along with some earthy hints of pine. Solid malt backing with some hints of caramel, grains, and yeast. A very solid aroma.
Taste: Like it smells, a juicy and floral hop driven taste with notes of citrus and caramel. Good juicy citrus hop flavor with notes of grapefruit, orange peel, tangerine, melon, mango, and lemon. Also some subtle fruit notes of berries. Good notes of floral and earthy hops with some pine. Nice malt presence with some notes of caramel, grains, and yeast. A very good taste.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Nicely juicy and oily with a drying finish.
Overall: A great juicy IPA just like the current version. I'll have to have them side by side to compare.
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