Two Fingers
St. Paul Brewing

 

 

Flat Earth Two Fingers Double IPA. I know practically nothing about this beer. It was offered up in growlers, and some kegs were available, but not a tremendous amount. I looked all over for information, and, for a 5th anniversary beer there's strikingly little known about this. Looking on the two major reviewing sites, it's only listed on BeerAdvocate, with the sole review coming from my friend Cal, who reviewed from a growler.(He gives it a straight 3/5, which is as average as average gets.)
So, I got a keg to include with our upcoming hoppy beer events, and I'm at a loss for how to describe it. It's big, it's strong, bitter and hoppy. right? What are the hops, what are the malts, how strong is it? Nothing anywhere, we have no way of knowing. It's as if they were forced/coerced into making a 5th anniversary beer, but didn't care about telling anyone about it. Which is kind of weird.

Let's just drink some…

Clouded amber-y hue, large, lush, nearly-white head. Looks nice. But doesn't fit neatly with the look of so many other well-known double IPAs, doesn't shine like some golden jewel, etcetera, etcetera.

Aroma: nice and piney, plenty of citrus, lots of loveliness. Everything the hop head desires. Right?

Taste: Big time bitterness, ripe fruit, overwhelming attack on the tongue. Much malt in the mouth. If anything is lacking in this, it's in comparison to leaner DIPAs that have a brighter, hoppier attack and have less malt happening in the mouthfeel. As it is, there is really nothing lacking or wrong with this particular attempt at a DIPA. Why do they all have to be Plinys or Dreadnaughts, or HopSlams or Abrasives? There's room for many types of interpretations, and this one has plenty of bitter hop punch going on, for hop heads to enjoy.

There's a good amount of consumability in this, and even though I don't know the number, a good amount of alcohol keeping that factor down a bit. however, it doesn't impede enjoyment, not one tiny bit. Plenty of hops, plenty of bitter, lots of ale.

Whatever you do, though, don't ask me about what's going on at Flat Earth right now, I really don't know! This might be a nice cap to 5 years of brewing, but you never know, there could be better things on the horizon for the owners of this brand.

Here's what's extra-odd about this entry, though. I can only recommend you try it where I work, for I have no idea who else might have it, and there is no where else you could pick up a sample, outside of a very slim selection of bars. Growler sales are done, and it won't be bottled. You'll never see it again, it was a one-time only thing. And so, it exists here as a yes, I -had-it, and, no you won't. That's no attempt to make you feel small, it's only history, that's all that it is.

Aside from that, it's an interesting entry in the Flat Earth line, but perhaps not the last like this, and we can never be sure, can we?

 

Two Fingers doesn't show up on the beer geek network, but an MNBeer post list the beer as Flat Earth's five year anniversary brew. The post was almost a month ago, so the growler I bought might've been in the fridge for a while--and then a week in my fridge before I had time to get a pint poured.

Hazy amber to brown ale--not what I expected for a double IPA. Clean barely off white head that has a nice lace. Heavy grassy hops, citrus and muddled malt in the taste that's somewhat supported by a citrus and biscuit nose. Leaves the mouth dry and hoppy. Slight oiliness betrays a higher gravity, but the alcohol is only apparent in the feel of the beer, which hits like a hammer.

Good beer, but it doesn't have the clean hop pop that I look for in a double IPA. Good, no great, but perfectly fine as a Sunday afternoon beer. I'm not disappointed with the growler, but I don't see this one becoming a regular without some fine tuning.