Creative Brief
Fair State Brewing Cooperative

Beer Geek Stats
From:
Fair State Brewing Cooperative
 
Minnesota, United States
Style:
American IPA
ABV:
6.1%
Score:
+4 ratings needed
Avg:
3.58 | pDev: 16.76%
Ratings:
6 | reviews: 4
Status:
Active
Rated:
Apr 13, 2025
Added:
Aug 17, 2024
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
“It came out of the blue,” we say. “A stroke of inspiration,” we say. As if ideas just appear fully formed via some sort of innate genius. We’re here to tell you, folks, creativity is a grind. It comes with deadlines (that we usually miss), and it holds you to your KPIs. We feel lucky to have been grinding for ten years, and in that spirit, we reunited with our original Head Brewer Niko to present you with an IPA that brings together the best of what we know about IPA brewing. Simcoe Cryo, Chinook from the emerald shores of Oregon, and HBC 638, layered on top of carefully chosen malts.
View: More Beers
Recent ratings and reviews.
 
Rated: 3.77 by craigbelly from Iowa

Apr 13, 2025
Photo of ttoadee
Reviewed by ttoadee from Texas

3.85/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Warm golden pour, slight haze, creamy head that dies not let go and trails spotty lace. Nose gives me melon, papaya, citrus

Taste is papaya (the Hawaiian kind that almost tastes like a mango), just underripe honeydew, sweet citrus, light kilned malt, splash of oats (?), touch if resin. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and creamy. Not sure about the "style", but a nice beer.
Mar 03, 2025
Photo of maximum12
Reviewed by maximum12 from Minnesota

2.28/5  rDev -36.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1
Can. Containing 16 ounces. What emerges is what appears to be an honest-to-goodness IPA, light gold, clear, without having been blended with a sugar-soaked orange. Big, puffy head. Citrus nose.

Creative Brief doesn’t quite stretch all the way to the west coast & the warmer it gets, the foostier it gets. There’s a slightly rotten fruit demeanor plugging up the pipes that’s highly unappealing. Whatever else is here gets lost. Four ounces? Maybe.

Not a fan. This either went wrong or that experimental hop needs to be put out of its misery. Poor beer.
Dec 08, 2024
Photo of Mdog
Reviewed by Mdog from Minnesota

3.59/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
From a 16oz can:

Appearance: Clear yellow, big head.

Smell: Citrus rind, chalky note.

Taste: Mild sweetness, then green citrus and a weird melon-like note that is not sweet, like maybe an unripe version of said melon. Mild bitterness, medium bodied.

Overall: This was OK, but maybe the experimental hop gave the weird unripe melon flavor that missed the mark for me. Didn't remind me of simcoe or chinook—the other hops in the blend. A rare miss from Fair State.
Oct 19, 2024
 
Rated: 4.04 by BKotch from Texas

Oct 01, 2024
Photo of defunksta
Reviewed by defunksta from Wisconsin

3.96/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Canned 8/5/24 (4 weeks ago)

Appearance: Pours a completely clear, medium golden yellow color with a strong white head that lingers. SRM of 5-6. (4.25)

Aroma: Moderate aromas of orange, tangerine, resinous stonefruit and pine. (3.75)

Flavor: Strong flavors of orange, tangerine, some dank, resinous stonefruit and pine notes. Somewhat dank and mild/moderately bitter. Clean and dry. (4.00)

Feel: Medium-bodied, appropriate carbonation. Finishes dank, lightly bitter and dry. (4.00)

Overall: A 10th year anniversary beer for Fair State. Sort of a West-Coast IPA variant. I think they specialize in their lagers, but I'll pretty much pick up anything from Fair State at this point. Nice hop combination. Classic West-Coast flavors. I'm picky and like a little more bitterness, but I'd say they did a decent job and drinks true to style. A classic and pretty much how an IPA should be made. (Rating: 3.96)
Sep 04, 2024