St. Louis Bay IPA
Lake Superior Brewing Company

 

I understand that cask beers are delicate and may not travel well. This one traveled to the Happy Gnome, in St Paul. However, since I paid top dollar($5 for a 33 cl Belgian goblet), this review may be a bit harsh. Actually, if it wasn't for an unpleasant finish, this beer would rate a lot higher. This pours a reddish amber color, with a minimal head that quickly dissipates, but leaves a fair amount of delicate white lacing on the glass. The smell is equally of citrussy hops and sweet molassy malt. Initially, the taste is the same. I think to myself "Hey, this is a pretty good beer." Then, unfortunately, a very salty finish/aftertaste enters the picture, totally ruining what had been a pleasant experience. I could still taste the saltiness after I paid up and left the bar. It's somewhat ironic that Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in North America, yet a namesake beer has an intense salty finish. As the flavors are otherwise exemplery, I wonder if the cask presentation was spoiled. Regardless, this is a wasted opportunity, and an unsatisfactory beer.

Lake Superior's St Louis Bay IPA pours out a rocky head over a cloudy deep
amber brew. Carbonation is steady, the nose is fruity malt. The flavor is more
of that malt, slightly sweet up front, with a mild hop finish. Mouthfeel is round,
and there is good lacing all the way down the glass. I would say this is a pretty
tasty bitter, or maybe pale ale. Calling this as IPA is really a stretch.

12 oz brown, longneck bottle, capped, no date.

This IPA poured a hazy, reddish amber color with a huge, towering light tan foam head (almost ridiculously over-carbonated). The foam clung to the glass and left clumps and lace. The smell was malty with notes of caramel and oak and with some fruity hops. The taste was bitter (especially the foam) and oaky with sharp hoppiness but with some maltiness, too. There were notes of caramel, phenols, and tannins, and a hint of floral hops. The mouthfeel was sharp, bitter, and hoppy with medium body and strong carbonation. This was an OK IPA, and it improved as it warmed up.

Medium-dark brown color, big off-white head. Smells nicely of floral hops, and citrus. Taste is strong in hops, but there is a very unpleasent flavor present. It has the melted plastic flavor that makes this a chore to drink. Not very satisfying in any way. Lake Superior should rethink their recipe on this stuff.

A slightly chill hazed copper appearance. Medium sized ivory white head with good retention and lacing ability. Aroma is fragrant and minty...and seems a little off. The taste is off. Some of that band-aid/electrical fire stuff going on. Not horrible, but it is noticeable and this does not taste like an IPA. Body is medium. This is not that enjoyable. I won't dump it, but my stomach might question that decision in a while.

Special release package...

Deep orange color, clear and coppery. Nice 1/2 inch head of respectable duration. Good patches of intricate lace. Aroma is lightly hoppy but with a respectable caramel malt counterpoint as well. The taste is quite malty, the hops may be aromatic varieties becasue caramel and even some buttery tones dominate this beer. There's a quick lemony bitter late, but overall, not much. Medium body and lower carbonation. Interesting, there are hoppier ordinary Pale Ales than this, but on its own, this is a good drinking beer. One of the better releases from this brewery, IMO...

Appearance: clear, effervescent, orange-ish hue, leaning toward bronzed, with a sturdy, fluffy, puffy, off-white head.
Aroma: nicely fruity, at first-cherries, grapes, minor grapefruit-- but doesn't boast of the hop much, and emits a plastic-y smell, creeping out from under the fruit.
Taste: hmmm, not good, somewhat sour, then nothing.
I'll try again...some hoppiness at first, then..poof! Gone, and, again a bit sour, a bit astringent...light in body, minimal finish, tiniest texture...a very dull IPA. Maybe they were going for something with the smoothness of a Bass, but the flavor is just too "off" for me, and I won't be returning to this one!

Served chilled in a pint glass. !2 oz. bottle.

Appearance: Clear dark amber colored body with a substantial creme brulee colored head, about 3/4" at the highest. Head eventually recedes to a healthy layer of bubbles. Small amounts of lacing as the glass was emptied.

Smell: Subdued floral hoppiness with hints of pine. Caramel malt notes are quite prominent.

Taste: Caramel malt sweetness with some bubblegum/fruity tastes. A touch of maple. Hops are quite weak for an IPA, hell it'd be weak for a Pale Ale. Toasted flavors on the finish.

Mouthfeel: Lightly creamy, no appreciable aftertaste.

Drinkability: Hrrm... move along folks, nothing to really taste here. It's not much of an IPA, and not all that hot of a beer. I'm interested in the other offerings from this brewery, but certainly not this one.

Other: If they could have the same taste and smell of their Special Ale, but the appearance of this one, you'd have a solid IPA.

Thanks for feloniousmonk for the trade.

Supurb color, glowing clearish dark amber resembling lightly varnished cherrywood with a small but tight and whipped lightly rocky top thats dark ivory in color and fades slowly to settle to a thin but firm skim and minimal webby lace. Smell is far to sweet for an IPA, sweet fruityness but subpar and soft with just a hint of floral hops thats dry and crispy. Taste is more malts then needed, sure its good to have a malt backbone but not this. Has a fair amount of fruitish sweet malts lending ripened fruits, pear maybe with some starfruit, slight caramel, some toastyness, uneven hops bitterness lending raw,dried, and floral, but not in a good sense and not nearly enough if it were to even make an impact in the taste. Mouth feel is somewhat creamy and light with a strange carbonation bite that doesn't fit. Nothing about this beers' characteristics, beyond its appearance, impressed me. Blah!
I'll stick with the Special Ale, Mesabi Red and their Oatmeal Stout.

A dark cherrywood color...darker than most IPA's....Poured a little flat but a nice spiderweb along the glass....Nose has a little of that cidery aroma too it that I have found with this brewery...maybe it's their yeast....luckily none of that enters into the taste....their web-site boats about how this is a hop lovers dream...come on....the hops are barely noticable....this is a malty...tasty...english style IPA...Hops are English style...fresh..and tasty...but the malt overrides them which probably shouldn't happen in an IPA...Tadte is sweet, caramel malt....almost sticky sweet...hops add a nice touch but they are complementary...

Hop heads will not be impressed with this...in fact, I think this tastes more like a solid Pale Ale than an IPA....not a bad beer at all, but just falls short of a lot f the elite IPA's...

I would drink this again, but wouldn't seek it out...