Indeed Brewing Company

For this week's escapade in brewing for the AnderHoff crew we are testing out one of the newest breweries in Minnesota - Indeed Brewing Co.

Let's just start with the fact that Matt and I are partial to canned beer. I mean come on, you can stack em, pack em, crush em, and chuck em. Not only do they sound cool when you open them, but you can golf, bring them to the softball fields, and hang out at the lake with them.

They also have a great track record of being delicious in the craft segment.  The benefits that the brewers advertise about the can protecting the beer better from oxygen and light seems to shine true.  Everything from Surly to Tallgrass have proven to be great beers.  Let's hope that this trend continues with Indeed!

We have in front of us three f'n cool looking cans of Minnesota Craft Beer:

1. Stir Crazy
2. Day Tripper
3. Midnight Ryder

Let the Tasting begin! We will go from light to dark so it will be Day Tripper, Stir Crazy then Midnight Ryder for the flight tonight. There will be some general comments from the both us, followed by an overall cap reading (for Untappd).

(It should be noted that we had a PreBeer - Miller Fortune 6.9% - 3 Cap rating for both of us)

Day Tripper

Canned on January 12, 2014 (6 weeks ago) **Paired with Boneless Buffalo Wings**

Comments

They describe it as a hopped up pale ale in the west coast style with 4lbs of hops per barrel.  Mitch Steele from Stone Brewing company was explaining the IPA style at the National Homebrewer's Conference in 2013 and stated that American IPAs use from .5 lb to 1.5lbs of hops per barrel in the Kettle and .25lb to 1.5lbs per barrel in the Dry hop, add that up and you only have 3lbs of hops per barrel in a typical IPA in the US in 2013.  This one is hopped to 4lbs per barrel so our taste buds are ready for the hop explosion to come at only 6 weeks old in this pale ale.

Love the smell, Jumps out of the glass from across the table.
Grassy, raw hop flavors reminding us of some extreme hopped homebrew Citra and centennial pale ales of our past.  Matt is especially reminded of his Citra Yard Sale and Rich is reminded of a Dead Ringer IPA that features the Centennial hop.
Not the bitter punch you would expect but there is some lingering bitterness on the back end.  Light body and malt flavor for the most part, which is one of the more desirable aspects of the this pale ale.
Almost feels like they overdid it with the hops.  Taking such a nice light body, adding a lingering bitterness, with too much raw (overly dry hopped?) grassy hop flavors coming through.  The comments on the can say a malt background prevents this beer from being a one hop trick pony but we disagree this one is a one hop trick pony for sure.

Pouring Day Tripper (and a little spillage)

Matt - 2.5 Cap Rating.......Rich - 3 Cap Rating

Midnight Ryder

Canned September 23, 2013 (5 months ago)

Comments

• Coffee, maybe some hints of an oatmeal stout in there?
• Smooth
• Some piney hops coming through on the back end.
• Easy drinker, would be interesting to try fresher but its tasting good now.
• Not thick like a porter or stout.
• Tasty hop flavors hidden in there that come through as the glass empties
• Overall its a nice, easy drinking hoppy, lighter version of a stout.  Very good.
• **Perfect for this season, late winter. We both agreed this isn't a summer activity beer but more of a nice hoppy refresher for the season in between stout and IPA time.

Pouring Midnight Ryder

Matt - 4 Cap Rating.......Rich - 4 Cap Rating

Stir Crazy

Canned January 9, 2014(6 weeks ago)

Comments

• Two words jump out....VANILLA and COCOA.
• So light and smooth. Not sweet, or thick, which makes this one an amazing surprise!
• Not a style we tend to grab but this one is a diamond in the rough.
• Digging the balanced, light mouthfeel.
• Aroma is prominent with vanilla and cocoa. Not getting raisin or brown sugar but is that a flavor/ aroma that would carry through usually?  Brown sugar would just ferment out, wouldn't it?
• A great beer for this time of year with below zero nights and mid teen highs.  Freezing cold outside and this drinkable, 6.5% winter ale keeps you warm with the punch of fresh vanilla following from the smell to taste.

Pouring Stir Crazy

Matt - 4 Cap Rating.........Rich - 4 Cap Rating(in the winter ale style, else 3.5 Caps for untappd)

Well, We can't automatically go and grab an Indeed beer and be sure that they are all amazing but we have found out that they do darker beers very well.  The pale ale could maybe get better as its ages and some of the hops dropped out.  The Midnight Ryder could probably better when fresher with a little bit brighter hop flavor but not much more is desired.  For the stir crazy it is good now and should continue to be good into the future, great beer there.

Cheers!

-Rich and Matt