Clown Shoes Bill vs. The Mosquitos Review

Name: Clown Shoes Bill vs. The Mosquitoes
Style: White IPA
ABV: 7.5%
IBUs: N/A

Even though Clown Shoes Brewing isn't exactly a local brewery in our neck of the woods, they still manage to give shoutouts to the areas in which they sell their beer, usually in the form of limited release beers for the said states. Which brings us to today's beer: Bill vs. The Mosquitoes, a Belgian-style White IPA which was released by Clown Shoes exclusively for Minnesota

For those not familiar with Minnesota culture, the mosquito has been dubbed the Unofficial State Bird of Minnesota, due to the fact that during the summer months, they seem to be everywhere and more so than pretty much anywhere else in the Northern part of the United States. Which is why there is a dude (who I assume is Bill) in a makeshift suit battling dog-sized mosquitoes in downtown Bemidji, where the Paul Bunyan & Babe the Blue Ox statues are found, which you see in the background.

Since I feel my photo doesn't do the label justice, I'll post the actual label itself at the end of this review to give you an idea of what I'm talking about.

Appearance - Mild-to-moderately hazy bright orange color with no visible carbonation. The head fairly foamy and white in appearance before settling to a thin film but there isn't any lacing to speak of.

Aroma - Orange peel and citrus hop notes, followed immediately but some light hop bitterness. I'm also picking up on some malted wheat notes, a bit of grapefruitiness thrown in for good measure and some Belgian yeasts in the back to help balance things out.

Taste - Citrus hop, orange peel and pungent grapefruit notes, followed by some Belgian yeast notes. Right after that is some pale maltiness, malted wheat sweetness, bitter hops and some light cloves on the end of the palate.

This beer is meant to be a love letter of sorts to the Minnesota craft drinking crowd and it does so both in the style & cultural department quite well. If you live in Minnesota, it's certainly good enough to warrant a purchase. Plus it's a good, albeit, stronger summer seasonal beer.

Clown Shoes Bill vs. The Mosquitos  - 8.5/10