Pipeworks Velocity of Light Review

Name: Pipeworks Velocity of Light
Style: India Pale Ale (New England/Hazy)
ABV: 7%
IBUs: N/A

Ahh, Pipeworks Brewing. The last time I had anything from this brewery, they were not yet available in Minnesota. Fast forward four years later, they seemed to have brought everything including the kitchen sink to the fine state of Minnesota in terms of selection. So it should come as a complete shock to no one that they too have their own interpretation of a Hazy IPA.

Which brings us to Velocity of Light, a double dry hopped Hazy IPA made with Galaxy, Mosaic & Cryo-Mosaic hops. Also they threw some oats into the mix as well. It’s a beer an aroma that “breaks free from the vacuum of your glass as fast as the velocity of light.” Well, let’s see about that….

Appearance – Bright hazy yellow color with a mild amount of carbonation. The head has a rather thin look to it but there’s plenty of lacing left along the sides of the glass.

Aroma – Citrus hops and lemon peel dominate most of the nose. There is a mild toffee maltiness lingering in the background throughout.

Taste – The front end of the palate is vibrant citrus hops and mild lemon peel, whereas the back end of the flavor opens up to some surprisingly strong hop bitterness, even though it last for only a split second. It is in the aftertaste that we finally see those oats that I mentioned early make an appearance and it lingers around for a few seconds before fading away.

It’s got a layered flavor profile which I always enjoy and everything comes together in one neat little package. As far I’m concerned, this is another fantastic beer from Pipeworks and anyone who has the chance to try this out ought to do so!

Central Waters Mimosa Review

Name: Central Waters Mimosa
Style: Brut IPA/Pilsner
ABV: 6.1%
IBUs: 35

One of the newest trends to pop up in my absence is the rise of the Brut Beers, modeled to have a taste reminiscent of champagne. I've had a few of these beers, mostly in the form of an IPA or Bock, and my experience with them has actually been fairly positive.

Which brings us to Mimosa from Central Waters Brewing. According to the label they took a Brut Pilsner, blended it with a Hazy IPA and added tangerines during the brewing process. It's an interesting idea to say the least.

Appearance - Cloudy dark yellow color with a soapy head and little in terms of lacing.

Aroma - Orange peel and citrus hops dominate most of the palate. I am picking up on some pale malts along with a hint of white grapes

Taste - Mild citrus hops and light orange peel on the front and middle of the palate with a lingering pale saltiness throughout. The back end of the palate has a slight bitterness to it but is otherwise quite dry.

I like the concept behind this beer & there's nothing offensive about the flavor. However the flavors don't mesh together that well and I feel that the citrus aspect just isn't profound enough; Plus I feel the Pilsner/IPA balance isn't where it should be at to give it a more vibrant flavor. Overall, I can't say I'm a fan of this one.

Sierra Nevada BFD Review

Name: Sierra Nevada BFD
Style: Blonde Ale
ABV: 4.8%
IBUs: 33

I’ve got a new offering from Sierra Nevada but this one is a bit different and that beer is their BFD. What does BFD stand for? Big Friggin’ Drink? Beer From Dave? Barney From Denver? No, it actually stands for “Beer For Drinking.” It also shows in both the style (Blonde Ale) & ABV (4.8%), which means that Sierra Nevada is trying to reach a wider market. Also, unlike most Sierra Nevada beer containers that have some sort of artwork depicting the outdoors, mountains, etc., Sierra Nevada opted for a generic design this time around.

Appearance – Dark cloudy yellow color with a high abundance of carbonation. The head is pretty foamy and thick with some good lacing retention.

Aroma – Pale malts dominate in the nose followed by mild floral hops, along with a slight earthy undercurrent.

Taste – For the most part, the composition of the palate is the same with one key difference. At first the Pale Malts are pretty profound but the middle of the palate is where those floral hops become more vibrant before fading away into what I consider to be a dry aftertaste.

Well if the intended purpose of BFD is to make it a beer that one can drink without having to think about it, then they’ve certainly accomplished that with BFD. Yeah, it’s probably not going to win any awards and there’s nothing particularly mind-blowing about this beer…….but it’s still an ideal beer to drink for a casual setting like say at a bonfire or picnic. It’s beer, it’s drinkable and that’s all there really is to say about it.

Leinenkugel's Northwoods Lager Review

Name: Leinenkugel's Northwoods Lager
Style: Pale Lager
ABV: 4.9%
IBUs: N/A

Time to look at another offering from Leinenkugel's with their Northwoods Lager. This is somewhat of an older offering from the brewery as I've seen articles referencing it's "comeback in 2008. I've also seen this beer as a part of Leinenkugel's Explorer Pack but haven't bothered to check it out until now.

Appearance - Clear dark orange color with tons of carbonation. The head itself is quite thin and there's some spotty lacing along the sides of the glass.

Aroma - Munich malts dominate most of the palate with some light floral hops & barley notes.

Taste - Much like the nose, the flavor consists  mainly of Munich Malts and barley with a slight bitterness on the back of what is an otherwise dry palate.

This isn't a beer that's trying to knock your socks off in terms of flavor and that's totally fine with me. In fact, based on the flavor, I'd classify this more in the Vienna Lager territory than anything else. Yes, there are more tasting complex lagers out there but I wouldn't turn this down again.

A Visit to LocAle Brewing

After spending a couple hours recuperating from hiking, beer & food in our hotel room in downtown Mankato,  I was getting antsy and wanted to stretch my legs. I recalled my conversation with the bartender at Mankato Brewery in which she mentioned that a new brewery had recently opened up Mankato but I didn’t recall where exactly it was located other then that she referred to the place as “the local brewery.”

With curiosity getting the better of me, I looked it up on my phone and the top search result was: LocAle Brewing Company. Upon closer inspection, I saw that LocAle was a mere 2 blocks away from my hotel room, which meant that I didn’t have to rely on my phone or car to get there from where I was at.

LocAle Brewing is actually located in a pretty busy part of Mankato, right off of South Riverfront Drive, which runs along the Minnesota River, and a block from South Front Street, which is the main hub of Restaurants and Shops in downtown Mankato. Which means there’s plenty of food options for you to bring in should it be warranted.

The brewery & taproom itself are pretty brand new having been set up during the last part of 2018; No idea if the building is brand new. The taproom is pretty roomy, with plenty of seating options as well as a nice bar space, complete with a big screen TV to watch your favorite local sports on. Patio seating is also plentiful as well but I preferred the colder temperatures of the indoors. After all, I had spend a good portion of that day outside.

Then there’s the beer. Since I had pretty much lighter beers of similar styles that day, I decided to switch it up. Yet I had to keep in mind that I had to take Mrs. Nick’s Beer Blog out for our 5th Wedding Anniversary Dinner after I was done, so I knew that couldn’t get too crazy at that point. It’s also at this time I wanted to give a shout out to LocAle for having both regular pint glasswear as well as half-pint glasses; More breweries need to do this….seriously

Name: Helles
Style: German Helles
ABV: 4.5%
IBUs: 13

My first beer after walking through the sweltering head. Plus this beer (at the time of having this) has been released the prior day. This beer has a nice pale malt profile & some mild floral hoppiness with a reasonably dry aftertaste; Oh did I mention the body was very smooth and light. Perfect beer for a 90 degree day like it was that day.

Name: Saintson
Style: Saison
ABV: 5.3%
IBUs: 20

I’m all about locally made beers, but I know that there are some instances that craft breweries will often source their ingredients from outside of their local area/state. That is not the case with Saintson as all the ingredients are sourced from Minnesota. To save myself the time of listing the ingredients and origins, I’ll just show it in the picture below.

Saintson has a nice Belgian Yeast & Clove foundation while the malted wheat and mild citra/bitter hoppiness builds upon that and lingers throughout the palate. The aftertaste is on the dryer side, save for a mild earthiness, which I didn’t expect. Overall, it’s a solid beer and a nice change of pace from the lighter beers I had earlier in the day.

Name: Norselander 2.0
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8%
IBUs: 70

My last beer while I was there. If you assumed that a beer named “Norselander” would have some Scandinavian ingredients in it…..you’d be right. This is a beer made with Norwegian Farmhouse Yeast with very non-Norwegian Wai-Ti, Pacifica, & Motueka hops. This beer has a nice bright flavor profile of citrus, mango & kiwi with some toffee maltiness and light bittersweet orange peel on the back end of the palate. All and all, a great beer to close out with.

Overall, I was pleased with the offerings from LocAle. The taproom itself has plenty of room, there’s ample seating, it’s in a great location and there’s a good variety of beers to choose from. Plus there’s plenty of places close by to grab some food from should the occasion warrant it. If you’re ever in the area, check them out; It’ll be worth your time!

They are located at:
LocAle Brewing Company
228 Poplar St
Mankato, MN 56001

Bell's Official Hazy IPA Review

Name: Bell’s Official Hazy IPA

Style: India Pale Ale (New England/Hazy)

ABV: 6.4%

IBUs: 55

Since everyone and their mother has seemingly released their own interpretation of the Hazy IPA style, it would make sense that some of the larger breweries would follow suit. Which brings us to Bell’s Official Hazy IPA, which is, of course, a hazy IPA. This beer is made with Mosaic, Citra, Azacca, Amarillo and El Dorado Hops; So you get sort of an idea of what we’re drinking today.

Appearance – Hazy bright yellow color with a light amount of visible carbonation. The head is pretty foamy but the lacing is more on the mild side.

Aroma – Bright orange peel and citrus hops dominate most of the nose but I am picking up on some light bitter notes but they don’t become apparent until the beer warms up.

Taste – Much like the nose, the palate is mostly orange peel & vibrant citrus hops with some mild pale/toffee maltiness encompassing the palate. However on the back end of the palate is where that bitter hoppiness starts to make itself known, in addition to the bright fruity flavors.

Bell’s has always been a reliable brewery for me and this beer helps reinforce that mindset. On top of that, the asking price for this beer is also very reasonably priced compared to some other Hazy IPAs out there. If you see this, this one is definitely worth grabbing!

A visit to Mankato Brewery

Last weekend, I celebrated my five year wedding anniversary. We wanted to celebrate at first by doing something massive and extravagant. However since a first class flight to the Bahamas wasn't exactly feasible, we decided on the next best thing: A weekend in Mankato!

Mankato is one of those cities that you consistently hear about constantly but don’t visit unless you or a loved one happens to go to Minnesota State University. Which is kinda sad because there’s quite a bit to see around there in terms of nature & hiking and the food there too is also rather good. However this is a beer blog and we’re going to focus on, what else, beer!

After spending the morning scrambling along the hiking trail to get to the bottom of the waterfall at Minneopa State Park and watching herds of Bison roam the prairies, we decided that it was time for a beer! Since we were in Mankato, we decided to visit Mankato Brewery!

In comparison to most of the craft breweries in Minnesota, Mankato Brewing is actually one of the more senior craft breweries in Minnesota, having been formed in 2010. Also despite having the name of Mankato Brewing, the brewery itself isn’t located in Mankato, but in North Mankato which sits right across the Minnesota River from the actual city of Mankato proper.

If I could use one word to describe the taproom, it would be: roomy. The taproom consists of a bar with stools, tables that extend way beyond the bar at which patrons can sit at and all of the brewery equipment in view of everyone. This is one of those situations where the taproom is both intimate and roomy at the same time.

Now let’s talk about the beer itself. Since it was a hot summer day, I opted for styles of the mostly lighter variety. With that said, let’s get to it!

Name: Mr. Stout
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 11%
IBUs: 80

Opaque black in color, this beer has a strong chocolate malt and smoke profile upfront with some mild bitter hops and smokiness in the aftertaste. Despite all this, the beer itself feels incredibly smooth for being at 11% ABV in both body and texture and the boozy aspect of the flavor is hidden perfectly. It might not have been Imperial Stout weather that day, but this was an absolute pleasure to have! I’ll definitely be seeking this out once it becomes available in cans again.


Name: The Gob
Style: Shandy/Radler
ABV: 4%
IBUs: 10

Named after the caverns/ravines of the Mankato Golf Club in which countless golf balls have fallen into. This beer has a fairly bright lemon flavor with a mild lemon sweetness on the back end of the palate, but is otherwise fairly dry. Complex? No. Refreshing? Absolutely!


Name: Juice Box Hero
Style: Shandy/Radler
ABV: 4.5%
IBUs: 10

Named after the Foreigner song, this is a shandy made with raspberries & cherries. Much like the aforementioned Gob, the flavor itself has a bright fruity profile consisting of raspberries and cherry, with the former being the more potent of the two. Aftertaste is also pretty dry but there’s a subtle sweetness in there too. Much like The Gob, this is an ideal summer beer.


Name: The Sorceress Lemon Sour
Style: Sour-Fruited/Wild Ale
ABV: 5%
IBUs: 10

If I had to compare this beer to anything, it would be a Lemon Warhead candy albeit way less intense. Lemon tartness dominates most of the palate with some light pale malts on the back end along with some lemon peel. I've had some local sours that have been okay, but this is definitely one of my favorites!

Name: Ribfest
Style: Light Lager
ABV: 4%
IBUs: 10

Made for the annual Ribfest celebration that the city of Mankato hosts every year. Clocking in at 4% ABV, this beer has less alcohol content than Bud Light, but slighter higher in terms of IBUs (Bud Light is 4.2% ABV &  6 IBUs). If you took the adjunct flavor of Bud Light and replaced it with pale malts and barley, this is pretty much what you’d get. They’re clearly not trying to accomplish anything complex here in terms of flavor but it works for being an ideal beer to drink in the sweltering heat.

Overall, Mankato Brewing has a good vibe going for it. The taproom is nice, roomy, & atmospheric; The beer selection is plentiful and it’s just an overall nice place to kick back, relax and have a few pints. Plus the taproom staff are more than happy to point you in the right direction in terms of where to find some great beers/taprooms, which I’ll cover later on. If you find yourself in the Mankato area, this place is definitely worth checking out!

Dogfish Head Dragons & YumYums Review

Name: Dogfish Head Dragons & YumYums
Style: American Pale Ale
ABV: 6.5%
IBUs: 25

The last time I did a Dogfish Head review, distribution had not yet reached Minnesota. Yet during my absence, they FINALLY decided to set up shop here and now I no longer have to make the trek across the border to Wisconsin to get my Dogfish Head fix.

Anyways, today I’ve got their Dragons & YumYums Pale Ale. This beer is a collaboration between Dogfish Head & The Flaming Lips: one of my favorite bands from when I was a freshman in college and was fortunate enough to see them live during that time. Who am I kidding, even now I still listen to them! This is a beer made with passionfruit, pear, dragonfruit, black carrot juice & yumberries (yes, they’re a thing).

Appearance - Mildly clear orange/magenta color with some mild carbonation. The head itself is pretty thin and the lacing itself is rather spotty.

Aroma - Toffee malts & citrus hops upfront with some pear and passion fruit notes. I'm also getting some light earthiness in here too that reminds me of apple skins.

Taste - Potent pear and toffee maltiness upfront, with some vibrant passionfruit & mild citrus hops in the middle. There is a bittersweet fruity taste and tartness in the back, which becomes more prevalent as the beer warms up.

At first I wasn't too sure, but the flavor gets way more complex the more it warms up and I like it! It's not a pale ale for everyone but if you want something different, then this beer is for you!