Evil Twin Hipster Ale Review

Name: Evil Twin Hipster Ale
Style: American Pale Ale
ABV: 5.5%
IBUs: N/A

Hipsters, they've been the butt of many jokes for the past few years. Whether you love them or despise them, there is no doubt that they have, to some extent, promoted the image of craft beer. As to whether that image is positive or negative is a matter of opinion.

So leave it to Evil Twin Brewing to create the Hipster Ale, a tribute ale to hipsters, and by hipsters, I mean us......or something. I'll show you the label and let that do the talking:

Perhaps you heard of a worldwide beer-movement that tributes favorite hipster neighbourhoods across the globe. If you feel excluded because you’re hip but your city is not, this cutting-edge, ‘hip without border’ pale ale is an homage to you - the global hipster. Cheers!

Funny because I wouldn't even consider myself to be a hipster, in fact the most hipster thing I would consider part of myself would be the music I listen to. Also the hipster neighborhood here in Minneapolis-St. Paul would be Northeast Minneapolis but whenever I go there to visit one of the many taprooms, there's always more non-hipsters there than hipsters. Anyways, I'm not drawing it out any further so let's look at the beer.

Appearance - Cloudy dark yellow color with a mild amount of visible carbonation. The head is quite foamy with some great retention. There is also a good amount of lacing that also has pretty good retention as well.

Aroma - Pungent bready biscuit yeastiness dominates the front of the nose and is backed up by some moderate flora hops, mild bitter resiny hops and some light toffee maltiness.

Taste - Floral and resin hops upfront, followed by a mild toffee malt backbone with a bitter hop and light yeast aftertaste.

The flavor lacks the vibrancy that is in the nose and that hurts it some. That said, it possesses a decent flavor but given the higher-than-normal price I paid for it ($2.39 for a single can) and the available number of better tasting beers of the same style, this wouldn't be my first choice. You make great beers, Evil Twin, but this one is merely okay.

Evil Twin Hipster Ale - 7/10

Pabst Blue Ribbon Review

Name: Pabst Blue Ribbon
Brewed By: Miller Brewing Company
Style: Adjunct Lager
ABV: 4.74%

Where do I even begin with this?

Pabst Blue Ribbon or PBR, has seen a resurgence in recent years thanks to a previously untapped market, Hipsters. Say what you want about Hipsters, but you have to give them credit for bringing back a brand to the forefront of our culture.

But we're here to talk about PBR itself. It was originally brewed in Milwaukee, WI in the 1800's and reached it's peak in sales in the late 1970's. Even though the Pabst Brewing Company technically no longer exists, it is contact brewed out of Los Angeles, CA under a different company. As you may already know, they usually come in their trademark "tallboy" cans; I have yet to see an actual bottle of PBR. You can also find it in pretty much any liquor store and bar in America sitting next to the Schlitz and Old Style.

PBR pours a clear pale yellow color with a high amount of carbonation activity. The head starts out fluffy and soapy but quickly vanishes in just a couple of minutes.

The nose has a pale malts, cooked corn, cereal grains and barley scent. So far it smell pretty much like any typical Adjunct Lager but nowhere near as offensive. Flavor-wise you have your cooked corn, pale malts, lemon zest and some mild grassy notes. The aftertaste is also pretty dry as well.

The body is light and the carbonation is moderate and nowhere near as intense as Budweiser's carbonation, so it does have a crispness to it.

I'll put it to you straight: It is by no means a good beer at all, but if you're short on cash and want something that isn't cheap malt liquor, PBR does the job as long as you don't have high expectations. This beer also tastes better straight from the can and there is a reason for this; Because by pouring it into a glass, you're also getting a whiff of the odors which some would consider to be unpleasant and it ends up distorting your sense of taste. 

Pabst Blue Ribbon -  5/10