Modist Bite Size Review

Name: Modist Bite Size
Style: Stout
ABV: 6.7%
IBUs: N/A

It’s been a while since I’ve had anything from Modist Brewing. They’re grown leaps and bounds since I last reviewed anything from them, so it’s time to take a look at one of their new offerings called Bite Size. This beer is described as a Pastry Stout made with Ghana Cocoa Nibs & Madagascar Vanilla Beans. I couldn’t find anything related to hops in my research, so we’ll leave the IBUs section listed as N/A.

Looking at the description of this beer on their website as an answer to those who don’t want to crack open a high-end ABV Imperial Stout but still want the flavor of one. Hence, the name Bite Size.

Appearance – Pitch black color with a fairly thin tan head but there’s really nothing here in terms of lacing.

Aroma – Potent chocolate sweetness is front-and-center on the nose with some light roasted barley. I’m also picking up on a mild nuttiness in here too, almost like smelling a Snickers bar. No sign of that vanilla sweetness yet though.

Taste – The front starts off with a solid nutty flavor but this is paired with a strong chocolate and roasted barley profile, both of which linger throughout the palate. The middle gives way to a fairly mild vanilla sweetness while the back end of the palate opens up to what appears to a bitter dark chocolate flavor, and it lingers for a few moments afterwards.

As far as I’m concerned, Modist Brewing knocked it out of the park with this one. Bite Size, despite its name, manages to have a vibrant flavor profile without necessarily putting you out of commission. As such, this is very easy to recommend.

Modist Bite Size – 9/10

A visit to Modist Brewing Company

I've seem to have fallen into a habit recently of visiting taprooms that I have never been to before and writing about them. Oh well, it's something I enjoy doing and will continue to do so. This past Sunday, as I was drinking my morning coffee, I was trying to figure out how to make the most of the day when I decided to pay a visit to Modist Brewing after I remembered an exchange I had with a friend of mine about Modist Brewing and how I lamented that I had yet to check it out.

Located in the North Loop area of Minneapolis right by Target Field, Modist Brewing is the brainchild of Keigan Knee, a former brewer at Harriet Brewing & Dangerous Man Brewing. To my knowledge, they've been open for approximately six months and have developed a loyal following in the relatively short period of time. When I arrived, the streets were quiet and maybe a couple cars on the streets in the neighborhood but the open patio had a stream of music coming from the inside.

The taproom itself is quite roomy, with the tanks off to the right side of the room and the taproom itself is fairly wide open, complete with a great patio area . On top of that there was quite a selection to choose from. So I pulled up a barstool and mulled over what to get. The bartender (I don't remember her name) was quite knowledgeable about the beer and helped me decide what to treat myself to first.

German Fat Cap (6.5% ABV, 82 IBUs) - A hoppy Oktoberfest and the first beer I had since it IS October after all. You've got a nice citrus and bitter hop profile which is balanced out with some Munich malts and toffee sweetness. Unlike Hopzeit from Deschutes, which I found to be disappointing, German Fat Cap accomplished what Deschutes failed to do. Out of all of the Oktoberfest beers I've had this year, this is probably my favorite and once again serves as proof that Oktoberfest beers can indeed be interesting if done right.

Smoove (5.5% ABV, 26 IBUs) -  A salted caramel lager. That's a thing now, isn't it? I've had a salted caramel Brown Ale, strong ale, and even an Imperial Stout but not an amber lager. This one's got a nice, albeit light, salted caramel flavor mixed in with some toffee malts, light floral hops and a touch of lager yeasts. On top of that, it's also quite crisp and refreshing. Since it was in the mid 70's that day, it's a beer that fit the atmosphere quite well.

Toats (4.8% ABV, 38 IBUs) - A hoppy oats/session beer. This one had a nice citrus hop flavor along with some toasted oats (Hence the name,) light yeast notes and some pale malts. It's a nice session beer with just the right amount of hops without necessarily giving up too much of your sobriety and it does just that.

It's easy to see why Modist's following is quite loyal and I was impressed with the quality of the beers that were available there. It's a refreshing change of pace to visit some taprooms and not have to be worried about the quality of the beer being subpar.

I also went to the taproom shortly after 12PM so I went at a reasonably slow time but if you're ever in the North Loop area of Minneapolis, this place is definitely worth checking out and perfect for hanging out at on a lazy Sunday afternoon.