Beer of the Weekend #133: Iowa Pale Ale

Tonight, after sharing a pizza at The Airliner, Mervgotti and I strolled over to Dave’s Foxhead for a pint. I usually drink PBR at Foxy’s, but Mervs recommended a draft of Iowa Pale Ale, brewed by the Millstream Brewing Company of Amana, Iowa. He was buying, so I obliged. It was good brew. So good, in fact, I’ve decided to give it a proper tasting. (Note to self: always carry a small notebook for impromptu samplings when out on the town. Be a better beer geek.)


Truthfully, I was planning to make IPA this weekend’s beer regardless. I’m kind of blowing my proverbial load when it comes to Millstream brews before moving back, but why not? I was going to review them eventually.

Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles. The “A” for April is notched on the month list along the right side of the label. Since it’s so local, all of Millstream’s stuff is fresh fresh fresh.

Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is a clear, clean, amber. Two fingers of buttery and dense off-white head developed and dissipated slowly.

Smell: I couldn’t pin down what IPA reminds me of when I had a pint at the Foxhead, but figured it out just now: Fuller’s ESB. It smells a lot like British pale ale. The smell is sweet caramel malts, vanilla, and a light lemon citrus. There are some minor fruity esters and diacetyl as well.

Taste: The first sip proves hoppier than the smell would suggest, but, on the whole, the brew is reminiscent of the aroma. Sweet caramel, some light citrus, an adequate hop bite, and some vanilla and fruit playing around.

Drinkability: IPA is like a balance between the British and west coast versions of the style — which is fittingly Midwestern. Respectable, even-tempered, and not extreme. This brew caters to my malt preference, so the drinkability is pretty high.

Fun facts about Iowa Pale Ale:

-Style: American Pale Ale (APA). BA says this:

Of British origin, this style is now popular worldwide and the use of local ingredients, or imported, produces variances in character from region to region. Generally, expect a good balance of malt and hops. Fruity esters and diacetyl can vary from none to moderate, and bitterness can range from lightly floral to pungent.

American versions tend to be cleaner and hoppier, while British tend to be more malty, buttery, aromatic and balanced.

-Price: Once again I didn’t get the receipt. However, I received $11.15 change for a $20, so pretax IPA must be around $8 or $8.50 per sixer at Dirty John’s.

-Serving temperature: 40-45ºF.

-Alcohol content: 5.7 percent ABV.

-Food pairings: From the Millstream website: “Fried Seafood. Spicy Hot food like Cajun, or Thai. Intense Cheeses like Gruyere. Lamb, Beef and Game.”

-IBU: 29.

-Color: 9 SRM. Too bad I don’t have
Tasting Beer with me so I can crosscheck Millstream’s listed SRM with the book’s color chart. It seems to me, though, Millstream tags this a little low. Microspectrometers don’t lie, though.

-Here is IPA’s Millstream webpage for other nerdy beer facts (I just wanted to drink it and enjoy the night): http://www.millstreambrewing.com/Warsh.html.


The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.

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