Beer of the Weekend #494: Bad Axe
The beer tonight is Bad Axe, brewed by the Big Wood Brewery of White Bear Lake, Minnesota (“Go Bears!”).
Serving type: 16-ounce can. Codes are printed on the bottom of the can but there is no discernable freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a pint glass. The color is hazy, bright amber. Two fingers of dense, eggshell-colored head settled slowly.
Smell: Lots of citrus upfront. A blend of grapefruit and tangerine is most prominent, but underneath is a little mango and a gritty hoppiness, which is reminiscent of Tang at first. As the beer warms, a scent of caramel emerges and a faint, pine-like sappiness lingers at the tail of each whiff. The alcohol is completely masked.
Taste: Very sharp but the flavors seem to be at an arm’s length away at first. They close in quickly, though, and settle over the taste buds. Gritty and bitter tangerine/grapefruit citrus is backed by bready malts that offer a little caramel counterbalance. The alcohol, though very noticeable at first, gradually fades into the background and allows pineapple, mango, and pine to takes its place.
Drinkability: This is a tasty and bold brew that offers an excellent flavor experience. It makes for an ideal sipping IPA.
Fun facts about Bad Axe:
-Style: Imperial IPA.
-Price: Unlike my can of Jackpine Savage, my can of Bad Axe still had its price sticker: $3.49/can at Zipp’s Liquors on E Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
-Alcohol content: 9.8 percent ABV.
-IBU: 76.
-Nerdiness from the Big Wood website:
-According to the Big Wood website, kegs of Bad Axe were first released in March and were followed by cans in April.
-Bad Axe is part of Big Wood’s “Randomly Brewed Beer” line-up. The only other “RBB” is Forest Fire, an imperial smoked rye that was released in kegs this month.
-What is the difference between “ax” and “axe”? “Ax” has become the common spelling in American-English and “axe” is British-English. Bad Axe is totally un-American, guys.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
Serving type: 16-ounce can. Codes are printed on the bottom of the can but there is no discernable freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a pint glass. The color is hazy, bright amber. Two fingers of dense, eggshell-colored head settled slowly.
Smell: Lots of citrus upfront. A blend of grapefruit and tangerine is most prominent, but underneath is a little mango and a gritty hoppiness, which is reminiscent of Tang at first. As the beer warms, a scent of caramel emerges and a faint, pine-like sappiness lingers at the tail of each whiff. The alcohol is completely masked.
Taste: Very sharp but the flavors seem to be at an arm’s length away at first. They close in quickly, though, and settle over the taste buds. Gritty and bitter tangerine/grapefruit citrus is backed by bready malts that offer a little caramel counterbalance. The alcohol, though very noticeable at first, gradually fades into the background and allows pineapple, mango, and pine to takes its place.
Drinkability: This is a tasty and bold brew that offers an excellent flavor experience. It makes for an ideal sipping IPA.
Fun facts about Bad Axe:
-Style: Imperial IPA.
-Price: Unlike my can of Jackpine Savage, my can of Bad Axe still had its price sticker: $3.49/can at Zipp’s Liquors on E Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
-Alcohol content: 9.8 percent ABV.
-IBU: 76.
-Nerdiness from the Big Wood website:
2013 Rochester Craft Beer Expo winner for Best Beer! This one might take a few trees down without trying. It's the one all the lady axes think they can change. He might be a tough guy in the flannel shirt who tears of bottle caps with his teeth, but don't worry he's easy to get along with. Brewed with a mix of Columbus and Centennial hops, it pours pale amber and goes down surprisingly easy. Well, maybe not so surprising, considering it's from Big Wood Brewery.
-According to the Big Wood website, kegs of Bad Axe were first released in March and were followed by cans in April.
-Bad Axe is part of Big Wood’s “Randomly Brewed Beer” line-up. The only other “RBB” is Forest Fire, an imperial smoked rye that was released in kegs this month.
-What is the difference between “ax” and “axe”? “Ax” has become the common spelling in American-English and “axe” is British-English. Bad Axe is totally un-American, guys.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
