Beer of the Weekend #515: Thomas Beck Black IPA
It has been a long time since the beer of the weekend was from Iowa, so today I grabbed a bottle of Thomas Beck Black IPA, brewed by the Confluence Brewing Company of Des Moines, Iowa.
I have been curious about Confluence brews for a while but obviously never bought any until today. Frankly, I was leery of the packaging: one quart (32-ounce) bottles. Confluence started canning their flagship beers, apparently, but their beers available on the shelves in Iowa City are in one quart bottles. Packaging and quality control can be an issue for new breweries, and Confluence’s choice of one-quart bottles with a screw-on cap seemed suspicious. However, everyone I have spoken to said the quality is uncompromised and the beer is tasty.
Serving type: 32-ounce bottle. A label with what I assume is a batch number is affixed to the back, but there is no discernable freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a pint glass. The color is dark brown. Pouring from the quart bottle was a little awkward — especially since it is filled almost to the very top — but I was able to produce a finger or so of thickish, tan head that dissipated fairly slowly to leave a buttery ring around the edge and a mostly even skim.
Smell: Invigorating grapefruit and, especially, mango citrus. Woo! Pineapple and orange are in there as well. Underneath the citrus I can smell roasted malts and dark chocolate.
Taste: The mouthfeel is smooth, creamy, and somewhat reminiscent of what I would expect from a draft — which means there are no packaging issues. The quality is there. The flavor mostly mirrors the smell: mango, grapefruit, orange, and pineapple followed by a base of roasted malts, dark chocolate, and caramel. For a little while I thought the flavor may be a little less potent than the aroma, but as the beer warms I think they are comparable, especially when a pine-like aftertaste emerges.
Drinkability: This is pretty good stuff and I am impressed by the quality (in light of the packaging choice). (I have had bad experiences with other breweries that used large bottles.) This is tasty and very drinkable stuff.
Fun facts about TBBIPA:
-Style: Black IPA.
-Price: $7.99/bottle at the New Pioneer Food Co-op in Iowa City. The bottles were on sale.
-Alcohol content: 6.8 percent ABV.
-IBU: 58.
-Info from the beer’s webpage:
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
I have been curious about Confluence brews for a while but obviously never bought any until today. Frankly, I was leery of the packaging: one quart (32-ounce) bottles. Confluence started canning their flagship beers, apparently, but their beers available on the shelves in Iowa City are in one quart bottles. Packaging and quality control can be an issue for new breweries, and Confluence’s choice of one-quart bottles with a screw-on cap seemed suspicious. However, everyone I have spoken to said the quality is uncompromised and the beer is tasty.
Serving type: 32-ounce bottle. A label with what I assume is a batch number is affixed to the back, but there is no discernable freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a pint glass. The color is dark brown. Pouring from the quart bottle was a little awkward — especially since it is filled almost to the very top — but I was able to produce a finger or so of thickish, tan head that dissipated fairly slowly to leave a buttery ring around the edge and a mostly even skim.
Smell: Invigorating grapefruit and, especially, mango citrus. Woo! Pineapple and orange are in there as well. Underneath the citrus I can smell roasted malts and dark chocolate.
Taste: The mouthfeel is smooth, creamy, and somewhat reminiscent of what I would expect from a draft — which means there are no packaging issues. The quality is there. The flavor mostly mirrors the smell: mango, grapefruit, orange, and pineapple followed by a base of roasted malts, dark chocolate, and caramel. For a little while I thought the flavor may be a little less potent than the aroma, but as the beer warms I think they are comparable, especially when a pine-like aftertaste emerges.
Drinkability: This is pretty good stuff and I am impressed by the quality (in light of the packaging choice). (I have had bad experiences with other breweries that used large bottles.) This is tasty and very drinkable stuff.
Fun facts about TBBIPA:
-Style: Black IPA.
-Price: $7.99/bottle at the New Pioneer Food Co-op in Iowa City. The bottles were on sale.
-Alcohol content: 6.8 percent ABV.
-IBU: 58.
-Info from the beer’s webpage:
This dark beer pays homage to Des Moines’ history as a late 19th century coal town. Confluence Brewery is located on Thomas Beck Road, which is named after an English immigrant who developed extensive (but now long abandoned) coal mine holdings in Des Moines, including some near our brewery.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
