Craft Beer Monday Review: Threadless IPA

Wow. Another good one from Finch. I wanted to wait to review this after I tour the brewery on May 12 but it was a really good one, and in the can which I am liking more and more. I think they were due for this, since I have found that the standard for micro-brews has been a standout IPA, and the only other two beers they made (at least available to us who buy packaged beer) were not powerful enough. I really did like the Cutthroat Pale Ale, and I thought it was really tasty and pleasantly hoppy, but I have a feeling they wanted something with 65 IBUs or more.

According to Finch,  "The grain bill on this big pale includes melanoidin and Victory malts. We hop it up before the boil starts with some Columbus first wort hopping, then add a bunch more for bittering." Big fancy words, but its true: the malt and bitter flavor are both big and dominant.

Also, they collaborated with threadless, which is fun because it is not usually what I hear about, an internet clothing company and a beer recipe. But I do like how I think this collaboration allowed the change the design of the can. The older silver and yellow or green were a little plain and industrial looking. I like this look much better. I think it is kind of funny when beer makers don't put a lot of effort into the look of their labels, when it is pretty obvious it is the label that really contributes to sales of the beer, especially those that sit on a shelf.

Good job, Finch.

CBC Rating: 5. ABV: 60%.