The beers of Boom Island Brewing (Minneapolis, MN)

I took a trip to the Four Firkins for an early tasting of Boom Island beer, but have been slow in getting around to drinking this one.  I absolutely love the story of this breweries start up, but rather than me retell it, check out the Heavy Table article.

In part, the samples I tasted weren't as exciting as I had hoped.  As it turned out, taking home a few bottles was a good idea to give it a better chance.

First up is the Silvius Pale Ale.  Hazy copper pale ale that has a spicy nose over a musty malt taste. Thin head falls quickly.  Overall impression is muddled with some interesting blended flavors.  Better than the sample and an excellent beer for the night, but I won't be making a habit of this beer.

Busy weekend, so it took me a couple of days to get to the next Boom Island beer: Throprock IPA.  Thick, rocky off white head piles up high and hangs on through the initial tastings.  Mixture of spices in the nose from hops and Belgian yeast are blended and layered so that it's impossible for me to tell the source.  Aggressive hoppy bite that's mitigated by a strong malt backbone and an oily smoothness that creates a musky bitterness that's very enjoyable.  IBUs aren't listed on the website, but I suspect they are fairly high to achieve the perceived bitterness inside of this 8% ABV beer.  Warmth helps the beer, and strong peppery notes (that I love) move forward--great Sunday afternoon beer to sip.  Looking forward to trying this one on tap to see if it brightens up the beer a bit.

Last Boom Island in my possession: Hoodoo Dubbel.  It just arrived at the Four Firkins when I stopped a week or two later than the initial Boom Island tasting.  Cork almost flew through my grip as it released with a loud pop.  Large vacuous and irregular bubbles formed in the head; bubbles tightened up on subsequent pours.  Strong nose of dark cherry chocolate, heavy malt and a big, clean spice floating over top.  Taste flows exactly from the nose with a assertive carbonic bite.  Guessing that this particular bottle became a little heavy on the carbonation.  I like the beer well enough to try another bottle to find out.