Bitter Neighbor (Third Street Brewhouse, Cold Spring, MN)

Hard pour of Bitter Neighbor

Picked up a six pack of Bitter Neighbor from Third Street last weekend and on my next to last bottle.

Nearly black IPA with hints of ruby around the extreme edges with back light.  The very light brown head  fall slowly and lingers as a full film.  Chocolate, acrid coffee and multi-layered hoppiness in the nose.  The taste lives up to the name: harsh roast plus a significant hop bite over a light body.  Bottle lists Magnum, Hersbrucker, Amarillo and Cascade hops, which gives it the feel of a Cascadian Dark Ale but surprises with an earthiness underneath that counterpoints the bitterness.  Drinks incredibly fast and smooth because of the light body--can hardly keep it in my glass.  

Looking at the reviews on BA, there's a fairly wide range for the beer.  I like the beer, but can see where the lightness in the body might put off some geeks and the bitterness might put off those experiencing a Black IPA, or just dark beer, for the first time.  Interesting beer that I like having around for a daily dose of flavor that's pretty easy drinking.

The brewer at Third Street, Horace, used to be my next door neighbor.  I joked with my wife that maybe the beer was named after me.  She wisely warned me to not asked--just in case.