Well, it was $7.99 for a 4 pack of tall boys. Surprisingly, it seem to be for real brewery located in Minnesota. Clocks in at 16 oz. of 6.2% beer, and seems to be in the West Coast IPA category.
Aroma-Vaguely hoppy, fairly low hop aroma
Appearance-Clear, golden
Flavor-Clean and bitter, without a ton of hop flavor. Fits more in line with older IPA’s, has more of a vague, muddled pine/grapefruit/whatever flavor.
Mouthfeel-Pleasant, doesn’t taste too sweet or astringent.
Overall-If you can only stop at Aldi (Where it’s stored warm), then probably pass and grab a bottle of Winking Owl wine for $2.89. It’s too expensive and too inconvenient to have it be worthwhile.
Aldi’s IPA is likely brewed regionally by different brewers. A consistent recipe is unlikely. Same goes for Trader Joes and Costco. Firestone brews for at least one of them. I’ve had some bargain priced private label craft beers at these stores. They are decent beers for a bargain price. The hoppy beers are much less impressive. The malty beers are pretty good.
So Cold Spring rebranded as 3rd st and contract brews for discount retailers? Good move. I had the displeasure of trying three Cold Spring Beers and was impressed with how completely awful they were.
Yes infact most Aldi, Costoco, Trader Joes beers are regional contracts.
Here in Wisconsin most contracts are brewed by Point Brewry in Stevens Point, or (yuck) by Minhas in Monroe WI. Occasionally decent contract joints get these gigs, I think in this case you got a dud.
I often find Stevens point contract to be palatable when the style is neutral (Amber, helles, Extra pale)
But in at least one case I know that Trader Joe’s does good deals with boutique contractors. Tintinn and other campanology beers are actually decent and priced low to compete with Minhas (mission st) beers.
ALways check the location of the brewery on these no-name brands, and know your local contractors. It is worth your time!
I’ve been to the Third Street Brewery, and I have to say that I was not super-impressed. They mainly seem to be focused on creating catchy packaging images. The beer is often not fantastic. I don’t agree with their environmental ethic either. Their “Lost Trout Brown Ale” mocks the fact that they were in trouble with the EPA for discharging warm water into a protected trout stream. They claim that the trout were long gone before they began adding heat pollution to the water.
They also make a black IPA called “Bitter Neighbor” which pokes fun at a local resident who had complaints with the brewery.
That’s not to mention their “Three-Way IPA” which pushes the envelope for decency with thinly-veiled references to menage-a-trois. Overall, I’m not impressed with their beer or their public presentation. It is a real brewery, though.
Oh, and their “Sugar Shack” is a maple stout with maple syrup made by the monks at St. John’s University, which is embroiled in an ongoing lawsuit regarding clergy abuse of minors. Great PR, eh? Yes, I just said “eh”.
Ugh, if the beer wasn’t “meh” enough. Sounds like the kind of people that complain of government regulation getting in the way of Industry.
I haven’t tried any of the heineken/carlsberg/eurolager knockoffs, but every time I’ve bought it I’ve been annoyed I have to keep storing it in my fridge. I don’t quite understand the market choices-it’s too expensive for what it is, it’s not cold so it’s not a convenience option, it’s not inoffensive enough for a casual drinker…