Crow Peak Brewing Company- 11th Hour IPA : Badass in the Black Kills?

Recently I have picked up the running shows and put down the beers, but I couldn’t resist this ominous green can any longer. Jason slid me this beer a while ago and I have been meaning to get to it for ages. After tonight’s run I hit my target of fifty miles ran in under a month and I couldn’t pass on a celebratory review any longer. Fingers crossed that this is a beer worthy of praise and adulations.

I really like my initial impression of 11^th Hour. It poured a rusty orange with almost no head and no carbonation. This beer seemed to have a real mysterious air. The aroma was complex and nuanced with hints of sweet malt, citrus and piney hops. The aroma is incredible and dangerously inviting. This brew has a real gravity and presence in your glass. I am truly excited for my first sip.

11^th Hour where have you been my whole life? This beer took me by surprise. I was expecting a dense and heavy brew based off my initial impression and I was way off! This beer is incredibly smooth, crisp and light. It has a subtle, sweetness and a citrusy, green tee flavor. Crow peak has a smooth and perfectly blended summer IPA here: Think Ska Decedent Light! It is a shame that I can’t get my hands on this more often because this would be the perfect beer to drink while watching the Cubs lose.

 Consumed: Sensory Glass

ABV: 6.5%

Verdict: Buy A Case!

Crow Peak Brewing Company- 11th Hour IPA: Thank You Mr. Miskimins (Part 2)

It’s been a break since the last one but I thought that I would continue with the beers that I received from Mr. Dale Miskimins from the Craft Beer blog www.sodakbeer.com.  I received these brews a few months back and I started with the absolutely amazing Myrcenary from Odell Brewing Company.  Aside from the Myrcenary, I told Dale to send me anything pale ale or IPA and if he could, send me something local to South Dakota.  I had yet to have a Craft Beer from South Dakota so I was pretty much up for anything he sent me from the Mount Rushmore State.  Lucky for me, when I met up with his son Chuck, there was the native brew from South Dakota, Crow Peak Brewing Company’s 11^th Hour IPA.  I had never heard of this brewery or particular beer but to be honest, I was extremely stoked!  I’m working hard to scratch all of the 50 states off my list and this allows me to scratch off one more.

Crow Peak Brewing Company classifies this brew as an India Pale Ale and their website describes 11^th Hour IPA as, “Hop aroma and flavor dominate this IPA. However, the malt character of this deep amber colored ale nicely balances the hop component thus avoiding a harsh bitterness. Pure hoppiness!”

11^th Hour IPA pours a golden orange with a ¾” tan head.  The aroma is grapefruit, pine, lemongrass and some sweet caramel malt.

First, a big shout out and thanks to Dale for sending me this brew, I greatly appreciate it!  11^th Hour IPA has a great aroma and color but from the start, the flavor lacks depth and complexity.  Right off the bat you get a really hoppy bite but as you get further into this beer the true flavor reveals itself.  As you get into 11^th Hour IPA the grapefruit flavor comes out and you get some slightly sweet caramel maltiness but it stays in the background.  11^th Hour IPA has a light body and the carbonation seems a little bit on the high side for an IPA.  Towards the end of the glass I picked up a slight spiciness and faint mintiness in the flavor that wasn’t there in the beginning but found it rather enjoyable.  From my initial taste I wasn’t all that impressed with 11^th Hour IPA but as it breathed and warmed up the complexity and flavor really came through.  Crow Peak Brewing Company’s 11^th Hour IPA is a really solid IPA and I have to say that if you get the chance to try this brew it’s worth it.  Plus, you can say that you have had a Craft Beer from South Dakota as I can now say!

ABV: 6.5%

Glass: Peace Tree Brewing Pint Glass

Verdict: Buy A Twelve Pack