Town Hall Masala Mama IPA

Brewed by Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA

In short: An incredibly intense “small” IPA focussing of intense foresty dry bitterness. Very tasty dry. A fantastic beer. My desert Island American hops fix.
How: Growler, a million thanks to oakbuff (Scott) for this unexpected gem. Drank fresh the day I received it
The look: Clear shinning golden copper body topped by a medium off-white head
In long: Enchanting strong nose of resinous and foresty hops. A very big body for such a small IPA. The toasty caramelized malts sweetness are quickly taken over by a very tasty intense bitterness and a surprisingly dry finish. Very resinous with coniferous bark. The pine tree flavour is very dry and feels like chewing on dried pine needles with the juice sucked out. Very light on the fruity side with only hints of dried fruit peels (orange, citrus). A little fluffy and dusty. The dryness of this IPA is off the chart. This beer is more intense than most 9% Imperial IPAs but is more refreshing and highly drinkable. Clearly one of the best hop-fix I’ve ever had and without any doubt the best below 7% hop-fix I have had. It may not have the intensity of the best IIPAs out there (Dreadnaught, etc.) but I cannot think of an American (I)IPA I’d like to drink more often. As much as I love the stronger IIPAs if I had to chose only one American hoppy beer to drink for the rest of my life it would be this one. Hence the perfect score. Too bad it’s only available on tap. Growlers are expensive to ship and shipping price from USA is proportional to the weight. It’s a good thing for Americans that this pricing rule doesn’t apply to plane tickets.

Tap at brewpub. Pours a deep amber with an aroma of sweet grapefruit and tangy orange syrup. Flavor is strong grapefruit and orange with a slight pine finish. Leaves a lingering bitterness on the palate. Great IPA.

Growler: Poured a deep orangey color ale with a huge foamy head with great retention and great lacing. Aroma of citrus hops with a nice mix of caramel malt and a nice bitter aftertaste. Taste is also a very well balance mix between some some c-hops citrus notes with some floral undertones and deep caramel malt. Full body with great carbonation. Very well done but I still thinks its lacks the grapefruit punch that I really look for in this style.

Growler from MatSciGuy - thanks! Pours copper with white head. Nose is all florals, all the way. Ends on a nice bitter note. Has that perfect back-of-the-tongue bitterness that I love in IPAs. Also, unlike so many MW IPA’s, it is not too sweet. Dry with a touch of sweetness. Also perfectly sessionable at 5.9%

Growler from Tweety. Thanks, Paul! Man I have been wanting to try this for some time and it does not disappoint. A very big pour with a fine two-finger head that’s very creamy, sitting atop a lustrous bright orange with mild cloudiness. Nice sticky lacing and retention, a good sign, and a suprising one for an IPA with such a modest ABV. The nose is really fruity, with abundant bitter hops in there to be sure, but floral and inviting in a big way. The taste is far more bitter, resinous in certain places, in a way that complements the full bodied mouthfeel quite nicely, keeping it from being too chewy. Spice, a touch of mint, fruits coming back to close it out. Man, this stuff is great.

Growler from Tweety. Pours a bright orange/red color with a bunch of carbonation. A huge white head forms and lasts. Aroma shows earthy hops, herbal, dank, different. A little citrusy, floral. A bit of fusels noticed in the aroma that disappears after awhile. Brings to mind Dale’s Pale Ale. Taste is pretty bitter, dry and grainy, good hop flavor. Drinkable. This is good. Pretty unique but I don’t think it’s even close to one of the best IPAs I’ve had.

Growler generously obtained for me by BDR. Split with cdumler and Alraomon. And I’m grateful for this because currently my only Minnesota rating is some crappy pale lager from trader Joe’s. Pours an almost strawberry red color. Slightly hazy. Large head shows great head retention and thick lacing. The aroma is oily, resiny, piney, minty hops with earthy, brown sugar notes. The taste us very earthy and very bitter resiny, leafy hops, but balanced nicely by the malts. Medium bodied. Very nice IPA.

Pours a clear amber color from the tap at the brewery with a trim off-white head. Filtered, but leaves great lacing. Smells mildly of hops which build in flavor and become bitter in the taste. More like the rind of grapefruit rather than the fruit. Pine is also present. Nice, but not very complex.