MN Equivalent to 60 Minute IPA

September 5, 2015 3:41 PM

I'm recently transplanted to southern Minnesota, land of ten thousand lakes but no Dogfish Head. It's 90 degrees and humid. What locally available brew will best substitute for my good old 60 Minute IPA? The successful candidate will be plenty bitter but will not have a ridiculous ABV and will not taste like a *!@# grapefruit.
posted by Wolfdog to Food & Drink (20 answers total)

Best answer: Bell's two hearted is a solid ipa, that looks to be distributed in Minnesota. I've not had any of their beers, but people speak highly of Surly.

Although I like the latest trend in grapefruit/blueberry/shiny in IPAs, I get where you are coming from. I have adopted the following as policy. If your beer is not better than a Sierra Nevada (which I can buy everywhere) you need to step up your game. I guess that is a long winded way of saying, Sierra makes nice beers too.
posted by phil at 4:13 PM on September 5, 2015 [4 favorites]

As a fellow east-coaster who's spent time in Wisconsin....if you can find Lakefront IPA (out of Milwaukee) it's a great beer. I've seen it at distributors in PA, so you should have some luck.
posted by pilibeen at 4:25 PM on September 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

You might try Costco. No promises at all, but I've seen Dogfish Head in Seattle. But of course beer distribution is a mess.
posted by wotsac at 4:35 PM on September 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

Two Hearted is probably not what you want. I like it and I prefer IPAs that taste like a goddamn grapefruit. You might try Surly Furious, Surly Overrated, or Fulton Sweet Child of Vine.

If you can get across the border without too much hassle: I've bought Dogfish Head in Wisconsin in the past year.
posted by clavicle at 4:37 PM on September 5, 2015 [3 favorites]

Founders All Day IPA, their website says it is available in Minnesota. It is a little grapefruit-y though.
posted by katieanne at 4:53 PM on September 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

Was going to suggest Bell's Two Hearted, as well. Definitely no grapefruit in that one.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:22 PM on September 5, 2015

Locally? Lift Bridge Hop Dish is my goto IPA in a similar circumstance. Bauhaus' IPA is also more on the piney side as opposed to the grapefruit side.
posted by sanka at 5:35 PM on September 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

I'd also suggest trying Bell's Two Hearted, and also Founders Centennial Ale. Neither strikes me as especially grapefruit-y. They're pretty well distributed in the region, and different enough that you'll probably like at least one of them.
posted by silentbicycle at 6:13 PM on September 5, 2015

They may be a bit grapefruit-y, but not much more so than the 60 Minute, and less so than several others that come to mind. (e.g. Short's huma lupalicious, which will probably be harder to find outside Michigan. )
posted by silentbicycle at 6:19 PM on September 5, 2015

Best answer: Knowing a bit about hops might be helpful in your search.

Citrus: Cascade hops are probably the chief "grapefruity" offenders. Centennial hops are "super Cascade" hops that are more bitter and less citrusy than Cascade.
Tropical: Amarillo are described as having a tropical fruit flavor, which is still fruity but not so assertively citrusy.
Piney: Simcoe are piney hops, and are the ones used (along with Warrior, another piney hop plus some others) in the 60-Minute IPA.

A lot of IPAs will use a mix of hops from these (overly broad and totally incomplete) categories, but any beer that's dry-hopping with Cascade is probably going to taste like grapefruit to you (e.g., New Belgium's Ranger).

Bell's Two Hearted uses Centennial hops exclusively. So does Founders Centennial IPA (no surprise there). They're not going to be exactly the same, but they are definitely worth a shot. Founders All-Day IPA is a Centennial/Amarillo/other stuff mix.

I'm not familiar with some of the more local beers recommended, but Imma throw some thoughts out about them anyway.

• Lakefront IPA is a Cascade/Chinook mix. Probably not what you want
• Surly Overrated is listed with Columbus, Centennial, Cascade, and El Dorado. Columbus is what you use when you want an IPA that is "dank." I don't know in what ratios they are using the hops, but the others used here might take the edge off. Website describes as fruity-citrus.
• Surly Furious is Warrior, Cascade, Simcoe, Amarillo, and Ahtanum (which I had to google, and appears to be similar to Cascade). This might work for you, although it isn't a straight IPA.
• Fulton Sweet Child of Vine is using Columbus (the website calls it CTZ - same thing) and Glacier, which is more piney. This seems like a good option
• Bauhaus doesn't list hop info on their site, but it is being described (by them and others) as tropical, citrusy, and piney, so probably a mix of a few different hops. Worth a shot.
• The Lift Bridge looks like it's edging into double IPA territory with big IBUs and 7.5% ABV (which is maybe not what you want if you're asking about the 60-Minute instead of the 90-Minute)

The tricky thing about what you're asking is that Dogfish Head accomplished something pretty great with that beer because it is really well-balanced but still complex. A lot of IPAs (hell, a lot of beers period) are just not that well-balanced, particularly when using the piney hops. It's a special beer, and you probably won't find something exactly like it. Hopefully knowing a bit more about hops and flavors can help you sort out your options.
posted by jeoc at 7:49 PM on September 5, 2015 [10 favorites]

Just FYI, Bell's website says that "Bell's Two Hearted Ale is defined by its intense hop aroma and malt balance. Hopped exclusively with the Centennial hop varietal from the Pacific Northwest, massive additions in the kettle and again in the fermenter lend their characteristic grapefruit and pine resin aromas."

But then again, I think 60 min is citrussy as well.

Maybe an english IPA?
posted by czytm at 8:00 PM on September 5, 2015

I was going to recommend a specific beer, but more than that, I'd highly recommend a day trip up to Northeast Minneapolis to try a few of the great tap rooms. There's quite a thriving beer scene.
posted by TheShadowKnows at 8:46 PM on September 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Aside from your locals, I'd recommend Deschutes Pinedrops. It was introduced recently as a counterpart to their Fresh Squeezed IPA. Where Fresh Squeezed is kind of a citrus and tropical fruit bomb, Pine Drops gives you that old school piney flavor à la 60 Minute. Like 60 Minute, Pine Drops features Pilsner malt, providing a really clean background that lets the hops shine.
posted by HumuloneRanger at 10:30 PM on September 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

I was going to suggest the Lift Bridge Hopdish, but that's been mentioned. If you are in Minnesota, at least try Surly Furious. Kind of a unique taste but a little more bitter than 60 min.

I know Dogfish Head distributes in Wisconsin so head east if you must.
posted by mygoditsbob at 7:32 AM on September 6, 2015

Yupp, I definitely know people who drive to Wisconsin just for Dogfish Head. There are liquor stores right off the freeway that carry it.
posted by miyabo at 8:04 AM on September 6, 2015

Another vote for surly furious.
posted by werkzeuger at 9:35 AM on September 6, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Surly -- oh God, oh Surly!

*ahem* try their Furious. the closest I have come to it is, I think, Ithaca's Flower Power. I am still searching, here in New England.

Bent Paddle from Duluth has an IPA, which I think I tried and really enjoyed. (I had a few of their beers this July, and I liked them all.)

You know, you should find a designated driver, take the day off, and go drink small cups of beer at the State Fair today until either you find what you want, or a friendly beer dispenser person can answer your question. (I think they have a while wing of the Ag Building now.)

Also, consider calling the Ale Jail in St. Paul to ask whether they can get you any Dogfish Head. Or maaaaaybe a friendly MeFite can work out a swap.
posted by wenestvedt at 7:44 AM on September 7, 2015

Response by poster: You might try Surly Furious
at least try Surly Furious.
*ahem* try their Furious

Good call my viking friends.

So I'm drinking this stuff out of a Princess Celestia mug on my porch step right now because reasons, and my neighbor peers over at me and my mug and says, in textbook Minnewegian, "Sō are you a coffee person or a tea person?" and I'm debating whether or not to say "right now, beer person" when her young daughter jumps in and says "IS THAT A PONY?" and I am relieved to be able to say "Yes! It's a pony!"

I found quite a few of the other recommendations available as well and I'm looking forward to working my way through them.
posted by Wolfdog at 3:47 PM on September 7, 2015

Response by poster: Pinedrops also has turned out to be a really solid recommendation.
posted by Wolfdog at 5:41 PM on September 12, 2015

Response by poster: And two thumbs up for Two Hearted on a hot Saturday afternoon. I think it's probably the closest to what I had in mind for a day such as today. (Which is, indeed, somewhat citrusy, which is great, but does not give the overall impression that I'm drinking straight from a carton of Ruby Red, which is not so great.)
posted by Wolfdog at 4:00 PM on September 26, 2015