Category: Tin Whiskers

Review – Tin Whiskers Waveform

Hazy, juicy, funky, fruity, milkshake glitter.

These features don’t often interest me when it comes to beer, but they would make for an interesting My Little Pony. IT seems new releases lately are either riding the trend (who can blame them) or are shifting to lighter, summer-themed styles, so when I saw last week that Tin Whiskers had released Waveform, a West Coast IPA, my interest was piqued.

“Why now?” I thought.

“Why not?” my inner monologue continued. “You like this style, so stop asking questions.”

It seemed a break from the norm. Hazy IPAs are de rigueur [Tin Whiskers actually released their own – Distortion – not too long ago] and while I like Pilsners, Kölschs and hefeweizens, they aren’t my go-to styles. This release seemed to be speaking to me.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I bought a four-pack of Waveform. Here’s my impression:

Tin Whiskers Waveform

West Coast IPA

ABV – 6.3%

IBU – 80

Aroma: Bright and citrusy hops up front. Not heavy, no indication they’ve used spicy or piney hops.

Appearance: Pours clear and light gold – a good sign based solely on my preferences.  

Flavor: Light, citrusy hops for a moment and then you’re hit with a hammer of piney, bitter hops. The Mosaic hops are noticeable but don’t dominate the way they can in other beers. This flavor lingers and you all but forget there was a citrus note at the beginning.

Mouthfeel: Clean and dry. No sweetness hanging around. This is surprisingly drinkable for being as hoppy as it is.

Overall Impression: Really a bold take on the West Coast IPA – which I would expect to be clear, dry and featuring hops with pine notes. This fits the bill and takes the hoppy part to the limit.

This is definitely my favorite IPA from Tin Whiskers, a spot formerly held by the previously mentioned Distortion. They’ve quietly been making some pretty solid new beers, in my opinion. Waveform is in stores and in the taproom right now, so enjoy it while it lasts.

Growler Gala Fundraiser to Benefit Roosevelt High School Theater Program

Growler Gala

It’s been about twenty years since the curtains were last drawn in the theater at Roosevelt High School. Thankfully Rick Spaulding and some of our local breweries have stepped up to help raise funds to revive the program in south Minneapolis.

On Thursday, February 4th the Parkway Theater will host an event from 7 PM until 10 PM where you can dance, mingle, and enjoy some drinks with friends. Pepito’s will be there selling food and beverages and there will be both a live, and silent auction where you can bid for growlers donated by the following breweries.

Excelsior Brewing
Fulton Brewery
Harriet Brewing
Town Hall Brewery
Lakes & Legends
Tin Whiskers
Northbound
Surly
Urban Growler
Insight
Dangerous Man
Boom Island
Eastlake
Sisyphus
Fair State
56
Bang
Bauhaus
Bad Weather
Lake Monster
LynLake
Sociable Cider Werks

Tickets will be $12 in advance and $15 at the door. Don’t miss your chance to help bring the Roosevelt Theater program back to life.

Details:

Thursday, February 4th from 7 PM until 10 PM.

Parkway Theater
4814 Chicago Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55417

Cheers!

Tin Whiskers’ Joule Cat Release Friday

tinwiskersaThis Friday at 5pm, head over to Tin Whiskers Brewing Company in St. Paul for the tap release of the winning beer from their “Community Sourced Beer” competition.

The contest winner was a Baltic Porter brewed Matt Mueller. Not surprisingly, the name, Joule Cat, fits right in with Tin Whiskers. (Wikipedia refresher for those of you who don’t recall/know what the hell a Joule is…)

Last November, Tin Whiskers launched the Community Sourced Beer homebrew competition. The winning beer was brewed this spring by the homebrewers with head brewer Derek Brown.

According to Tin Whiskers co-founder and President Jeff Moriarity, “We wanted to give someone in the home-brewing community an opportunity to brew their creations on a larger scale and taste the fruits of their labor without investing the money and resources needed to build their own brewery.”

You, dear readers, can check out Joule Cat Friday at 5pm at Tin Whiskers’ taproom.

Tin Whiskers
125 East 9th Street
St. Paul, MN 55101

Tin Whiskers to Expand

twbasement

Very cool. Our friends at Tin Whiskers are celebrating their One Year Anniversary on Saturday, June 6th from 1-6pm.

1-2pm — Brewery Tour w/ Co-Founder Jeff Moriarty
2pm — Watts Wheat Wine Release! Receive a special edition glass w/ purchase while supplies last!
2-3:30pm — Hands-on Lego Robot Mural Build-off
3:30-4:30pm — Brewery Tour w/ Co-founder Jeff Moriarty
3:30-5:30pm — Meet & Greet w/ The Family Place *Donations accepted and $1 of all pints sold will be donated to them, all day!
4-6pm — Complimentary food from Rival House and beer truffles from Legacy Chocolates

Tin Whiskers has also announced that they’ll expand their capacity by over 50% in July. They’ve seen steady growth in their first year. President Jeff Moriarty notes, “We’ve exceeded all of our expectations for our first year.  We plan to replace three 15bbl fermenters with 30bbl tanks in July, increasing our overall production capacity by 60%.” They also plan to replace a set of bay window with glass garage doors and add a larger pilot brewing system to allow for more experimentation.

It’s always fun to watch breweries grow from the ground up. Jeff, Jake and George invited me out to their basement brewery a couple of years ago. I really enjoyed that night and the samples and wished them well. It’s nice to see that in less than two years, they’re up and running and surpassing their expectations. Nice job guys!