Latest Reviews
Double Dry Hopped pseudoSueToppling Goliath





Wild Beer Co.





Brewfist





Recent Articles
Outdoor Winter Tippling TipsStay safe from the pandemic and stay warm with these winter patio drinking tactics. Shameless
Craft brewer sellouts become as tone-deaf and underhanded as their new overlords. Great Taste Eve
Check out the burgeoning Madison beer scene the night before the best fest in country. Good Beer Makes Good Conversation
The effects of drinking beer worth talking about. The Beers of Walmart
The largest retailer in the world now has its own line of beers. archives »
Beer Reviews
Size 7
Steel Toe BrewingSt. Louis Park, MN
USA
http://www.steeltoebrewing.com/
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
ABV: 7.0%
Eddie’s Rating:





Comments:
Turns out my self-consciousness (at least when it comes to my feet) is actually a misconception, since the average American man wears a size 10.5, a mere half a size smaller than my preferred shoe size. So for the last 40 years or so I’ve needlessly carried around this emotional baggage about my feet being weirdly oversized, when it turns out that I’ve just been, well, average, all along.
Speaking of shoe sizes—and being bitter—tonight’s reviewable brewable is Size 7, an IPA from Minnesota’s Steel Toe Brewing. They call it a “West Coast IPA,” meaning it’s supposed to be over-hopped and/or under-malted (to make up a brewing term). I find this generalization of IPAs from California and Oregon a little naive if not completely unfounded, but that’s a different article that’ll probably never get written.
So on to the beer! Size 7 pours a glowing gold with a short, sticky white head. An enticing aroma of grapfruit, with a hint of strawberries, floats from the top of the glass, without a hint of maltiness. So far, Size 7 is sticking to the “over-hopped” moniker.
But lo and behold, the sip starts with some sweet maltiness up front … then immediately is buried underneath an avalanche of sharp, clean, bitterness, along with some stinging CO2. That maltiness shows up again as the beer warms, and mid-sip it pleasantly mixes with the hop character, at least for a half a swallow. I almost expect the two flavors to dance together until the end, but the bitterness comes up and buries everything, making for a short finish.
While a size seven isn’t big in the shoe world, Size 7 sits toward the clodhopper end for an IPA, with a seven percent ABV, akin to a Bell’s Two Hearted or Founders Centennial, at least in alcoholic strength. This was a nice IPA, especially if you like yours on the lighter, more bitter side, but not distinctive enough to stand out against the competition like those two, now iconic brews. But definitely a worthy entry from this relatively new brewery.
Reviewed by Eddie Glick on October 7, 2013.
Agree with this review?
No 

Yes 

Today in 1516, the Reinheitsgebot, or “German Beer Purity Law,” was adopted in Bavaria.