American Beer Review LIVE! Review #31 - Black Raven Brewing Co.'s Mens Room IPA
Apr 12, 2024Season 3
Alec, Brian, and Chad
On this American Beer Review LIVE! review, we are tapping into some nostalgia of our younger beer drinking days. As expected from the beer experts at the The Mens Room and Black Raven Brewing - Mens Room IPA is a classic easy drinking (dare we say crushable?) IPA that will hit perfectly when it's 5 o'clock somewhere. We don't forget to raise a glass to the charitable side of this beer, which supports local Fisher Houses.
If you'd like to reach out to the American Beer Review LIVE! crew to give us a beer suggestion or to tell us we suck, you can reach us on any of our socials (in order of how often we check it).
On this American Beer Review LIVE! review, we are tapping into some nostalgia of our younger beer drinking days. As expected from the beer experts at the The Mens Room and Black Raven Brewing - Mens Room IPA is a classic easy drinking (dare we say crushable?) IPA that will hit perfectly when it's 5 o'clock somewhere. We don't forget to raise a glass to the charitable side of this beer, which supports local Fisher Houses.
If you'd like to reach out to the American Beer Review LIVE! crew to give us a beer suggestion or to tell us we suck, you can reach us on any of our socials (in order of how often we check it).
All right, put your ears in Yep. No turning on, here we go, so another episode.
Speaker 3:
Welcome to another episode of the American Beer Review Podcast. Good times with good friends requires good beer.
Speaker 2:
Lucky for us, we know how to pick all three.
Speaker 1:
We're a group of friends who grew up in the Pacific Northwest, giving us a jump start on our craft beer journey.
Speaker 3:
Join us today. While, brian, I pride myself on not getting to know other people, so do not put that on me.
Speaker 1:
Alec. So the bananas up until the 60s were an entirely different species of banana and Chad.
Speaker 2:
It hit me like a beck and bob Review some beer talk about beer topics and whatever else comes up.
Speaker 3:
We invite you to pour yourself a drink and hang out with us.
Speaker 1:
We're going to back local this time around. I was telling Chad before I got here, telling him before you got here Before you got here, before you got here, I was going to say I guess Chad can tell us what beer we're drinking?
Speaker 2:
kick it off and then I'll tell my little story. Caw-caw bitches, we're drinking the Men's Room IPA from Black Raven Brewing.
Speaker 1:
So a new what is old is new again.
Speaker 2:
What is old is new again. What is old is new again, sort of technically, we were young men when we first encountered the men's room, and now we're old men re-encountering the men's room.
Speaker 1:
The first one's a. That's going to sound really weird for people who don't know what the men's room is.
Speaker 2:
This isn't for the national audience.
Speaker 1:
We're getting hyper-local. We're not talking about a bathroom.
Speaker 2:
We're doing no explaining, we're just going to rip it, rip it, rip it, no explaining. So the first men's room, which is a afternoon drive time radio show on KSW In Seattle and then syndicated in that, yeah, and they're doing kind of a podcast, but when we were brand new drinkers- I'm trying to think, yeah, it's been close, maybe not quite, but close to 20 years, but growing up hitting the drive time and it was the Rock Station. And what was there was the rock station and what was it?
Speaker 1:
every day they did a toast 5 o'clock toast, celebrating their commitment we've met them many times I was going to say several times different forms and spent time with them that we will not go into. You're welcome, ted. When we have the patron we can do those stories on that I can subscribe. I have a men's room drinking team. Oh sure that I have not seen in at least 10 years, and drew my wife crazy this morning as I'm digging through it Trying to find it. I think I may know where it is now. It wouldn't fit at this point, so I'm in my throwback jersey. Oh, that hurts to say too what, that it's a throwback, that this is a throwback jersey, dude, I mean, that's almost.
Speaker 2:
Don't tell them how old it is.
Speaker 1:
I mean, I was in college when we went to that Super Bowl, but anyways, so to the men's room. They had a beer. Still had them, right? I'm assuming it's gone now because of this change. That's my assumption, because otherwise, why? The other brewery did different versions. So my assumption Because otherwise, why? Because the other brewery did different versions. So my assumption is it is no longer in existence, that this became the replacement. So for whatever reason, I don't know, because the other one was men's room red. Yes, and this is men's room IPA. Yes, and they've had different men's room styles. They've done like a blonde or they've done a different thing. They've different men's room styles. They've done like a blonde or they've done a different thing. They've done men's room black. They've had different versions.
Speaker 2:
Okay, you've had things you wanted to say for a while. I was just going to recoup the flavors that went into this one. Okay, please do. New approach to classic style.
Speaker 1:
This is a hot variety Idaho 7 and Bravo, which pack a bunch of flavors such as mango, pineapple, tangerine and juicy fruit.
Speaker 2:
If you need 5.8% ABV and tempered bitterness profile, this baby is ready to rock, and a portion of all proceeds from this beer go to local fisher houses, and that's something they've always done with this beer.
Speaker 1:
And I remember listening to him and hearing. So if we hadn't have done that, uh, we'd be retired now. Oh, if the money had gone to them instead of to the fisher house. Yep, instead of the charity they're like well of to the Fisher House. Instead of charity, they're like well, we're doing a good thing trying to help out the community, and they obviously still are. But if we just kept that money, we would not be here.
Speaker 2:
Well, you know what? I am shocked that gentlemen who made their lifestyle drinking beer helped create a craft. I don't know how much between them and Black Raven it was but this is very tasty beer.
Speaker 1:
I highly doubt that the men of the men's room went on and were like so we're thinking this many pounds of grain, we're thinking at this point, we're going to add in some hops and we're going to do a whirlpool the flame out.
Speaker 1:
I really doubt that. What I can imagine is hey, we want to make it an IPA, okay, we'll make it. They're also not like IPA drinkers necessarily, so they are realizing IPA is the flavor and the style that's going to maybe sell, maybe get even more donations, but they're going to go in and say here's what we want in an IPA. I can tell you number one that probably the alcohol level is a thing that they were probably on is saying, hey, let's rein it in a little bit and not have a 7 point something IPA, but bringing it down to a 5.8, solid. Even just from opening it you can smell a little more fruitiness. This is not going to be, from what I can tell. From just the aroma, this is not your piney west coast IPA. You're thinking otherwise From this pour. You may be able to justify this.
Speaker 1:
I haven't tasted it. The smell you could call this probably West Coast. Well, and it's from Black Raven. Yeah, right, it doesn't mean every IPA they're going to make is full on West Coast. No, no, no. So my guess would be Black Raven came up with a flight. Yeah, you're right, it's not a piney, though it's more like a dank, also kind of Vince the Mentor. They probably came up with a flight. Hey, you're looking at beers. Do a tasting. Which one do you like? We'll lean in with that one.
Speaker 2:
But yes, they're not crap. Feel free to correct us Men Room if we're talking out of our ass here. Oh, if We'll lean in with that one. But yes, there are crap rumors. Feel free to correct us men in the room if we're talking out of our ass here.
Speaker 1:
Oh, if the Ted Smith came up with the recipe in his apartment. He should have been saying it.
Speaker 2:
Ted Smith came up with this recipe in a cave with a box of scraps. It's an Iron man reference, not a Dune reference.
Speaker 1:
I might have actually known that one, but not until you said it.
Speaker 2:
I love the way it pours. It looks like it's clear If it just said beer on the can or this.
Speaker 1:
This looks like there was a bar that I used to go to that had tapped and just said beer. And there I still, to this day, I have no, I don't know what it was. I don't know if I'm it might've been only, but it was just like the tap down, it was just beer.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:
It's still not as good as.
Speaker 2:
The tap handle wasn't wrong.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, there has been Men's Room Original Red. Men's Room Black, which was an Imperial Red Ale. Men's Room Gold. Men's Room Original Single Hop. Golden Ale Original Ale. Single Hop. Comet A Pumpkin Ale oh, they got into the pumpkin game. Men's Room, original ale. And then, yeah so, and then obviously this one. I've had the black, I've had the gold, I've had the red, but I did not check in the black, but I know kind of.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, this could get away with the West Coast. Disagree, it's too fruity, you think so yeah, yeah, there was a look if there was a little more pine in it, but in the finish, but for an every so as a more everyday drinking ipa this, yeah, as an everyday. Get home from work five o'clock, crack a can down the hole. A bitchola Love it, it's right.
Speaker 1:
I think you get enough of the other stuff. But yeah, it's not overly piney, it's not like earthy.
Speaker 2:
I'm not overwhelmed by it Like I. I got after it Just to see Like a multiplicative lot of syllables. A lot happened in there.
Speaker 1:
I'm not mad about it. I it's so close to related to a fridge.
Speaker 2:
Let's see, we got a little time, let it breathe. This is so close to a gold, to a fridge. Let's see, we've got a little time, let it breathe. This is so close to a cold now for me, without some of the resin and dankness I mean.
Speaker 1:
I guess I get more.
Speaker 2:
It's like what you're saying. It's like an everyday IPA, but I'm getting more everyday drinkability out of it.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, and that's what I'm saying, and not that you can't drink like a Northwest IPA that way, but this has more viability for the every person. Well, yeah, and the flavor-wise too, though.
Speaker 2:
The conjunction of that is we just had beers a lot higher ABV, that went down a lot smoother.
Speaker 1:
True Beers and air floats. Grassy, that's the description they put on here, but it's not one that I think of. But that's it, that's what it is. That's what it is. We call it almost a dankness, but it is a grassy.
Speaker 1:
Earthy grass yeah the grass is the specific. I like it. I think it's a good one. I think it's pretty solid. It would be interesting to see as more people as it comes around. The red ale was very popular, sold well, not well liked by actual like beer drinkers, like people I know, like in distribution or just are beer nerds like weren't big fans of it.
Speaker 2:
That was a it was an odd the style. I love what they do. That was a. It was an odd Like the style. Yeah, not to Like, I love what they do, but that was a weird style to have, for I didn't Kind of the tempo of the show like ziggy-zaggy, like I always thought if I didn't ever do Pilsner, yeah I think, or something that you're crushing.
Speaker 1:
right, that's what the gold was supposed to be, I think. But the the amber is. I think the idea of it being like that blend, of being the lighter beer, like an amber, is to me like a gateway to craft beer beer where you're very light in some flavor, you're adding a little maltiness, you're not overdoing it with the hops and you're getting that little bit different. That can kind of ease somebody in and it's also like a it's not just a crusher, like it's not just an American light lager doing that sort of thing. Yes, and not to disparage the original red.
Speaker 2:
This is far superior.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, I checked it in one time in 2015 and never again.
Speaker 2:
I don't I'm sure I've had it other times, but like, but this is one. This is one that I see. I know I saw the red back in the day on tap, oh yeah, but I could see more universal acceptance of this on tap.
Speaker 1:
I would probably, depending on where I would order this on tap. I don't think I've ever ordered the original.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, no Original or whatever.
Speaker 1:
Well how much is that to our friends at Black Raven for consistently producing excellent beer? Not that the old brewery did anything wrong, but it just fits. We did a full flight of Black Raven, unintended. None of them were bad. I haven't had a bad Black Raven beer. Oh, I had their. Don't talk shit about them now. No, I'm sorry. No, it's just, that's not what I meant. I had the Dimensions, watermelon Mint, the weird stuff. Yeah, I had that one. Did you like it? It was interesting, but you know what you're doing.
Speaker 1:
It's the reason why I didn't buy a full four pack ever. So what happened? So? Alternate Dimensions, something like that. Tacoma Boys Yep, really great craft beer section. They should get ten pots while you're at Tacoma Boys For one surprisingly really good beer selection, and they have their own cans like individuals sleeper beer selection yes and it's one of those that like it's just a little bit of a pain to get to from my house but it's super actually close.
Speaker 1:
it's just because the costco traffic and like some other stuff like going by the mall but like and actually the problem is getting out of there, there's no easy way to get back to my direction.
Speaker 2:
I got to like yeah exactly, it's quicker to go the one Tacoma off Highway 16 than to go to that one.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, so they owe me money. The one in Tacoma, no, but they had a mystery box. Okay, they have multiple boxes sitting outside of the beer cooler and it just says $25 for a box. We used to do that and it was, like you know, $30 to $40 value and I was like there are literally tons of great beers, tons that I'm looking at here.
Speaker 2:
And I just kept looking at the dang box. There could be anything in that box. And I just kept looking at the dang box.
Speaker 1:
Yeah there could be anything in that box, and so I bought a box. I bought like a can of something I wanted to think, and then I bought a box and so the alternate dimensions was in there. So it was damn.
Speaker 2:
It's very tasty.
Speaker 1:
Yeah.
Speaker 2:
I think I will King. Citrus Crown was made out of alternate dimensions watermelon and sour.
Speaker 1:
I the timing of what I drank it. I think I had it like actually not bad, like with tacos or something for dinner, but like it really should have been like a post lawn mowing or like a it's a good a late brunch.
Speaker 2:
I like that late brunch. It's also a weekend lunch After a sandwich. It's a little. It's also poolside. That's a poolside crush.
Speaker 1:
Well, yeah, that's not a winter beer, no, it's like the inside beer. A couple weeks ago, a couple weeks ago, it's either been 70 degrees or 40 degrees in.
Speaker 2:
Right now, washington's still deciding what it wants to do right now, that's fine. Don't come here on vacation. That's terrible, it's miserable.
Speaker 1:
No, come here on vacation, spend your money, keep our. Oh, there you go, then go home, we will tell you. We will tell you which breweries to go to, depending on where you're at. Oh, like For sure, there was A guy I know Was visiting from Montana and he came for a Cracking game and he was like hey, what's the breweries? And I was like Totally not. And I was like Tell me more, like which one? What'd you do? Oh, did you go to this one uptown or did you go to this one by the water? Like what you like? I think it kind of like. I don't know, man, if we went to the one right next to the stadium.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I went to one.
Speaker 1:
I had some Coors Light, yeah, not what you did alright, uh, bridget, or do we have something else going on first? I don't think so. First, I don't think so. I'm just a reviewer. The way he paused like that, I wasn't sure he's stunned into silence and had almost no stroke.
Speaker 2:
This is staying in my fridge Three cans you have left, yeah, and I'll probably go grab another six pack.
Speaker 1:
I want to be able to grab a can of this. I think this is one. I've kind of done it now more with like some pale ales, with my cutting back on IPAs, but like always having something with a little like hoppiness, because the problem is, like cutting back on IPAs, what's the most common thing you're going to get otherwise, like stouts and dark beers, and there's only so much that I can do of that. I love the dark beers, but like at only so much that I can do of that.
Speaker 1:
I don't know, I love the dark beers, but like at some point you need that little bit of hops just to clean the palate yeah, and so this actually seems like a pretty solid like of having that always around like it is, and it's one that you can, I think, give to just about anybody, unless they are very, very, very into IPA. But like, even like a summer day, sitting outside, this will be kind of nice. You can have a 5.8. Like I don't know if that will, but you could at least have a few. You're getting a little bit better at that and it's not a flavor that's gonna there's nothing that's gonna burn you out. No, like maybe after three or four, but like it's not like some of those ips where you're like that I just like.
Speaker 1:
Well, how many beers roasted my palate. Where you go like I'll have a pint of this, yeah, and this is one that, yeah, it's not. Yeah, I will go back for a second yeah, yeah, easily.
Speaker 2:
So I'm not going to house it like a light beer, but I could definitely. If you're in the mood or you just get home in your mood, I'll have two or three, but I'm not going to have that like I. I purposely have been crushing this one and I'm not giving that overwhelming copness. I think I've kind of talked about the past. Where there's that additive effect, it goes away. I really fucking like it. Yeah, no, this would be a good easy IPA go-to type of a fridge.
Speaker 1:
It's like a grab-to-go to somewhere Go to a summer barbecue or something like that.
Speaker 2:
This is a perfect grab-a-six-pack and just roll, knowing that you're probably only going to have one or two because you can take some out of yours, you can be stealing some of theirs. It's good with care.
Speaker 1:
I like the blend of the logos. Yeah, the Black Raven and the Men's Storm logo so Cool. Any other thoughts on these ones guys?
Speaker 2:
Brian, you got to go bottoms up on that. Yeah, should we do the classic sign out? I forgot what the beginning part of it was.
Speaker 1:
I have not a clue. I listened to the text podcast, but I have not listened to the radio. Sorry guys, how about this Down the hole of itchola? How about we end it, our?
Speaker 2:
glasses are empty. Almost I'll get drinking Down the hole of itchola. Catch you next time. See your thunder, go for it. Our glasses are empty. Almost I'll get tricking well down the hola itchola. Catch you next time.
Speaker 3:
Nice, you got some gems in there If you've enjoyed what you just heard. Make sure you subscribe to get new episodes when they drop, and don't forget to leave us a review. If you want to see what we're drinking when we're not on the pod, you can follow us on social media at A Beer Review. Feel free to send us any beer suggestions that we can make Chad go buy off of Savor.