Space Cake Double IPA By Clown Shoes Beer
If you ask any child (at least the level-headed ones), they will tell you they are very afraid of clowns, especially under their bed. Where the heck any of this concept stems from is well beyond my comprehension. But sometimes clowns can bring us fun and laughter. Been to a circus in your life? I bet you giggled at clowns racing around the the big top. Missed that moment, sorry; you should have been there. Well, we have all of that and more in our focus beer today courtesy of Clown Shoes.
Mercury Brewing in Ipswich, MA, brews all of Clown Shoes’ offerings. Owner Greg Berman quips on their website about coming up with the company name. They wanted to be set apart from the other brewing companies and they must have succeeded with this iconic idea. Clown Shoes has at least 60 different offerings that have landed on shelves around New England since 2012. Some are current, others are one-offs and 58 are already retired. And their label art is just amazing! Find out more about Clown Shoes at https://www.clownshoesbeer.com.
A brilliant golden yellow hue and an antique white head generously greet you at the first pour of Space Cake. This head sticks around quite a while and laces your glass as you partake. The nose or aroma at the rim of the glass speaks of toasted bread, maybe some caramel malt, pine and citrus. With a medium mouthfeel, this tasty double IPA barks hop flavor in your first encounter. Floral and spicy notes join in the celebration of this wonderful brew. Silky smooth, malty as a double should be and a subtle hop bite are your final thoughts when you complete your journey. Among the many Double IPA’s out there, this is one that is a ‘Must Have’ in your collection.
This 9% ABV beverage drinks like a 6.5% since you are concentrating on the hop goodness and not the booziness that can happen with larger beers. True to form, character and style, Clown Shoes hits this one out of the park. But then again, all of their offerings are this way!
BeerAdvocate.com has officially rated Space Cake DIPA as ‘Outstanding’ and awards it a 91 out of 100. Many out there adding their favored votes have put it as high as 5 out of 5 which is quite a feat!
You will find it at Case-n-Keg in Meredith (I saw at least 5 bottles there recently) as well as other fine beer providers. Clown Shoes has a bunch of great offerings so try them all when you get the chance… and I’m not clowning around!
Jim MacMillan is the owner of WonByOne Design of Meredith, NH, and is an avid imbiber of craft brews and a home brewer as well. Send him your recommendations and brew news to wickedbrews@weirs.com
