NEW: It’s All About the Beer: Lilja’s Argosy I.P.A.

Photo by J.T. Wampler

Lilja’s Argosy I.P.A. (East India Pale Ale) from Pangea Beer Company.

According to its website, this beer is “Brewed by Cheeseheads behind the Cheddar Curtain….Ya Betcha.”

Actually, it’s brewed by Sand Creek Brewing Co. in Black River Falls, Wis. Sand Creek operates out of a building that housed a pre-prohibition brewery and employs an old gravity system of brewing where the grain starts on the upper floor and the wort works its way down through the floors during the brewing process until the beer ends up in the cool caves below.

Some great information is available on the Sand Creek website at sandcreekbrewing.com. Pangea Beer Co. has a fun website, too, at pangaeabeers.com.

Pangae has several other offerings including Lilja’s Pulling Boat Pale Ale, Lilja’s Sasquatch Stout, Lilja’s Heifer Weizen and the wonderful Hopnest Monster IPA.

This 6.1% ABV ale pours a golden color with an aroma that is mild and slightly hoppy. It has lively carbonation and a thick white head that dissipates quickly.

Its flavor is nicely bitter without an overpowering hop bite, but with a lingering bitterness on the palette. This is a crisp, tasty IPA without pretention. It won’t appeal to the most hardcore hopheads who want to get punched in the face by the hops, but it’s nicely balanced and drinkable. An interesting combination of Merkur, Cascade and East Kent Goldings hops, added at first wort then boiled for 90 minutes, makes this unlike any other IPA I’ve ever had.

Pair with fish and chips or chicken curry.

Rating 4.2

J.T Wampler
J.T. is a contributor for the Fayetteville Flyer and writes the “It’s All About the Beer” column. He is also the owner and brewer at the Tanglewood Branch Beer Co., located at 1431 S. School Ave. in Fayetteville. For more beer reviews from J.T., see his author page.