Is there a better way to figure out your Thanksgiving dinner menu that to kick back at your local brewery? I think not. So, we headed off to Blacksmith Brewing Co. in Stevensville, MT (again) on the Saturday before Thanksgiving to ponder the intricacies of stuffing recipes and turkey brines while enjoying some of our favorite brews (cranberry molds sold separately).

Cutthroat IPA is one of Blacksmith Brewing Co.’s regular brews which it describes as a “west coast IPA.”  I’m not entirely sure what that means except that most American versions of the traditional styles tend to have quite a bit more hop aroma and bitterness that the original English style guidelines would suggest and often a bit more alcohol.  Thus, take a regular beer style, add more hops than normal, and add “American” or “west coast” to the title and you’re there. I don’t mean that as a knock on the styles – not in the least. My favorite beer style is often called an “American stout” which would probably best be described as a dry stout with extra hops, creating a more “robust” feel to the beer.  But I digress.

Cutthroat IPA is golden in color (once again the Blackberry camera fails me, making it look more red than it is) with a good thick, white head, medium body, and a very strong floral hop aroma. It checks in at 6.2% abv and 45 ibus. Next door to the Blacksmith Brewing Co. is the Burger Shack.  When you’re hungry, walk on over to the take out window and order up one of their 1/2 pound Angus beef burgers and hand dipped onion rings. You’ll thank me later when you pair that up with a Cutthroat IPA. Better yet, just buy me one of each and we’ll call it good.

Name: Cutthroat IPA
Brewery: Blacksmith Brewing Co., Stevensville, MT.
Style: IPA.
Color: Golden.
Packaging: draft at the brewery.
Stats: 6.2% abv, 45 IBU.
Bought: Blacksmith Brewing Co.
Ruling: Three and a half out of Five Hops. Good IPA that pairs well with the Burger Shack. .