Reporter Ben Singson introduces Journal-Courier readers to the region’s booming craft beer market in a weekly column.
Appearances can be deceptive.
This week’s pick is “I Know the Owner” by Industry Brewing Co. The title may be boastful and the cover certainly eye-catching, but the contents of this brew don’t live up to expectations.
I Know the Owner is one of the year-round beers from Industry, whose headquarters are in—you guessed it—Peoria. It’s currently available in the brewery’s taproom and in four-packs, but even the most diehard pale ale fans may want to look elsewhere for their fix.
More specifically, I Know the Owner is a 6.25% ABV pale ale brewed with Cascade and Centennial hops for all you home brewers out there. However, I wasn’t drawn to this brew because of its origins.
The cover of this brew… man, it’s awesome. The main character is a green-skinned, muscle-bound, two-headed creature reminiscent of Frankenstein’s monster, with one head resembling Boris Karloff’s version of the monster and the other being a bald ogre with a metal jaw. The creature sits in a bar, a mug of beer in each hand, and yells the name of the beer. This is definitely one of the two most unique beer cans I’ve seen since I started this column, and it’s not #2.
I Know the Owner pours a solid, roasted golden brown into the glass. It also has a fairly mild nose, with just a few hints of the fruitiness I was expecting from this brew.
In fact, at first glance, I found that I Know the Owner lacks many of the characteristics I’ve come to associate with most other IPAs. There’s none of that syrupy mix of sweetness and smoke that I’ve come to appreciate. Instead, it has a strong bitter, slightly hoppy flavor profile without much else going on. It goes down smoothly, but that almost contributes to this drink not feeling properly smoky. It just gently suggests other flavors. For the most part, it’s just sharp, and not in a pleasant way. It gets you drunk, and that’s it.
I really wanted to enjoy I Know the Owner, but behind the incredible work of art lies a drink that feels incomplete. Its meager flavor profile doesn’t offer much to digest for anyone, IPA fan or not. A craft beer can’t survive on bitterness alone.
My reaction to this beer was like someone saying, “So what?” Oh, right. That was me.
