Metal and Beer, No Corporate Beer Drekker Brewing Company, Imperial/Double New England, ipa, No Corporate Beer, No Corporate Beer Reviews, Tickle Monster.

Beer: Tickle Monster
Brewery: Drekker Brewing Company (Fargo, ND)
Style: IPA – Imperial/Double New England
8.2% ABV / N/A IBU

Drekker Brewing Company is clearly swinging for the fences with its core line-up of sour beers, mid-range ABV brews with bold fruit flavors and unique ingredients (marshmallows; peanut butter and jelly). For a relatively new operation, the Fargo-based brewing company also boast a fairly diverse and deep line-up, which also includes multiple IPAs and DIPAs, all riffing on the New England hazy style.

While not technically a milkshake IPA, Drekker’s double IPA Tickle Monster sports two hallmarks of that style: It’s brewed with lactose sugar, contributing a Proustian sense memory of creaminess, and an ample amount of Mosaic hops for a more “tropical” bouquet. The secret weapon here is Drekker’s inclusion of Belma hops, which started gaining traction with the homebrew crowd. The Belma hops are also “tropical,” but with more of a mellow melon kind of character—something you can really pick up on the nose.

Like a lot of the Drekker line-up, the can art for Tickle Monster is pretty righteous. The beer, itself, isn’t much to look at when you empty the pounder can into a glass; it pours with a thick head that dissipates quickly, giving way to a pale, occluded NEIPA that looks like freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice. But there’s more going on with Tickle Monster than your average hazy IPA. Aside from the lactose sugar and Belma hops, Tickle Monster is extremely balanced on the malt (including oats and spelt) side. Hop-wise, it manages to be both bitter and spicy. And for an 8.2% ABV beer, it hits like a freight train. Goodbye, lazy Sunday. Hello, Monday morning regrets.