Clown Shoes Beer - Space Cake

Space Cake Double IPA is one of Clown Shoes’ most popular beers, and its success has spawned a variety of versions like Haze Cake, Pineapple Space Cake, Lemon Drop Space Cake, and others, but this month we bring you their OG version. Pouring an orange-copper color topped by lots of very persistent off-white foam, this is an inviting brew to behold. On the nose, look for zesty and juicy citrus notes akin to oranges and mandarins, softer tropical fruit and floral tones, and hints of cantaloupe, stone fruits, and herbal pine. On the palate, the malt backbone here is very sturdy, offering a nice dose of caramel and honey-like character lending impressions of light sweetness. Hops offer a complex array of flavors that follow the aroma profile: citrus zest, very ripe tropical fruits, pine resin... did we mention citrus? The hop bitterness is plenty firm but not stratospheric for the style, a smart move by the brewers that allows some room for a little fruity booze, which opens up a bit more as Space Cake warms with some time in the glass. This is a world class DIPA that comes across robust and bold, but super smooth. For pairing options, spicy, fruity, and fatty dishes should work well. This beer will stand up to spice while cutting through fat. Spicy Southeast Asian fare, Mexican dishes, spicy pizzas, and roasted pork loin in a fruity glaze sound good to us. Cheers!

The Clown Shoes story starts back in 2009 when founder Gregg Berman began his foray into pro brewing with a single beer project: a small batch of a Black IPA he called Hoppy Feet, which he produced with Ipswich Brewing Company. Hoppy Feet proved popular wherever it was sold around the Boston area, so Berman teamed up with Dan Lipke, who would become Head Brewer, to further grow the operation by crafting a variety of additional beers. They produced just 700 barrels in that first year, but production more than doubled by year two. In 2011, they were able to produce enough to begin expanding distribution beyond Massachusetts as they began making a name for themselves across the country.

In 2017, Clown Shoes joined forces with the venerable Harpoon and UFO brands as part of the employee-owned Mass. Bay Brewing Company. Their devotion to adventurous takes on traditional styles remains intact to this day, and they also remain well-known for their tongue-in-cheek beer names, their incredible label art produced by artist Michael Axt, and their focus on producing an ongoing array of new, limited production, special release beers. While names like Space Cake, Undead Party Crasher, Bubble Farm, Crunkle Sam and, well, Clown Shoes, may be amusing, make no mistake – the beers are the real deal. For more info, visit them at clownshoesbeer.com.