Silver in German Strong Beer
Eisbock
Northbound Smokehouse Brewpub, Minneapolis, MN
- Category
- German Strong Beer
- Entries
- 39
- ABV
- Not Found
- IBU
- Not Found
- Style
- Eisbock
- Malts
- Not Found
- Yeast
- Not Found
- Adjuncts
- Not Found
Hops
Not Found
Not Found
Hop Profile
No hop profile is on record for this beer.
Research Notes
Eisbock is made each year by Northbound Smokehouse Brewpub in Minneapolis by fractionally freezing part of its 8.5% doppelbock in kegs and drawing off the concentrated beer.
Award
| Category | Medal | Entries | Brewery | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20, German-Style Strong Beer | Silver (2nd place) | 39 | Northbound Smokehouse Brewpub | Minneapolis, MN |
Specs
| Field | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Style | Eisbock (freeze concentrated doppelbock) | Craft Beer and Brewing: Eisbock It with Northbound |
| ABV | not published (the brewery says "We haven't tested its ABV") | Craft Beer and Brewing: Eisbock It with Northbound |
| IBU | not published (untested) | Craft Beer and Brewing: Eisbock It with Northbound |
| Hops | Not Found | Not Found |
| Malts and grains | Not Found | Not Found |
| Yeast | Not Found | Not Found |
| Adjuncts, fruit, spices | none named | Not Found |
| Other | base beer is Northbound Doppelbock, 8.5% ABV, 18 IBU | Craft Beer and Brewing: Northbound recipe |
Brewery Description
The brewery publishes no description of the beer itself; its founder's account of the process says the beer is frozen in a chest freezer at about 0°F (minus 18°C) until about half has frozen over 30 to 36 hours, with advice to "Shoot for over-freezing."
Source: Craft Beer and Brewing: Eisbock It with Northbound
Tasting Notes
Not Found
Ingredients
Founder Jamie Robinson's article names no grain bill, hop or yeast, saying only that "High-quality ingredients and clean fermentation are key" (Craft Beer and Brewing). Brewer Andy Rosenthal's published recipe for the base doppelbock (original gravity 1.083, final gravity 1.019, 18 IBU, 8.5% ABV) sits behind a paywall, so its malts and yeast could not be read (Craft Beer and Brewing recipe).
Hop Profile
Not Found
Brewing Details
| Field | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Color (SRM) | Not Found | Not Found |
| Original gravity | Not Found | Not Found |
| Final gravity | Not Found | Not Found |
| Water | Not Found | Not Found |
| Process | Not Found | Not Found |
Style Context
As category context only, the Brewers Association guideline for German-Style Eisbock describes a stronger doppelbock concentrated by freezing ("Traditionally, these beers were created by freezing a Doppelbock and removing the ice"), at 8.6 to 14.3 percent ABV and 26 to 33 IBU, light brown to black. The method matches the definition exactly; with no tested ABV or IBU, the numbers cannot be compared.
Awards History
| Year | Competition | Category | Medal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Great American Beer Festival | German-Style Doppelbock or Eisbock | Gold |
| 2026 | Great American Beer Festival | German-Style Strong Beer | Silver |
Generated from the loaded results for this brewery and beer name, not researched separately; years not loaded are not covered.
Brewery Context
Northbound Smokehouse Brewpub is in Minneapolis, MN. Brewery type in Open Brewery DB: Brewpub.
Links checked 2026-10-14: Website, Instagram, Untappd.
Related
- Brewery: Northbound Smokehouse Brewpub
Links
- Untappd (hand-read citation): Northbound Eisbock
- Northbound Smokehouse Brewpub
- Northbound: awards and mentions
- Craft Beer and Brewing: Eisbock It with Northbound
- Craft Beer and Brewing: Northbound recipe
- Brewers Association: beer style guidelines
Gaps
- Not Found: Description, Tasting notes, Color (SRM), Original gravity, Final gravity, Hops, Hop form, Hop use, Hop lot or farm, Malts and grains, Yeast, Adjuncts, Water, Process. Checked untappd.com, beerandbrewing.com, beerandbrewing.com, northboundbrewpub.com, northboundbrewpub.com, northboundbrewpub.com, web searches recorded in the research notes.
- Not Found: ABV, IBU. Checked untappd.com, beerandbrewing.com, beerandbrewing.com, northboundbrewpub.com, northboundbrewpub.com, northboundbrewpub.com, web searches recorded in the research notes, Catalog.beer search by beer and brewery name.
Research Notes
- The brewery's founder writes that the eisbock is targeted at 16 to 17 percent ABV and about 36 IBU but that neither has been tested; per the no estimate rule, both are recorded as not published.
- Earlier awards: GABF gold for this eisbock in 2024 and 2025 (Craft Beer and Brewing, December 2025), and a 2024 World Beer Cup gold for the doppelbock. The brewery's awards page lists the World Beer Cup gold but no GABF medals.
- The current brewpub menu does not list the eisbock; its only bock is Wild Rice Amber Bock, a different beer. There is no beer url.
- Open Brewery DB lists smokehousebrewpub.com, which failed with an expired certificate; northboundbrewpub.com is the working site.
- Researched 2026-10-13.
- Second pass 2026-10-13: Found Untappd's matching Eisbock listing at 16.8% ABV and 21 IBU. These figures do not resolve the founder's statement that the concentrated beer was untested or establish measured values for the medal batch, so the structured fields remain null. No additional recipe ingredients were verified.
- Field pass 2026-10-13: A new search found no additional brewery beer page or named hops; the previously recorded untested strength and bitterness figures remain excluded.
- Deep dive pass 2026-10-14: the brewpub's awards page lists Eisbock awards only; no description or recipe.