I haven't had a beer in almost two months cuz I'm such a good Catholic like that. This thread reminds me where I'll pick up after Easter.
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I haven't had a beer in almost two months cuz I'm such a good Catholic like that. This thread reminds me where I'll pick up after Easter.
Thanks, BraddA. If I can make a dent in the beer I currently have - actually just found a sixer Torpedo IPA this weekend - I may have to try out the Gubna. I also have to sample Flower Power as it seems to be well liked among mags and it's somewhat local (at least for the next month).Quote:
Originally Posted by BraddA
Just had the Speakeasy IPA this weekend in NYC in a random Thai restaurant. I assume Schralph's had it, but I hadn't heard of it before seeing it on the menu. Pretty good.
^ haven't had the BD or DoubleDaddy in almost 2 years (I did have the triple Daddy a year ago), but you bet I've had it :D
Definitely pretty good - just a bit much syrupy for me, despite the great hop nose and citrus brightness.
Hey fool, check out this forecast - come visit CA for turns on that mountain anytime from late May through late July and I'll head out with you if I'm free ... stop by the East Bay or SF on your way back home and we'll do a local hop tour. :D
http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick...&FcstType=text
The Widmer Spiced IPA Rotator is.... interesting.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JayPowHound
mmm beer, the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems.
http://i702.photobucket.com/albums/w...up/photo17.jpg
Growler of Missoula's Draught Works Scepter Head IPA, good shit
http://www.draughtworksbrewery.com/images/beer_SH.png
For sure, Schralph: thanks! My timeline has changed a little bit - and it still isn't definite - but I think I'll be getting into the Bay Area around May 8th and departing around May 16th. Still trying to coordinate with friends for Shasta and the like, but I'll send you a PM when I firm up my plans. Hopefully the conditions for Shasta work out, but worst case is we do a hop tour which sounds awesome. One of my friends from Denver was out there this past week and I told him he HAD to checkout Russian River - he's a big IPA fan as well but is somewhat unfamiliar with CA beers - but apparently he went there Friday and they were doing a sour release. He waited in line for 40 minutes and it didn't budge so he called it quits and went to Lagunitas where he had a great time. Looking forward to the Bay Area beers...Quote:
Originally Posted by SchralphMacchio
Here's what I'm currently working with. Heady Topper is mighty delicious and is probably my favorite right now, but Centennial is solid too. Only had 2x Torpedo's and maybe one Southern Tier (it's relatively local), so still determining how I feel about them. I happened upon Torpedo in a random beer store driving back from NYC, but glad I was able to try it out here. And like it's been mentioned in the thread maybe the Torpedo lost some of its flavor traveling across the country and refrigeration issues.
Ranger is now available in 16oz big boy cans. Woo hoo.
Canned IPA can be very hard to find in some places (like Iowa). I don't think Ranger is a great IPA but it is a decent hop hit in a pinch and always available so if we can get those cans here I will be stoked!Quote:
Originally Posted by bushman
Yah I don't think Ranger is too hot either but it's been a while since I had it. Admittedly before I got back into IPAs again. The thing that sucks about IPAs is that you can't stock up on them and pull one put every now and then for smaller yearly releases like Hopslam, etc cause the hop profile dies pretty quick. Most IPAs start to fall off within a month or so.Quote:
Originally Posted by uglymoney
Would like to get my hands on some fresh Kern Citra and a few other limited California IPAs that are hard to get for people even in California. The only time I ever traded for Citra, the douche didn't send it for over a month. Ironically, there is a bad trader thead on him on beeradvocate (Jackskeleton) but I can't even add my info to the fire (banned for talking bad about people selling beer on Ebay, yet I did it really politely). I never said anything cause I was happy he finally got it to me.
If you like IPAs there are tons of killer ones out there that you can't get locally. Sign up on Beeradvocate and trade.
Centennial is currently at the top of my rotation....Quote:
Originally Posted by fool
....because I'm too much of a lightweight to make hopslam my go-to and still be a productive human. I actually prefer hopslam a month or so after release - more interesting, the honey and the malt come through a bit more.Quote:
Originally Posted by Crass3000
damn great way to finish a day of this ...
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5072/6...fc72a340_z.jpg
with this (didn't have any time to pick up Torpedo or Big Swell cans for summit beers)
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7230/7...48479054_z.jpg
Rogue just put out a limited edition Ale based on Voodoo's Bacon Maple donuts. Figured it'd pair well with a bacon avocado sandwich...
Attachment 113907
Saw that and was thinking alright, another rotator! Wait, "spiced" WTF? Decided to pass.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hugh Conway
Really been digging Hoptimum lately.
If I haven't mentioned it before Harmon Pt Defiance should be on the radar of PNW mags. Same with American Breakaway.
It's not over the top bad Christmas Ale spiced, it's more an IPA with a hop/spice aroma and a hop/spice finish. Some black tea thrown in too. Different, not bad... not a pure IPAQuote:
Originally Posted by pisteoff
Quote:
Originally Posted by SchralphMacchio
Divided Sky is a sweet spot.
Torpedo was always the least favorite of Sierra's offerings for me. Speakeasy is good stuff, though I understand why Schralp isn't a huge fan, as it's not for the floral hopheads.
The new Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA is quite nice. Always impressed at the quality of the beer this pretty damn big brewery with national distribution achieves.
Yeah, that's about right. Certainly not the best in their rotator series, but it was OK.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hugh Conway
Had a 6 pack of Chainbreaker IPA from Dechutes this week. Tasty zesty IPA, might be better than their Inversion (but obviously totally different).
http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/site...op/CB_oval.png
Drinking some Deviant Dale's right now. It's a fantastic amalgamation of Dale's and Gubna, and I think it may be greater than the sum of its parts...
Don't really know why, other than the stigma of shitty beers in cans, but I've been skeptical of the micro-in-a-can trend. Tried a Caldera IPA in a can last night. Changed my mind.
http://www.calderabrewing.com/Images...ager/jim11.gif
Keg=giant can
you gotta pour that into a glass.
Ooooh, will look out for that at Whole Foods. That's a great can to pack for Hippie Golf or BC skiing!Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain Awesome
Heh, good point.Quote:
Originally Posted by RockChalk
Technically not an IPA, they call it a Danish ale, but probably deserves a spot in this thread...
http://chadbrown.zenfolio.com/img/s3...49322243-4.jpg
Made a trip to Ithaca a few weeks ago and had an awesome time, and not just for the beer. But I had some tasty PA/NY local IPA's at The Chapter House - a "grad school bar" - and then had an awesome time at Ithaca Beer Company. Kind of an awkward setup - they're doing a fair amount of construction right now to revamp the tasting area - but great people, pretty good beer, and they pretty much let me sample/drink to my hearts content. (I then ended up eating dinner with the employees at Northstar, an awesome gastropub). I know it's been discussed already, but their Flower Power (their IPA for you non-local folk) is/was delicious. Oddly it was the first time I had tried it, but it was very good. I'm going to try and buy a case or two before I move away from NY. If you get a chance checkout Flower Power and/or the brewery, great times.
Heady Topper continues to grow on me: hoppy but a long lasting hoppy flavor as opposed to a big hit and then decreasing flavor (if that makes sense). It's probably my favorite beer of all time now, just damn tasty. I'll miss it when I'm out of the northeast. But I'm heading to the Bay Area in mid-may and looking forward to checking out all the local brews out there.
Nice place you've got there splitter.
Caldera IPA is dank.
Thanks. We just live in suburbia, but we are 25 minutes from highest year round pass in the sierra and 10 minutes from great trail running with the dogs. 2 summers ago I knocked out a wall in the kitchen, built a breakfast counter, framed in some french doors into the office and then opened up a door into that room from the hallway and added a closet to make it a bedroom. The goal was to have the living area back there near the newly opened up kitchen. Then we had a baby and needed a bunch more room for playing, swings, etc then we had in the back.Quote:
Originally Posted by pisteoff
So after all that remodeling of the kitchen and what is now become a big dining room, we are back up front where it all started...
Finally popped for four of these:
http://www.ratebeer.com/beerimages/137681.jpg
I'd say malty black first, big hops and bitters second. But is was great, and I got 'em for $9.99 and not $12 or $14 or whatever they usually go for.
Its about that time of year!
http://www.ratebeer.com/beerimages/104074.jpg
My top three: Odell Brewing Co. IPA, Avery Brewing Co. IPA, Fort Collins Brewery Rocky Mountain IPA
On the way back from Chicago, stopped at Three Floyds. YUMYUM.
Dreadnaught
Alpha King (PaleAle)
Arctic Panzer
Zombie Dust
I've got extra :)
I'll be in the Bay Area for the next week spending time with family, doing a three day ski trip, and hopefully checking out the local beer. If anyone wants to grab beers somewhere (SF, Oakland, Berkeley, etc.), first beer is on me. I think I'll be doing a day of brewery tours on Saturday as well. Would anyone differ from Schralph's recommendation of Bear Republic, Russian River, Lagunitas, and Moylan's? Any other must-do breweries? And finally, does anyone have any awesome breakfast/brunch places in Healdsburg (or perhaps Santa Rosa) that we should do before the hop-attack? I'll almost certainly hit up Drake's sometime during the week, so I probably won't include that on Saturday's liver-killing fest. :biggrin:
fool- If you're in SF you need to take a tour of Anchor Steam Brewery if possible. It's the original american craft brewery and has a long history. I'm not sure if you'll need a reservation or not, I'd give em' a call before hand.
Out of the others you mentioned, can't miss Lagunitas. Hands down some of the tastiest brews made.
^^^ However you feel about their beer, the Anchor Brewing tour is a blast. You will need a reservation.
I think that I drank almost every IPA, Double IPA, RyePA, Black IPA, and Belgian IPA in San Diego County and surrounding areas this past week. I was literally pissing hops at one point. I think my favorites were from Pizza Port, no surprise there. Stone coming in close second and Green Flash holding it's own. I've always heard that SD was a great beer town but now I am sure of it. Very fun to immerse yourself in the beer scene down there and if you ever get the chance, I recommend it.
That said, I ain't drinking an IPA for at least a week. I think I have hops growing in my liver.
Argh! Anchor Brewery's reservations are all filled up for the next week...might try to go see if there are some no-show's though.
don't believe you need reservations for the Lagunitas Brewery tour and they run it on some weekdays. only pisser is the food selection at the restaurant is kinda poor.