some damn good IPA's out there

[schuss]

Dickbag it's not snobbishness I don't know wtf he can get fresh. That's what's best


Schraklp - not Belgian yeast.

Indeed, just was very NorCal centric. Sad that the best offerings from the two big IPA hubs don't really get to share very often.

[SchralphMacchio]

Please inform me of the superior light IPAs that put Daytime to shame b/c that shit tastes goooot.

I know you care about the subject so I'm not trying to disregard that. Some reasoning beyond "meh" would be helpful though.

He didn't say he didn't like it, he said that it costs the same shit as their regular IPA and he'd rather have that. Just his style. He mentioned Drakes Alpha Session as superior, which is great (I passed a backwashed swig or two on to schuss last Friday) but like he said, expensive, and you can't find that outside of CA.

I tried the DayTime last week and also think Alpha Session is superior in its hop profile etc. Apart from those two, and Anderson Valley's Wee Geech, I haven't had much in the super hoppy session pale style - especially because the XP (extra pale) style tends to be 6% alcohol and just a different malt profile than IPAs.

Sad that the best offerings from the two big IPA hubs don't really get to share very often.

I know, I wish San Diego and NorCal shared more often.










I need to try the Clown Shoes and Pretty Things though. Apart from that, I haven't heard any names that kill my contentious assertion that all east coast IPAs are about malt style rather than big hop profile.

I'll also give credit to PacNW, which does make a different style of IPA than California & Colorado. The hops are different up there. BONEYARD.

[SchralphMacchio]

Schralp - not Belgian yeast.

A quick google search revealed that there is apparently some level of experimentation and disagreement to this matter. Some people are using American yeast strains, some Belgian, and the best ones it seems are blending:

This one is my favorite, and they refer to "two yeast strains"
http://foundersbrewing.com/latest-ne...h-green-flash/

Chainbreaker is also two yeast strains and I've seen some websites with clone recipes call for Belgian yeast, soooo ....

[SorryBro]

Fremont Brewing Co.'s COWICHE CANYON ORGANIC FRESH HOP ALE is delicious. I thought it had a great floral/citrus aroma and nice hoppy taste. Annual beer they brew with fresh hops from Yakima. If you can find a bottle, give it a shot.

[SchralphMacchio]

^ Fremont has been on my list for a while, but they don't distribute down here. I have an easier time finding CO craft brews out here than OR/WA brews.

[Hugh Conway]

A quick google search revealed that there is apparently some level of experimentation and disagreement to this matter. Some people are using American yeast strains, some Belgian, and the best ones it seems are blending:

This one is my favorite, and they refer to "two yeast strains"
http://foundersbrewing.com/latest-ne...h-green-flash/

Chainbreaker is also two yeast strains and I've seen some websites with clone recipes call for Belgian yeast, soooo ....

color me corrected. Apparently the Deschutes Conflux #2 is a "white IPA" and that one was tasty. Whole Foods around here has a Pretty Things IPA now, I'll give it a go.

bromontana - as Shralp summarized, it's a price thing. Daytime is the same price as Maximus at my local super and more expensive than Racer5 or any number of other solid IPAs or other beers. AlphaSession (which I've liked the best) is the same price for a bomber as Aroma Coma or any number of other good beers in bombers. Same at places where it's on draft. Yes they are tasty but imo all of them have had a "lite-IPA" feel to them

Wish instead of the "black IPA" kick or the every flavor of IPA kick we could get some more good dark lagers - like Moonlight Death & Taxes

[schuss]

Death and Taxes is fantastic. You don't see as many lagers because they take longer and they're harder to pull taste out of (as it's cold bottom fermenting yeast as opposed to the hotter top fermenting yeast of ales). When you have to ferment for 2-3 times longer and pay for more cooling of your tanks, some of the financials go away from it.
I've really enjoyed the surge of saisons lately as well.

[The AD]

I'll also give credit to PacNW, which does make a different style of IPA than California & Colorado. The hops are different up there

I'm pretty sure nearly all U.S. commercial hops are grown in Washington and Oregon, so those CA and CO beers are using the same hops as the PNW beers are.

[SchralphMacchio]

I guess I was referring more to the specialty wet-hop ales with local hops. The commercial dry-hopped ales are similar between states. But the local stuff that Deschutes and Boneyard and others won't ship down here is pretty different than the local stuff that Sierra Nevada etc. won't ship up there.

We have a lot of hops here in CA too. Mendocino county in CA produces three crops in general. Wine is #2, Hops are #3, and #1 is a controlled substance according to the federal gov't ... heheheh

[schuss]

Well, a lot of the taste changes come from the water differences as well as local brewing scenes. At least on the EC, you would get a lot of brewers in local scenes hang out with each other and compare notes, so you get a lot of riffs on the same thing.

[stapes]

Picked up a few Stone Enjoy By bombers the other day. Looking forward to trying it out. Anyone else had it?

Have been enjoying Marble Brewery's IPA and Double IPA out of ABQ lately.
OB was running Deviant Dale's on nitro last weekend. Delicious and trouble.

Heading out to the Bay Area around Thanksgiving. Hoping to get to a few local spots.

[The AD]

^ Fremont has been on my list for a while

They make great stuff. I had one of their Harvest Ales last weekend. I'm not usually a big fan of wheat beers (this one is vaguely saison in style), but this is very tasty. Nice fruit and sour notes mixed in with the northwest hop bitterness.

[snapt]

Knee deep bottled their "Hop Shortage" Triple IPA last week, tracked one down last night. Really nice hoppy beer with just enough citrus so that it's not overwhelmingly bitter. Super strong and fresh tasting to start almost like a wet hop then it smooths out. If you like triples check it out. edit forgot to add it 11.2%

[Hugh Conway]

Picked up a few Stone Enjoy By bombers the other day. Looking forward to trying it out. Anyone else had it?

I'd like too but the "where's it going to be game" pisses me off. Same with a bunch of other nerd beers lately.

Now to find some Knee Deep...

[My Pet Powder Goat]

I hit up the Three Penny Taproom in Montpeiler VT the other night. Great selection of quality beers

Alchemist's heady Topper
8%abv VT, citrus, grapefruit

Laweson's triple play IPA
7.5%abv, VT, Citrus-very similar to the heady topper

Southpointe's Summer hop
think it was 6.5%abv CA had a unique flavor I can't quite pin down yet, very smooth drinking.... I was pretty drunk by the time i got to it

edit: cant find anything online about the Southpointe beer. maybe I got it wrong. Anyone from CA heard of the stuff?

[SchralphMacchio]

Knee deep bottled their "Hop Shortage" Triple IPA last week, tracked one down last night. Really nice hoppy beer with just enough citrus so that it's not overwhelmingly bitter. Super strong and fresh tasting to start almost like a wet hop then it smooths out. If you like triples check it out. edit forgot to add it 11.2%

Now to find some Knee Deep...

Beer Rev and Whole Foods are reliable outlets for Knee Deep.

I had the Hop Shortage a couple of weeks ago (draught) and thought it a fine beer, but I like a bit more caramel malt for my style. So I like Simtra a bit better. That said, Jeremy Warren has been turning out some really good shit. My first foray last year was a tainted bottle and I thought their beer to be garbage as a result, but then I tried all of the ones they brought to Bistro DIPA Festival and have been a fanboy ever since. When we talk about Knee Deep ... Jeremy is a snowboarder though, for all of you haters

The Speakeasy XV triple IPA also came out a couple of weeks ago, and my, my - that is the finest beer I've ever had from them.

[madmike]

Picked up a few Stone Enjoy By bombers the other day. Looking forward to trying it out. Anyone else had it?

I picked up a couple of bombers and had one last night. So delicious. Very smooth and easy drinking for 9/4%. I can't wait to have the other one this evening. I also got some Great Divide Hop Fresh and Deshutes Hop Trip. All three are pretty damned good.

[schuss]

As this is slowly turning into the "beer" thread, schralp, machlooney (?) and I checked out biketoberfest the other day.
Winners:
Buzzerkley by Calicraft - nice refreshing saisonish pale ale made with champagne yeast to give it a tang. Their brown is great too.
Alaskan APA - IPA for those days where you don't want the heaviness of an IPA. Lower alcohol, lighter taste.

[Bromontana]

Understood on DayTime, it' $7/bottle at the place I've had it locally and it's not at the liquor store. Makes sense, I'd like to check out some of the lighter IPAs if possible. About the only place to get non-local/standard beers is at The Bayou, which is pricey (but has a pretty solid selection).

[fool]

Heading out to the Bay Area around Thanksgiving. Hoping to get to a few local spots.

I followed Scralph and Hugh's suggestions when I was out there last May and had a great time: Russian River followed by Bear Republic and then Lagunitas (one day). (...I still need to post pics from my old iPhone...). Great weather and had some amazing beer; Lagunitas also has great outdoor seating and had a band playing, though I have no idea what it will be like in November. I also hit up Beer Revolution in Oakland too. Awesome time...so much good beer out there. Wine next time, perhaps...

[The AD]

For the Seattle beer drinkers out there, I was at Northgate a week or so ago and noticed there's a BevMo store opening in the strip mall just east of the mall (the one with Toshi's and Kennelly Keys). Not sure what the opening date is and their website doesn't say yet.

[fool]

I need to try the Clown Shoes and Pretty Things though. Apart from that, I haven't heard any names that kill my contentious assertion that all east coast IPAs are about malt style rather than big hop profile.

Here:

I hit up the Three Penny Taproom in Montpeiler VT the other night. Great selection of quality beers

Alchemist's heady Topper
8%abv VT, citrus, grapefruit

Oh how I miss me some Heady Topper...

Had this last night, nothing exceptional, but well balanced and tasty:

[Hugh Conway]

Damn good:
Bear Republic Racer X

Ok:
Sam Adams 3rd Voyage (nice hop aroma, tastes of caramel... badly)

Black IPAs? WTF is the deal? Half of them taste like porters.

[stapes]

No reason you can't do both! Ask me about the wineries in a separate thread or PM, and I don't think you'll be disappointed with my advice.

This little NorCal brewery tour can be conducted in a single day, all along one major highway (CA HWY 101):
Bear Republic - in downtown Healdsburg, about 1.5 hours north of SF, and walking distance from several tasting rooms. Cute shopping town makes the family happy.
Russian River - in downtown Santa Rosa (10 miles from Healdsburg!) and within 15 minutes driving distance from several awesome wineries, most of which have great estate or nearby Russian River valley vineyard Pinot Noirs
Lagunitas - in Petaluma, about half the distance between Santa Rosa and Novato
Moylan's - in Novato, about half-way between SF and Santa Rosa, and sometimes has barrel-conditioned Hopsickle Triple IPA on cask

(yes I'm leaving many out of the tour but these are all along 101 from SF to Healdsburg with minimal side-travel)

Heading out over Thanksgiving and planning on doing a variation of the above. Probably start with Russian River though. I'm going to let some friends out there figure out the details but I do want to hit RR for sure. Looking forward to it. Will take a separate day to hit Napa with the in-laws.

The Stone Enjoy By was delicious, btw. One of my favorite IPA's I've tried as of late. Have an Avery Dugana and Great Divide Hercules DIPA in the fridge for the weekend.

edit - didn't see fool's post. Sounds like Lagunitas is going to have to happen. Going to look into Beer Revolution. Should be able to hit it as we'll be in the East Bay mostly.

[schuss]

Lagunitas is a good time. Live music pretty often, and a good vibe on the patio (great sandwiches too).

Beer Rev is great, and there's plenty of us that will use any excuse to go there.