some damn good IPA's out there

[Charlie Don't Surf]

5000th batch of racer 5 gets tapped tomorrow at bear republic and racer x gets tapped saturday. looking to be a good beer weekend.

[Joey Bag O' Donuts]

I have a 7.75 of our Black IPA put aside for a future mammoth maggot mini-summit gathering. Not to get off topic, but we also have some excellent barrel aged porter and a icebock just in time for winter. On a funky note today, we sampled the belgian sour w/local elderberry the brewers picked, very interesting!

With the cold weather and views from the office, I am even more excited for the fall/Winter seasonals.

[Name Redacted]

Belgian Black IPA in the fermenter right now... Looking forward to it.

[~mikey b]

Mikkeller Invasion Farmhouse IPA
Pretty Things Meadowlark
Firestone Double Jack

[Max Archer]

I wish my usual grocery store had a decent microbrew selection. All they had for IPAs was Sierra Nevada Torpedo, whatever Sam Adams's is called, and Ranger. Consequently I'm drinking Ranger. I need to go to Total Wine or Bevmo sometime soon.

[Hugh Conway]

don't go to bevmo - the selection they have is usually treated like shit so most IPAs will have been nuked. Try a Whole Foods or decent nerd beer store (I don't know suckramento)

[Max Archer]

don't go to bevmo - the selection they have is usually treated like shit so most IPAs will have been nuked. Try a Whole Foods or decent nerd beer store (I don't know suckramento)

Ah, good point. Maybe Nugget (like Whole Foods, but with less emphasis on the "health food" thing) would have something, too. Raley's (local supermarket chain) usually has a decent selection but my local one sucks, probably 'cause I live in the ghetto.

Who knows if there are even any decent beer stores in Sac. Drinking beer for Sac natives usually seems to entail pounding a case of Natty or PBR and then passing out in the street. I'm GTFOing out of this hole in a couple months anyway, either back to LA or to SF. I thought I'd lived places that sucked until I moved here almost four years ago. Only upside is proximity to Tahoe, I'll miss that, especially if I move to SF where it's four hours away. At least LA has Big Bear and Mountain High within two hours give or take, and Baldy in less than that if there's snow.

[snapt]

I wish my usual grocery store had a decent microbrew selection. All they had for IPAs was Sierra Nevada Torpedo, whatever Sam Adams's is called, and Ranger. Consequently I'm drinking Ranger. I need to go to Total Wine or Bevmo sometime soon.

Whole foods has a pretty good selection, if you really want to nerd out check out the new Capital Beer and Tap room if it's close as they have a pretty good bottle shop. A few other beer bars that have good bottle shops downtown or in the Roseville area depending on what's closest. Nugget can be good too, and they get Pliny from time to time. You're drinking with the wrong natives btw.

[Max Archer]

That Capital Beer looks pretty legit, I'll have to check it out next time I'm over there. I lived by Sac State for three and a half years so it would've been close, but now I'm down right by the border of Elk Grove.

Honestly I haven't been drinking with natives much at all. Don't really know a lot of people in town since I go out of town when I work. Hanging out with friends usually means driving to SF for me. I don't know where all the cool people in Sac are hiding, I only end up running into dipshit bro types or, like... people who are trying too hard to be small-town if that makes sense? The types who've never been more than 30mi from downtown Sac and are proud of it.

[Max Archer]

So with IPAs on the mind and out of some sort of morbid curiosity, I bought some of the Kirkland Costco house brand stuff.

You know what, it's actually not bad. Apparently it's actually brewed by Gordon Biersch. It's a little light on character but for less than a buck a bottle ($18.99 for a variety 24 pack), it's drinkable enough.

They actually have Lagunitas too, and maybe I'll grab a case of the IPA next time. Only reason I didn't this time was 'cause I wanted to find out how this stuff was.

[haydukelives]

If you cannot find decent IPA's, make your own.Far better than Costco or Trader;s
This place has free shipping over $95
http://www.listermann.com/Store/products.asp?id=15

[joetron]

It was mentioned in the first post of this thread, but I am compelled to honor it once again because its a delicious oasis in the beer desert of UT....Firestone Walker Union Jack IPA is the fucking bomb.

[~mikey b]

went to BevMo for the first time the other day - some nice choices, but not much is stored properly - the Karl Straus Tower 10 was clearly ruined due to poor handing - bummer

any recs for Modesto beer stores?

Alchemy in Murphys has an awesome beer selection - a great place for someone like me to visit while everyone else goes wine tasting

[Max Archer]

If you cannot find decent IPA's, make your own.Far better than Costco or Trader;s
This place has free shipping over $95
http://www.listermann.com/Store/products.asp?id=15

I can go get some real stuff no problem, just was commenting on the surprising relative drinkability of this stuff.

[jahoney]

You know what, it's actually not bad. Apparently it's actually brewed by Gordon Biersch. It's a little light on character but for less than a buck a bottle ($18.99 for a variety 24 pack), it's drinkable enough.

Drinking one of those right now.. really not bad at all. I mean, its not a Pliny or a Union Jack or Stone, but still tasty enough for me -- a non beer snob..

[SchralphMacchio]

Cracked the Racer X at the TGR show on Tuesday, really fucking good this year. Nice caramel malt to balance the citrus hops - fucking smooth. I liked it much better than February's batch for SF Beer Week.

[madmike]

Cracked the Racer X at the TGR show on Tuesday, really fucking good this year. Nice caramel malt to balance the citrus hops - fucking smooth. I liked it much better than February's batch for SF Beer Week.

I'm excited to try this one. I picked up three bombers last night, but I'm on call for work so I should hold off until Monday. It's gonna be tough.

[uglymoney]

Okay I'll mention a couple more that I like. Hopdinger from Oso, Wisconsin and Bitter Woman IPA from Tyranena Brewing both kill it. If you're in Colorado Springs stop into the Bristol for an Edge City.

I'm the first one to admit that Iowa has yet to produce an IPA that I like but I keep buying and they keep trying so I think it is a matter of time.

Didn't take long and I'd have found it sooner if my discovery radar had been turned the right direction.

Toppling Goliath in Decorah, Iowa (think eagle cam) is making some killer beers but not available in bottles until spring so you have to find a tap and bring a growler. Locally we have Golden Nugget on tap and I dare say it is one of the best IPA's I've ever had. Cloudy and light in color, huge hops hit, and at 56 ibu's you don't get bogged down after a couple big mugs especially at 6% abv. You can drink it all night. Been drinking it all summer.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/23222/69760



They have a whole series of IPA's but I haven't had a chance to get up to the brewery to taste them. They have a hopped up lager that I tried this past weekend that is pretty damned good..

[Bromontana]

It was mentioned in the first post of this thread, but I am compelled to honor it once again because its a delicious oasis in the beer desert of UT....Firestone Walker Union Jack IPA is the fucking bomb.

Where do you get that? It doesn't ring a bell and I've loitered in the beer aisle at the Sandy liquor store many times.

[Binky]

Flying Jenny; Grey Sail Brewing Co. of RI

Delicious and local

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/27710/81520

[bushman]

Great Lakes Brewing Commodore Perry is worth a second buy. Ordered a 1/2 barrel of Odell IPA today for the keggerator.

[Hugh Conway]

Stone EnjoyBy is a very solid IPA; Pliny like

[Name Redacted]

They just switched Stone IPA for an Elevation IPA at my local neighborhood bar. Bummer.

[Game Over]

I'm on another extended vacation in SD. I really like the stone ipa but Coronado has a great ipa. Gotta be honest the beer down here can't touch the stuff back in Oregon but Id never mention that to any local because they are very proud of the socal beer down here. For good reason it's good I'm just partial.

[Hugh Conway]

If you can get the EnjoyBy ... get it. Definitely better than the regular stone
http://www.stonebrewing.com/enjoyby/

Ballast Point is solid, so's AleSmith