Beer in the new era

dirt wolf is okay, but i'm coming to realize that in general i just can't handle the syrupy flavor/hot booziness of most double IPAs. there are exceptions, like Stone's Enjoy By and the aforementioned Westbrook Ninja, but a lot of them are just alcohol delivery devices and why not just drink whiskey? dirt wolf is good tho, don't get be wrong, it's not total crap.

one thing i really like about dirt wolf is that it doesn't taste so syrupy to me. also i really love the smell/taste of those mosaic hops

i liked dirt wolf quite a bit, impressed by victory for the first time in a while.

victory's braumeister pils was TOPS imo. sessionable, crisp, well-hopped pilsner.
i also really enjoy their storm king stout, and their regular pilz. i haven't had many of their one-off or seasonals.

Stopped by the new beer store in Rego Park Queens again on the way back from Costco and bought a few singles -- Delerium Nocturnum, Guillotin, and a Hitachino Nest Sweet Stout (the last of which I kind of already regret -- their beers seem overpriced as fuck). The beer store dude hooked me up with a free can of Cigar City Jai Alai, which you really never see around here. Stamped October 22, 2013, so super fresh. It's pretty nice. I'm really not big on IPAs, but this one is not overbearing or bitter for bitterness's sake. Also has a cool can:

http://imageshack.us/a/img189/8480/webjaialai.png

i love jai alai

I enjoyed it but wouldn't get again. I think I just don't really like IPAs. They make me feel tired and leave a weird taste in my mouth.

Don't think I'm going to open anything else right now though - a belgian ale or a stout wouldn't really taste right after this.

Way too many overhopped IPAs of the last couple decades, although today's is much better. I think the inception of a fertile craft brewing culture made people exaggerate the tastes they liked, especially overhopping beers. Most new ones seem much better balanced.

i think ipas are delicious + often have the best aroma. i don't even mind very bitter ipas. my only complaint is when they do those double + triple ipas that taste really syrupy (eg dogfish head 120 minute). but even very hoppy stuff like dirt wolf can still have a really fresh + citrus flavor to it (despite being a dipa i don't taste anything syrupy in it at all). hurting, i wonder if you'd like cigar city's dry-hopped on the high seas ipa which is more mild imo but still really good example of style

dry bitter taste that makes me gag

What????? Give me all the ipaz

we just got in the cigar city jai alai; excited to try it when i get back from RI.
there's a new(ish) Brewer in Rhode Island, FOOLPROOF BREWING. I tried their IPA yesterday and really liked it. Good flavor, not syrupy, not over-hopped.

Whoa I was drunk last night. That Backwoods Bastard nightcap was probably ill advised.

I'm raising a glass of Heavier Handed to the thread right now.

Also every time I see "dipa" I read it as diaper.

i was into the foolproof ipa, solid m.o.r. type beer.

yeah I feel like I've had plenty of "examples of the style," like probably dozens of different IPAs over the years, and I'm just not a fan of the style. Even with the best ones I almost never want more than one. I'm not big on any beer that makes the flavor of particular hops the complete centerpiece of the taste.

Actually I did love the Evil Twin Femme Fatale Yuzu though. I would definitely try another Evil Twin IPA.

hurting, you might be able to still find bottles of evil twin femme fatale brett. it is great & has nice clean citrus flavor in the initial rush

yeah I think the Yuzu was some kind of small run of the brett that also had yuzu fruit

This guillotine stuff is damn good (same brewery as Delirium Tremens)

belgian-style golden ale, almost champagne-like

the hitachino sweet stout otoh is borderline disgusting

I have hated every hitachino I have tried, and I've tried several. Particularly maddening considering the price.

Basically my thought is if you are reaching for a hitachino, stop, turn around and find a mikkeller if you want to blow $$$ on a 12 ounce and be pretty sure it will be worth it. Or at least not suck.

I was pretty mad because I've always been like "$7 for a single? No beer is that good." But it turns out it's not even like $2 good.

The Guillotine had one of the tastiest heads ever -- super thick foam. I could just drink the foam.

there's like one good hitachino, one that's not bad, and the rest are experiments in flavortown that are best not breached

that one with ginger in it is bleehhh and I love ginger

the stout kind of tasted like it was made by people who had heard a description of a stout but never tasted one

is that the one that is kind of syrupy?

I am not much for wheaty beers these days but I will still rep for their white ale

Hitachino Nest is by far the worst craft brewery going.

coughroguecough

haha

I had this guinness red harvest stout on Halloween and it was good but seemed to be exactly like guinness except the black food was replaced by a deep ruby red. Maybe there was a bit more sweetness, like a scotch ale?

Haha, Hitachino Nest has 2 drinkable beers to Rogue's 1.

I have hated every hitachino I have tried, and I've tried several. Particularly maddening considering the price.

they are not great but the one that's "based on a japanese original ale" or whatever is nice - like i dunno, as nice as brooklyn lager or something, i was looking at bars in nyc for my visit and saw hitachino for 13 dollars or some shit, no way is it that kind of stand-out.

might have been a restaurant rather than a bar, but still.

went to a friend's "near beer" party, where everyone was supposed to bring beer from their hometown. probably the best thing i tried that i hadn't had before was Alesmith (San Diego). the IPA was good but i was told the Speedway Stout is the way to go.

speedway stout is imo tremendous

went to a friend's "near beer" party...

Was about to say "That's no friend!" till I read the rest. (For those too young to remember, Near Beer was a non-alcoholic beer I tried a couple times in the early 70s, may still be in production).

Also tried the Ballast Point Sculpin IPA that was raved about upthread. Excellent, but $15/6-pack is kind of steep.

drank so much SN celebration this weekend

I really don't know much about beers from the DC area, which is where I grew up

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/blogs/99bottles/2013/11/the_alchemist_closing_cannery_to_the_public.html

Does this mean I've probably had all the Heady I'll ever get? Every can I've ever had is because people have gotten their stock by driving to the cannery.

my phone blew the fuck up abt that today

it's going to be much tougher to justify the trip to vermont from boston. but given some of the ppl i know who were contemplating heady runs (to make it clear these are people who really could not be described as beer nerds by any definition) it's no surprise. if you're resourceful and willing to drive it's still possible to scrape together a case (i know, i've done it) but overall this sucks.

contemplating one more run next wednesday.

Go for it!

I say this as I'm drinking a fresh batch of Pipeworks Unicorn vs. Ninja and holy fuck is that a good beer. They've really nailed this one, probably the best PW's I've had.

just opened the delerium nocturnum -- interesting, definitely has some flavors in common with the guillotine, and also some elements that remind me of a chocolate stout

belgian ales are really a whole other thing from most beer imo, they're like something in between beer and wine

Newcastle Werewolf (their rye malt ale) was pretty okay (and much better than their brown ale). Nothing to seek out, but probably the best offering at the local Rite-Aid near me (save the unrefrigerated Sierra Nevada).