some damn good IPA's out there

[Phall]

Will be in Grand Junction area this weekend, planning on hitting Andy's, but does anyone have the go-to spot for the goods there? I've been to college liquors and was unimpressed, and generally go to the Liquor Barn, but wanted to try to find the best shop for the really good stuff.
Anything besides the standards(Odd13, etc) to look for?

[EWG]

Will be in Grand Junction area this weekend, planning on hitting Andy's, but does anyone have the go-to spot for the goods there? I've been to college liquors and was unimpressed, and generally go to the Liquor Barn, but wanted to try to find the best shop for the really good stuff.
Anything besides the standards(Odd13, etc) to look for?

You, sir, will be dangerously close to Outer Range. Which is absolutely worth any trip. From which direction are you going to GJ?

[Phall]

I've been to Outer Range, its great. We're coming from SLC this afternoon, camping in Fruita, going to ride and stock up in GJ Friday.

[uglymoney]

From Lion Bridge in Czech Village here in Cedar Rapids. They never really did IPA's that were that great until the last couple of years. This one is amazing.

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[Ted Striker]

Shit bird Randy. Shit bird.



...actually Gruff Trash Bird IPA. Hoppy, a little sweet, a little dank, and light actually passes through it.

[glademaster]

I've been thrilled to see how many fresh hop beers were produced as West Coast IPA's this year. SO over the haze.

Reuben's You'll Be Back isn't a fresh hop, but is absolutely worth picking up if you happen across it.

[dookeyXXX]

IPAs dominate HBA "Best Beers In America" list:

https://www.homebrewersassociation.o...rs-in-america/

[HD333]

I forgot how solid this beer is.




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[dookeyXXX]

Pipes McGee West Coast IPA
Moksa Brewing Co., Rocklin, CA
ABV: 7.0%
Hops: Mosaic, Simcoe, NZ Cascade
Canned 10/08/20
Drunk: 11/03/20

A little syrupy on the initial mouthfeel, melting into a nice, rich, but not over powering bitterness.

[dookeyXXX]

The Turbinator Hazy IPA
Moksa Brewing, Rocklin, CA
ABV: 7.0%
Hops: Mosaic and Idaho 7
Kegged and tapped: 10/21/20
Canned (crowler filled on site): 11/1/20 (advised to drink within 4 days of canning)
Drank: 11/4/20

A nice bubblegum and tangerine aroma and flavor blast upfront is nicely complemented by a moderate bitter back end.

I am seriously a lightweight after Sober October, cuz crowlers are for sharing, not single drinker use!

[PlayItLeo]

Abomination Brewing - Toxic Earth IIPA with Matcha and Honey.

Weird looking - it’s green! But dangerously delicious at 9.2%



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[FussyDutchman]

Abomination Brewing - Toxic Earth IIPA with Matcha and Honey.

Weird looking - it’s green! But dangerously delicious at 9.2%



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Looks like some kind of veggie/spinach smoothie with a foam head.

[Ted Striker]

Abomination Brewing - Toxic Earth IIPA with Matcha and Honey.

Weird looking - it’s green! But dangerously delicious at 9.2%

That does look awful, but I've had some good beers (with fantastic labels) from them.

That glass is cool. Where's it from?

[PlayItLeo]

That does look awful, but I've had some good beers (with fantastic labels) from them.

That glass is cool. Where's it from?

Ya - every beer I’ve had of theirs has been really good. Had no idea it was going to look like that when I poured it, but it’s great - and I don’t usually like weird shit added to beer.

Idk where the glass is from (wife bought a set of 4) but has a map of Deer Isle, Maine on it.

ETA: better pic of the color



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[Ted Striker]

I don't have a pic, but I'm enjoying a Tropical Vacation IPA from District Brewing in Mount Vernon WA.

8.3%, 71 IBUs
Sicmoe, Citra, El Dorado, and Centennial joined by new hops HBC 344 and HBC 586.

True to its name, it's a tropical hop bomb, but with a nice malt sweetness to balance. Honey colored, hazy, and technically a double, but the alcohol is not overwhelming. Really nice beer.

[Name Redacted]

pretty hard to go wrong with that hop bill.

[MakersTeleMark]

The New Image Double Double is absolutely fantastic. Nelson Sauvin & Motueka this round. Wowzers.

[dookeyXXX]

Blurry Dreams Hazy IPA
Slice Beer Co., Lincoln, CA
ABV: 6.5%
Hops: Citra and Amarillo
Tapped/Released at Brewery: 9/25/20
Canned/Crowlered: 11/6/20
Drank: 11/6/20

This hazy brew has a nice spicy mouthfeel (can't determine if it's cinnamon or allspice) that tempers the laidback fruitiness. Definitely one of the better and more memorable WC hazes I've had in quite some time.

[HankScorpio]

The local beer shop had Maine Beer Co. Dinner DIPA on tap for growler fills. Not an easy to find beer.




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[Phall]

Quite good.


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[Ted Striker]

I've been thrilled to see how many fresh hop beers were produced as West Coast IPA's this year. SO over the haze.

Reuben's You'll Be Back isn't a fresh hop, but is absolutely worth picking up if you happen across it.

Reuben's is solid. Crikey is available here year round, but their other beers are at the whim of the buyers/distributors. Grocery and convenience stores usually get Moreish in the fall and bits & bobs in the spring, but only the specialty tap rooms/stores get the back catalog.



I see what you mean. There's a greenness/freshness to it. Definitely going to get more. Can't say I'm 100% over the haze, but I love clear(ish) west coast IPAs that can stand on their own.

[dookeyXXX]

I am still good with hazes, but in moderation.
I kinda feel that the so-called "haze craze" is analogous to the initial West Coast IPA craze of the late '80s/early '90s. Everybody has jumped on the bandwagon and saturated the market. There are a lot of shitty-to-mediocre hazes being brewed.
I find that tempering my intake and especially alternating, works well. I usually buy a 4-pack of a haze and a 4-pack of a W/C style and then alternate drinking days.
But I have also found that a lot of hazes start to taste very similar to me because most breweries use the same hop profiles.
I maybe have found a dozen hazes over the past 5 years here in Cali that I consider to be exceptional (I had my first haze in 2016, fwiw), the rest have just been okay.
For example, I recently bought 3 differvent hazes from Slice Beer Company and only 1 of them was worth writing home about. This seems par for the course here in my stretch of CA.
For comparison, both Moonraker in Auburn and Revision in Reno specialize in hazes and there are probably only 4 or 5 beers between the two in that category that I really like and will buy whenever they batch them up.
Anyway, it might be a "craze", but I think it will mellow out much the same way that the over-hopped IPA "craze" did.
Until then, I will continue to buy and try new hazes from breweries I respect and temper them with W/C IPAs.



PS
One thing I have noticed about hazes is that some of them seem to taste better if they have had chance to breathe. For example, I am enjoying "Operation Dynamite" from Slice at lunch. I got a 32 oz. crowler. The first pint was meh, but it's flavor profile changed on the second pour...either that or I am just drunk (But I don't think drunkenness affects your sense of taste, does it?).

[Name Redacted]

....I kinda feel that the so-called "haze craze" is analogous to the initial West Coast IPA craze of the late '80s/early '90s. Everybody has jumped on the bandwagon and saturated the market.....

You mean 2000’s but the rest I agree with.

I’ve found that many of the NEIPAs, if stored well, taste better after a few weeks or even months than on day one. Hop burn is real.

Black ipas have gone by the wayside but I’ve been drinking them lately. Maybe fall is the perfect time for them. And Schwarzbiers . Mmmmmmm

I’m equal opportunity but find myself only drinking one NEIPA in a sitting. Usually.

[dookeyXXX]

Okay, I will concede to 2000.

Apparently, I was thinking of the hoppy Pale Ale craze of the late 80s and early 90s and got the two confused...



I coulda sworn that I had Pliny pre-2000, but InterWebz researches reveal that that seminal IPA didn't drop until 2000...Da beers (as in drinking too many) done messed with my timeline.

PS
Hop burn is described as being akin to sucking on a dry bag of black tea (dunno about you, but I have never done this).
My buddy always talked about over-hopped beers tasting like chewing on an aspirin...

[Ted Striker]

agree.

When the hop wars started, some brewers were making great beers that were hoppy, and others were masking mediocre beer with excessive hops. After some time most brewers figured it out or (went out of business), but it all started again with the haze craze. It took me a while to come around to drinking hazy IPAs here on the west coast because most were shite, but things have been trending well for the last few years.

PS
One thing I have noticed about hazes is that some of them seem to taste better if they have had chance to breathe. For example, I am enjoying "Operation Dynamite" from Slice at lunch. I got a 32 oz. crowler. The first pint was meh, but it's flavor profile changed on the second pour...either that or I am just drunk (But I don't think drunkenness affects your sense of taste, does it?).

I'm the same way. I don't usually like beers over about 8% because I find them too alcoholly. If there's a double that I like, I'll generally let it breathe a bit like a bottle of wine before I drink it.