2015 Surly Wet

Drank another 4-pack last night. Can't say I understand the lager comments

 

I understand them a little. To me, it finishes pretty dry and clean with just a little bitterness. Sometimes I get those same characteristics out of lagers. I understand the lager comments, but I know what I'm drinking and tasting so it doesn't bother me. Plus, I think it's a great beer.

 

I'll have to try it again tonight (what a shame) and look for that character. I'll probably find it if I am looking for because of power of suggestion but as it stands the word didn't cross my mind when drinking Wet so far.

I do agree it's dry like I like my IPA's but I find it to be pretty damn bitter at least 3 deep

 

Some of you need to do some homebrewing to gain a better appreciation of the influence of ingredients on flavor. You are entitled to subjective opinions on flavor, but I am also entitled to think you are ignorant.

I'm guessing the beer was not dry-hopped (it's Wet!), hence the modest aroma. If you just want another version of a traditional late-hopped and dry-hopped IPA -- go buy one. That will leave more of these unique, irreproducible beers for the rest of us.

 

I have had numerous wet hopped beers in the past and in fact have brewed one myself that had incredible pungent grassy and juicy hop aromas.

When I brewed mine, the wet hops went in at flameout and resulted in a great smell. No dry hopping either.

Just looking at my Wet review from 2010, I noted a big grassy green hop smell. I have no problem if anyone else likes it, but this just does not fit the bill for a Wet hopped beer for me personally.

 

I am guessing that a neckbeard will lessen my ignorance?

 

So what did you use for bittering? Was it single-hopped throughout? As others have stated, I get a big white grape/white wine aroma from this years Wet. Reminds me of a few Nelson Sauvin beers I have had.

I can understand the disappoint with the beer, but I guess what I'm saying is that I try not to have specific flavor/aroma expectations when purchasing wet-hopped beer because it's likely to change.

 

Yea, that's what I said.

 

I'm gonna grab some popcorn and a can of Wet and hope this thread continues it's ascent into Toppling Goliath thread-esque levels of bickering.

 

Cannot wait until someone deconstructs Todd the Axeman and can reproduce it using artificial ingredients so that you all can satisfy your thirst.

 

Uhhhh, what?

 

I used some bittering hops at the beginning of the boil, but it came out with that fresh green hop aroma like a fresh hop cone. Like I said, I've experienced it in other wet hopped beers including Wet before, and it has translated to the flavor too. This one lacks the green that makes me love wet hopped beers. Not that this is a bad beer, but just doesn't yank my crank.

 

Just to give you a quick idea, and I know everyone's sense of taste and smell is different. The characteristics of Simcoe are... Cat Piss and Skunk/Dank. So theoretically, if you aren't getting those aromas or flavors from Wet, it's severely missed it's mark. The crazy thing is, cat piss is a really good, sought after characteristic when it comes to some IPAs.

 

Just irritates me when people value [expected] flavor and aroma over everything else. Reminds me of people dosing homebrew bottles with artificial flavors prior to submitting to a competition to amp up the expected flavors.

If Surly could have delivered a bigger aroma or whatever people are looking for by dosing with hop extract I would not enjoy as much. Give me the harvest ale and I'll appreciate it for what it is, even if that makes me a shill.

 

Or the crop was different this year...http://www.hopsdirect.com/blog/2015-hops-direct-hop-crop-report/

 

That is a definite issue that potentially had an impact on the hops. We had an extremely small snowpack and an absolutely horrible drought out in Washington and Oregon. We're technically still in a drought.

Hell, the Chinooks and Willamettes on my patio on Seattle are just now forming cones. Normally they're done early to mid September.

 

So people shouldn't have any expectations of what a particular beer style smells or tastes like? So the next time I try an under-hopped IPA with little hop aroma or flavor from a homebrewer or new startup brewery, I should just appreciate it and like it? Call me crazy, but I thought beer styles had certain characteristics so I could expect certain things from them.

We get it, you like the beer. None of us are mad about that, so enjoy the hell out of it. Just don't call everyone who disagrees with you ignorant and tell them they need to homebrew to appreciate a certain style of beer.

 

I'll translate his sarcasm: without trying to start a fight, your post was incredibly condescending. "Gee, if y'all homebrewed more your palate would be as refined as mine & you'd know what you were drinking, heathens" is a pretty accurate summary of your post.

Again. What the hell am I drinking beer for if not to "value the flavor"? The packaging? I don't care if the brewer mixes in otter hair & second-run Budweiser, if it results in a world-class beer, more power to them.

 

We're only six pages in, Brother! I am grabbing myself some pork rinds and an ice-cold Carling.

 

Just don't go expecting those pork rinds to be crunchy or to taste like pork and that Carling to be carbonated or flavorless.