Which IPA should I choose to get.

Get 51k if you can find it

 

Azacca was pretty mediocre. I would go either Oddside Citra or Two Hearted even though I haven't had the first and don't really like the second.

 

Get the oddside and sent it to me.

This is Beer Advocate. When it comes to beer buying we use "and" not "or."

 

Founder Centennial or Bell's Two Hearted

 

not the All Day

 

X2^ Drinking Centennial currently 4 months old and still very good. Brewery's that have the canning process perfected tend to allow for older beer to stay more than decent in my view.

 

I've never had Odd Side, I prefer Two Hearted, All Day is a good session IPA.

 

Bell's Two Hearted.

 

You can never go wrong with Founders

 

That makes sense. I realized it's not an odd question if you live where you can't get those beers.

 

Agreed. Get the Two Hearted.

 

I appreciate the fact that you have an opinion, as it must have taken hours to arrange such artful prose, but the fact remains that the freshness of hop-forward beers matters a great deal, due to the impact of overall flavor.

The importance of freshness is magnified considering the fact that the OP is from Washington, and that all of the beers in question are from Michigan. The OP is outside of these brewers' regular distribution range, and is relying on family to bring the beer to him; meaning that he is going to have the chance to try a beer that he may never get to again. He should have the best experience possible. I have been in similar situations countless times, and having high hopes for something I can't normally get, only to receive an out of date beer, sucks. Plain and simple. I am just trying make the OP aware of a legitimate issue.

Additionally, Founders Azacca is single-hopped, and was brewed to showcase the qualities of said hop. Granted, this is a seasonal IPA, but all other things remaining constant, time is the enemy of hop oil, and a bottle from January probably won't taste the same as one from March. The OP is going out of his way to get this beer, and he deserves to drink it at its best; meaning that, once again, freshness matters.

Contrarianism has no place on this site. This is a community dedicated to craft beer and all the experiences that come with it. Comments like yours prevent a productive dialogue and the development of a person's personal knowledge of and appreciation for craft beer. So, next time you feel the urge to do something "productive," instead of stroking your ego and leaving childish, misinformed comments on threads, grab a dictionary and a thesaurus and fix your spelling and grammar. Leave the beer discussions to people who know what they're talking about.

 

Citra and Two Hearted ... of course, depends on the bottling date.

I do agree about the All Day. Hard pass on that.

 

Look at the reviews of each and see which one YOU think will be the best based upon your preferences.

 

Two of the best tropical style IPA's I personally recommend now are Flying Dog Tropical Bitch, or Tired Hands Hophands. Both delicious. As well as the elusive Heady Topper... Cheers!

 

Having all of those many times the choice is easy. All day and Azzaca. Two hearted and centennial are so close in taste that it would be a waste to get them both if you can only have two.

 

Two Hearted for that tropical thing but Odd Side Citra is one of my must haves each time I visit Michigan

 

Two hearted is around Portland right now so if you aren't too far and happen to visit you could get that here and go with one of the other choices.

 

To be fair, your first post wasn't the most informative either. Freshness does matter, however, it's not the end-all, be-all. Keeping the OP's tastes in mind, a 4 week old Citra Pale may tastes better to him than a 2 week old All Day.

I agree that freshness should play a major role. I wouldn't chooses a 2 month old beer when another one is only a couple of weeks old, especially given the time the beer will spend in transit. But just choosing the freshest beer isn't necessarily the best solution. There are many variables that go into making a beer taste good to someone.

 

Two Hearted is my go-to. Centennial is also very good. Azaca was so-so, All Day is pretty okay. Never had Oddside.