The Half-Acre thread (2018)

[QUOTE="HouseofWortship, post: 5158290, member:

I would have camped for Benthic variants![/QUOTE]



Me too. Benthic is incredible

 

Just showed up and got a bottle of regular.

Stopped at the tap room for pours of bourbon barrel and salted Carmel/ espresso

Espresso was really espresso heavy, a bit stronger on the espresso and less on the coffee than I'd prefer.

Bourbon barrel is solid but not as complex as some other barreled beers I've had.

All are pretty great though, glad I didn't wait in the snow!

 

Anyone have any insight on Cliffs of Tephra? Releases on Friday and it's still quite a mystery. Wondering what the hop profile on this guy will be

 

They just posted a pic of the can on Instagram with a caption that deftly dodges calling it a NE style IPA but highly infers that it is a NE style IPA.

 

*checks Instagram*

Yeah, that sounds delicious. Damnit.

 

That's pretty much what I gathered from it as well.

 

Remember Juice Man? We thought that would be a NE IPA for sure, but 'twas not! Either way, HA kills it and if they deem it can worthy, let's get them glasses out!

 

Actually, reading the description I am inferring it will be over-carbed so it "erupts" when opening. Let's stop inferring.

 

This is the fun part, though!

The "post modern introduction concept that's circulating the nation-wide cusp of inventive methods," while incredibly wordy, does seem to imply something along the lines of an unfiltered beer.

I don't care if they do a full-on NE style IPA, but if they start canning unfiltered IPAs (a la whatever methods produced the tap version of Beer Hates astronauts) I'll probably just start sleeping outside their storefront.

 

That description they posted sounds exactly like a Cellarmaker beer, specially with that Hop profile

 

Pretty sure it sucks so you all can go ahead and not chase this one down and if you do, just forward it to me so I can dispose of it properly

 

Ugh, I'm out of town for work tomorrow through Sunday, hope somehow the cans last through the weekend but not feeling optimistic.

 

Someone specifically mentioned it sounds like a NE IPA and asked if it's unfiltered. HA response was that they never filter anything and this is a Chicago IPA. I kinda like that response. I'll be swinging by at some point to grab some on Friday.

 

I hope the cans don't instantly freeze when I leave the taproom.

 

Yeah, I saw that too, that was amusing.

I think the problem is that a lot of what people associate with being "unfiltered" (haziness, particulate, etc. etc.) isn't a part of a lot of HA's beers (which is why it was noteworthy when one version of BHA was hazy). So the real question is, "whatever the fuck makes some of these beers hazy and shit, is that gonna be done to this beer, to make it hazy and shit?"

 

It's just gotta be an annoying question to deal with on their end. They have a really good track record of making good IPA's...so if they tell the person it's NOT NE style...is he gonna not buy it? Just go in there, taste it, and see if you like it.

Of course, at this point I may start using the NE style as factor to not buy it going forward if people designate it as such! Only joking, of course, since we know I'm a moron that can't stop buying beer, even if it's a style that's not my favorite.

 

I love that response from HA. It likely elicited a collective "that does not compute" from all the NE IPA chazers

 

Half Acre's IPAs are far better than any of the pseudo-NE-style IPAs I've had from other Chicago breweries..

 

Yeah, I have no doubt it's super frustrating, even if I don't fault the question. To have whatever your latest beer offering is (and one you're proud of, I'm sure) distilled down to "NE or no?" has to be really demoralizing and irritating.

And yeah, if it's an NE IPA I know you'll be there, and you'll hate it. But you'll be back!

I don't agree as a general rule (meaning I don't literally think all HA stuff is better than all Chicago NE stuff), but I would definitely agree that their best IPAs are as good if not better. The best NE stuff I've had from the city is great, just like any other great IPA is great. Obviously Beer Hates Astronauts is an all-time favorite of mine, and Navaja is the beer that started my profile on this site, so I've got plenty of HA love.

 

I'll second that. The only one truly succeeding in my opinion is Transient. All the others, (I'm
looking at you Juicy), are good to average.

But that's a conversation for a different thread.

I'm going to check it because Half Acre is one of the best breweries in the country when it comes to making hoppy beers.