Chicagoland NE IPAs (2018)

When are the HB beers dropping? Is the beer really NE style if they are adding fruit to achieve the fruit flavor rather than hops?

 

Yes, but then you can get to the brewery after work and still pick up cans. The Veil does Tuesday afternoon releases but cans last a couple of days and the brewery is open later. Their closest major metropolitan area is also not in a different time zone. Tree House also doesn't suffer from the time zone issue. They also release cans 3 days/week so you can go when you can be more flexible. Transient drops cans once every few weeks.

I'm not blaming Transient, I'm just saying it's a bummer for those of us working regular hours in Chicago.

 

With their liberal use of the NE IPA descriptor, they may as well rename themselves to 'New England Style Brewing'.

 

I have to say I felt this way for sure when he announced this his brewery would be in MI & not IL. You're helping generate funds to open his brewery & then it's announced that it's opening out of state - it stung a bit. But thinking about it from a business standpoint - his rent, overhead, being off I-94 on the way to K-Zoo & GR & still within ~2 hour drive of Chicago it makes a lot of sense.

Like I've said before, I really enjoy Chris' beer & continue to support him as the brewery grows. As someone with a job that doesn't have a ton of flexibility with schedule for weekday releases, a wife & young kid do I wish the brewery was in Chicago & not two hours away from a selfish standpoint- of course.

 

Michigan overhead + Chicago pricing= $$$$

 

Why is no one talking about More Brewing?!?! This is, IMO, the most exciting news to come out of the area's craft beer scene in quite some time.

Shaun, from RAM, is moving on. Tomorrow is his last day at RAM and he is joining More Brewing in Villa Park (close enough to the city and very close to Noon Whistle) where their FB page says they will focus on NE-Style IPAs, Pale Ales, Stouts, and Sours.

More frequent releases by Shaun? And I would assume a lot more freedom and resources/time at his disposal! This is a Chicago NE-Style fan's dream!

 

This could easily get lost in the transient and more brewing conversations going on...

But here's one for ppl in the NW suburbs. Tight head brewing has a NEIPA coming out. No name or date yet, but feezybrews on instagram posted this. He's reviewed a wide range of beers on instagram and says this is legit. Looking forward to it

 

When your focus is on every style, you don't have focus.

 

Classic: "The beer does not have a name yet but be on the lookout."

This is going to be hysterical when people call up Binny's "I'm looking to see if you have a beer yet? No, I don't know the name, but do you know when you are getting it?"

 

ISO More Brewing! Haha

 

I wouldn't call 3 styles (PA/IPA/DIPA all being relatively similar) every style, and many successful breweries seem to pair those styles mentioned (Tree House, Hill Farmstead being among the best, of the top of my head). But I do agree that going with every possible style would likely reflect in quality/satisfaction issues across the board.

Going with strictly one style wouldn't make much sense though, financially, marketing or branding wise. And for selfish reasons, those three styles being the ones I drink 98% of the time, Im quite happy to see those being his focuses.

 

Saw pictures of the two HB ipas released today. Blazed oranges looks like an amber with no haze. The other looks true to style.

 

I'm starting to think one of the following has to be true about hop butcher:

A - they don't know what NE style is
B - they are putting NE style on the can as a ploy to sell out
C - they tried to make an NE style and failed, but the can art was already produced.

Calling that pic of Blazed Orange a NE style beer is a joke. I felt the same way about mellotron and IWTB. I've lost confidence in them after the last few releases. With so many good option, not sure if I'll look back.

Tough part is that NE style has never really been defined, but everyone in this thread knows it when they see it.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not speaking to the quality of the beer. It may be a perfectly fine hoppy red or IPA. But those beers don't belong in the same room as RaM Juicy, JiL, gummy vortex, treehouse, trillium, etc...