Chicagoland NE IPAs (2018)

Can we all just agree that Hop Butcher is a hype of a "NE style" brewery and shouldn't be mentioned in this thread until they can replicate B1 GalaxyBowl on a regular basis? Nothing they have put out since has even come close.

Yeah I'm a bit salty. I just don't like their constant cash grabs by slapping NE on everything.

 

Agreed.

I brought it up here since there is no thread for Hop Butcher; perhaps the time has come.

 

When do we know about Noon Whistle, StB, and Mikerphone releases? Days after they hit distro? No. Hop Butcher announced this 2 hours ago, a few days after their customers started putting cans out? That's pretty sad social media presence for a business.

Also, isn't one of their new ones labeled "international pale ale".

 

That is correct. Have heard they are looking into getting their own space in the west suburbs.

 

None of that prevents them from taking 2 minutes to send out a 140 character tweet in advance of a release.

 

If the lack of social media hype by HB is true, it's a step in the right direction for me. I totally understand growing pains with brewing a new style. I also understand brewers in the first stages of trying to grow themselves may not be able to afford to dump a batch. But to hype up a beer you know isn't right (total assumption on my part and not specific to HB), or to hype it as a style you know it doesn't fit so nerds are selling it out the same day it drops, is what I have a problem with.

 

All of those are breweries with their own facility that have full time employees. Who knows, maybe they've been busy with their day jobs of late and just have had a little less time. Or maybe they want to tone it down like you said. Either way - I don't mind it because I know where it will be if i want to try for it (unsure - if I could get a mixed 4 pack I'd be in)

 

I'm just saying, if HP is neglecting the marketing for their product which is still a niche product since they don't have physical space or their own brewery, where else are they cutting corners?

 

well, looks like they did post an IG and the comments and responses are interesting.
One from HB: "Thanks for the love Tom and stinks to hear that you'd think our motives would be unsavory. We make those beers in the NE vein - low bitterness, soft mouthfeel, big hops, and haze. We had the yeast in two previous beers drop out more than we anticipated, but we believe we are back on course with Telehopic."

 

Per a Hailstorms Twitter account today, Stratus tapped today and cans available tomorrow!!!!!

 

Love me some Stratus

 

At least they went with the "yeast didn't hold up how we anticipated" and not the "that was our interpretation of a NEIPA" reasoning. Another step in the right direction for me.

 

Well. I picked up a four pack of Hop Butcher Telehopic.
Not feeling it at all.
Not NE style at all.
More like a regular IPA, and a quite poor one at that. Basically zero aroma, ok flavor.
Between this and Cirrus, I have a few cans in my fridge that I'm dreading drinking.

 

I haven't been too impressed with HB beers of late. Last one that was good as others have mentioned was the first Galaxy batch. Other than that, it was Alemerica and Your Wish Is Granted. I'm waiting for them to get back to that consistency. Jut my .02.

 

Anyone tried the Horse Thief Hollow ones called Northeast by Southwest? Looks like they've done 5 batches.

 

I tried batch 4 and it was a good IPA. Not NE style by far. Not hazy, not juicy, very bitter. I enjoyed it still, but don't go in wanting anything more than a solid ipa.

 

I wasn't able to get my hands on Galaxy Bowl b1, so I have yet to try any of Hop Butcher's NE Style IPA's that I actually enjoyed. These are all just my opinions, but Reply Hazy looked the part but tasted awful, Mellotron was a mess, I Want To Believe was well....not a NE Style IPA at all (although very tasty). I passed on Blazed Orange and this last offering for obvious reasons.

They have the capability to make great IPA's - Your Wish Is Granted was a great west coast IPA, Destination Moon was a masterpiece IMO, and FWIW I Want To Believe was actually really tasty (even though it wasn't to the style they put on the can).