NC's Best Drinking IPAs/ DIPAs

Anyone try either of Trophy's latest offerings?

Clouds Due and Full Extension?

 

This probably doesn't quite count, but I tried OB Hotbox IPA over the weekend and really enjoyed it, very well done for what it is.

 

I drank a 4 of Full Extension yesterday and can confirm it is very solid. Definitely has the juiciness and decent haziness of a NEIPA, with some bitterness in there to remind you it's still an IPA. I even got a little of the pineapple they brewed it with. However, I wasn't crazy about the hop bill they used and felt it was a little on the thin side. Overall, worth the $13/4pack all day long.

 

Just returned from Trophy, where I sampled both CD and FE.

Clouds Due was solid. Smells great when you take a first whiff off the full glass. Drinks well, similar to Cloud Surfer. Not hazy or really juicy in my opinion...not anywhere close to the NE styles I grew accustomed to in NYC/Maine. Overall a B+ I'd say.

Full Extension on the other hand. Good god. Diacetyl for days. The nose is straight buttered popcorn. Hard to drink. Bought a 4-pack just to see if it's any better in cans. Shocked to find out it was a collab with Finback, one of the better breweries in NYC. Not OH or Grimm or Interboro but def in the next class down. Oscillation is fantastic and visible spectrum one of my faves also. Honestly can't believe something this drain-poury would come from them. Must be the pineapple? Will update after I try one of the cans to see if it's present there.

I know not everyone can detect diacetyl ... anyone else getting that too?

 

Wasn't a big fan of Clouds Due. Not bad, but I think something about Callista hops just don't jive for me. I don't normally care for IPA's with fruit added, so haven't tried Full Extension. Also wasn't too impressed with the Finback beers that were recently on tap.

 

Yeah I missed the tap takeover so I didn't try any of the beers they brought down to NC. only basing my impression of FB on how they used to be in NYC. Maybe just a bad batch.

 

Hoping to try this soon, they didn't have it yet when I went a week ago. Also saw Tasty had a keg of it and kicked in like a day. Like Yield a lot so I'm sure I'll like this one.

 

I went to Bhavana last night and Pithy was fantastic.

 

Is Bhavana doing Growlers or Crowlers?

 

None yet, but I was told they'll be doing crowlers before too long.

 

Awesome, yeah I didn't even see the taproom area because it was really busy when I went and had a table reservation.

ALSO: Has anyone been to High Branch in Concord? I'm going to Charlotte this weekend and was going to stop at Heist but I might stop there instead.

 

Was in Raleigh a few weeks back to visit a friend and was able to try some new IPAs - Cloud's Due and Plithy. Cloud's Due was.....really terrible. I'm guessing it was the choice of hops, but it almost tasted like you were sipping on some liquid from Bath and Body Works.

Plithy, on the other hand, was fantastic. I'm from the Philly area and am pretty spoiled with the likes of Tired Hands, Kane, and Other Half, and this beer was no slouch. Just a warning though, it wasn't listed on their menu that hangs on the wall, but it was on the back side of their paper taplist, along with like 8-10 other beers. Weird.

 

Be sure to check Heist's taplist if it's IPA's you're after because I was there last night and they didn't have a single one. Wooden Robot and Legion both had good ones though.

 

I believe the list on the wall is just their year-round beers and that Plithy is considered a rotating one and that they plan to change the hops on it each batch.

 

Yeah I figured the best I could do at Heist was Not From Concentrate, but if they don't even have that I'll check out this other brewery.

 

High Branch is definitely worth a visit if you haven't been. They are making some killer IPAs and saisons. Plus if you hit there Friday, they should have some food trucks out there as well.

 

I have found that Heist taps the IPA's around Thur-Fri and are typically gone by Sunday night.

 

Skip heist and check out Legion or Wooden Robot instead.

 

Lenny Boy's Citraphilia is legit