Chicagoland NE IPAs (2018)

Guess I'll post it here. A couple new ones coming from Hop Butcher... Grid (Citra & Mosaic) APA and Unwind Your Mind (Mosaic, Motueka and El Dorado) Double IPA. Anyways, hopefully these will be worthwhile like their beers of old.

 

As someone that just spent a week in Mexico, I was jonesing for something with any kind of flavor. Even the craft brews I had were fairly boring, and it was simply a better idea to just order a Pacifico because of the price.

If "Mexican style" means that, I'm all for going slightly off the beaten path.

 

Not sure if this is public yet (though it is on instagram)

I didn't think SOJ was a great NE IPA per se, but I did find it to be a really nice beer, and one I was happy to drink in a bar. Buying a bomber if it though was IMO out of the question, as it just wasn't worth it, price wise.

However, if it's priced the same as Charelton, I'll be all over it this summer.

 

Awesome news. Feel same way that bomber was hard to justify cans on other hand a staple in fridge.

 

so i made it to cruz blanca yesterday. the new one "palm shade" isn't a NE style IPA, it is clear, not a thick or soft mouthfeel but it is nice and fruity and was quite good for yesterday's weather. Also had the mango variant, "mango shade" which i ended up liking more. but yea, not NE style, but both are good and the food was awesome.

 

I stopped by Forbidden Root yesterday. Really enjoyed Snooze Juice. They don't label it a NEIPA, but Death By Snu Snu is on another level for me. Might be my favorite IPA in the city. I absolutely loved that beer.

 

Loved that beer as well a couple of months ago.

 

For anyone who does go over there, The Kernel Brewery in London makes some killer IPAs.

 

This brings up a good point re: the notion that NE-style is not shelf stable.

That batch of Death by Snu Snu is over 3 weeks old at this point. If the beer is brewed correctly (no yeast in the packaged product), this style is no less susceptible to falling off than a traditional big-hopped pale. And yes, I recognize that warm storage vs cold storage has an impact. Based on the handful of tests that I've done (and likely, all of you have done)...any big-hopped pale falls off. The NEPAs that have moderate IBUs will hold up a bit better than the "zero-ish IBU" examples. No surprise there. As I've mentioned before, some of the aggressively hopped (5+ lbs per bbl) NEPAs actually taste better after a week or so.

Latest opinions:
I've tried some of the freshest examples of the style from around town and there is a large range of bitterness. Some are still too bitter (to my palate). Other's have landed on the sweet spot. Hats off to Hailstorm (Stratus) for the most improved. New batch was great.
Even though I haven't had it yet, I have no doubt that Roger @ Corridor is/will crush it. And it looks like Squeezit is a big hint as to what's to come.

Latest learnings:
I am still chasing the juice-like sweetness (slightly syrupy) without being cloying. Think a relatively dry beer that still tastes sweet. Like a bone dry saison. Each batch I'm taking steps to increase the final gravity, again, without making it taste under-attenuated. I have a feeling that yeast plays some roll in this. Specifically the glycerols created by certain yeast strains and under what conditions is their production increased.

Latest news:
I'll just leave this pic here for a clue...

 

Is that honeycomb? A strip of firecrackers? Random wood blocks for imparting barrel type flavor?

 

Always enjoy your updates.

One recommendation I would give for you trying to get that sweetness is to try adding more low lavabond specialty malts to your grain bill. Something like Munich. Or potentially substitute part of your base grain with Vienna (or both) if you're not already using it. In my experience, these low lavabond specialty grains add a unique sweetness/syrupy-ness without adding that strong caramel flavor that tends to clash a bit in the style. Comparing Death by Snu Snu to versions of the style that I think perfectly nail the base, it seems to be slightly paler and a bit drier (dry mainly meaning less sweet since the yeast really beefs up the mouthfeel).

Just some random advice from a fan who has done a lot of homebrew versions of this style.

 

Anyone had "squeeze it" from corridor yet? I know it's a fairly new beer, but was wondering if anyone had any impressions? Thinking of going to grab a few crowlers tomorrow if it as good as mikerphone, hubbard's cave, etc. Thanks

 

Had it this past weekend...highly recommend

 

Absolutely worth getting.

 

looks like those son of juice cans are already out!

 

what the hell, might go and pick up a can. Worth it?