Great Notion

One of last year’s SN Beer Camp beers was a self-styled “imperial session IPA,” given the self-revealing name, “Moxee-Moron.” Methinks the folks at GN were just having a little fun with this one, and who could blame them?

I have not tried the beer, but I imagine it would drink like a regular GN IPA. Big minus small = normal.

 

Imperial session is a joke that many breweries have made in the past, I know Breakside had a beer listed that way a year or two back.

 

Maritime has made an Imperial Pale Ale for years now.

Surprised The Veil hasn't sent GN a cease and desist for copying their naming pattern.

 

Interesting. I guess I left my sense of humor at home today as I just don't get it. The SN beer was clearly a joke based on the name of the beer. That one made sense ... I got a chuckle out of it. I have also seen many breweries do a play on words with IPAs by substituting out one of the words for something else as others have pointed out. However, this is typically relevant in some way to the brewery or beer though. That also makes sense and I think we can all understand that even though it may say something different it is still an IPA. However, I have no idea how this one is a play on words or joke of some sort. If someone can enlighten me then by all means. If a play on words was really the goal then surely they would have utilized the repetitive and symmetrical nature of the name of this particular beer in some way (I do think the name of the beer was meant to be somewhat of a play on words). I just don't think that was the intent when using the term 'imperial session IPA' here. I think that @John_M was probably right that they are trying to communicate that this beer has the amount of hop flavor of an imperial but drinks more like a session. I've just never seen a brewery use these two terms to describe a beer without it being a joke. Wonder if we'll start seeing it used in a more serious manner going forward (it seems like every brewer would want to market their low ABV beers as having the same flavor as an imperial version).

In any case ... it sounds like it's a damn tasty beer.

I was thinking the exact same thing. Though to be fair ... this is slightly different. If they really wanted to copy they probably would have went with "Double Double Dry Dry Hop Hop" or something along those lines, which doesn't nearly have the same ring to it.

 

First stop on my first trip to Portland. The DDHHDD is very nice. One of the dankest smelling beers I've had. Overall a cool place, hoping to find some more in the area (had lots of help in Visiting Portland thread).

 

Maybe the beer was brewed on April 1st, and the joke is just now hitting the streets?

 

That's easy. Lagunitas Waldo's comes to mind. There's a session imperial IPA.

 

As the person who suggested a Grape Lotion beer several months back in this thread, I call dibs on the collab. (I haven't perused all the new hops in a while, but are there any with a grapey flavor other than Nelson? That plus a ton of oats and maybe some lactose on a light malt base and you are golden. )

In seriousness though, I frequent you guys a couple times a month and have zero complaints about the visits. You put out a great product (beer, food, and service) in your limited space. And I've never had a problem trying a beer I wanted, which I greatly appreciate. The crowler policy means I can usually walk in the door a couple days later and still try the beer. Maybe Joe in Kansas doesn't get to try it, but a local guy who spends $50 to $100 a month does. That should be the goal of almost all small breweries. That is who is keeping them in business.

My one complaint, both clothing items I bought had quality/fit issues. (Nothing to major to make them unwearable, but expected better for the price.) Not sure where you are sourcing, but you may want to reevaluate.

Cheers!

 

Look, as someone firmly in the anti-hype/beer line camp, I've agreed with plenty you've said on this thread, even though I also believe you've been too reductionist at times. And I am myself prone to being over-analytical, which makes me that much more sympathetic. It is not necessarily the worst thing to be in a world which often thinks too little. But at some point, and particularly where beer is concerned, it's just best to let it go...

Maybe Great Notion is communicating some deep and secret message via the peculiar style and name they've assigned to this beer. The latter's palindromic nature might just possibly allude to this very thread, which can be read the same way, circularly, frontwards and back, over its 20+ pages without really getting us anywhere new. Or maybe they're just having a different kind of laugh, which all brewers, and all beer consumers, should maintain as one of their priorities. I don't honestly know any better than you. I just care a little less, but without, mind you, being uncaring.

Anyway, it's probably safe to assume a 6.5% beer in the IPA realm neither tastes too imperialized nor too session-ized, no matter what they want to call it. The descriptors cancel each other out and we're back right where we started. However, if you should see any brewery, even an independent one, using the "imperial session" nomenclature in a non-tongue-in-cheek way, you should definitely give that place, and their products, a wide berth. Pretense has its limits.

And finally, when their new facility is up and running, which shouldn't be too much longer, so much of the distress which has been expressed here will dissolve. Be patient. Xanadu will shortly be yours...

 

Yeah, I realize that I should just keep my mouth shut on many of these topics and let them do their thing. Sometimes I find that difficult ... especially when the topic is sort of a pet peeve of mine. They are a newer brewery and haven't started canning yet so they haven't really had to deal too much with beer descriptions other than online and in their taproom. I figured they might be interested in some feedback regarding how these descriptions are perceived. I was probably wrong. However, most other times I've seen this description it's either the brewer being funny (this is clearly not that) or it is a marketing thing and someone writes an article about it (just two examples -- there are many more):

https://dontdrinkbeer.com/2015/04/2...re-if-this-is-what-beer-is-like-in-real-life/

https://www.pastemagazine.com/artic...ouble-ipa-and-other-beer-terms-i-hope-to.html

I don't necessarily agree with everything that Jim has to say here, but one interesting snippet from The Paste article:

"The point is, there’s nothing wrong with creating new beer styles and new definitions. The problem arises when you’re trying to find new styles for the sake of marketing between the ranges of already existing styles. You’re brewers, not anthropologists looking for the next unique species of human evolution between Australopithecus and Homo Habilis. Let’s not fall back on naming gimmickry just to make the beer stand out on the shelf."

I want to know, at least to some degree, what to expect of a beer based on its description. Therefore, I was genuinely curious if there was some information about the beer that could be gathered from the use of the term. Based on the responses here it doesn't sound like it (it's probably somewhere in between a session and an imperial which makes it just a regular IPA).

 

RE: Beer naming, I can say with confidence (hopefully without oversharing) that it was named by a friend, mostly intending to make light of the way a lot of beers (especially of this style) are named and be fun, although not everyone's sense of humor is the same. It's not a marketing ploy, although the beer is definitely dry hopped.

Let me know next time you're in town, T. I'll buy you a beer.

 

I will definitely do that! It's been a while since I've been able to make it up there, but soon. If you didn't make the release, I've also got a bottle of Peche Turbulent Consequences for you ... payback from when you snuck in that bottle of Framboise last time. It sounds like you're referring to the name of the beer itself, right? I assumed something like that was the case for the name, which is why I didn't really touch on that. I'm referring to the use of the term 'imperial session IPA'.

 

Of course you’re right, John, but it’s not binary. And I certainly wasn’t looking to silence anyone's opinions, especially @LockeNess33's, who is consistently respectful, passionate, and thoughtful in what he posts. Censorship is anathema to me, and the idea of ever preventing someone from expressing their thoughts about beer on a website expressly devoted to that is utterly laughable to me. (And yet it’s happened to me, but that’s a story for another day...)

I was merely suggesting that it can pay dividends, on occasion, to give our opinions a little time and mental distance before expressing them. Some of us have a tendency to overthink, and others to underthink. Taking a moment and some space to account for these things before we “shoot off the mouth” never hurt anybody. Nor would it worsen the quality of the discussions on this site (or beyond it, for that matter) if it were in wider practice. That’s all I meant.

 

My wife loves Great Notion's food so it's become our go-to place for lunch/dinner when we're passing through Portland and she doesn't want Lardo. I just ignore the crowler madness and drink whatever happens to be on tap when we're there.

 

For what it's worth ... I didn't think anyone was trying to silence me or anything. And if I had thought that you were I probably wouldn't listen anyways. I do typically put some thought into my posts before I actually hit the reply button. I'm just hesitant these days to post in this thread at all (even though it wouldn't seem like it based on the amount of posts I've made in this thread ).

This is the approach that I recommend to everyone. I agree with your wife ... their food is spectacular. Even if the beer were sub-par (which it isn't) the food alone would draw in plenty of customers. I especially like their deviled eggs and the brat pot pie.

 

I normally get the pork plate, but I had the grilled cheese and a side salad on Memorial Day. Solid. My wife loves their veggie burger.