Sierra Nevada Adding Hazy Little Thing IPA & Southern Gothic Cans

Wow. Is Sidecar PA doing that well that they need to make an IPA for it? Unless they are trying to balance the lineup or something like Torpedo. My thoughts are they are going to be dumping Sidecar PA and making it into an IPA.

That's really my beef as well and if you can bring out another (or different) Sidecar surely there has to be room for some of the others.

The Sidecar IPA link also mentions another new beer: Hop Bullet DIPA.

 

You can't just get your retailer to tape a sixpack onto a case for you?

 

Do they make cases? 12 packs only around here.

 

No, Sierra Nevada Bottle (or can) condition their beers meaning that after they are bottled they sit at the brewery in storage for 2 weeks carbonating in the bottle before they are ever sent out to distribution.

 

I'll take issue with your third paragraph because it points out to a glaring amount of ignorance on the IPA drinkers part.
The self distro game is distorting perception, and IPA drinkers are getting used to drinking green beer, and that's a huge problem for brewers because outside of fresh hopped beers, that day old IPA the little brewery is able to get on the store shelves with condensation still on them is actually not at all what the brewery intends for it to taste like. The beer ideally needs to condition for a week or three before optimum taste is realized.

 

And those British IPAs of circa 1800 were very different from the contemporary American style IPAs. That is why you hear so much about freshness today.

Cheers!

 

2 X 12-packs or 4 X 6-packs on a cardboard flat = 1 case.

That's how most canned beer is sold by the brewer and the distributor - it's the retailer who breaks them down.

 

They sure do. Below is from the SN website:

“Pale Ale 12-ounce bottles in 6-, 12- and 24-pack (case) formats”

http://sierranevada.com/qualitymatters

Cheers!

P.S. If you speak to your local retailer(s) they can order you a case.

 

Our palates are far more refined now I'm sure.

 

Not to argue with your overall point about warped perceptions but I can't see how that can be true as a blanket statement.

 

Cases can be found at places like Costco in my area. I am about 10 hours south of Chico. Not sure about distribution outside CA.

 

Right, but I'm thinking a single case/30 pack is cheaper? Or maybe that is wishful thinking and only doable for BMC ?

 

I would be surprised that Sierra Nevada would go the 30 pack route since this package format seems to be the domain of AAL beers. Packaging choices are part of the overall Marketing & Sales aspect.

Cheers!

 

So you think the brewer is packaging the beer and selling it day-of with the idea that it needs to condition for another 2-3 weeks? Maybe I misread your comment, but that seems way off.

 

I'm looking forward to trying both brews. I've never had a NEIPA, so if they're going to put one out, I hope they really try to nail the essence of what brewers like Tree House are doing.

 

I bought some 10-day-bottled Tropical Torpedo recently and it tasted super green. Tossed it in the fridge and didn't touch it again until it hit a month old. Tasted far better. SN's beers are given time to condition for a good reason. No other brewery produces hoppy beers with the shelf-stability of SN's brews.

 

If you have read some of the Odd13 posts in the Mountain Fotum, they allude to as much. They dont come out directly and state that so bluntly but they have said they want to give the consumers the choice of when its at its best to drink in regards to the whole green issue.

 

There are posts in the Great Lakes forum which refer to the same as well (I recall Odd Nation as one if memory serves) - breweries acknowledging their turbid, juice bombs are best, in the brewery's opinion, after a week or two or three. Anecdotally, fans of the hazy IPA want their beer as soon as it's packaged. Waiting a week or two is unacceptable to these consumers, even if the brewery acknowledges the beer peaks at a week or two.

IMO it's more about the psychology associated with 'freshness' and obtaining a beer as soon as it is packaged than it is about when the beer actually tastes best. It's ingrained in their purchasing and even if blind taste tests indicated their preference otherwise, their purchasing would sill remain as it was. I do wish these breweries who admit the beer is still 'green' when released would put on the label something to the effect that the beer is at its peak flavor at x number of weeks/days. I think it would take some guts for them to do this, however, as many of the slaves to freshness would say it's BS waiting a week or two on these beers.

 

It sounds fantastic. I can't wait to crack open some cold ones with the boys.

 

But palates and preferences are unique, something like what you're proposing is far too individual centric IMHO.