Great Notion

Well that, yeah. Its Tampa Beer Week right now and people are a bit crazy down there. Check out some of the threads in the Southatlatic forum.

 

Yeah I assumed you were referring to the crazy hype and secondary market, beers going for $500+ presale when no one has even tried them is just crazy.

 

A beer release got moved from noon to 9am to 6am because people started lining up the night before at 6pm and then the line wrapped around a nearby elementary school and neighbors were getting pissed. And the cops showed up the night before. And people were offering $25-$30 an hour to mules.

 

Wait, we're missing out on all that fun? Let's start rating all our stuff 5, and crank up the hype machines!

FFS.

 

Please... oh god no.

 

The wife and I made our annual post-high school basketball (long season) trip to Portland. Finally made it to the hyped great notion. I have posted in other threads that I am a “haze rookie,” but am “haze curious.” Side note, hit up matt’s bbq food truck beforehand, the brisket is the real deal.

Anyway, grabbed a flight - cuddle, creamsicle, strawberry bisou, dankster light, and double stack.

Overall, similar to my experience at de Garde few summers back (I know GN and de garde specialize in two different styles). What I mean is over all GN’s hazy IPAs (and de garde’s beers) were not something that got my juices going. But I am sure they are excellent for the style. The cuddle tasted like juice, the creamsicle tasted like it’s popsicle namesake (actually grew on me the more I had; probably would drink again), the strawberry just didn’t seem like beer to me, the dankster lite (a hazy west coast) left me wanting more bite. In fact, all of the hazies left me wanting more. I would guess SN hazy little thing, the phaser, and Fremont’s BS are neipa west coast ipa mash-ups. And I enjoy them more because they have the “juice” and the bite. Could care less what it looks like.

On a last note, the winner for me was the double stack. That was really good and literally reminded me of breakfast. If they bottled/canned that, i would buy it by the case. Sadly, only cuddle was available via growlers to go today. I am glad I went. Even got the best deal in Portland - a GN sticker and magnet for a buck.

Side note #2. Before matt’s, we inadvertently went to old town brewery. Never heard of them. Wife had to go to the bathroom and the 711 across the street was our first stop (no bathrooms), so had to pop in there. I just had to grab a beer for their troubles. Got their hazy ipa - pillow fist 4.0. This imo was the best hazy of the day. An excellent mashup of neipa and west coast in my book. Would like to go back and try more of their brews. They seem to like to experiment.

 

As a beer nerd who moved to the PNW from Florida, I can tell you firsthand that we are very lucky in Oregon, and should be happy. I was at Cigar City's Hunahpu Day in 2014 when they ran out of Hunahpu.

I watched as the poor employees frantically pulled down the garage doors to deter a rabid crowd of half-mad, troglodytes (mostly grown men), who began banging on the warehouse doors as they closed. Like zombies they started chanting, "CIGAR CITY SUCKS! CIGAR CITY SUCKS!"

That was the last big beer release I went to.... I still wake up in the middle of the night enveloped in Mayan Imperial Chocolate Stout sweats...

 

Driving from San Francisco to Seattle how far out of the way / detour is Great Notion and are the odds high that they would have beer to go just about any day of the week? Sorry if this question has been asked a million times.

 

You would drive through Portland and it's 10 minutes off the freeway at most.

Crowlers kinda random, most days except Monday and Tuesday IIRC, at opening at noon and sometimes bring more out near close.

 

Assuming you're on I-5
Exit 303
Drive to N Alberta St
9 min (2.0 mi)
Slight right toward N Alberta St (signs for Killingsworth Street/Alberta Street)
0.2 mi
Turn right at the 1st cross street onto N Alberta St

 

As has been answered above, not far at all. Do it buddy, hit it. Answer the questions for your self. Do it.

 

So it sounds like I should have hit Old Town Brewery instead of de Garde and Great Notion on my recent Oregon trip? Damn, opportunity missed.

 

Elijah, I gotta say you’re sounding a bit like a 12 year old (and making us Californians look silly). PDX is a great beer town, a great food town and just an all around great town. Why does everything have to be looked at in some competitive and comparative way? It’s not about “this is better than that”. Tons of amazing beer in PDX and OR in general.

I think the internet just does silly things to people.

 

Not sure, but I am guessing you are trying to be confrontational?

Let’s say you’re not...I am pumped that you got to visit a couple of big name Oregon breweries. I was pumped I got to visit. Had a great time with my wife.

Now, I could probably check my de garde post from a few years back, but it would be something like de garde (and now GN) has to be making excellent beers. They had to be, there was a line and one person even brought a hand truck. They just weren’t something I enjoyed. Different strokes. I think it is awesome that GN (especially in DG’s case, a little brewery in a little town) has a cult following and people all over the country want to get their hands on a crowler.

Let me present evidence A your honor...Yesterday’s discovery of old town (the pizza looked legit) and it’s pillow fist 4.0.

Great to have so many choices for so many different tastes!

 

Who knows, you might not have liked them. You really seem to have an odd sense of what opinions are.

Can we go back to this post?

The one where you seemed to be admitting that you didn't really have enough time to form an educated opinion, and move on from this?

 

Back on topic:

Have to make a trip to Modern Times to pick up some beer today so will probably swing by GN first and see what crowlers they have, if any. Here's hoping to some HUUUGEEEE trade bait bros!

 

Well said, thanks!

 

I usually like just being random but thanks for the suggestion as you saved me going 20 minutes out of my way.

I do enjoy sitting and drinking there but have some big beers to try at MT today so wasn't planning on it today.