Other Half (August 2018)

I like DDH Oh... For some reason it clicks for me, usually the under 7%ers don't.

 

I totally agree with you. I guess the only thing that makes sense re: allocating more to draft, despite the potential QC headache, would be that at some point in time the OH wave will crest and they may become more reliant on draft accounts - hopefully the way they’ve been handling that side of things to date hasn’t alienated anyone from future purchases. On the QC side, while I agree that’s a potential pain in the ass, I think the likes of HF have proven that (with the requisite obsessive attention to detail) it is possible to distribute fairly widely and keep bar/restaurant-related QC problems to a minimum.

 

there may be dirty tap lines here and there, but it happens literally all over the country and seems to work just fine elsewhere.

there may be logistical challenges to getting there but my dream is simple - to drink good local beer at dive bars and casual restaurants, or to generally not have to go to a craft beer safe space to have access to local craft beer.

as others have mentioned, this access actually seems to be decreasing in NYC despite there being lots of great new breweries in town.

 

But are there there dive bars in Boston that carry Trillium? Or casual restaurants in LA that carry Monkish? I have only seen those level breweries at craft beer bars in those areas. That might be due to low demand at a dive bar/casual restaurant for craft beer. And to be honest I have not even seen anything 1 step down from OH at either of those types of places. Maybe I am wrong or missing the point though.

 

it's a good point, but again it's more about what is possible as opposed to how the other two most hyped breweries in the country act. it's not like they're at *every* dive bar, but i think parrish in louisiana and old nation in michigan do a great job of getting their beer all over the place without sacrificing quality

 

When OH first did a mobile release, my defensive local mentality reaction was negative. Now I realize I don't care where they do business or how they do it, as long as the beer remains awesome. And I can't think of a rational reason why I should be worried about that. As others have noted, their quality has remained top notch, even as the releases have gotten bigger; hell, even from batch to batch (how many DMD/DMDD releases now?) they're remarkably consistent!

Anyway, huge fan of Forever Simcoe and had Simcoe Daydream tonight in the taproom- that was good shit. Definitely smoother than the straight Simcoe, heavier body. Can't wait for the imperial version which I assume is inevitable.

On the flipside was Rice Proxy Treats- even at 4 ounces it was hard to swallow. I'm firmly in the camp that their stout game is weaker than you'd expect from such a prestigious brewery, but- and it's been a while so maybe I'm wrong here- Short Dark and Wired was really well done without being stupidly sweet like Hershey syrup (according to you all apparently FL-based/influenced stouts tend to be). Smokescreens and Oil Slicks is underrated too; I'd drink that all year if they made it.

Bottom line, I hope at some point the they'll pivot away from these big ass sticky stouts and maybe even churn out regular releases of some killer 7/8 percent stouts we can enjoy between the hop bombs. The <10% stouts may not be super sexy money makers, but if you're gonna be a world class craft brewer, you gotta master that class of beers at some point.

 

I gotta say though, the Heady Topper cans that I've had at bars here in NYC have been almost totally different beers than the ones I've gotten from Vermont.

Though I guess the fact that it's still widely distributed in Vermont, and still good, is a good point.

 

Anyone else notice the date stamps on the cans are totally different as of this past weekends release? 3-4 times bigger, much more legible, and actually on the bottom of the can (vs smeared across the side of the can)?

 

Yeah. I noticed this too. I actually heard that after each can is stamped, it is quickly rushed to one of the new hand dryers to ensure a permanent marking and “max ink dryness.”

 

Double Nelson Daydream being brewed now

 

Also new dual hop alert, Idaho7/Galaxy.

 

YES!!!

 

That's a winner!

 

do we think this is at other half or at veil?

 

Def at veil, its forever summer fest this weekend.

 

So my office is moving to WTC area. What are some places nearby that I could sit down and have a pour of OH - or other decent local options?

 

Nothing I know of around there besides Beer Table which jacks up prices most of the time. IMO your best bet is to shoot over tot he East Village for Augurs Well or Proletariat. Others who work or live near WTC May have better info though.

 

There is Treadwell Park. A bit pricey but might carry OH.