Hop Butcher (2019)

No, this circle jerk is far from over. Its possible to be excited about trying many different hop variations on the same base while still making fun of ourselves for being excited about trying many different hop variations on the same base beer and calling it what it is. As far as the lactose I think many on this thread would agree that these beers could go from being among the best regionally to among the best nationally if they could dial back the sweetness.

 

Devil’s advocate: Do you enjoy HB beers more now or a year ago? For me it’s now so I guess I should pay tribute to my lactose overlords

 

I see both sides on this. I think the lactose may be what makes the mouthfeel stellar, but I do think the taste could be a little better without it. Picking nits though.

 

I want them to add more lactose

 

I'm actually not sure where I come down on this. A lot of the time I am buying HB now it is by the single can and when I am done with that can I think to myself, well that was good but I really don't want another one right now. To be fair that's how I feel about a lot of NE IPAs.

My favorites from HB have been Galaxy Bowl, Tavern Cut and Old School Hawaii Vibes which I think have all been on the "juicier" end of the spectrum than the "sweeter" end. But the last two were both brewed within the last year and I'm not sure if lactose was added.

 

I'm not sure. I haven't picked up their beers in a couple months because I'm tired of them all being sweet. They've definitely nailed their style, so in terms of what they're aiming for, I think they're better than ever, but in general I've always been against the sweeter NE IPAs (I've both mentioned that to the HB guys and have criticized FR for the same). It's one of the reasons I've always preferred Corridor to anyone else in the city.

I would probably ask for less/no lactose in HB's stuff, but barring that, I'd like there to be enough bitterness or hop bite to balance it out.

 

I love the flavor of the HB stuff, but it is becoming a slog to drink them as they are almost syrupy. I would prefer it if the could figure out how to keep the bold flavor while obtaining the sweet balance from some other means than adding lactose. Not sure how that would be done- can you stop fermentation before all the residual fermentable sugars from the wort are converted so it maintains sweetness without adding lactose? I still look to the big hop flavors of TG when they are at their best and wonder why HB can't find some success closer to those beers which are lighter and balance, but still bold and flavorful.

 

the mouthfeel might be different but it's still sugar, no matter if it's fermentable or not.

I think people are greatly exaggerating the amount of lactose that goes in these beers. A lot of the sweetness is already coming from the unfermentables in the mash. They are using low attenuation yeasts that leave beers higher than your typical IPA

 

I don't think people really were exaggerating, at least initially; the start of the discussion was basically:

"is there lactose in these? they taste a little sweet"
"maybe a little, but really not much"

I think the discussion just "blew up" because the lactose isn't mentioned on the labels (in general) at all, so it was a surprise, and caused people to reconsider what they were tasting.

 

Aren't stouts with lactose typically labeled "Milk Stouts"? Should HB label these Milk IPAs?

 

Yeah but when people are saying "i wish they would tone down the lactose" it implies that it's a lactose bomb. It's a relatively small amount that probably adds 1, maybe 2 points to the FG, if I had to guess

 

Personally, I think Hop Butcher is killing it lately.

They should, however, list lactose on the cans if they are in fact using them. Even if it's a small amount, it would warn people who don't want their IPA's sweet...and clue people in, like me, who do.

 

Totally fair, and since I haven't had their recent stuff, I can't in good faith say I feel any particular way about it. And I have no issue with them putting lactose in their beers, if it gets them where they and you guys want. I'll just hope that some of the other guys around don't do that.

 

and steaks with milk are milk steaks. i think you're on to something here...

 

early review of halogen farm - "Piney bright with perfect bitterness"

keep jerkin fellas, it seems to be having the desired effect!

 

Preach!

 

I prefer mine boiled over hard, served with a side of jelly beans.

 

Do you think most people know Le Jus has lactose? Granted, they describe it as a “touch”. I would bet most don’t know and most couldn’t tell. But I agree with the consensus that transparency is best.

 

No idea, I thought Le Jus was "average" so I didn't put a lot of thought into what it did/didn't do well (do people really like Le Jus? I know it took gold, but I don't know what the consensus is). I don't remember if I picked up any lactose, but I also had to trade my can to my wife early on(we were at Beermiscuous) because she got some PW hazy, and it was too dank and bitter for her liking.

She does like sweet stuff, though, so in this case it having lactose might be a positive thing.

 

I feel like Le Jus improved as they scaled it up post-GABF which is really saying something given what usually happens. I’m a big fan as a $15 4-pack you don’t have to chase around here. I think it’s great on that level