What "hype breweries" are actually worth their hype?

IOMO they aren't. They are very good breweries but they aren't talked about the way some of the New England breweries are.

 

As for TH they are definitely worth the hype for their beer quality. Not so sure they are worth the price.

 

I can respect that. Kane had a good amount of chatter behind them at GABF this year, and the beers exceeded my already high expectations.

 

I think Kane is worthy of "hype" and "praise" that they receive, as well. I do not mean they fall into the category of not being worthy. They came to mind due to the highly anticipated releases such as the Brunch, Bell and ANTEAD series. Perhaps you have made your point, which is, that Kane makes a lot of beers that are not "hyped" in addition to the ones I mentioned.

 

In Minneapolis/St. Paul: Forager and Barrel Theory.

 

When I went home to San Diego it was all about Modern Times and Stone. I was much more impressed with Abnormal Beer Company and Pure Project, north of downtown proper.

 

Tree House core beers are actually reasonable by today's standards (at least in the Northeast), Julius is $3.80 per can, which works out to be $15.20 a four pack 16 oz. and since they aren't sold as 4 packs, but by the can, you can mix and match...

 

I was going to mention ANTEAD as an example of a hyped beer brewed by Kane but I was think more along the lines of the whole brewery being hyped.

 

I'm sort of surprised by the Michigan answers here - Founders, Bells, and Shorts to me couldn't fall into a "hyped" category, since they're revered elder statesmen at this point, and you almost always know the beer you're buying from them will be good. They're the mainstays available in every liquor store in the state, and they're not particularly prone to joining the trends (e.g., Founders still doesn't even attempt a hazy IPA and Bells' "Official" is the least hazy NEIPA I've ever seen).

It seems to me that HOMES is the most hyped brewery in Michigan by a wide margin. Just waited in line for three hours for a can release there, and the cans apparently do very well in trades across the country. Their Nucleate festival draws the most hyped breweries in the country (plus Cantillon, Tilquin, 3F). They just collaborated with Other Half, Equilibrium, and Weldwerks, some other very hyped breweries. I do think HOMES is worth the hype - the IPAs are as good as anybody's, and the sours are great too. Will be interested to see if they start making some darker beers, they are expanding production.

Speciation seems to be gradually getting the hype they deserve. The best sour program in Michigan but you'll pay a pretty penny for it. Transient is also back to knocking out really great IPAs and sours, and is very well known for the Buckley/Ruckley/Kentuckley stouts (Bark Lord Day). Ellison makes great beer but isn't hyped to me, and I'd like them to stay that way (much cheaper than most). Arvon is pretty new but is rapidly getting acclaim for their excellent NEIPAs.

The most overrated hyped brewery to me is Ascension. I would never wait in line for their cans but apparently people do for every release. The sours I've had have been amateurish, just dumping fruit to hide the lack of complexity, and the IPAs are thinner and less nuanced than the others I mentioned. I also don't really get the hype for Witch's Hat or Perrin. Atwater is atrocious, but I don't think anyone seriously hypes them at this point.

 

The user who I quoted is from PA, so I was assuming Tired Hands.

 

I don't live near any hyped breweries but I stopped in to fieldwork fur lunch passing through the bay and they consistently seem worth the praise. If I lived near by I would occasionally be willing to wait in lines as long as 30 minutes for some of their beer (mostly because I would love to actually get some proper cans from them so I felt I could stock up a bit and not have degraded product in 2 weeks)

 

Worth a Line: Alesmith, Modern Times, Wild Barrel

NOT Worth a Line: Pure Project, Societe, Belching Beaver

 

Ahhh makes sense...carry on..

 

Will second that opinion on Burial,... was in Asheville last September and even bartenders at other breweries suggested going there

 

Contentious subject, but here is my (limited) 2 cents
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Worth it (depending on when you go) = Tree House, Other Half

Not worth it = Tired Hands....ridiculously overpriced in general. The brew cafe is pretty awesome but I can't support their pricing scheme with a clean conscious (DDH DIPA 4-packs for $25+...LOLGTFO)

I omitted Trillium because they aren't all that busy anymore and their beer is okay (they have their ups & downs but generally speaking make yummy beer). Shitty pricing for the most part, yeah, but still worth a trip every now and again.

EDIT: I nearly spat out my beer at the mere mention of Suarez in this thread. Hype brewery? LOL, yeah-fucking-right! Granted I've only been there ~4-5 times but every time I've had the pleasure to visit....

• every single beer: exceptional.
• the ambiance/vibes: mellow like a cello.
• the line/queue: non-existent.
• the pretzels: amazeballs.

So, yeah. Suarez has no business being mentioned as a "hype brewery"...."highly praised brewery", perhaps, but there is nothing hype-y about them at all. IMO.

 

Angry Chair. Drop mic.

 

Referring to a brewery solely by its initials is the first step in hyping it. 85% of people know that.

 

Exactly where I’m at as well and couldn’t agree more with you. I’m happy as a clam buying amazing tasting local beer that IMO lives up to any hyped brewery around.

 

Homage. I'd wait in line there if 1) I was able to get there in time, and 2) I had the time and money to do so. But, I live in the Mojave Desert and it's hard to get to releases anywhere, especially if there's anything else I want to do in the day (which, surprise surprise, there frequently is).

 

New England: TreeHouse & Hill Farmstead