I have found my Pliny Killer

You stated that you think the midwest makes better IPA's than CA. That can only mean you don't understand west coast IPA's, don't like them, or you are trolling. There is not one midwest brewer that makes better IPA's than Alpine. Not one.

 

Amen Brother..............

 

Fat Heads makes killer IPAs in general. Columbus Bodhi is insane too.

 

Wow, the Californian arrogance is ridicules...Also, I didn't say midwest I said Great Lakes water basin(NY, PA, OH, MI, IN, IL, WI, MN). Why is it that when someone states an opinion with examples of brewers, that if you look up there rating here on BA are top notch, but it doesn't match your own opinion it means the person must be trolling?

 

Please read my past post fully, I gave examples of West Coast IPAs I enjoy including Pliny. I would be interested to know what beers you have tried from FFF, Bells, Founders, Fat Heads, Revolution Brewing.

 

I've never had Pliny, but if you are into east coast IPA's, fresh Finest Kind is tough to take out.

 

An opinion based on well drank research is arrogant ? OK. Then I guess Im arrogant. Oh by the way this arrogant BA also thinks, based on well drank research, that for him the best APA by a mile is Zombie Dust. Ya see its not a west coast thing at all, we just have an amazing plethora of World Class IPA and DIPA within pissing distance that when put side by side with all the rest, which I have done numerous times, FOR ME...... I like our team better for the vast majority of these style ales.

Cheers.....

 

Arrogance doesn't figure into it. California is known as the IPA capital of the world. The Midwest is... not.

/discussion.

 

https://www.winecommune.com/stores/?storeid=148

Blackwells Wine and Spirits. The site is terrible for easily finding beer - more of a wine site. But if you search for Russian River you can find Pliny. Doesn't look like he (Gary) has any in stock today but check back every couple days, he will have some in.

Also, when I ordered I got 6 of them but he now has a rule that to buy Pliny you have to buy in a 1:1 ratio with other beers.

 

Crooked Tree.....just kidding, Heady Topper tops my list...then Hopslam!

 

Head Hunter is good. But I have a major gripe. On the bottle it says "Do not age, hoppy beers should be consumed fresh!". Guess where there freshness date on Fat Head's beers are? NO WHERE.

I still have a lot of exploring to do as far as IPAs go. Namely, I've yet to try Pliny or Heady. And since I don't really acquire rare beers, I doubt I'll be trading for them any time soon.

With that said, the first time I ever tried Flower Power, I got that crazy adrenaline rush feeling in my chest. Never had anything like it before then and haven't had anything like it since. Troegs Perpetual is the closest, but still miles away.

 

Cheers!

 

Agreed, White Rajah is mind blowing when you crack a FRESH bottle for the fist time!

 

Haha, alright there, calm down and breath it's just my opinion. More importantly its just beer. It's not like I just insulted you as a human being. My original point was that Pliny is a great beer, but I just think that there are a lot of great beers out there including ones in the GLWB and very close to each other too. California doesn't have the monopoly on it.

 

I dont think anyones saying that CA has a monopoly on anything. We just took issue with you saying the Great Lakes region makes better IPAs, which certainly isn't true at all.

 

I think you're right to say there's unwarranted arrogance in this thread, but I think it goes two ways. There are many great IPAs in California, about which I could honestly claim "you will not find a better IPA". But that's not unique to California.

Besides in California, I have had IPAs in several states that engendered this reaction in me. Off the top of my head, these included IPAs at Foothills (NC), Toppling Goliath (IA), Three Floyds (IN), Elysian (WA), and Maui (HI) breweries (I am leaving Surly off this list because it's really not fair to other breweries that Tea-Bagged Furious even exists). In each of these instances, as I drank the beer, I could not imagine a better IPA, despite the fact that these were very different beers.

Was I wrong? I don't think so. Each was the right beer for that time and place.

So I think what's ridiculous is this claim:

You could have said that California doesn't make better IPAs than anywhere else, and I would have agreed.

This is defensible, because it doesn't claim Alpine IPAs are better than every Midwest IPA:

Lastly, I don't think you understand watersheds. I would be surprised if you could name a Minnesota brewery that was in the Great Lakes watershed. Or an Illinois or Pennsylvania one. Check the map:
http://www.glc.org/energy/glew/pdf/Multiple-vulnerabilities-map_top-22_11-8-11.pdf

 

You are absolutely right about the reputation of California, that's why I wrote my original post pointing out the the Great Lake Water Basin(not the mid west, please stop mis-qouting) has just as good of breweries relatively close to each other. Just because reputation proceeds it doesn't mean it's true. I have done multiple tours of week long west coast breweries and the GLWB and from my experience I'm a skeptic until proven other wise and I respect you for that too. Just don't let the reputation be the end all to any discussion (People in Europe still think America is 2nd rate brewing, and we often forget how great Japan is doing too). I would like to be in constant search of the next best thing and not just letting reputation dictate my taste in beer.

 

I lived and drank beer in OH for 10 years before moving to San Diego. When I found out I was moving here my first thought was "Awesome. Time to drink some IPAs."

I don't think the fact that CA is a frontrunner/trendsetter in hoppy beers can be overstated. The existence of beers like Head Hunter and White Rajah is predicated on the flavor profiles of West Coast beers.

I enjoy 2 Hearted and Founders Centennial (though I don't like FFF IPAs), as well as HH and WR, but CA is the place to be for hoppy beers IM(and many others)O.

 

OKay, for simplicity sake I do understand watersheds. Thank you for pointing out the map. Although, I was using it more as a guide of states connected with the Great Lakes. If you are curious about Chicago being apart of the GLWB, and any of the breweries within it, it is.The devil is in the details I guess.

 

Also, I think unwittingly my original statement drew way too much attention away from the original point at hand. Any other Pliny Killers out there? Sorry Folks.