Other Half (2019)

OH was sending multiple IG updates: “Collab still left”, “plenty of collab”. Seems like they were incredulous that it didn’t sell out in 30 minutes with a line around the block.

It is pretty good. Is it $24 good? That is debatable.

 

When it comes to hops, I truly think the only 2 breweries in this area that can touch other half are equilibrium and root+branch. These are the only breweries that can still make me say 'oh shit' after drinking like 1000+ hazies. Equilibrium beers are different enough from OH that it comes down to preference and root+branch are so small scale that it's probably not right to directly compare to OH.

I visited a bunch of 'tier 1.5' breweries over the summer and came back with a mixed case each time. I always found myself wishing the case was gone so could restock at OH.

 

I can see why...as both Monkish and Cellarmaker sold out today!

 

Never been a hops guy, but moving to NYC a few years back, I got acclimatized. By now, I actually love them as a change from the styles I enjoy more but my wallet or gut can't afford ($25 750mL stouts can't be had more than once every couple weeks I reckon). But of all the hops out there, have to say that OH is easily top. Suspect it's not very contentious in the Other Half thread of all places, but there just is no one that can compete at this point. Variety is nice but generally speaking, hop by hop, there's enough variety at OH, and they make the best version of every IPA with each hop, that I just don't need to seek out anything from elsewhere in the country, I feel. It's just sending superior for inferior beer of the same style.

 

+1 on EQ. If I could trade a couple of 4 packs of OH for a couple 4 packs of EQ each week, I would easily jump on that trading partnership.

 

Bumping this up for the morning crowd, any chance someone wouldn't mind grabbing an extra four pack of the HBO collab? Will happily return the favor in the future. Thanks!

 

Sorry man. This beer/today not on the cards for me. Ditto tomorrow. I’ll prob be heading there Friday and if it’s still there could grab you some, but I’m guessing that’s probably not going to be of much use / low probability

 

Interesting the thoughts on EQ. I’ve never been. Only tried stuff on tap. Enjoyed it but never blew my mind. And from the minimal activity relating to that brewery on here, I got the impression people thought they’d gone downhill a little

 

Trading haze cans for haze cans kinda seems like a waste of time to me, I love the style but I don't think there is that much variation that its worth the effort.

 

I get the impression that there's a bunch of chatter going in within the EQ Fan Page Facebook group as opposed to BA. That's where I go for intel, at least.

Short of it, though: the EQ juice moniker is still very present, very real.

 

Reminds me of an old Brian Regan joke about log trucks on the highway. Less funny if I have to tell the punchline so here's hoping someone out there knows it.

 

Still a big OH fan, and there nearly weekly, just taking advantage of having the taproom available to me and choosing to stock my fridge with beer packaged in places i cant walk to. I'm also pretty style agnostic so I will drink whatever a place does well, not just IPA.

without this turning into a flex post, some examples of things that i'm drinking besides OH:
-8th state stouts and sours, various NC/SC stuff from my trader (fonta, resident culture, westbrook)
-electric ipas and sour ipas (only place i think that is making IPAs that are just way way better than OH, sorry.)
-mead (mostly garagiste and schramms, and a homebrewer in RVA I've been getting stuff from)
-just got back from a week in RVA and have a massive fuckload of veil, answer, triple crossing, etc that i am working on. I think TC when they nail it, is just as good as OH.
-Lots of recent easy access to EQ who are absolutely killing it in stouts and doing really great sours and ipas.
-Kane stouts- they were good before, they got even better this summer.

ALSO- while I do agree OH has the game locked down on hoppy beer in the area, I've had a few terrible stouts from them lately that have lost my trust, and I am suffering from crunchee release fatigue.

Tradeswise, I've been doing a little bit of work to evangelize ETNYC to people outside of the city, who think its just a taproom for shitty distro evil twin, and have had some success trading that for some good shit.

 

I traded some OH for Garagiste's Reboog Vitis and it was insanely good, tasted just like PB&J

 

love me some reboog. there was a magnum of it at the OH anniversary party earlier in the year , no one was really messing with it, and I fell in love. I've chatted with the brewers at Garagiste once and found out they actually have all the licensing and permits to distro to NY, they just can't find any distributors who want it (yes this makes no sense).

 

They fine-tuned up their IPA profile a while back and it took them a few batches to get it on point, but as of right now I would put them equal with OH. EQ triples are the best I have had, whereas OH doubles take the crown.

 

Some of their beers are absolute melon bombs. Their beers tend to run a bit sweet with almost no bitterness. I generally prefer the bitter finish that OH beers have. Like I said, it's a preference thing.

 

While I love a lot of OH IPAs I find myself only buying multiple 4s of beers I really know I like a lot, Hop Showers, ACE, Broccoli, Mylar, SD and so on. I tend to by other stuff (usually after I try it) and then trade most of it away to friends I trade with or new traders. I generally will get Tree House, Aslin, Local VA Stuff, Burial and the like when I trade. I really like Burial a lot and I have friends close to Aslin & Tree House so we generally send each other stuff every few weeks. I'm of the mindset unless its a beer I really love, I don't need more than 1 or 2 cans for myself and I'd rather have a variety of stuff.

 

Reading some of the recent posts reminds me that I am small fucking fry in the beer game.

From my end - I’ve had Treehouse a few times (the first time via @ScottKramer - thanks again man). They are the supposed big dog in the game. And while I really enjoyed them, I felt that OH stacks up very well, and have zero envy.

 

I agree, OH IPAs stack up quite well against the TH stuff. There are a few TH I really love so I am always asking to have those sent to me when they are available and I always try to get the new Curiosities when my friend is able to grab them for me. But I had a Julius on Sunday after having a can of the HDHC ACE and it just didnt hold up to the ACE