Half Acre (2020)

I can’t speak to last years batch. It was the only time I’ve missed it

 

As others have noted, this year's Orin is excellent. I would also like to add that the cherry-cola inspired Orin from last year is truly dreadful. Opened one last night. Always fun to share beer misses with friends!

 

Yea, one like 2 or 3 beers from HA that keep from saying I’ve never had a Half Acre beer I didn’t like

 

It smelled like freshly tilled earth and/or wet, decaying leaves, the taste was only marginally better. Laughs were had. Beers were poured out. I still love you HA.

 

Original Reaper is back. Just the "regular" version, not the variants.

 

I passed on it this time because I'm trying to branch out and not buy the same damn beers I always buy (and because I'm kinda fatigued by hazies), but this is exactly how I felt about it the first couple years. The first year especially, it was so dank and just packed with hops that it reminded me of Power Trip (one of the OG Forbidden Root hazies, but a triple IPA); really smooth, creamy body, but an absolute kick to the nuts with hops.

 

I'm getting a little burned out on hazies too. Drank a lot of sours and other assorted fruit beers this summer, compared to hazies.

 

I was that asshole too. I've been waiting for sour IPAs and fruited sours to really hit Chicago hard, and this summer was that time (finally).

 

There are just so many hazies, and half the damn time they all pretty much taste the same. Got super burned out on the style in the very beginning of the summer, and almost exclusively drank fruited styles and/or fruited sours up until the last couple weeks, when the stout season started to dominate my purchasing.

 

Same on hazy burnout. Forever in search of something akin to early Todd the Axe Man. Sometimes I feel like HA gets close but never quite does it for me.

 

Axe Man currently beats Todd the Axe Man by 0.15 points on Untappd. You might give that a try.

 

Literally the same beer

 

That's the joke.

Also speaking of the same beer. WarPigs Lazurite is also Todd the Axe Man.

 

Had Heavy in the Air over the weekend. It's delicious. Go get some.

 

Figured Benthic details would be dropping soon. Good news.

 

I also saw that on Reddit.

 

First go for me on draft at The Beer Temple. I get more Sabro than you, but I like the hop, believe it is very well integrated as a whole. This beer bursts with flavor, sweetness held in check by dry bitterness. My favorite Half Acre beer since the Navaja release.

 

Ugh. I've successfully avoided buying Kush so far as we saw distro down here this time. Mostly for the the exact reason everyone has been mentioning - a bit of haze fatigue. These reviews aren't helping me stay strong. It's just getting to the point where I look in fridge and I'm avoiding the hazy IIPAs. Rather have a Lager Town.

 

I had a can, and while it's certainly opaque in appearance, it's not really a New England style IPA. Rather, it's the hybrid that Half Acre has practically cornered the Chicago market on; fruity up front; bitter & dry on the finish.