VT DIPAs: Double Sunshine vs. Heady vs. Abner

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by dar482, Mar 20, 2014.

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  1. dar482

    dar482 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,063) Mar 9, 2007 New York
    Pooh-Bah

    [​IMG]

    It was blind. I picked out the Double Sunshine. I switched Abner and Heady Topper.

    Double Sunshine was the clear winner with its extreme amount of citrus and tropical juiciness and that slight herbal quality on the finish.

    Abner was similar, but less fruity and more pine.

    Heady was a decent third. I thought it was my favorite beer of all time, now I'm humbled. It was raw, too aggressively dank. It again is a week old so I imagine it developed with some time. (Kimmich thinks it's best at 10 weeks).

    In the end, all 100/100, easily the best hoppy beers in the world. (Societe and Solitude #6, which I had after, would be right behind Double Sunshine.)

    What's your opinion?
     
    #1 dar482, Mar 20, 2014
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  2. Auror

    Auror Pooh-Bah (1,641) Jan 1, 2010 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah

    To be clear, that Heady quote references lifespan including conditioning. It's a couple weeks old already by the time it is released into the wild. Translates to between 1 and 2 months past retail release is when the brewer says he likes it best... which doesn't have to be when anyone else likes it best.

    All that being said, DS is my favorite of the 3 as well.
     
    #2 Auror, Mar 20, 2014
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  3. johng

    johng Initiate (0) Feb 18, 2006 New York

    I will be in Waterbury Vermont next Tues and Wed and hope to drink all three of these beers and hopefully bring some home to Long Island. I'll add my opinion to this thread after I return.
     
    #3 johng, Mar 20, 2014
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  4. dar482

    dar482 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,063) Mar 9, 2007 New York
    Pooh-Bah

    Ah! I didn't know. I got it right when Mt Hunger. Any prediction on how old it is then?
     
    #4 dar482, Mar 20, 2014
  5. Auror

    Auror Pooh-Bah (1,641) Jan 1, 2010 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah

    He says they release it 28 days old, so when you got it, it was probably around that time period (doesn't sit at Hunger Mountain very long).

    This is the video referencing both the 28 days old and the 10 weeks. About 3 and a half minutes in.
     
    #5 Auror, Mar 20, 2014
    Last edited: Mar 20, 2014
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  6. Harnkus

    Harnkus Initiate (0) Oct 31, 2013 New York

    The world was too quick to crown Heady Topper. The world was also too quick to shoo away Pliny. The world loves to crown things the best. I say fuck the world and drink was is available to you


    Never had Abner but DoubleSunshine is a thing of beauty.
     
    #6 Harnkus, Mar 20, 2014
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  7. cavedave

    cavedave Grand Pooh-Bah (4,157) Mar 12, 2009 New York
    In Memoriam Pooh-Bah Trader

    Nice going Dar, I think I may have picked the same way, except I am fairly sure I would have picked out the Heady after having used Conan yeast for homebrewing.

    Glad to read this after seeing both Heady and Double Sunshine do so poorly in another BA's recently posted blind test.
     
    #7 cavedave, Mar 20, 2014
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  8. TheGator321

    TheGator321 Initiate (0) May 29, 2013 Connecticut

    I've been all about Dbl Sunshine lately.
     
    #8 TheGator321, Mar 20, 2014
  9. HRamz3

    HRamz3 Initiate (0) Feb 9, 2010 Pitcairn

    Never did a blind test with them, but given a choice I pick the DS.
     
    #9 HRamz3, Mar 20, 2014
  10. siege06nd

    siege06nd Pooh-Bah (2,027) Dec 29, 2009 Virginia
    Pooh-Bah

    My opinions:

    1) Double Galaxy is conspicuously absent.

    2) "the best hoppy beers in the world" - debatable

    3) am I the only one who struggles doing side by sides of IPAs? My palate gets twisted right from the get go. If I have a world class IPA and then follow it with another world class IPA, the second always tastes like crap to me.
     
    #10 siege06nd, Mar 20, 2014
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  11. XpensiveBieros

    XpensiveBieros Initiate (0) Feb 3, 2013 New Hampshire

    They are all so delicious! However, I had Double Sunshine at Mad River Glen recently and that batch was majical! I love Abner, but there is a special place in my heart for Susan, so I'd be torn there! If I was being forced to drink something I didn't want to I'd say...Heady, Sunshine, Abner!
     
    #11 XpensiveBieros, Mar 20, 2014
  12. GreesyFizeek

    GreesyFizeek Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,026) Mar 6, 2013 New York
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I've rated them very close, but Double Sunshine just edges out Heady Topper which just edges out Abner for me. All very close, but most importantly, all supremely fucking delicious.
     
    #12 GreesyFizeek, Mar 20, 2014
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  13. Darklight

    Darklight Initiate (0) Jun 27, 2006 Pennsylvania

    I'll take Double Sunshine over Heady Topper any day of the week. I do like Heady topper straight from the can and with some age on it, so I'm glad the brewer feels the same way.

    Back to Double Sunshine. I love the citrus and tropical fruitness you get from this beer. I could drink it every day of the week. Hope Lawson's eventually ramps up the production of this beer, as I need more of it in my life.

    And unfortunately I've never had the pleasure of drinking Abner before. Would love to do a side by side with Double Sunshine and Kern River Citra DIPA though as they are probably my two favorites.
     
    #13 Darklight, Mar 20, 2014
  14. willbm3

    willbm3 Initiate (0) Feb 19, 2010 Massachusetts

    100% this. The hops have too much of an effect on your palate to truly judge them side by side. Oftentimes the second beer tastes like sour sewage runoff

    I think I would give Double Sunshine the slight edge of Heady, with Abner in third (although I've had way more Heady and DS than Abner, so it's hard to say). One thing I'll say is that I don't think Double Sunshine holds up as well as Heady. Fresh DS is a thing of beauty but after a few weeks the hops really seem to fall off (at least in my experience) while Heady still packs a punch months later
     
    #14 willbm3, Mar 20, 2014
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  15. tectactoe

    tectactoe Pooh-Bah (2,386) Mar 20, 2012 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Kern River Citra better than both Heady & Abner. Abner isn't even the best DIPA that Hill Farmstead makes.


    Agree with DS being the best hoppy thing to exist, though.
     
    #15 tectactoe, Mar 20, 2014
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  16. ToddThompson

    ToddThompson Initiate (0) Dec 11, 2012 North Carolina

    Never had Abner (or anything HF sadly) but between Double Sunshine and HT there was no contest ...... DS is magical
     
    #16 ToddThompson, Mar 20, 2014
  17. rozzom

    rozzom Pooh-Bah (2,620) Jan 22, 2011 New York
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    They're all great.

    But for me - I'm drinking Abner all day long.
     
    #17 rozzom, Mar 20, 2014
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  18. TheGator321

    TheGator321 Initiate (0) May 29, 2013 Connecticut

    I just did a dbl sunshine/ HT/gandhi bot head to head. I find that 4 oz of each and a glass of water in between each one tends to help.
     
    #18 TheGator321, Mar 20, 2014
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  19. ThatsThatDude

    ThatsThatDude Initiate (0) Nov 2, 2013 New York

    Double Sunshine > Heady > Abner
     
    #19 ThatsThatDude, Mar 20, 2014
  20. drmcleod10

    drmcleod10 Initiate (0) Oct 14, 2013 Missouri

    Wish you could have tried King Sue…
    This would fall into probably the best citrus DIPA

    Hopefully they'll brew it again
     
    #20 drmcleod10, Mar 20, 2014
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