Twin Elephant Brewing to open

How absurd of you to bring facts and figures to this discussion.

 

i have only been to Kane and Twin Elephant.. and you can not even compare the two. Kane doesn't make home brew
I never mind paying top shelf for top shelf products

 

Whatever you say, man. I was just pointing out that their prices seem to be in line with everyone else.

I happen to really enjoy drinking Twin Elephant's beers. And given the scale at which Kane brews compared to TE, I find it much easier to pay $6.50 for 16 oz at TE compared to $5 for 12 oz at Kane. But that's just me.

 

I am just stating my opinion .. forgot we can't do that on a chat forum

 

You were (although calling it homebrew is a bit dismissive of anyone who likes their beer). And he replied to your opinion. I don't see the problem.

 

Some of their beers are very good - Lil Shimmy and Diamonds/Pearls (with coffee) are fantastic for their styles. Their in-betweens - reds, cream ale, kolsch - have been basic and fairly bland, though it's to be expected.

I think the pricing complaints stem more from the lack of growler availability -- as without the option to occasionally grab a reasonably priced 32-64oz growler, literally the only access point to their beers is bar-priced tasters, for good but basic styles. I envisioned going to the liquor store less because I'd be able to grab a grower here of something fresh and hoppy, since closest other top tier brewery is Magnify 25-30min away, but often there's no growlers at TE. Also sometimes there isnt anything hoppy on tap, but like two reds, of which there are dozens of similar tasting beer in the store and across the street.

I realize that they are small, but the lack of availability makes it feel more like a bar with no food rather than a brewery where you can take some goodness home and fresh happiness is often a standard. Their prices are comparable to Kane/Carton/Magnify, and they all had growler availability out of the gate.

 

Trop Hop is really good. Nice place to visit in Chatham.

 

I stopped by today, as I do most Fridays at 4pm.

Shimmy Ye is solid, but, somewhat surprisingly, I prefer Lil Shimmy Ye.

Faja Bod is solid if you like Belgians. I would have guessed it was a Hefe if I didn't know better. Bready with banana notes.

They were trying a new Randall out and were pouring Dux through orange slices. They had some trouble setting up the Randall and getting it to work, but it was solid.

New Found Friends is solid, but relatively unremarkable.

Chingas was really the only disappointment as it didn't do much for me, but I'm also not a huge fan of Black IPAs.

 

Was there yesterday from like 5:30-730. The place was packed. Not that I go THAT often, but I'm there probably about once a month. It was easily twice as busy as I'd ever seen it. They had 6 beers available up until a few minutes before I got there, and by the time I left, they were down to 1.

Good for them being so busy, but damn. They gotta figure something out.

And I don't really care about this, but what is the deal with not being able to keep tabs open?! It's pretty annoying.

 

cans of Lil Shimmy available apparently -- 90 cans only, bizarrely. odd that they're pursuing the canning craze before even offering growler availability on a regular basis. can't recall the last time Lil Shimmy was available for growler fills. want to drink it without paying $6.50 per pint.

 

new to forum here, but FWIW it was 90 4-pks, not 90 cans (not that it isn't super limited), and they were also doing 64oz fills on Lil" Shimmy yesterday - and this batch was awesome...

 

You're definitely not wrong about that. I see it as more of a marketing tool. They did get some press about the cans (http://www.dailyrecord.com/story/ne...reweries-start-selling-cans-bottles/95652850/) and it's probably exciting for them to give it a go like some of the other local breweries in NJ.

BTW the logo on the cans is amazeballs. The logo on the front is clever and beautiful and listing the malt and hop build with the type of yeast on the side with symbols for each was a great idea.

 

This sounds wonderful

 

will definitely be stopping in this weekend to try that (perhaps tonight if growlers are available), also releasing a new witbier as well...

 

I'm here now. The nose is incredible on this, and it does look like a straight up glass of OJ - the Instagram doesn't do the haziness justice. With that said, something is missing and I can't pinpoint what. It never gets into 5th gear. A lot of potential on this recipe, though.