Unfiltered Enjoy By VA Prototype

Discussion in 'Beer Releases' started by NolaHopHead, Nov 26, 2016.

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  1. manillaroad

    manillaroad Initiate (0) Jun 5, 2016 Florida

    I've seen other beers that are marketed with the term and have it on the label that aren't translucent and appear quite clean. H7 Unfiltered IPA by Pyramid Brewing is a good example.

    The NE style craze has caused people to criticize beers that most likely are unfiltered just because they're not hazy. Having had almost all of the Enjoy By beers of the last few years, I can say that the recent offering had a noticeably stronger aroma and flavor to me than the regular ones.
     
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  2. JuliusPepperwood

    JuliusPepperwood Initiate (0) Jul 21, 2013 North Carolina

    I agree that unfiltered does not always equal hazy and I will say that this beer was exceptionally aromatic.

    But for argument sake it does say right on the bottle that it has a hazy appearance where as my bottles where crystal clear. Again, didn't bother me at all.

    [​IMG]
     
  3. sagescrubber

    sagescrubber Initiate (0) Mar 17, 2015 California

    At the risk of being pedantic, Enjoy By 02.14.16 was the first Unfiltered, released Jan. 10. 12.25.16 is version #3
     
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  4. mwa423

    mwa423 Initiate (0) Nov 7, 2007 Ohio

    I was a bit surprised, I bought a bottle of the enjoy by without realizing it was the VA prototype and was disappointed. The VA prototype didn't have the same hop bite and and really dank hoppiness I have historically enjoyed in the Enjoy By's. Perhaps it was just the bottle I got, but if I'm similarly disappointed by future Stone beers out of VA, Stone beer will become an unfortunate "has been".
     
  5. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I suppose I will be that guy.:astonished:

    From the OP: "...the bottles were also labeled VA Brewery Prototype."

    I bolded the word of "Prototype" since it appears that this aspect may not be fully recognized by some folks.

    I am guessing that this is the first time that Enjoy By was brewed by the Virginia brewery and therefore Stone Brewing Company wanted to let you know that this is a 'first batch' so to speak. I am also guessing that as the Virginia brewers become more practiced using this new brewery that the verbiage of "Prototype" will not appear on the bottles of future batches.

    Cheers!

    @StoneBrewingCo
     
  6. StoneBrewing

    StoneBrewing Initiate (0) Aug 26, 2014 California

    Yep, you just about summed it up.

    This is the first batch of Stone Enjoy By IPA we've produced in our RVA brewery. We made sure to note this on the bottle so fans knew that while it's a great beer in its own right (we wouldn't let it out of our brewery it if it wasn't), it may not be an identical match to what you've sipped before from Escondido.

    We did the same thing with our first batch of Stone IPA that was produced in Richmond. We want to be able to fine-tune our brewing process so we're being as consistent as possible brewing on two different coasts, but we certainly don't want perfectly tasty beer to go to waste.

    Cheers!
    -David P
     
  7. mwa423

    mwa423 Initiate (0) Nov 7, 2007 Ohio

    Should we expect in Ohio and Kentucky that we will be getting future Enjoy By (and most, if not all) Stone beers from RVA? Also, on future Stone beers, will there be a way to tell in bottle dating or similar which brewery each came from? I respectfully disagree that the Enjoy By from RVA "is a great beer in its own right" and while I'd be happy to continue buying Enjoy By from California, I won't be buying another from Richmond.
     
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  8. manillaroad

    manillaroad Initiate (0) Jun 5, 2016 Florida

    I hope people realize that the California one for 12.25.2016 that wasn't a prototype was pretty much identical to this one.
     
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  9. StoneBrewing

    StoneBrewing Initiate (0) Aug 26, 2014 California

    "Most, if not all" is the right way to put it. You'll still see some special releases coming specifically from one coast or the other, but the Stone Brewing core beers in bottles in your area will be predominantly from RVA. For now, all cans you see come out of Escondido.

    And yes, you'll see a "CA" or "RVA" next to the date code on bottles going forward. (In fact, you may have seen it already on anything you've had from us in the past few months.)

    Cheers!
    -David P
     
  10. sagescrubber

    sagescrubber Initiate (0) Mar 17, 2015 California

    So you've already written off what's basically still a brand-new production brewery?
     
  11. SinBoldly

    SinBoldly Initiate (0) Apr 21, 2014 Illinois

    Drinking a CA one right now and it's quite cloudy with lots of floaties.
     
  12. tigernipples

    tigernipples Initiate (0) Nov 21, 2009 New Jersey

    I just had the Virginia prototype. Look, I understand that "unfiltered" has nothing to do with the appearance. The beer is literally the OG enjoy by. It is NOT the unfiltered that has been released in the past. Stone can spin it anyway they want in this thread but Its the regular enjoy by with a misleading label. Still good though.
     
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  13. i_run_far

    i_run_far Initiate (0) Aug 11, 2016 District of Columbia
    Deactivated

    Will VA receive the EB 12.25.16 from the CA brewery or only the VA Prototype?
     
  14. hoppytobehere

    hoppytobehere Pooh-Bah (1,982) Aug 10, 2012 District of Columbia
    Pooh-Bah Society

    The regular Stone IPA VA Prototype was so bad I am hesitant to buy this. And I love Enjoy By.
     
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  15. mwa423

    mwa423 Initiate (0) Nov 7, 2007 Ohio

    Yes. I have enough of a problem with brand new breweries who open their doors and accept my hard earned dollar for mediocre to bad product. While I disagree with the idea that I should be part of a businesses' R&D costs, I can understand why some people here want to support these brand new businesses and throw money at them with the hope that one day, maybe, they'll make quality product. I strongly believe that if you don't have the capital to dump bad batches, invest in professional quality equipment and talent, then you shouldn't open a brewery, period.

    Stone doesn't have this excuse though, they have the capital, the expertise and I assume the top notch equipment to make great beer (after all, they do their share of it in Escondido). This batch should have either been dumped, throw a different name on it and sold in brewpubs or something else, but IMO it was an extreme disappointment compared to all the other Enjoy By's I've drank.

    I suspect that if the Escondido brewing team would have tried this beer, they wouldn't have approved it to be bottled and sold as Enjoy By (at least as-is). The fact that somebody in Stone's management said "meh, beer geeks won't care, take their money anyway!" should tell you a lot about both low standards BA's seem to have for their beer dollar as well as what the management of breweries are starting to think of their customers.
     
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  16. jageraholic

    jageraholic Maven (1,378) Sep 16, 2009 Massachusetts
    Trader

    I had one over the weekend but not in the right glass since i was in a hotel room but thought the beer was very tasty. I dont care if its clear or not clear, and actually prefer to have a clear beer over floaties (haze if done right, aka tree house, can be just as sexy as a crystal clear IPA). I'll try another tonight in a proper glass to confirm my thoughts and post back here.
    Pretty excited we got the beer in Mass within 10 days of bottling though. Definitely faster than the west coast past releases.
     
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  17. ACGypsy

    ACGypsy Initiate (0) Mar 24, 2014 Texas

    So clearly labelling the beer as the VA Prototype does not meet your requirements??? I think you are being a little tough on these guys. And I stumble across less than perfect beers from my favorite breweries occasionally. But I never know if it is normal variation, a bad batch, my palate or if the beer was not cared for properly in transit. So I hesitate to blame the brewery unless it is a consistent problem.
     
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  18. Harrison8

    Harrison8 Grand Pooh-Bah (5,771) Dec 6, 2015 Missouri
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    There are places in the world for folks who want innovation. New breweries, new beers, new cars, motors, homes, phones, watches, etc.. Then there are folks who want the old and true. More power to you if you want the latter, but nothing is perfect when it starts. Others want to see innovation and boundaries pushed. I understand that Stone is large, and most likely could have absored dumping a large batch. We also need to consider that they just paid for a new brewery from concept engineering design, to full-blown production. I can't name many companies who could absorb building an entirely new facility starting with concept sketches and still be able to take a huge financial hit for R&D.

    Point being: Stone RVA may not be 100%, but at least it opens the door to more innovation and selection in the future. It's better then reading about folks on the East coast upset because their Stone beer is two weeks old.
     
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  19. mwa423

    mwa423 Initiate (0) Nov 7, 2007 Ohio

    No, I don't care what they labeled the bottle as (side note, I didn't notice the prototype label, but I was hurriedly grabbing beer on the way to a party, not standing and gazing at the wall of bombers available for purchase and thoughtfully considering my options). My fundamental problem is that the beer wasn't good compared to every other Enjoy By that I've drank.

    That's the purpose of brands, I know what I'm buying going in and I expect to get that quality product the labels says I'm getting. I think that with the Richmond label, Stone knew the beer wasn't up to the standards they would have for Escondido and they hedged their bets by slapping "prototype" on the side. I don't have a problem with where Stone brews its beer, just like I don't care if I get Sierra Nevada from Chico or Mills River, I don't care if I get Goose IPA from Chicago or Fort Collins, New Belgium from Colorado or NC, etc. as long as I'm getting the same quality liquid which, in New Belgium, Goose Island and Sierra Nevada's case has been true.

    I want innovation, I greatly enjoy and want to try new things, but you've completely missed the point. The "Richmond Prototype" isn't a new beer, it's the same beer, just done poorly. If the Richmond Enjoy By was in any way better or a different variant (let's say Enjoy By Blueberry Muffin ale because according to Wikipedia it's the Virginia State food) then I wouldn't be complaining. However, they choose to take your, my and everybody else's money for beer that I don't think matches the quality I expect and enjoy from that brand.

    There was over $30 million spent on the Richmond facility. If Stone is spending that type of capital on property, plant and equipment and don't have enough to absorb some production losses while getting everything in line, you're in for some really bad times.
     
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  20. Harrison8

    Harrison8 Grand Pooh-Bah (5,771) Dec 6, 2015 Missouri
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    A new production facility is also a huge step in innovation and expansion, which brings about its own problems. I hate reading about BA members upset about new breweries. Yes, it means there will be another slog of beers that aren't 100%, but it also means better things for the future - at least if you want more beer available, better distribution, and more variety.

    I do agree that spending hard earned money on poor beer is not fun. That's one of the reasons I rarely pick up six packs. I don't want to be stuck with a beer I don't like after having spent more money for it. Conscious purchasing is something that needs to be watched by the end-consumer though. If you're of the type to differentiate between an unfiltered and filtered IPA, then you're probably of the type to check bottle dates and any labeling that denotes the beer as a "prototype". For a vast majority of folks, this beer was fine. BA is a small microcosm of the beer world. I'm not saying Stone should continue to pass things under our noses; however, if we continue to give it time, I have no doubt that Stone will figure out the new issues with opening up a production facility thousands of miles from the original.
     
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