Singlecut Beersmiths, Astoria, NY

Woo, can't wait!

 

Already landed in DC today. Canned 8/1

 

How are release days typically? Lines? Does stuff sell out that night?

 

My guess is you should be able to get Mo Shuggie all weekend at least. They don't get lines like the other hyped breweries. Also they posted on Facebook they will have plenty.

And while I am at it, little tip on Mo Shuggie, tastes its best at around 2 to 3 weeks.

 

Sometimes they sell out early Saturday, it's nothing like an OH release. They tend to abandon the can line after the rush tho. So if you show up during normal hours just go to the bar for cans. Otherwise you'll be standing at the can stand for a while.

 

Thanks for the info. Do you know how much they sell 4-packs for?

 

usually 18-20 for the big ipas.

 

They have been up to $22 for the DDH beers (at least for bon bon).

 

They've stated in a few scattered Instagram posts:
19-33 - $16
Mo - $18
NME - $20

 

will be hitting up the brewery this weekend for some Mo!
easily my favorite IPA from SC, and maybe might favorite beer from them period

 

So weird, I had Mo Shuggie on draft at Singlecut a few weeks back and thought it was mediocre. Surprised at how popular it is. But just picked up a Mo Shuggie (and Use The NME) so maybe I'll reconsider.

Honestly though, I find it hard for Singlecut to justify these prices when I've had so many oxidation issues with them. This year alone I think I've had 5 or 6 cans (and a bottle) that were oxidized. Never had such an issue with any other brewery.

 

Drinking a Mo Shuggie now and it's nice. I think drinking mostly OH for over two years now has somewhat wrecked my pallet and I'm not used to normal bitterness or a little bit of malt body.

 

Cracked open a Use The NME first. Disappointingly astringent and bitter.

 

Was there plenty of Mo left? Last release (DDH Bon Bon) sold out Friday night so wasnt sure if they were getting to a new norm.

 

These beers are like IBU 120+ usually though. Bitter gonna bitter. SC is unique in that they all smell delicious and finish with bite or malt, basically every one of them minus Jenny Said. I like SC a lot they make good beer and the crew is great over there, but tough to justify $20 for 4 of em.

 

Sure, SInglecut proudly advertises the IBU on each can, but the sensation of bitterness is contingent on other elements of the beer, so a higher IBU doesn't necessarily entail a more bitterness profile. For example, Use the NME apparently has 118 IBU, while Softly Spoken and the recently released Bon Bon 2x DDH 2x TNT (which I gushed over above) has 130 and 123 respectively. And while I doubt human perception, all things being equal, can distinguish between a 123 and 118 IBU, Bon Bon and NME are two radically different tasting beers, the former not nearly delivering an astringent bitterness as the latter.

 

I had the same thought when i first tasted it, but as it warmed I liked it more. Not sure why places like OH get a pass when the beer is "too green" but SC gets shit on out of the gate. People will literally say "i'll sit on this for 3-4 weeks" for OH stuff that costs the same or more.

The fact that i can walk in to SC and grab a few 4pks without spending hours in line is worth whatever premium they appear to be charging. My time is worth money, and their beer is good.

That said, DDH Bon Bon was a complete surprise, as was Jenny - I don't know that they make world class beers, but they make some damn fine ones.

 

I still have three more cans, so I'll judge accordingly if the beer "blossoms" in the coming weeks. However, while OH (and Grimm) beers do tend to get better with some age I've never had an OH/Grimm beer that tasted this bitter and astringent from the get-go. In fact, from my experience, Singlecut beers rarely get better with age.

My qualm about their price point is simply that I've had too many oxidized cans from them. I had two within the last week, from two different beers. At a certain point, this only deters me from buying more cans. I mean don't get me wrong, I love Singlecut, I've been going to their brewery for over two years, but this can issue needs resolving, because unless it's a beer I know I really enjoy, the uncertainty doesn't seem worth the price.