Other Half Brewing, October 2017

Just to fuel speculation: Like Whoa was released around the same time last year, and Street Green the year before.

 

Wish they'd do events like this at larger places (cough cough The Well).

 

They also announced Like Whoa on Oct 26 2016.....

 

Pink cans.

 

Alright you animals, I'm putting myself on a strict beer budget diet. Skipped cans last week but getting a growler fill of at least one of those bad boys- should it be Citra+Galaxy or AIE? I have a can of the latter from a friend so leaning towards the former. But comments about the latter suggest that will be slamming in a week or two. Chimera I assume is good for a pour in the taproom.

 

I've got there around 11:15 the last two weeks and they've had all but one or two things.

 

https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20171025/gowanus/gowanus-canal-superfund-cleanup

Get ready for some funky smells in the tap room.

 

“Black Mayonnase”sounds like a perfect name for a stout.

 

While I agree, just knowing the history of the canal and all the nasty carcinogens and toxic chemicals that lay on the bottom would forever turn me off from taking a sip of that beer.

 

How's the smell in the taproom as it is? With the canal and the oil and gas place right there.

 

It's what I imagine heaven smells like

 

OH should harvest some of the sediment and use it in their next beer as a homage and sense of place similar to Hill Farmstead's use of their ancestor's well water.

 

I went to the Blind Tiger event yesterday, and had a great time. I got there around 3pm when it started and was able to get a seat at the bar. Made friends with some British blokes, one of whom heard about Other Half when he lived in Singapore. We had an great (albeit pessimistic) discussion of British and American politics for quite some time.

At one point, an older gentleman walked in and ordered a Guinness. The bartender stared at him briefly, shook his head slightly and just walked away. We explained to him that there was a tap takeover tonight and how Other Half was one of the top breweries nationwide. He seemed intrigued by that, but still wanted something similar to Guinness. We told him the Smokescreen w/ vanilla (nitro) would be his best bet, and he said it was even better than Guinness.

 

I love OH beers, they consistently put out amazing and fresh IPAs. But what I don't get is when people say that these small local IPA producers are the top breweries or brewers in the country. Why would a bartender be surprised an old guy doesn't know about Other Half? Yes, they're making great flavorful beer that people line up for, trade for, etc. But does that mean they are among the best breweries in the nation? I'm not sure about that part. I'd probably rather drink a Guinness than any of the stouts I've had from OH. Except Berries, that one was good.

 

I can't count how many times I've tried to share my favorite craft beer with older friends, family, and strangers only to be rebuffed- they want Guinness, or Modelo, or (shudder) Miller, or some other broadly appealing but utterly unremarkable beer instead. Glad to hear you had more luck broadening this beer drinker's palate!

 

Don't get me wrong, the bartender was in the wrong in acting like that, and could have explained in a brief sentence why there was no Guinness instead of just abandoning a customer.

As for claiming OH a top brewery in the nation, I do think that the lines, the trading, etc. play into that criteria, but there is also the fact that it is rated as a top brewery in untappd (although it is last). I don't think it's an incorrect label.

 

Did they actually have Trillum at BT yesterday? Or were there just some of the guys there?

 

Can you call a brewery that only successfully brews IPA a top brewery? It's an interesting discussion. I would 100% call OH a top IPA brewery. As with everything its completely subjective.

 

I would agree on it being one of the top IPA breweries for sure. More specifically, they're a top NE style IPA brewery.

I would not take the Untappd list of top breweries to be a definitive list of much. OH directly feeds the untappd culture by selling different labeled beers each week, making people want to log everything they do, and some rate it highly to drive up trade/re-sell market.