Cloudburst brought out a new IPA this week with the brilliant name "Very Stable Genius." I saw it on a tap listing for Beer Junction. I went ahead and added it to BA, but I haven't gotten over to Seattle to try it yet. Since it's a Cloudburst IPA, I expect the beer will be as good as the name. I'm curious if anyone has tried it. Under the "great minds think alike" heading, there are at least three breweries that all came up with the same name this week: https://thetakeout.com/breweries-toast-trump-with-very-stable-genius-beers-1821988679
Cloudburst has now done Alternative Facts and Very Stable Genius. Kinda doubt they’ll make a beer called Shithole Countries.
Should brew a black IPA using Southern Passion hops and call it something related that I can't think of right now. Don't see enough black IPAs these days anyways.
Saw it on draft at Brouwer’s last night and passed, assuming it was a hazy IPA. Sorry I can’t be more helpful.
I got a chance to try "Very Stable Genius" at Beer Junction yesterday. It's a very good IPA. Yes, it's hazy, but it's still recognizably an IPA, with good bitterness and lots of hops. I got the impression from a few comments (in other threads) that some folks think Cloudburst has changed up its IPA approach entirely. I haven't had other Cloudburst IPAs in a few months, so I'm curious as to whether other folks think there's a big difference in what Cloudburst is doing now, as opposed to their earlier IPAs.
I have noticed a big change in most of Cloudburst ipas, unfortunately they have gone downhill in my opinion. When Cloudburst first came out I would always order their ipa wherever I was because I knew it was going to be good, but that is not the case anymore. My theory is they are trying to push out too many ipas too fast and there is some problem going on during fermentation. Most of their fresh hop beers this year were good but I have not had a noteworthy ipa from them since. I am really not sure what is going on but hopefully they can fix it...
Ghostfish did an Imperial Belgian IPA called Covfefe, but someone really should use the "word" for a coffee beer.
Hi. Thanks for the concern. Just a few words before I fade back into the ether... We never have nor ever will "push out" IPAs. Our tank time is the same as it has been since our first week of production - 20 days from brew to rack - which is longer than most breweries. Our fermentation regiment is also the same, as is our house yeast and yeast generation ceiling (we order fresh pitches from the lab at Imperial Yeast at Gen 10). So let's nip that theory in the bud. What we have always changed (and will continue to do so) from batch to batch are our hop varieties, hop additions, and hopping rates; along with different specialty malts/water treatments/fining rates. We've definitely gone in a more unusual/experimental direction as far as hop varieties and combinations go of late, but nothing too far out. Memory is always a tricky beast. We're older now, and most people have a "favorite" IPA of ours that they use to compare new recipes to, and those new recipes will never be as good as what they remember. That's just the nature of the beast. The IPA style has evolved since we opened as well. And while our IPAs have always had some stable, hop-derived haze to them, they've also always had a present bitterness and a dry, clean finish. But, now that the term "hazy" has become synonymous with the NEIPA style, a lot of people see haze and assume the beer will be un-bitter, sweet (at times underattenuated), estery and full-bodied (via grist, water chemistry, yeast, etc). So now when people look at their pint and see haze, they will make assumptions before consuming it, which can lead to a difference in expectations. It can also lead to assumptions about the intent of the recipe, etc. etc. - that's a different tangent for another day. Anyways...long story short: nothing has changed here as far as process and QA/QC goes. Tastes and flavors will always change, and some won't resonate with everybody. Just like all of you, there are some recipes I like more than others - and that's just how it goes. Thanks in advance for continuing to try them, and caring enough to think and comment about them.
