Getting “Locked-In” on One Brewery

When I visit my daughter's family in Santa Cruz I make multiple trips to Sante Adairius Rustic Ales to the exclusion of all others except for their somewhat strange operating hours. Here in Cleveland I mostly gravitate to the Bottle House because it's close and I like it better than Boss Dog, which is closer.

 

I "adopted" a new local brewery, Remedy, two years ago, adding the brewery/taproom as a place, uploading a picture, and adding and trying all of their beers even styles I'm not into. I've kept up with adding new beers, but haven't kept up with trying them all, now only stopping in every couple of months when they have a new one that really sounds good.

 

I'm not "locked in" but do tend to drink, visit or buy from a few breweries. There are a few reason why great beer of course but also close by, made friends with other drinkers ect.

 

No not one brewery, but I am locked in on the breweries that are in the Chicagoland area at about 60%. The other 40 are outside of that and foreign breweries.

 

Other Half for me. Their IPAs, stouts, and berliners are all great.

 

For a number of years I was tending towards getting locked in on Short's beers, but I've pulled back from that and am buying a more varied selection nowadays. However, I still look at the Short's section at the store.

 

Perish the thought! I'm still a ticker, first and foremost.

 

Yeah, I have my tried and true breweries that I prefer and tend not to stray from. Weldwerks, Odell, TRVE, Comrade and Dry Dock are my go to breweries. I will try new beers as they show up in my distro, but usually find myself saying "this is good, but I wish I had picked up that new one from ...". Modern times and old nation have been the exceptions to the rule.

 

Yup I am in that scenario now. I am locked in on Tree House Brewing Company out of Charlton, Mass but I live near San Francisco. I have a virtual open pipeline to the brewery though an acquaintance. It seems I spending $100 every few weeks for 12 cans to be shipped out to the West Coast.

 

Fremont Brewing. Had been to the brewery my last 5 or so trips to Seattle and had always sought out anything when I was there. They started distro to MT within the last few months and they are a constant in my fridge and “cellar” cough cough. They are consistent, well priced, tastiest options out there. Pretty much can nail any style.

 

For me, it's New Trail. Their stuff is outstanding. They release something every week and although I don't pick up every release, I feel like I should.

 

For me, it's Fat Head's as well. Goggle Fogger for example is as good or better than any Hefe I had in Germany just weeks ago. Starlight as delicious as any of the Helles I enjoyed over there, too. Which is huge to me, considering a Helles is my favorite style (along with many other German styles) and better yet, available in cans now year-round... As well as Goggle which is just incredible.

At the brewery itself, what they have on tap available from Vienna Lagers, Festbier, Pils, Kolsch, Smoked Beers, Porters, Stouts, etc... Always awesome. I can't get enough of their beer. You never have to worry about picking out a pint if it will be good or not. If you like the style and appreciate clean, to-style beer. You simply can't go wrong.

Even the Belgian stuff is awesome. I just had a Belgian Strong on tap that was up there with Duvel. So delicious.

Then throw in all the excellent American IPA's they do and you just have a home run of a brewery. Everything is always high quality and brewed extremely well.

Easily get my vote as best all-around brewery anywhere I've been. An additional perk is that I work next door so it's very convenient, as well... Really lucky to have them here.

 

If Fat Head's distributed to Michigan I'd feel the same way, and that's based only on my having Head Hunter and juju in bottles, plus various others on tap in a couple visits to the North Olmsted pub.

 

I got locked-in when the GF-brewed Alpine was around. Even though people shit on it, I still bought it up like a madman for almost a year straight. Cause it was still freakin delicious.

My pops and I were locked-in on Sixpoint quite a few years back (he was all about Bengali) and always had at least something from them on-hand.

 

CO: Weldwerks, Comrade, New Image, Cerebral, Oskar Blues (cheaper), and on and on with locals well represented too.
NM: Cumbre, Cumbre, and oh yeah... maybe Cumbre as well.
IL: HALF ACRE*, Corridor, Forbidden Root, Revolution (darker/barrel aged), Dovetail (Euros)
.... and I'll try almost anything from Cali.
Cheers!
*if I have to pick one, it's in bold.

 

Other Half really does make great "big flavor beers" (no question) and I found myself making the pilgrimage out to Brooklyn quite a bit over the past couple of years for their releases (really loved the 3rd Anniversary and glad they reprised it this year). Most of us are creatures of habit, but if you are like me, that pattern will not last forever: there seems to be a limit to the range of beers any place is really capable of producing, at some point you realize you are on their asymptote, and, if you like novelty, you will start exploring again.

Sláinte and Happy Independence Day!

 

...and this is why I am torn about my addiction to Tree House. We, like so many other areas of the country have excellent craft beer up and down California! So why do I feel the need to spend hundreds of dollars a month to get this beer shipped to me?

 

I've been meaning to pick up cans of new image and make the trek up to cerebral. Probably need to do it sooner than later

 

Get 16 cans. Have them shipped in a large flat rate priority box. $20 shipping and get there faster.