What "hype breweries" are actually worth their hype?

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by Beer_Stan, Jul 7, 2019.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Beer_Stan

    Beer_Stan Initiate (0) Mar 15, 2014 California
    Trader

    Wondering what breweries in your respective areas are hyped up with lines for releases and sought after offerings but are actually worth it for the beer and not the FOMO, vague hype, or "scarcity"? And which ones aren't? What are the top worth it hype breweries and the worst in your area?
     
  2. cavedave

    cavedave Grand Pooh-Bah (4,145) Mar 12, 2009 New York
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Glad to say my three favorite locals are anti-hype breweries, all of them would be choices for a thread about "under the radar" or "best kept secret" breweries.

    That said, I do think Equilibrium deserves every bit of the praise/hype they get, and if it wasn't for an underfunded beer budget I would drink way more of their NEIPA..
     
    bigda83, winehead247, mkh012 and 14 others like this.
  3. denver10

    denver10 Grand Pooh-Bah (4,081) Nov 17, 2010 New Mexico
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Most popular breweries around here are La Cumbre and Marble, both deserve the love they get. Bow & Arrow is starting to get some attention as well, again well deserved.

    The one brewery that seems to have itself a nice size following that I just don't get would be Quarter Celter, though, admittedly, based on convenience its one I have started stopping into lately. Wonder if that will change my opinion and perspective after a while? My bet is that it will.
     
    Chicowdy, beergoot, Premo88 and 4 others like this.
  4. nc41

    nc41 Initiate (0) Sep 25, 2008 North Carolina
    Trader

    Burial and Resident Culture, both are simply outstanding one Asheville, the other Charlotte .
     
  5. beersampler6

    beersampler6 Pooh-Bah (2,200) Apr 4, 2018 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Here in town, that would be Founders.

    Within 2 hours' drive of here? 3 Floyds in Indiana.
     
  6. zid

    zid Grand Pooh-Bah (3,058) Feb 15, 2010 New York
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    In people's areas? That's like asking a farsighted fisherman the size of his catch.
     
  7. SFACRKnight

    SFACRKnight Grand Pooh-Bah (3,274) Jan 20, 2012 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Fremont, modern times, weldwerks, comrade, alchemist, hill farmstead, dry dock all come to mind. Russian River too. Oh, Kane also. Scherlakerla as well.
     
  8. Beer_Stan

    Beer_Stan Initiate (0) Mar 15, 2014 California
    Trader

    Should I have said immediate area?
     
  9. FatBoyGotSwagger

    FatBoyGotSwagger Grand Pooh-Bah (3,728) Apr 4, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Anyone who hyped a brewery already has too much invested effort. Whether it be just drinking the beer and being blinded by the hype. Some fall into to the stand in line every week and spend way too much so they rationalize their efforts through hype. A lot are so deep into trading that they hype the beer ratings to trade their hyped beer in a hyper saturated scene. Either way there is not much honesty when it comes to hype.
     
  10. zid

    zid Grand Pooh-Bah (3,058) Feb 15, 2010 New York
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I was joking... but I'm just saying that I'm not sure how measured your responses will be when asking about worthy "hype" and folk's locals. Sometimes the outside perspective is the better one. :slight_smile:
     
  11. Oktoberfiesta

    Oktoberfiesta Initiate (0) Nov 16, 2013 New Mexico

    A lot of hyped breweries feel like true one and dones. But that's as a trader/outsider who may visit once every 2-3 years

    At the end of the day, the buzz after three hazies is all the same

    My answer. None are worth it if it's a huge burden and trouble to obtain.

    Made a solid effort to hit up HF, Obtain OH cans, hitup TH. Suarez. Hudson valley. Equilibrium. All very good but worth the huge effort? Maybe my patience is lower but I'm headed back to the NE next month and have no true incentive to revisit anybody, or even seek stuff out. What comes, comes.
     
  12. rozzom

    rozzom Pooh-Bah (2,534) Jan 22, 2011 New York
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Does Suarez qualify as a hype brewery? When I think of a hype brewery I’m thinking of breweries with cleverly scheduled/marketed releases, that draw a regular and large line of cooler-toting beer geeks. The beer being released will be NEIPA / pastry stout / some sort of “sour” 95% of the time.

    From my experience Suarez doesn’t fit that at all - I mean their two most commonly released 16oz cans are pilsners. They’ve yet to make an NEIPA. HF is borderline. Other Half definitely is - and I personally think they are one of the ones that really do deliver (on the aforementioned styles). But to @zid ’s point I live less than a mile away so take that with a grain of salt.
     
  13. Oktoberfiesta

    Oktoberfiesta Initiate (0) Nov 16, 2013 New Mexico

    Suarez prices are hype riddled, if nothing else. $16/six or four. Them and HF have flavor profiles so subtle, I just don’t know anymore. I can drop half that locally and be happy. But somehow driving out to the Sticks is some type of religious experience?

    Production breweries are catching up. I hope the consumer can see some of these lighter styles aren’t some magical recipe. The big boys can do them too.
     
  14. cavedave

    cavedave Grand Pooh-Bah (4,145) Mar 12, 2009 New York
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I recommend folks make no great effort to obtain Suarez.
     
  15. Doma

    Doma Initiate (0) May 19, 2019 California
    Deactivated

    It happens with hobbies, it takes time to put them into proper perspective.
    Hype around a brewery was a middle part of my beer journey. I started with buying what was available locally. Then, got deeper into the entire beer stuff and started looking for better and the best beers that were harder to obtain. I was going for beercations, trying not to miss any hyped brewery on my itinerary. Hype become a yardstick of judgment, sometimes more than my own tastebuds. Slowly I came to realize that the differences between hyped and not-hyped beers are quite often subtle or just imaginary. Then, since all of it took some time, I got older/busier/more tolerant and willing to simplify what doesn't have to be that complicated. Now, I'm back to my well known stores and happy to buy beer locally. It's just beer.
     
  16. jhavs

    jhavs Grand Pooh-Bah (3,551) Apr 16, 2015 New York
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    $16 a six/four is on the low end of the cost scale in the North East (for smaller scale craft breweries). Everything costs more in the area. Cheapest cheeseburger up here will run you about $18.
     
  17. bubseymour

    bubseymour Grand Pooh-Bah (4,656) Oct 30, 2010 Maryland
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Give me the list of breweries in question, and I'll be glad to voice opinions about the one's I can vouch for which I feel are more hype driven vs. legitimately awesome.
     
    GreenBayBA likes this.
  18. Giantspace

    Giantspace Pooh-Bah (2,879) Dec 22, 2011 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    For me TH is not even close to the hype they get. While I find most of their beer good I have never had one I wanted to go back to. The can prices are stupid, never made that purchase. I have not gone over to either place in over two years. The fermentia or wherever it’s called is just a giant noise bouncing room that pumps out expensive beer with descriptions that are so insane. I did love to hear customers quoting the menu with tastes they only read about.

    The hype machine was working over time there, not sure if it is as crazy any more.

    Enjoy
     
  19. Roguer

    Roguer Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,757) Mar 25, 2013 Connecticut
    Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    In my area .... there are no hyped breweries.

    Back in New England, I'd gladly say Hill Farmstead is worthy, followed by Alchemist and Tree House. I don't know if any of the Maine breweries would be considered "hyped" at this point (MBC used to be, perhaps, with Lunch, followed by Dinner), but they're worthy. Same with CT - I wouldn't call NEBCO hyped, and Beer'd - completely worthy - is still mostly under the radar.
     
  20. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand Pooh-Bah (5,291) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I agree with Founders being in this hyped-but-worth-it category which was mentioned above, but even more fitting to the OP's specs would be Bell's. Always a great visit for beer and food, and when a special release occurs, nobody knows about it, thus the line for the beer is hit-or-miss depending on how quickly the word gets out and how many and how quickly locals can respond. Tours of the Kzoo brewery as well as the large production facility in Galesburg (about 10 miles away) are also a treat.

    I'll also add Short's to the discussion. It's a great place to visit for beer and food. Frequently they have 'Private Stache' releases of barrel-aged beers that create excitement (I don't know about lines because I've never gone due to distance from home), and I'm pretty sure these beers are often still available in their store for days after the release.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.