3 Floyds Brewing (2020)

FFF will have to get in to them eventually. Right now they are so small they can continue to put out their basic beer and the supply can't meet nationwide demand for it. Once the go national and it starts sitting on shelves and the hype/aura around it disappear....NEIPA time.

 

I don't really understand pushback for putting out 1 (or even 2) of any style. So they do 100 classic IPAs. What's the problem if they end up with 1 or 2 consistent NE IPAs? I don't think anyone is saying, "Hey, these guys produce great hops. If only they would switch to only producing NE IPAs." All the IPAs they have will always be their niche - not any of the many other beers they make. Doesn't mean there's an issue with them making 1 or 2 NE IPA to complement/round out a menu.

Or is the concern that this would somehow turn into a slippery slope where every other beer would go away in favor of only NE IPAs? (Seems silly to me.)

 

I would like to see a 100IBU Hazy Permanent Funeral.

 

I'm confused. FFF has done a few hazy IPAs to date (25 Million Dollar Man, Backhanded Panther, there was another one before those but I can't recall the name). Now, while they have not been the opaque juice bombs of some of the other local options mentioned, but all have been single IPAs, not doubles. They have definitely attempted the style, 3 of which have been bottled. None of them have done much for me (however, I do appreciate that they have had more of a hop bite than typical of the style). But I'm not a fan of most nationally distributed versions of the style, and I've had plenty of them that have a similar haze level.

 

What about the Pipeworks collabs too?

 

Calling an IPA an NEIPA makes it no more an NEIPA than calling a duck a caterpillar.

If FFF used unfiltered swamp water in an IPA it wouldn't be an NEIPA... hazy doesn't account for much as a descriptor. Those beers listed don't check any boxes of NEIPA and are they even that hazy?

 

From BeerAdvocate's description of the style: "NEIPA is essentially an unfiltered IPA or Double IPA that’s been aggressively hopped. Appearance ranges from slightly hazy or cloudy to opaque or muddy. Dry-hopping, the use of high-protein grains (flours, flaked oats, wheat), certain yeast strains, water chemistry, CO2 levels, and other techniques may also contribute to the beer’s haze and mouthfeel. But the overall goal is typically a hazy, juicy IPA packed with fruity and floral flavors."

All of those beers fall into this. To what extent? That's debatable.

 

So by that definition everything 3 Floyds makes is an NEIPA, they just filter them....

 

Well, no, they are more bitter, and crisp, or malty or boozy...

Haze is not the definition of NE IPA. I think it's more lower bitterness, juicier/tropical/danker hops, softer/fluffier mouthfeel.

 

I don't think so at all; I do not believe they have any immediate plans to go national. FFF has grew their business in other ways: they successfully lobbied their State to be able to produce more beer, they've partnered with another brewery to create a new brand, they've opened a new distillery along with a new on-premise business, and so on.

Haze Bros. just doesn't seem to fit into the ethos of 3 Floyds, and I'm okay with that (even though I, myself, enjoy a NEIPA every now and then). They make some of the best damn "Midwest" IPAs contemporarily, and in history. Does this mean that FFF can't, or shouldn't put out a hazy brew from time to time. Hell no. Because pushing boundaries is still metal as fuck.

 

Plus, the argument that FFF will NEED to start brewing trendy styles to propel their business is just lunacy. If anything, niche, hype breweries like Hop Butcher, et al, will need to brew other styles outside of NEIPAs to expand to larger markets.

 

No one said it was immediate.

We'll agree to disagree. When supply = demand in the brewing world, hype takes a nose dive because people can obtain what they want whenever they want it and opt to purchase other options that are new and limited. Product then sits on shelves. You can see FFF sitting in Chicago because it is so easy to find unless it is something new. When FFF hits that full shelf turd wall, they are either going to have to scale back production (which no one wants to do ever when you have a large facility) or you have to play the hot and new game. That will eventually happen if they decide to stay regional or if they go national. There are plenty of historical examples of large brewers that have died out by resting on their laurels when beers started to shelf turd.

 

And how many non-top-tier NEIPAs shelf turd this city as it is? If its not HB or P3, it sits on the shelf.

 

And I'm not arguing that any brewery should not continue to try new things. R&D exists for a reason. But to say that FFF will have to brew NEIPAs is a stretch to me. I think their release schedules they are doing now (the new quarterly lager, IIPAs every couple of months) will help prevent things from getting too stale. I mean, it seems to me with the hype of NEIPAs dying off, FFF has been getting more attention/respect the past year or so. At least on here.

 

Agreed. There is zero danger to FFF with the quality of beer they produce and the reputation they have established. They are in a world of their own when it comes to craft brewing in the Midwest.

 

i would argue otherwise. There are several breweries in the Midwest who have caught/surpassed them over the past 5-8 years.

this comes from someone who has done an entire 360 on them, twice. I used to love their hype, chased and enjoyed their beers. Then I got sick of it, moved on, and now I’m back to happily ordering a space station at my local sports bar a few times a month. But that’s practically the only draft beer on tap, and I’d be ordering a Bodem or a Lizard King if the bar chose to put those on tap. To say FFF is in a league of their own is kind of laughable in a market this strong. I’m happy to applaud their importance, but if you don’t see others making similar quality, then you aren’t looking. Fresh Snaggletooth, Brickstone APA, Charlatan, Anti Hero, Daisy. Even if you think FFF is top dog still, nobody is going to be upset with the alternatives.

in terms of reputation, I think New Glarus, Half Acre, and Revolution are all playing on that level. Fat Heads probably as well although I haven’t been exposed to enough of it to say for sure.

 

I think 25 Million Dollar Man and Cheerteam are great examples of the hazy style, good juiciness while still maintaining that hop bite.

Cheerteam especially is one of my favorite hazies in general.

I find most Hop Butcher beers to be too mango/mellon/pulp forward with not enough bitterness. They are great but I hardly want to drink a full 16oz can. Same is true of many of the hyped NEIPA producers.

FFF may have been slow to start doing haze but the ones they did have been great IMO, while still keeping some FFF character.

 

I refuse to acknowledge any of those as hazies. You can try and argue they are juicy and have a hop bite, but they are not hazy. They look like unfiltered lagers...look at photos of them on untapped- way to translucent- then look at things like Treehouse Julius.

 

I have poured them in glasses and drank them.. they are hazy. They don't like turbid hop mud, I'll give you that. If that is what you want from your hazy then more power to you.

Some of those Untappd pics do look more translucent that I recall though. Still they are certainly towards that juicy flavor profile. I would qualify them as FFF's take on the style, and not trying to clone things like Julius which is certainly more hazy.

 

But is Treehouse Julius the only representation of the style? Are Maine Beer Company's Dinner or Lawson's Sip of Sunshine not NE style IPAs because they aren't the exact same representation of the style as Treehouse Julius or any number of Monkish beers?