Hop Butcher (2020)

3 drops this week? Damn. Telehopic, Skrap Metal & Destination: Mars.

http://www.hopbutcher.com/

 

I looked at my Telehopic check in from 3 years ago. That was when they were putting New England Style on the labels and this one was pretty west coast back then at least. Feels like a lifetime ago haha

 

Looks like some changes to Telehopic. Previous label had Denali hops at 7% this one has Sultana hops at 7.5%.

 

I will stand corrected. The only difference is the .5% abv increase. Apparently, they had to change the name of experimental hop 06277 from Denali (nicknamed Nuggetzilla) to Sultana for legal reasons so same hops different hop name.

 

Agreed. Spiteful is my source for WCIPAs in the city. 10/9 Bike Messenger Appreciation can compete with the best out West, Working for the Weekend is good for the rest of the year.

Really miss Beachwood and Russian River living in Chicago.

 

That was a beta beer with new yeast. It’s the yeast they use for most of their stuff now. So safe to say they’ve dialed things in 3 years later

 

10/9 biker appreciation is one of the best IPAs I’ve had. Wish they’d make it more. That combo of citra and el dorado can’t be too difficult to acquire these days. Spiteful IPA used to actually be mostly el dorado but spiteful couldn’t get enough to make that recipe year round.

 

Denali no longer exists due to a silly cease and desist from a car company. It’s now known as Sultana.

 

I believe the cease and desist was from Denali Brewing.

 

Huge fan of Destination Moon, hopefully Destination Mars is clear too.

 

It's a West Coast IPA...which doesn't always mean clear, but does mean it should be maltier & more bitter, of course.

 

Sounds like a NE Vallejo

 

Sounds like Sausage King is trademarked.

 

If Abe Froman is the sausage king of Chicago, who’s the kielbasa king?

 

Absimir Fromanski

 

Definitely clear. Allot of citrus up front, grassy too. A little pine and malt. Would have enjoyed more bitterness but a few more days might help

 

It’s certainly as dry as any newly released 1off recently in Chicago. We have great breweries creating beers like this as core beers. Breweries like Brickstone, Hopewell, Half Acre, but those companies have decided to make those beer flagships. I appreciate and support that. Hop Butcher has chosen to push the envelope on this style, which is good. I keep Brickstone Permanent Vacation in my fridge, but it’s nice to have HB creating beers that still pushing this style once or twice a quarter. Dry, bitter ipa is, to me, the best way to express hop flavors, and I’m happy HB is continuing to create new within this style.

 

Next week looks like a triple IPA called Deeper Dish.

 

I completely agree that dry bitter IPA's are the best way to express hop flavors. Like you said there are some local brewers doing it well and some national brewers although those are more difficult to find fresh. When hop butcher does decide to do West Coast styles they are right up there with any I've had. I'm a little sad that Half Acre and Pipework seem be experimenting with new West Coast IPA's and APA's less then previously. The other thing I take issue with is pricing. I really enjoy Destination Mars but paying $15 for a 4 pack for a 6.75% single IPA doesn't sit right. It used to be that hazy's costed more than non hazy's but eventually the haze craze made it acceptable to charge $15 a 4 pack for any special release, regardless of style. It's not just Hop Butcher either. I take even more issue with brewers over charging for special release Pilsners. No matter how good they are they are still pilsners and far cheaper to produce than IPA's. Few if any have been as good as Rev Pils which is $8.99 a sixer. I guess it just pisses me off when a pilsner is rare when I just like to have em around and not think about it.