Happy New Year all. First drop of the new year for Hop Butcher. Couple redrops and a new one. - Presto Change-o - These ole-HB favorites always have a certain exciting feel to them when our crew sees them comin' around the bend. Choice Mosaic and choice Simcoe - two hops we use a ton throughout the year and thus put extra effort into picking the exact lots to serve best in all the ways we want to use them - make for an absolutely incredible one-two punch if hazy, juicy, hoppy, fluffy Double IPAs are something you enjoy. Full distro. - Aspect of Aquarius - Of the 6.5% strength in the hazy citrus-y category and hopped with a Mosaic, Anchovy and Idaho 7 hops and then infused with lemon-lime hop oils on the cold side. Fun new hop technologies always get us excited over here at the brewery. Check this one out and hit us up on our socials with your thoughts on it! Full distro. - Grid - A fresh batch of our go-to, crushable Citra & Mosaic-hopped Pale Ale. The flavorful, hoppy thirst quencher, if you will. That beer you keep a couple 4-packs cold at all times in the fridge so you're on the quick draw when your friends swing by kind of beer. Full distro. If you don't see it, though, ask your go-to store to get you some!
Mosaic Traveling Scientist was a pure joy to drink! Fruity, punchy, dank. But at the same time, the marketing is so confusing. Untappd says "Pale Ale - New England / Hazy", while the can says "American Pale Ale". Historically, these Traveling Scientist beers have been hazy and mellow, but this one was bitter? The color was also much darker than I expected. It was very good so no complaints, but it's interesting that they're mixing up this "brand" of hazy. https://untappd.com/user/TheDeets42/checkin/1543157213
I think HB have a bit of an "issue" with releasing their beers really fresh. I know it seems like a great thing (and it's their trademark), but sometimes they need 2-3 weeks to really hit their stride. Some of the beers come out banging, but some really get better with time. I had plenty of their fresh releases that have straight up horrible hop burn, but they turn into incredible beers after those 2-3 weeks. I know some people are more sensitive to this than others fwiw. I'll also add that, Henry from Monkish has mentioned that they hold their beers for ~20 days before releasing so that they release them on their peak. I think HB could benefit from holding some of their beers for at least a week...
Drops for the week of 1/18. Couple new ones and a couple of redrops. That mashup between Beef Dipped and Neon Green Relish look interesting. Also that WCIPA looks good as well. HB has done a good job with the WC brews. - Neon Green Beef - A big dog (or cow, if you will) at 8.0% and a fun mash-up of Beef Dipped and Neon Green Relish. Hand selected hop trio of Citra, Sabro and Simcoe, yo. Full distro. Lap it up! - Blizzard of '67 - An even bigger dog and timely with this weather we've been seeing lately! Remember the Blizzard of '67? No? Here's a beer to help keep the tale alive! Also full distro. - Butcher Gold - The freshest batch of our go-to light lager and as crushable as ever. Keep a four pack or maybe even an eight pack handy in your fridge for those quick-draw need a beer moments. Full distro. - Lunar Drift - West Coast DIPAs hopped with Simcoe, CTZ and Eggers Full Moon hops are exactly what you should be getting excited about for next week. A smaller batch, but available throughout Chicagoland full distro style.
Stoked for DDH Moss to get some distro. Also looking forward to more Eggers hops, they'll make it into a hazy sooner or later! Their Riwaka is supposed to be insane.
It looks like that's a maybe via Instagram comments. Thought I read that it was, but maybe not a definite yes.
As of yesterday it still sounded like it wasn't hitting distro (at least based on the guy at HB saying "we didn't send it to distro"), but it's probably possible depending on how much they have left after this weekend (I think that's happened in the past).
ABV Chicago has an episode this week with barrel aged Hop Butcher. Check it out wherever you get your podcasts.
Anyone know if DDH Moss 4 packs are still available at taproom? Snow ruined city plans yesterday unfortunately
Also in regards to DDH Moss, I really enjoyed it. None of the hop burn I got from their last DDH beer (in fairness I did get Moss a week after release) and not as sweet as a lot of their hazies tend to be. I'm hoping they release DDH beers more often, even if they're a harder hit to the 'ol wallet.
But Walt Disney would sue their asses. Well, I could have sworn Haze Buchie was a Star Wars character. Cantina scene?
Drops for the week of 2/8. Couple redrops this past week with Giardiniera and Mellotron. But this week HB is back with 4 drops. Blue Moss - A new Moss for all of you/us Moss lovers out there. This blue variant includes the OG All-Star hop combo of Citra and Simcoe (hand selected of course) with the added oomph of all kinds of Nectaron - both t90 hop pellets as well as Quantum Nectaron! Hop technologies make the beer world a better place, friends. Get after this! Full distro. Fat Bear - As if we needed a reason to bring Fat Bear back, Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras is upon us and that means peanut butter and chocolate and big stouts in your glasses! Huge, chewy-thick beer with just the right decadent sweetness. Treat yo self! Full distro. Rocklawn - A crisp, west coast DIPA back for a second iteration! And, this time a hop previously known only by a number has a name: Vera. Full distro. John's Beans - Including this zippy, 4.5% Mexican Lager that we hopped-up with Zumo hops even though we mentioned it previously because more of it is making its way out to accounts next week. If you have not yet partaken in this beaut, do so now while it lasts! Full distro!
Drops for the week of 2/15. Couple new ones, including one from the long lost fly series. Also on Febrauary 17 (Fat Tuesday), HB will be pouring variants of their Fat Bear Stout : OG Fat Bear: Peanut Butter Stout. Picnic Bear: Fat Bear w/Banana, Golden Rasberry & Strawberry Terps. Cafe Bear: Fat Bear w/Honduran Coffee from Connect Coffee Roasters. Nutty Bear: Fat Bear Aged Peanut Shaped Buddy Cookies. - Coral Fly - It's been a hot minute since we've done one of these! Waimea and Peacharine hopped of the Coral colored maybe-a-dragonfly sort coming your way. Big juice, big stonefruit. Full distro. - Aspect of Pisces - The final release of our zodiac series is upon us and Dan did not disappoint with these koi fish in the channeling of the Pisces. New Zealand Cascade and Dolcita hops up in here. Don't skip this pale. It's fire. Also full distro.
Drops for the week of 2/22. Three redrops this week. Been a minute since I've had Face Peeler, and apparently some people still love milkshake IPAs. - Blazed Orange Milkshake - Yes, we are attempting to will an early summer in Chicago with this one. Hopped with Citra and Strata hops and brewed and conditioned on oranges and vanilla, BOM is our go-to Milkshake Double IPA and it was darn time to get this one back in the mix. We hope you're as ready for it as we are. Full distro! - Facepeeler - Strata hops make their second appearance in next week's beers, except accompanied by Riwaka, Idaho 7 and Centennial. Big, hazy Triple IPA is the name of the game here at 10.25% but it drinks like smooth juice with a citrus lean that the leaning tower of pisa would be envious of. Also full distro. - Grid - Citra & Mosaic-hopped American Pale Ales are amongst the go-to-est of the go-tos, so you keep drinking this trusty crusher and we'll keep brewing it. Full distro here as well.
Drops for the week of 3/1. Two new ones that look pretty good, and a few rereleases that includes a hopwater. - Cactus League Slugger - Next week's new-new and coming to you live from spring training in Arizona - maybe. JK, not really, but those are the vibes if you want to rock the full jump-aboard. Choice Riwaka, hand selected Strata and Simcoe Cryo up in this here IPA. Check it out, put the game on and get ready for the regular season, friends. Full distro. - Broken Nose - For the West Coast IPA lovers out there and this hop combo should be top notch - Nelson, CTZ & Nectaron - paired with vibes of Nelson Algren and his musings of our beloved Chicago. Full distro. - Bughouse Square - Name a better family of four hops in a single beer than Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe & Nelson Sauvin. First brewed and released by us in August of 2019, this one is an absolute all star in our roster as far as we're concerned. Big juicy, haze with all the ripe tropics and fresh citrus you can handle. Full distro. Get it! - Dark Berry Hop Water - It's back! Zero ABV, zero carbs, zero calories but ALL KINDS of the darkest berries up in that thirst quenching flavor and aroma one-two punch. Full distro, but if you don't see it at your go-to shop, do ask for it, will ya?
Drops for the week of 3/8. Two new ones and two redrops. Definitely going to be picking up this HB x Mikerphone collab. - Forever's Gonna Start Tonight - Mikerphone and Hop Butcher got it on and this 8.5% haze-banger that we hopped with Peacharine, Mosaic, Eclipse & Quantum Eclipse was the 80's ballad-inspired juice that came of it. Total Eclipse of the Heart? Eclipse hops? Get it? Full distro! - Oregon Cool - Allllll the Oregon grown hop crops we love wrapped up in one WC IPA and to boot, killer artwork of personified Pacific northwest states from Grzeca for the win. Also full distro! - Cold Pizza - Sometimes the morning after the pizza order is just as exciting as the fresh and hot version. 6.0% Citra & Vic Secret-hopped Cold IPAs don't come around a ton, but when they do, we're bringing the triangle piece like we mean it. Full distro! - Cricket Hill - Rounding out said four spot is an ESB for all you ESB lovers. Except this time, we switched up the hops to Cascade and Crystal for extra, added enjoyment. The batch was on the smaller side, but this beer is not to be missed, so if you see it, scoop it! Full distro.
