Breweries with that one beer

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by mnstorm99, Aug 14, 2013.

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  1. mnstorm99

    mnstorm99 Initiate (0) May 11, 2007 Minnesota

    Don't get me wrong, these are all great breweries, but has their one whale helped to really put them on the map?
    Founders? I personally prefer much of their lineup to KBS and think they are a phenomenal brewery. But I feel the talk of Founders has increased exponentially with the rise (and availability) of KBS.
    Three Floyds? It seems they have gone through a couple of revivals in my time. First was Dark Lord, which saw a rise and fall, while I always preferred the rest of their lineup. Now seems to be another level of notice surrounding Zombie Dust, which I think lived up to the hype.

    I am talking about the notice breweries seem to get when they release that big one.

    Are there any examples we see coming? Smaller breweries who may be already brewing that beer? Bigger breweries who might have solid lineups, but have not yet released that one beer?
     
    #1 mnstorm99, Aug 14, 2013
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  2. mrcraft

    mrcraft Grand Pooh-Bah (3,396) Dec 15, 2012 California
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I'll state the obvious. The Alchemist.

    I had their Celia Saison but it was nothing to write home about.

    In SoCal, we have two really solid breweries that "outsiders" are not too familiar with. Beachwood (various IPA's) and Societe (The Pupil). In time, they may achieve national recognition and desirability of their beers.
     
    #2 mrcraft, Aug 14, 2013
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  3. RobertColianni

    RobertColianni Pooh-Bah (1,789) Nov 4, 2008 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Goose Island BCBS
    First was Dreadnaught, not Dark Lord.
     
    #3 RobertColianni, Aug 14, 2013
  4. mnstorm99

    mnstorm99 Initiate (0) May 11, 2007 Minnesota

    Plus another resurgence for their sours.

    Dreadnaught felt more like a "flagship" type of thing, similar to Surly with Furious. Was Dreadnaught ever a whale?
     
    #4 mnstorm99, Aug 14, 2013
  5. TheSevenDuffs

    TheSevenDuffs Pooh-Bah (2,933) Jan 20, 2010 Canada (ON)
    Pooh-Bah

    I know that many will disagree, but I have always put Troegs in that category (Nugget Nectar).
     
    #5 TheSevenDuffs, Aug 14, 2013
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  6. mnstorm99

    mnstorm99 Initiate (0) May 11, 2007 Minnesota

    For me, I actually have a weird thought about a small new brewery that produced mediocre beers (Lucid). But, they have a alternating proprietor system that promises growth, and I assume they own the rights to the building since they built it. Another thought is that the last beer I had from them was a really good DIPA (Duo). So, I wonder if they might make a whale someday that really puts them on the map.
    For many of us around the Twin Cities, Lucid might be a major Dark Horse compared to Steel Toe or Indeed, who seem to be the leading newcomers.
     
    #6 mnstorm99, Aug 14, 2013
  7. RobertColianni

    RobertColianni Pooh-Bah (1,789) Nov 4, 2008 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Dreadnaught was the top IPA in the world at one time and had no distribution. It was an original "whale."
     
    #7 RobertColianni, Aug 14, 2013
  8. jivex5k

    jivex5k Initiate (0) Apr 13, 2011 Florida

    Budweiser.
     
    #8 jivex5k, Aug 14, 2013
  9. mnstorm99

    mnstorm99 Initiate (0) May 11, 2007 Minnesota

    Good to know.
     
    #9 mnstorm99, Aug 14, 2013
  10. GABrew

    GABrew Initiate (0) May 5, 2013 Georgia

    I received a couple Beachwood brews in a trade a few weeks ago (thanks CoolEthan!) and thought they were very solid!
     
    #10 GABrew, Aug 14, 2013
  11. jmw

    jmw Initiate (0) Feb 4, 2009 North Carolina

    I think that many of the breweries that have been mentioned (Troegs, Founders, Goose Island, FFF) were already quite popular in their region and even nationally before the imperial crazies found out about them. If being known among whale zealots is equivalent to being "put on the map" then I guess the answer would be yes, but I guarantee that many local folks would disagree and probably very strongly.
     
    #11 jmw, Aug 14, 2013
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  12. mnstorm99

    mnstorm99 Initiate (0) May 11, 2007 Minnesota

    I guess I could have used a local example with Surly, and would argue they get a lot more notice outside of Minny because of Darkness and Abrasive. Furious is an awesome beer, but with the increase of breweries Furious level beers don't get as much notice anymore.
     
    #12 mnstorm99, Aug 14, 2013
  13. AnalogErik

    AnalogErik Initiate (0) Jul 23, 2013 Minnesota


    Yeah i take Surly for granted because i can drink it whenever I want... (Suck it everyone else outside of distribution)..

    And i crave toppling goliath and 3F... :slight_frown:
     
    #13 AnalogErik, Aug 14, 2013
  14. LCB_Hostage

    LCB_Hostage Zealot (659) Jan 30, 2013 Pennsylvania

    I can see that if you're someplace outside their core distribution area. Living in PA, I kind of get used to seeing all their beers, so I don't think of Nugget Nectar as their big claim to fame. I like it, but I like most of their beers, so ...
     
    #14 LCB_Hostage, Aug 14, 2013
  15. beatenbyjacks

    beatenbyjacks Savant (1,151) Apr 17, 2011 Colorado

    While Fat Tire is their flagship, bread and butter, whatever you want to call it, I think La Folie really pushed the envelope for New Belgium and the sour beer category. It made people question what New Belgium could do other than the regular lineup and it helped bring about the Lips of Faith.
     
    #15 beatenbyjacks, Aug 14, 2013
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  16. mnstorm99

    mnstorm99 Initiate (0) May 11, 2007 Minnesota

    Great example, sure they were on the map, but us BA's started actually noticing them.
     
    #16 mnstorm99, Aug 14, 2013
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  17. Ri0

    Ri0 Initiate (0) Jul 1, 2012 Wisconsin

    Russian River is know for many great beers, but all most want to talk about is PtE.
     
    #17 Ri0, Aug 14, 2013
  18. jasoncheb

    jasoncheb Initiate (0) Nov 23, 2012 Virginia

    Hardywood Park in Richmond, VA picked up some serious notoriety with the release of their gingerbread stout. They seem to have been growing in popularity ever since.
     
    #18 jasoncheb, Aug 14, 2013
  19. TongoRad

    TongoRad Grand Pooh-Bah (3,884) Jun 3, 2004 New Jersey
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Based on the non-stop griping 'round here lately*, I'm thinking they just might start to feel that they are better off concentrating on their other excellent brews (such as Sunshine Pils, Dead reckoning Porter, etc.) these days.:wink:

    *- some of which is deserved, imo.
     
    #19 TongoRad, Aug 14, 2013
  20. dennis3951

    dennis3951 Initiate (0) Mar 6, 2008 New Jersey

    Sierra Nevada has that one beer. It's the best selling craft beer of all SNPA. (all their other beers are top shelf also)
     
    #20 dennis3951, Aug 14, 2013
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