California West Coast IPA Thread (2022)

Thank you to the gift of state wide shipping; just landed my first ever mix case of Green Cheek! It Just Works IPA is outrageous, glad I got 2-4pk in this mixed case because this is a top tier IPA.

 

Just got my order from Green Cheek (3 different beers) delivered today. Haven't opened up the "It Just Works" yet but looking forward to it. Can't go wrong with Green Cheek.

 

Absolutely.

 

Hadn't had Like Riding a Bike from Urban Roots in a while. What a damn fine beer. Huge tangerine notes with a touch of pineapple. Super bright and a joy to drink

 

When I lived in Tehachapi I'd hit Lengthwise...for the guest taps.

 

I've seen Lengthwise for some time via tw hb, ball canned even, old.

So, I've never had Lengthwise, I was always curious, when years ago the head brewer that made Citra a sensation, left, went to Lengthwise. That's right, the former Kern River head brewer.

Now I've still never had Citra, but I did have JO, others in their prime, when that hombre left, so did the flavor.

Nonetheless, Kern River has a special place in my heart, I've had working vacations, stayed at the hotel next door, gone river rafting, over the years I show the love, get some back

 

This reminds me of what an old friend used to say about a local brewery that features a full bar

Oh ya, X brewery, that's a great place to get a cocktail.

 

Now y'all got me thinking of what I think of Green Cheek now.........the guest taps

 

That younger….

 

There was a guy named Kyle Smith who was once the head brewer at KRBC along with Eric. They put out some amazing beers back in the day. JO was the perfect IPA and Citra was gold. Kyle left went down to Bakersfield and became the head brewer for Lengthwise. Kern River had a minor bump in the road after Kyle left. But it seems like they are on track and better than ever. They have been putting out some world class beers. Lengthwise? Not so sure. I’m not sure if Kyle is still with Lengthwise? I thought I heard he moved on to another brewery in Bakersfield. Did I mention Class V, Dirty Hippie, Hop Nookie or Class X?

 

He started Great Change. Was in there right before the pandemic, so its been a couple years.

 

Thx. Great brewer.

 

Went to the brewery last week and didn't get any pliny bottles, but I did get some cans of the new one, Mosaic Stack, and holy fuck is it good. Think it may have been dated 2/4 as well.

 

Now that you say this a buddy of mine whos new to beer and all about IPA hype grabbed a bottle per my recommendation.
Short story: i went with him once to grab PtE and he sat on it for 2 weeks cuz he got busy and when he finally drank it he didn't enjoy it much
The second time we grabbed the 2/4/22 ones which he drank at less than a week old and he said he enjoyed the first one more.
I thought that was strange but didn't think much of it , I'm no fan of Russian River so didn't care to sway his opinion.
Maybe it is a shit batch

 

Modern Clarity from Burgeon collab with Altamont and Boneyard, is excellent crisp clean light body and delicious.

 

Now that my order is safely in, haha, I'll let everyone know that DDH Pliny and Blind Pig mixed packs are up on RR site for shipping. Also sold as separate 16pks.

https://www.shop.russianriverbrewing.com/collections/bottles-cans

 

I hope this isn’t a one time deal on the Pig cans. Maybe a ddh BP in the future?

 

TDNE - Psychic Advisor
Lets see if its as good as,if not better than, pliny since they beatem at that IPA fest

 

Let me know how it is. I’ll be anxiously awaiting my order to arrive next week.

 

Just finished a side by side moments ago with this and Pliny. I've been drinking Pliny for years, and it's truly one of the few IPAs that I enjoy drinking. I'm just not usually one who is a big fan of IPAs, whether it be clear, cloudy, hazy, west coast, east coast or anywhere in between. I can take them in moderation every so often, but I'm not a regular IPA drinker by choice. But I ordered some Psychic Advisor anyway and figured I'd see what all the fuss was about.

I won't go into all the tasting notes and such, other than to say that Psychic Advisor was excellent. Clearly in Pliny's league. A great brewing achievement. It just came down to a matter of taste, and Pliny ever so slightly won out in my book mainly because I enjoyed the finish a little bit more than the Psychic Advisor. Your result may differ. I do know one thing, you can't go wrong with either of them. It's awesome that a young brewery can make a beer worthy of being compared to Pliny. And it's also awesome that Pliny, which has been around for years, can still be considered a benchmark to be reached by others.

 

PA first showed up in OC back in August 2021. I’ll have to revisit the psychic again.

 

Just received my cans of Psychic Advisor yesterday. I’m waiting for the weekend to pop one open. Maybe I’ll pick up a Pliny on my way home from work tomorrow to compare side by side.

 

I had a full pour Psychic Advisor on draft at BottlecraftLB yesterday. I thought it tasted the same as when I had it in a can back last August. I was hopping to grab a can or 2 to go but both my spots were already sold out. It is a very good bitter DIPA for sure. I would not put this up there with Pliny. Next to Pliny? Yes. I did not have a glass of Pliny to compare. Pliny is a much cleaner and clearer look and feel. PA has more of that unfiltered goodness. I do like them both. I would definitely grab some more cans when available again. There Does Not Exist does exist. And it’s good.

 

Drinking a new IPA from Anderson Valley. Crisp IPA. Lives up to it's name, mostly
Nice to see something new from an old school place.

 

I saw that, new 6pack box, no date?

This isn't a wc big stout page, I love Huge Arker in 4x12oz packs, one of my favorites the last 2 yrs

 

It's a spring seasonal. So should not be too old. Had it on tap here in Salem

 

What the f…! No date? As big as Anderson Valley and no date? Regardless if it’s on the package, it should also be on cans. I picked up a few Enegren cans at Windsor last Friday. No dates on cans. Being lagers & pils and at Windsor I know the cans are good. Radiant has some good offerings but no can dates. No buy, unless I know they just released new and at certain shops.
Sorry for the rant on the off subject here.

 

Radiant puts the date on the label, not the bottom of the can.

 

Didn’t know this. When did they start dating their cans?
Does North Park date their cans?

 

Yes, I think mostly on the label as well.

 

AVBC dates their cans. And the 12pack box I bought recently also was dated. I'm pretty sure they date the 6er boxes with the year/Julian date.

 

I have yet to see any numbers on any of the new 6boxs. Fortunately, Huge Arker is still in open 4pack format, i can see the 21294 on the cans

 

Trying Thrillseeker from Beachwood for the first time. Great stuff. There's some rumors I've heard that they might expand distro, and I then dream that we might get included in that expanded distro. As is, their beers are rare treats at the lone bar that brings them in but I'd love them to be fridge staples

 

I think these rumors will come true,I will lose a tasting room close bye to production. Good thing I enjoyed a tasty Mocha Machine on tap a few hours ago. Carpe Diem

 

DDH Bigger on the Inside from Urban Roots.

Another stellar brew from these folks. Rich fruity flavors with a finish that is dry and clean without being excessively bitter. Beautiful example of the evolved west coast dipa