Chicagoland NE IPAs (2018)

Discussion in 'Great Lakes' started by SeanBond, Aug 29, 2016.

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  1. Acschoen

    Acschoen Initiate (0) Jan 22, 2015 Illinois

    I bet the cans of HA Topanga Gulch will be the standard HA non hazy IPA while the taproom pours will have the haze of Animal Law and tap room version of BHA.
     
    #2341 Acschoen, Feb 16, 2017
  2. SeanBond

    SeanBond Pooh-Bah (2,904) Jul 30, 2013 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I would personally rather have all these breweries concentrate on creating the most flavorful, fresh IPAs they can, with good mouthfeel (whether it's nicely carbed, very thick, or just balanced the way an Alchemist beer is). I don't need every IPA to be NE style, but I do want everyone to make the best version of their IPA that they can, and to replicate that over and over.
    That's actually an interesting point. I guess if they brew the beer for the cans in the new brewery, then that's possible.
     
    #2342 SeanBond, Feb 16, 2017
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  3. HawksBeerFan

    HawksBeerFan Maven (1,378) Dec 24, 2011 Illinois
    Trader

    Narrow Gauge is better than anything come out of Chicago IMO

    Not a knock on the Chicago breweries but Narrow Gauge is just really good
     
    #2343 HawksBeerFan, Feb 16, 2017
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  4. ratwheels

    ratwheels Initiate (0) Jan 12, 2011 Illinois

    Yes, sadly and begrudgingly.
     
    #2344 ratwheels, Feb 16, 2017
  5. HawksBeerFan

    HawksBeerFan Maven (1,378) Dec 24, 2011 Illinois
    Trader

    Yeah, I didn't really get the love for JiL. I thought it was a good NE IPA style beer when I first had it (not even the best in Chicago though) and then the next cans I had just like a week after were noticeably worse. Can't imagine what it's like now.
     
    #2345 HawksBeerFan, Feb 16, 2017
  6. SeanBond

    SeanBond Pooh-Bah (2,904) Jul 30, 2013 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    *kicks HawksBeer*
    JIL was fantastic, you take that back now.

    Although I think it also comes down to the type of feel you're looking for, and whether you're a citra crackhead like I am.
     
    #2346 SeanBond, Feb 16, 2017
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  7. FBarber

    FBarber Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,325) Mar 5, 2016 Illinois
    Mod Team BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    They just tapped a new batch of Hoppy Meal - thats my favorite from them so if you can, grab that one. Really can't go wrong with any of their beers though.
     
    #2347 FBarber, Feb 16, 2017
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  8. HawkeyeBeerLover

    HawkeyeBeerLover Initiate (0) Jun 30, 2015 Wisconsin

    This guy's talking about how it was overrated when some of us couldn't get it even if we tried :open_mouth:
     
    #2348 HawkeyeBeerLover, Feb 16, 2017
  9. ratwheels

    ratwheels Initiate (0) Jan 12, 2011 Illinois

    The thing is, the craft beer community is trending away from "shelf life" and worrying about distribution. The taproom/brewpub is where craft beer is headed and these beers are absolutely perfect for that. Fighting for shelf space is a losing battle and an expensive one.

    Chicago is WAY behind a lot of the country in this regard, btw.

    And IMO, the falling off and batch variation just isn't much of a concern for the guys who really know how to brew this stuff. I'm also okay with a miss here or there (Never & Again, Mago Tago, etc.) because I absolutely love going to a brewery, buying some fresh cans, and taking them home and drinking them within a couple weeks. Rinse and repeat.
     
    #2349 ratwheels, Feb 16, 2017
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  10. HawksBeerFan

    HawksBeerFan Maven (1,378) Dec 24, 2011 Illinois
    Trader

    Sorry your have faulty taste buds, blame your parents not me :wink:

    Everyone needs to like the same beers I do or they are a dope
     
    #2350 HawksBeerFan, Feb 16, 2017
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  11. ratwheels

    ratwheels Initiate (0) Jan 12, 2011 Illinois

    Not sure I get this. The can we had last night was less than 2 weeks old.
     
    #2351 ratwheels, Feb 16, 2017
  12. SeanBond

    SeanBond Pooh-Bah (2,904) Jul 30, 2013 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I was going to say the same!
     
    #2352 SeanBond, Feb 16, 2017
  13. HawksBeerFan

    HawksBeerFan Maven (1,378) Dec 24, 2011 Illinois
    Trader

    Ah didn't realize it was released again, I was talking about the initial Chicago drop a while back
     
    #2353 HawksBeerFan, Feb 16, 2017
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  14. SeanBond

    SeanBond Pooh-Bah (2,904) Jul 30, 2013 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I agree on all points here. The reason Chicago needs to get its shit together on shelf life is that it's somewhat of a deterrent to buying more than a 4-pack of a beer (assuming you don't drink constantly) if you can't enjoy it over a period of at least, let's say a month. I typically like to have one beer a night on weekends (and I try to avoid week days if possible), and so I'm not gonna stock up on something like Galaxy Bowl if by the 2nd four pack it tastes like gutter water.

    The main reason I want everyone in Chicago to try their hand at the NE style isn't because I want all NE-style IPAs (I don't); it's because I want everyone to get used to that "bleeding-edge freshness" idea. It seems like HA has hopped on board now that they're canning regularly, so that excites me for the future.
     
    #2354 SeanBond, Feb 16, 2017
  15. HawksBeerFan

    HawksBeerFan Maven (1,378) Dec 24, 2011 Illinois
    Trader

    I don't know what you guys are talking about but the case of Sierra Nevada Celebration I bought in early winter still tasted great by the end of it months later
     
    #2355 HawksBeerFan, Feb 16, 2017
  16. SeanBond

    SeanBond Pooh-Bah (2,904) Jul 30, 2013 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    It doesn't hold up for a year though, I can tell you that first-hand, unfortunately. :stuck_out_tongue:
     
    #2356 SeanBond, Feb 16, 2017
    HawkeyeBeerLover likes this.
  17. croush

    croush Pooh-Bah (2,407) Mar 20, 2015 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    That can be true that these are great for immediate/on-site consumption, but I think that gets back to my thoughts (perhaps not expressed so well :wink:) that these won't have as big of an impact on the overall craft beer industry as beer geeks like us make them out to be at this time. They may be great at tasting rooms, but if they're not on the shelves for people to enjoy on their own, they won't be as impactful to the craft beer market as those "typical" craft beers on the shelves from Founders, Revolution, Pipeworks, etc. Most craft beer drinkers are not geeks like us - I think they will buy from craft breweries when they're at the store, but they aren't going to regularly go out of their way to get releases from breweries.
     
    #2357 croush, Feb 16, 2017
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  18. Chuckdiesel24

    Chuckdiesel24 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,208) Jul 6, 2016 Illinois
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    :confused::confused::confused::confused::confused::confused::confused::confused::confused::confused::confused::confused::confused::confused::confused::confused::confused:

    Huh? Isn't everyone like this?

    :grimacing::grimacing::grimacing::grimacing::grimacing::grimacing::flushed::flushed::flushed::flushed::flushed::flushed::flushed::flushed::flushed::flushed::flushed:
     
    #2358 Chuckdiesel24, Feb 16, 2017
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  19. ZombieDusted2049

    ZombieDusted2049 Devotee (317) Jul 18, 2014 Illinois
    Trader

    I cracked a sharks with laser beams for the super bowl and had a similar experience. I bought two crowlers. I got next to no hops and an off sweet taste.
     
    #2359 ZombieDusted2049, Feb 16, 2017
  20. beersite

    beersite Initiate (0) Nov 8, 2016 Illinois

    I am in agreement. Chicago rocks for distro but is way behind in the quality taproom/brewpub scene imo.
     
    #2360 beersite, Feb 16, 2017
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