Chicagoland NE IPAs (2018)

Yep. Got mine at WLV.

 

Drinking a Simcoe Eyes right now. It's decent. Not in the same league as FR or Corridor. Muted hop flavor, a little thin, a bit of breadiness afterwards, and a slightly unpleasant "green" taste. With that being said it is enjoyable. A year ago I would've been stoked to have this on shelves. It was canned a month ago today.

Also, I purchased it warm and threw it in the freezer to cool off quickly. Some of the unpleasant sharpness may subside after it's been in the fridge for a day or two.

 

PSA; that batch of stratus looks like it was almost all gone at Binny's on Grand when I stopped in there on the way home.
Also there is still some Dank Meme left if you haven't grabbed it yet!

 

Really impressed with 'Wake Up, Neo' from Triptych. Mellow tropical nose, balanced, swelling and smooth profile, lingering but understated peach that rides shotgun with pleasant bitterness through the finish. Really hope they continue to increase their Chicagoland distribution.

 

I totally got peach too. Glad I'm not the only one.

 

I 100% feel that the first round of Squishy Gummy was released too soon. The amount that was canned later, and released the day before the Banter release is so damn good now. Much better than the first cans I picked up.

 

I just cracked my first can of the most recent batch of Stratus and it's a completely different beer. Semi hazy, pretty normal IPA in taste. Hope the rest of the cans are not like this.

 

Started the night with a banter, this will be really something in a week or so. It's a tad, "hot" right now. Once it mellows it'll be dynamite.

Had two squishy after the banter. Tastes are similar to me. Squishy is smoother, most likely because of a little age. Wish it had the thickness of banter. Squishy is a bit thin for the style. Both delicious though!

 

Yea, so I cracked another can of Stratus and it's basically a different beer. Pretty bummed on it as I bought two four packs based off of how the last batch was.

With such great options directly in the city such as Forbidden Root and Corridor and now with cans from Triptych being readily available and being on par with top notch stuff I have no need to buy these super inconsistent Hailstorm NE beers anymore.

 

Weird. I feel that the mouth feel and thickness of the latest Squishy cans are much better than Banter.

 

My cans are from the original release. I'm assuming it's the same batch?

 

Technically, yes. However they canned some just recently and released it the day before Banter. It's much more balanced, and has a VERY soft mouth feel compared to the original cans. It's much better than the original cans

 

That's a huge bummer. Stratus had become my go to value pick for NE style. Was going to load up on this batch, but now maybe not...

 

Yeah I will be really pretty bummed if that's the case. Last batch was so good

 

Would be down to hear other people's opinions on current batch of Stratus. Maybe my palate is just totally wrecked, but it even looks and smells like a different beer to me, not just taste.

 

I agree with your tasting notes. Didn't get much on the nose, which was a little surprising. Friend and I both also came to peach. I also got a little bit of unsweet grapefruit (maybe a bit like grapefruit rind or pith). He liked the level of bitterness, I thought it was a little too much for me.

The initial taste and midpalate were extremely consistent/level, then it ballooned on the aftertaste.

Perhaps it was an elaborate metaphor. Neo wakes up to find his reality was a lie. Some people embrace that bitter truth as freedom, but perhaps I wanted to stay in the dream...

 

Loved Van Hazen 1, not digging Van Hazen 2...Seems bland in that the major flavor seem to be an overwhelming, abrasive not quite pine flavor. Missing the fruity, sweeter profile I enjoyed in VH1. Bummed because VH1 was amazing. This seems one dimensional so I hope it blooms and becomes less "green" in the future...

 

WAY too many IPAs - glad I have thirsty neighbors! Gummy Banter tasted better two days later, and DDH IPA ABCD from Mikerphone was great tonight.

 

Mikerphone's To Go list on Thursday