Cisco Brewing Daddy's Denial Double IPA

Damn,was hoping to try this minus a trip to the island.
Oh well.

Cheers

 

Cisco is one of the best breweries around--when their beer isn't brewed in Utica, NY. Their Whales Tale Pale Ale was one of my early favorites, and continued to be a standby for me until recently, when more and more it began being brewed in Utica.

I first started drinking Whales Tale at the Squealing Pig about six or seven years ago, near where I was living during college. It was crisp, clean, a wonderful balance of malt and hops, a standout English-style pale ale. And it was brewed on Nantucket. A few years back, it started to pop up more places, and I heard it was being brewed both on Nantucket as well as at Ipswich Brewery due to the small scale of the brewery and the need to ferry all the beer to the mainland. There was no difference in the taste, though, and I was happy to be able to find the beer more easily. I made the pilgrimage to Nantucket two winters ago, and enjoy Whales Tale (as well as some other Cisco beers) at the source.

Then, about a year or two ago, I started to see Whales Tale and a couple other Cisco beers in cans. I picked up a 12-pack and found something was amiss. The clean flavor was muddled, the beer looked filtered--it wasn't the Whales Tale I had always loved. A can of the Grey Lady had a similarly muddled profile. I noticed that the beers were being brewed in Utica, presumably to take advantage of the canning capabilities at FX Matt. No sweat, I'd just stick to kegs and bottles, but then I noticed bottle packages ominously stating that the beer was being brewed in Utica. Soon, Whales Tale on-tap became hit or miss, too: the old, clean pale ale I loved sometimes, others a muddled, filtered bummer.

When Cisco's beers come from Nantucket or Ipswich, I love them. When I can't verify that, I now avoid them. I hope that Ipswich's expansion and planned canning line means that brewing and packaging of Whales Tale and other Cisco beers will be moving back to Massachusetts. Until then, I'm stuck avoiding a beer that used to be my go-to.

 

Funny you should mention the contract brewing outta N.Y.(F.X.Matt)Disgusting,couldn't be any more different.I e-mailed the owners and got no response.Went to a tap takeover and talked to a rep. about 2 months ago,he said I wasn't the 1st to complain to him.I love Cisco,and hope they put an end to this soon.For now,I just don't buy any contract brewed Cisco.

Cheers man.

 

I saw a 12-pack of Grey Lady at the store last week and examined it very closely. It says "Cisco Brewing Company, Nantucket, MA." No mention of Ipswich or Utica anywhere on the 12-pack package. So does anyone know where these are brewed? Are they coming from FX Matt in Utica?

 

Ooooh, crafty.....

 

Going to Cisco is one of the best brewery experiences in New England. Great patio, live music, there is a farm store near by to pick up snacks while you hang out in the sun drinking their great beers brewed there. Too bad I have to go to Nantucket to drink their beers.