Foundation

I had a Venture on tap at Black Birch Fri night and was impressed -- hop aroma off the charts -- really solid brew.

 

I had venture in the flight but it was last in line.. hard to judge. I liked it a lot but liked epiph more. Tried getting a 4pck of Venture to go but they had sold out recently. Grabbed a 4pck of Prototype 5 instead.

 

Is epiphany back to form? Haven't stopped back since it fell off the cliff.

 

k bro

 

I had Epiphany in can and on tap in July; wasn’t what I remembered. Don’t have any notes but recall a grotesque appearance (particulate) and muddled mediocrity.

Had a few cans from late Nov; much improved. Better clarity and cohesiveness. Just a little too sticky sweet for my taste.

Not sure if that fits with any brewery changes or event timeline...

 

I actually am currently drinking one I picked up at a package store in Boston. It's good, better than the last two times I had it(once on draft, once in a can) but I honestly can't remember if it's as good as the original. Probably not.

It poured quite hazy which was a good sign but ended up being a snow globe. I heard they said they started filtering the beer, but this is most definitely unfiltered.

It's hoppy, not bitter, but a bit too sweet for me. I remember the beer being wicked smooth but still bright and tropical. This is smooth, but it's because of the malty sweetness.

Maybe my memory is wrong...I remember wanting to get in line for epiphany BEFORE swish one time. Now I'm not sure if I'd grab it again if I saw it in Boston. It's good, but not as good as other Boston shelf offerings.

And to anyone that disagrees that it's a different beer, Foundation didn't expand so much that their #1 beer is now getting distributed across state lines.

 

any sweatshirt criticism my instinct is to ignore cuz sweatshirt. I'm not a Foundation OG, this is the first epiph I've had. Had afterglow at Armsby some time ago and it was good not great.

Appearance of the pour was not very hazy... obv unfiltered but not a haze bomb. No particulates. Just a great DIPA. Hits all the notes I'm looking for. Bit tropical, bit piney, tad sweet but not too much.

Enjoying a prototype #5 right now which is quite good but not on the same level.

poor reasoning. Quality isn't the only variable in the equation.

 

Asking for real. It was a favorite of mine. It changed so much it wasn't the same beer for a while. I stopped buying it. Be dismissive though it's super helpful.

 

Thanks! We seem to have a very similar palate from what I've read here in the past. I appreciate the feedback.

 

the ironing

eta: my post was informative. I'm not some "back in the day" OG. I just tried it for the first time. I love it. It's not placebo hype cuz I've never had anyone tell me "epiphany is the goat new england DIPA" or any such shit. It was just across the street from Allagash and I tried it and I loved it. K?

Re: distro. The notion that a brewery starts to distribute is a sign of decline while at the same time a new hyped brewery in Portland opens every 2 months is pretty fucking dumb. I get lamplighter in the south coast of MA, a genuine beer desert in MA. Does that make them suck for not selling out at the brewery?

 

You legit dismissed my comment because I was me with no actual knowledge of the beer. Let me know when I've done that. Then we can iron.

 

you legit hate anything with a tiny bit of hype behind it. You'd stop drinking post shift if it started flying off shelves. So excuse me for raising an eyebrow when you step in to hate a beer I just tried and loved.

 

I don't actually. You just dismiss my posts "because sweatshirt". I shop TH and Trill all the time.

 

August 6 2016


November 26 2016


October 14 2017


This beer has gone through an identity crisis.

I feel like Epiphany 2.0 was trying to be unique and separate from the cloudy NE IPAs. They filtered it and I don't believe it was well received, so they went back to being unfiltered.

Epiphany 1.0 was before the expansion of the brewery and 3.0 was after. Something apparently has changed since they ramped up production.

I dont know what happened, all I know is that my taste buds liked Epiphany 1.0 best

 

You sure they filtered it, or are you judging based off appearance?

Not really relevant to the conversation but generally speaking I would guess that's just a yeast change to and from a highly flocculating strain vs a lower flocculating strain. Most small brewers don't filter any of their beers.

 

Not sure. Going off appearance. I'm not a brewer. Sorry. 2 were cloudy & 1 was clear. Recipe obviously has changed a few times

 

I remember the first few times I had Epiphany it was up there with some of the best in New England. After the expansion it was lacking aroma, flavor and finished sweeter. I haven’t revisited it in awhile but would be willing to if I found it on draft.

 

I couldn't say whether this is due to brewery fresh vs. cans a few weeks old, but I picked up cans of Afterglow and Epiphany in Boston recently, and neither one struck me as outstanding. Epiphany was good, but a bit muddled and not the hop deliciousness I was hoping for.

 

But this would be a change in recipe...