Green Flash Distributing Alpine Bottles

anyone find any in CT yet?

 

I live in NJ I got Hoppy Birth Day. In a Green Flash bottle

 

Just picked up a Duet at Binny's today.

 

Broke down and bought a bottle of Nelson given reports it's better than most of the GF Nelson*. Have to say I agree. It's not the original recipe yet, but definitely getting MUCH closer.

 

Drinking a Duet right now as posting. Hoppy Birthday & Duet Showed up in Cleveland on Monday and Nelson on Wednesday during beer week. Also had a neslon on draught, delicious.

 

Just finished a Duet here in LA, which I got for 7.99 in Whole Foods, Westwood.

Quite let down. It is very nice, but it's simply lacking the aromatic profile that Alpine was known for. It's too malty, a bit dank, but not fragrant enough. It feels heavy and clunky, and far too sweet. This beer is not an Alpine beer, as far as I'm concerned.

It is absolutely ridiculously inferior next to something like Galaxy Showers from Noble Ale Works, which I had side by side with it. The NAW is so much better.

Alpine are in the same turf as Beachwood at present: huge hype, underwhelming beer. Alpine is piggybacking on its past greatness, like Ballast Point's Sculpin before it, but it just ain't what it used to be. Alas.

 

Hoppy Birthday & Duet bottles have turned up in NY...we've been getting them in kegs for awhile, but this is the first time i've seen bottles

 

That is exactly the same experience(s) I had over the past few months with draft Alpine beer (that was brewed by Green Flash).

Cheers!

 

Again, Alpine built it's beers to be delivered and tapped the same day or maybe 2-3 days later. National distribution means that they aren't being tapped for at least 2-3 weeks and in many cases 2+ months after kegging. The bottles from the brewery are almost always less than 2 weeks old. My guess is that GF distributed bottles are at the very minimum 2 weeks old. So all of those beautiful hop aromas are already breaking down.

The best comparison for what is happening is Stone Enjoy By, which is driven to market extremely fresh but changes after just a few weeks. If you've had it fresh at one or two days old you are overwhelmed by the hop aromas. Even a week later those volatile oils have calmed a bit.

I just encourage every bar I can to tap the Alpine kegs as soon as they arrive and to push their distributors to get them delivered as fresh as possible.

 

If the Green Flash brewery can not produce beers that still have perceptible hop aroma after 2 weeks then they are doing something wrong.

Last evening I had a Firestone Walker Union Jack that was packaged on 9/11/15 (over a month ago) and it had a big, beautiful hop aroma.

Cheers!

P.S. And yes I have had Stone Enjoy By many times (draft and 1 bottle) within the published timeframe (not 1-2 days old) and that beer too had a big, beautiful hop aroma.

 

I live in San Diego and I have visited both Alpine and Green Flash, and drank numerous Alpine brews in both locations. I have to say, GF-brewed versions of Hoppy Birthday, Duet and Nelson do taste marginally different from those that come straight from Alpine. Anything brewed at tiny little Alpine is going to have a certain "je ne sais quai." The Green Flash versions still taste awesome, in my opinion, despite lacking that certain-something.

I recently traveled to Texas and found Duet on-tap at several locations. Tasted great. I think GF has great QC and will do a good job making sure the beer goes out fresh. Hopefully they are also discerning about who they distribute to so that the beer is stored and served properly. That was definitely my experience in Fort Worth.

 

If it hasn't been mentioned, kegs in Baltimore. I've been able to get crowlers of Nelson and Hoppy Birthday, and seen Duet. I feel like others. No bottle sightings though.

 

Nelson, Duet, and Hoppy Birthday just showed up in Atlanta, GA (bottles)

 

Just saw Hoppy Birthday @ my local store in NJ.

 

That works out to $5.50-5.80 for a 22oz bottle. If it's even 75% as tasty as the version brewed at Alpine it's a fucking steal at that price.

 

Any sightings in KY?

 

I found Hoppy Birthday and Duet in Loveland and Colorado Springs in the last week. No Nelson (sells out too fast?)

 

All three have been shipped twice (I think -- possibly 3 times) to two stores near my house in San Jose. I've gone in four times, each shortly after seeing that the place got them on their instagram account, but have yet to get there in time to score a Nelson. Did get a Hoppy Birthday, but haven't tried it yet (tonight!). Surprisingly, the "lead beer man" at my local Whole Foods said they will not be getting Alpine at all.

 

The Hoppy Birthday bottles that have hit the East Coast are much better than the kegs that were first around. They have a much sharper flavor and aroma profile.

 

In dutchess county as of yesterday. Didn't last long. Not sure how far upstate you are.

 

You sir nailed it from every angle. I couldn't have worded it better myself.

 

This is what I was trying to say. Thank you!

 

I've been complimentary of the progress I've tasted w the GF Nelson in prior posts. This on the other hand is a complete shit show. Purchased in Boston last couple of days. Bitter mess. Cloying bitter flavor -- like nothing subtle or sneaky about it. Nothing like the prototype. Has me running back to my fridge for a NE style IPA....

 

Yep. Drank half the bottle and drained the rest. Pretty bad.

 

To me, that's apples and oranges. PH was not significantly better than other 4 and 6-packs I can find here for a fraction of the price.

 

Is it better than most bombers you can buy for under $6? Why does the format matter more than the cost per ounce?

 

I already picked up a Duet in Rochester earlier this month. Delicious. I live in the Syracuse area but travel for work to Rochester, Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Ithaca and Elmira.

 

I've heard the exact opposite, that Alpine beers brewed by Green Flash and in Green Flash bottles taste worse than the Alpine-brewed bottles.

 

I understand that most of you in this thread have had the real thing, maybe more than once and know what finesse goes into them. I'm currently drinking Duet out of a green flash bomber and I have to say, certainly not my top choice for its flavor, but the nose, body, and perfect carbonation are really what is doing it for me. Personally, glad to have it, maybe they're working out the kinks and hopefully it will improve.

My only similar scenario is how Pesudo Sue is bein bottled. I've had some of the original batch release in bombers. I've been chasing that ever since, some batches have been close but never really spot on, and the four packs are very lacking in comparison. Certainly not a bad beer by any means, just not what I fell in love with.

 

Oh yeah... nothing beats the authentic Alpine stuff. I was just talking about GF Alpine bottles tasting better than GF Alpine on draft, based on some of the comments from people who have tasted both.

I actually had my first GF Alpine bottle of Hoppy Birthday the other night, and it was good, great nose, but it's too smooth, a bit light. It's described as a Session IPA and it tastes like one. I used to love the nice hoppy bitterness of the original Hoppy Birthday, which has been subdued.

 

Finally got the chance to have a bottle of Happy Birthday... friggin delicious...

Duet is one of my all time favorite beers ever... curious to see how a GF bottle of it is like in comparison to past experiences and notes...

 

Ethan, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on Duet. I have had Duet on draft several times over the past few months and I was disappointed that these particular beers lacked hop aroma.

Cheers!

 

I have had bottles many years ago (far pre Green Flash aquisition) had it on tap at Toronado.. it's one of my all time favorite American IPAs...


Alpine Brewing - Duet IPA (kick the keg) by imbibehour, on Flickr

Alpine Beer Company - Duet IPA by imbibehour, on Flickr

The irony is, the very first time I had one that experience while still fantastic has never been duplicated.

I would like to think that I could still tell a discernible difference between or not from the latest GF bottled versions.

Until then I wont know.

 

Er, maybe. That's not really the point, though, vis-a-vis Alpine-brewed Alpine and GF-brewed Alpine. The freshest GF-brewed Alpine just doesn't compare to fresh Alpine-brewed Alpine. I'm almost ashamed at myself for continuing to beat this dead horse, but those of us who've had the Real Thing are crying in our beers. Maybe this will be the last time I post on this topic. But probably not.

 

I just had a Duet last night and thought it was really solid. I would (will?) drink again.

 

I had Alpine Duet once (bottled and produced at the Alpine brewery prior to the Green Flash connection) and I really enjoyed drinking that beer. The Alpine Duet draft beers I have has over the past few months are not awful but there are not the same as that bottled Alpine Duet that I had. The biggest difference is the lack of hop aroma. I am dumbfounded why after 1-2 years of Green Flash brewing this beer it is still a lacking beer.

Cheers!

 

Well I cant give you my contrasting opinion until I get a bottle of Duet in my hands. The only thing I can say is that I had a bottle of Hoppy Birthday that was fantastic.. for the first time too.

 

I have had Hoppy Birthday 3-4 times on draft over the past few months. My experience with that beer from a hop aroma perspective was about 50-50; half the time it had a nice hop aroma presence the other half there was little to no hop aroma.

For contemporary American style IPAs, hop aroma is an important quality in that beer style. When it is MIA the beer is just a shadow of what it could/should be IMO.

Cheers!

P.S. Every one of the draft Duet beers lacked hop aroma.

Edit. Last evening I was at a local beer bar and they had Duet on tap. I requested a taste (sample) and that beer had no aroma. I decided to not order that beer but ordered a Smuttynose IPA instead. That Smuttynose IPA had a nice hop aroma and was a flavorful IPA to drink.

 

when I get my hands on a Duet bottle.. you'll be the first to know my thoughts for sure

 

Remember to close you eyes and take a big sniff!!

Cheers!

@utopiajane