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.