After an almost 3 year gestation and birthing process, Gruff Brewing finally opened on Friday. For now, they're only going to be open Fri, Sat, Sun, with hours kid of fluid, likely noonish-11pm, depending on business. I had 4 pints; 2 different IPAs, a Creme Ale, and a Pineapple Hefe. I thought the Creme and Hefe were a bit lacking, but both IPAs were enjoyable solid. Here's yesterday's taplist (the ones I tried with an asterisk): Pale 6.1 % ABV ESB 5.4 *East Coast IPA 6.9 IPA 001 7.4 *IPA 002 7.4 Amber 5.1 Blonde 5.3 *Pineapple Hefe 4.7 *Creme Ale 4.8 Sour Saison 6.5 There was also a Saison listed, but had already been crossed off by the time I got there. They're on Maple St near the corner of Cornwall Ave, just near Boundary Bay.
I'm not sure it's fair to other Washington counties that so much beer awesomeness is concentrated in Whatcom County. Besides, what if there's an earthquake and Bellingham falls into the sea? Shouldn't those breweries be relocated to safer grounds on the other side of the Cascades, like the USSR's moving of factories away from the Germans to the other side of the Urals in the 1940s?
How "East Coast" was that East Coast IPA? I presume we're talking "NE," cloudy, citrusy, not bitter, that kind of thing...
It didn't look like SunnyD, but was cloudy (not opaque), and still had a bit of a "regular" IPA bite.
Went back again last night with @TheBungyo and some other friends, and we landed on the East Coast IPA being more the old school East Coast IPAs. Maltier, and the hops not the bold, bitter NW IPA type.
I went to Gruff that first weekend and took home a half growler of the East Coast IPA. It was a solid IPA, but definitely nothing like the new hazy NE IPAs. It reminded me more of just a solid west coast IPA with a touch more malt. I'd drink it again, but as @beertunes said, it's more old school and traditional.
One more reason that the term "East Coast' or "New England" IPA is bad. East Coast IPA is already established as different than West Coast, in terms of style. Gruff's ECIPA, is the East Coast style that's closer to English style, and not at all like the SunnyDeLite brews that Structures is putting out.
East Coast/Midwest IPA traditionally meant a maltier beer with less hop punch than what we're used to out here. I regularly encounter this still when I visit my in-laws in Nebraska. The recent NE style has kinda crossed people's wires in regard to the definition.
Heh, I also regularly visit my in-laws in Nebraska and experience the same thing. There's some decent haze/hops in the midwest though, what with the recent distribution influx and brewing prowess of Toppling Goliath, Surly, etc. Generally, I attribute that bready malt ale with the great lakes region. Bells, Founders, Dark Horse, etc. always have those massive malt-forward ales.
I find a lot of Surly's beers to be too malty, but I still like them. TG is good. Next time you're in Nebraska try to get your hands on Scratchtown's Wonder Twins IPA. They're out of Ord so the beers don't make it to Omaha very often, but it's an amazing IPA that is up there with Barley Browns. It was on tap at Omaha Tap House last time I was there in December. I had two pints in quick succession.
