I see that this is shown on their website as available in MA and RI, is this draft only? I had it on tap at a couple of places when they launched in RI earlier this year and thought it was pretty darn good. I'd definitely buy a 4 pack or two if its available in bottles.
Excess IPL is pretty amazing imho. I've heard buzzings around the brewery of Excess replacing Mass Rising in Jack's Abby's year-round offerings. Jabby Brau might also be replaced once the new brewery is up and running, but apparently HU and S&D aren't going anywhere. What's got me most excited with all of this news is that JA is thinking about moving to a six-pack of pint cans format for these year-round treats!
Mass Rising is good, but for some reason I rarely buy it except when I find it on tap. Same goes for Jabby Brau. A year-round offering of House Lager, HU, Excess, and S&D would be pretty outstanding. If it came in a 12/12 oz can mix packs I might never need to buy anything else (but of course I would want to buy something else, and thus almost certainly would).
Last time I was at the brewery they had said they were planning to can Excess in tall boys. This will actually be replacing there double hopped HU which has been Brewery only for the past year or so intermittently.
IIRC MR is about $12/4? I find it hard to by MR when I can get 50% more HU (among other hoppy choices) for several dollars less. If they brought the price down to more like $10/4 it would make my decision a lot harder.
I would buy Mass Rising a lot more if I could find some with less than 3 months on it. MR falls fast, as does HU, and their distributor doesn't seem to get it out too fast. Unfortunately, their is a lot of old JA hanging around.
Mass Rising is one of my favorites and I buy it every time I go to Morton Street. I've done flights including both Excess and Mass Rising and I personally prefer the Mass Rising. I'd hate to see it replaced! I've never done a side-by-side comparison of House Lager and Maibock Hurts Like Helles but I think, if I did, I'd be hard pressed to tell one from the other. Point being, I don't think they'd need to have them both on at the same time.
I agree with Horbar. Down by me (South Shore), there are only a few places that carry Jacks Abby and judging by the dates...it tends to sit around. Hell, Palumbos in Walpole has a bunch but just recently started keeping it in the cooler. They still have a bunch of Joint Custody just rotting warm on a shelf....god I hate that place....I'm getting off topic. Luckily, I'm in Newton a lot so I go to Marty's where they have a good rotation and a great price ($9.99 HU 6 pack)
Wasn't Joint Custody released around 7/25? That's 53 days ago. Warm is a problem, but that's not old. Anyway, it sounds like Joint Custody rotted well before it reached any store.
I just want to mention that Mass Rising is 4/$10 at the brewery. It's true that most bottle shops will sell it for about $12, but I always make a point to pickup a four-pack or two of the freshest Mass Rising whenever I visit JA (which is somewhat frequently). Even moreso now that I know it won't be a year-round offering for much longer!
Huh. Has it always been $10 there? I bought a lot of HU there when the bottle dater was down and I really thought it was more like $12. Anyway, good news--thanks.
