Märican Biere Bought and Drunk...

Who doesn't? One of my favorite go-tos.

 

SNPA is an excellent brew, I do enjoy the Cascade dosage every once in a while. And I know it is a classical "go -to" when guys stand in front of a beer cooler and aren't sure what to do....

IMO SNPA is/was so popular because it was a pale ale in IPA clothing. Solid and affordable. Speaking thereof, did anyone see the new SN IPA which is poised to compete with Lagunitas IPA? Haven't tried it but I am anxious to give it a go!

 

Klosterbräu is the only bottom-fermented Braunbier I can remember having.

 

I don't want to clog this thread up with my amateur reviews, but I picked up a single of Prima Pils today, bottled 12/14, just to compare to my recent pilsner adventures. I won't babble on for a paragraph about this one, except to say, the flavor profile is eerily similar to Nooner. I've always enjoyed Prima (for what it is, which to me is an American spin on a German pils), and when I said Nooner isn't "Prima hoppy", I take that back.

Oh, and this store had Rothaus too, so it appears to have hit multiple stores by now for those who are on the lookout.

 

Having one of these tonight:



IMO, it's every bit as good and skillfully crafted as Jack's Abby Hoponius Union (which it reminds me of in many ways). SN can really do no wrong, and if I were an East Coast brewer of these quintessentially American craft styles, I'd be making damn sure I was stepping up my game -- and/or carefully carving out my niche -- as more and more of these (ultra-fresh) beers begin pouring out of the Asheville facility. SN set the bar very high a very long time ago, and they somehow manage to keep raising it.

 

How does it compare to their IPA, Torpedo?

 

Quite different. Although the ABVs are similar and they both exhibit that characteristic tropical fruity nose, most else is very different -- from the mouthfeel (Torpedo's OG is listed as 17P (and FG as 3.7P) whereas HL is 15.3 and 2.4, respectively) to the hops (Palisades come off very mellow in the HL...though I would expect a cleanness from the Magnum in the Torpedo) to the malt bill (I do get a more refined flavor from the addition of the Pilsner and Munich malts in the HL). Of course everyone is losing their shit about Equinox hops...and they do add a good deal of subtle complexity to the HL. In all, I'd say the HL is a much more complex and subtle beer than Torpedo. It's -- again -- a testament to SN's brewing skills that they can pull off this style in such a unique yet familiar way. This stuff really is perilously drinkable.

 

Interesting, thanks for the detailed response. I've been trying to find a single to try it. I'm not a huge Hoponius fan (I'd rather just grab an IPA for my hop fix), but I still want to give this a shot.

I checked the reviews on this one to compare it to Hoponius Union. I found it interesting it’s labeled an “imperial pilsner” so it’s compared to Jack’s Abby’s double IPL, “Kiwi Rising” and not Hoponius. Hoponius is considered an “American Pale Lager.” Given the IBUs and abv of hoppy lager I imagine it would fit better in the “American Pale Lager” category.

 

Definitely nothing Pilsner-like about it. If I had to, I'd also put it pretty squarely in the category of American IPL (whatever that really means).

 

Which of the hops is giving me that creosote character? Seriously, one of them just wrecks my palate after half a beer. And I've gotten it in other beers -- not just SN's, but highly-hopped beers using newer hop varieties. But you're right, SN definitely knows how to use them correctly without just making a bitter soup.

 

Dunno. Equinox is described as having an herbal, green pepper-like character. I honestly found the overall hop profile here to be quite smooth.

 

Green pepper? Or green onion? I could almost sense that character a little bit -- neither vegetables I'd really want to have haunting my beer.

Not me, but as said -- some of the newer hops, especially when used in abundance, really get me. But also as said, the SN isn't nearly as harsh as some other, smaller brewery beers I've tasted recently -- SN knows how to blend varieties well. But I'm hoping the HL will mellow with some aging.

 

Why not just grab an American Pale that's less aggressive then? Like California Lager?

I wish you had access to all of Jack's Abby's beers, Jabby Brau might be right up your alley.

 

I'm only hoping the hops mellow because I had to buy a 12 pack when I saw the beer available -- no sixers, and I wanted to try it. After the hops in the 12 pack mellows and it's gone (already given a few away), I doubt I'll buy it again.

I'm not sure I understand your reasoning -- you know that I like traditional styles, not "innovative" experiments. From everything I've heard about Jack's Abby beers I'm not that interested. In the meantime, Victory's Helles, Urban Chestnut beers, and Schlafly Beers are all becoming available in my area next month -- looking forward to those.

 

I've seen you mention previously that you always have to buy full 6/12 packs of beer to try these things -- are there really no stores in your area that sell singles? If not, my condolences! There's no way in hell I'd try the variety of stuff I do without the ability to buy singles, precisely for the reason you've described -- I don't want a bunch of beer I don't like sitting in my fridge (much less all the wasted $$$).

 

It's becoming more popular, but for one thing I like to try more than one to assess a beer, and another thing is that the pick-six prices I've seen are usually at or above the highest priced 6 pack on the shelves. So a 12 pack is almost always the better deal.

Yeah, well -- I had such high hopes for the Hoppy Lager that I didn't flinch too much when I saw 12 packs only. I don't usually take chances like that. OTOH -- if I pour the Hoppy Lager into my Imperial Pint I can just pretend it's an IPA and then it doesn't go down too bad.

 

Hahaha, fair enough. (Also, bummer you guys got 12-packs only -- don't even think I've seen anything other than sixers for this particular beer).

 

Ahh, gotcha. Take them out of the fridge to accerlate the process! Or donate them to the homeless.

That's why you should try it! Jabby Brau is their "session lager" and is only 4.5% abv at ~20 IBUs, I call it an "American Helles". Not overly hoppy at all.

 

They're in the garage (which is at perfect beer temp anyway), and I gave some away to the resident hophead at work (who liked it, of course )

Didn't know that, but I have high hopes for the other beers headed down the pike.

That was probably the first round, haven't looked again -- but the distro for SN in this area is pretty screwy anyway, so who knows?

 

I find Jack’s Abby Jabby Brau to be a pleasant drinking beer. Below is a description of this beer which is consistent with my palate:

“Deep golden in color, this low ABV lager balances Pilsner and Munich malt with an aromatic American hop aroma. This beer starts hoppy but finishes unexpectedly malty with very low bitterness. Impressively flavorful and drinkable for the lightest beer we brew. We dub this beer a "Session Lager," as we once again brew a lager in a beer style of its own.

20 IBU”

Cheers!