NE IPAs in Michigan?

Finally made my way in here so here is my unwanted opinion...
Flightless is my favorite NE PA/IPA/DIPA in MI, I had a previous batch less than a week after DDH Fort Point & they were the same to my palate. Also love JIL & I'll be heading out to Transient tomorrow to grab whatever hops that I can.
I love M-43 but had Boxer today & what a disappointment...hazy (more like murky) but taste was not really there
Stormy is hazy & probably my favorite North Peak beer but I don't think it belongs in the discussion with the others; hazy but not juicy

 

Interesting, I think I like Boxer better than M43. They're both very similar oat-bombs though.

 

It's because both don't have "juice" in their name.


IMO both are better than juice is loose. I've already drank a ton of both these past few weeks.

 

Stopped in at Old Nation tonight and had my first Boxer. Pretty good stuff, but I'll still give the nod to M-43, which I grabbed a 4 pack of.

 

To me, you're right that they are similarly hazy but, I got lots of juicy flavor from M43 while Boxer was a hazy, oaty bland beer with some bitterness on the back end

 

So you are positing that most people can't decide how good a beer is on it's own merits, but base their judgments on a beer's name?

Genuinely curious.

 

I understand your questioning here but at the same time why do so many breweries put the word 'juice' in their name these days? There are tons of beer options now and most everyone cannot possibly try 'em all so they need to key in on a small number of them. In fact most people likely purchase beer without having tried it first. Which ones to focus on? Well, the big trend now is 'hazy, juice bombs' and breweries are acknowledging this by mentioning these two adjectives accordingly. I don't doubt for one second if a brewery released the same exact beer under two different names, one being something like "Delicious" and the other as "Juicy Delicious", the latter would outsell the former.

 

Not to put words in his mouth but I think it's the whole way the beer is presented. It has juice in the name, it's a DIPA, it has a notoriety that the others don't. I didn't even know Flightless was NE style until I tried it whereas Juice is known to be one of the better Midwest NE style IPAs.

 

To be clear, I'm genuinely curious.

I think there tends to be a lot of group-think in beer circles, and I think it happens a lot in our little corner of the internet.

Sometimes I taste beer that I think is flat out mediocre but has been "hyped" well (for me, Hailstorm's NE IPA's in Chicago come to mind) and wonder: is this just a case of differing palates, or are most people sheep?

Then, of course, comes the next logical question: are my assumptions those of a sheep too?

So your thoughts here are welcome as I grapple with this stuff.

 

I'm of the same opinion, and I've been riding the Flightless (and to a lesser extent, obligatory) train for a while.

Flightless is up there with trillium. It puts every Midwest pale to shame. IMO, it's the best hoppy beer Transient makes, and they make great hoppy beers.

Juice is loose is a very fine beer, but it's on par with a number of other Midwest takes on the NE DIPA, and I honestly think a lot of the success has to do with the name.

 

What makes flightless great, is it's somehow dry and sweet at the same time, and the hop bite comes through with no bitterness.

 

It's kind of curious to me that witchs hat this guy has received little attention here where I think it easily competes with the offerings from old nation. Assuming that this thread has evolved from SW MI to just MI NE IPAs.

Two of the main things that put this guy at a disadvantage from a marketing perspective 1) this guy comes in a 12oz bottle, not a 16oz can and 2) it doesn't have juice in its name.

Its decently available, at a good price point, and pretty accessible to folks in SE MI. I wonder if the format and name have something to do with it flying more under the radar compared to its peers.

 

Apparently if it says "Juicy" on a big chain people don't take it seriously for some reason...
Totally agree though, bet if it was in a 16oz can you'd be seeing more pop up in ISO's and talking about it in general.

 

Agreed. Just tried boxer and m43, really thought boxer paled in comparison. Sweet and malty, out of balance with my expectations for the style. M43 was awesome though.

 

Anyone try the new one from Odd Side that was released Friday? Dirty Dank something? The pictures looked the part but haven't heard of any reliable tastings. I won't be buying any but maybe others have /will?

 

Tired Dirty Dank Juice on tap on Friday in Detroit for Tigers' opening day festivities. Thought it was really good (not quite great)- nailed the look and had quite a bit of "juice" to its flavor as well, just seemed a bit muddled and not as "clean" as some of the top tier NE IPAs I've had. I'd put it up near (not at) the top of NE IPAs I've tried from Michigan though.

 

I know this thread says SW MI, but I think it's pretty much become the de facto MI NE IPA thread since we've delved into North Peak, Old Nation, etc. I'll be in SE MI most of this week and wondered if there is anything I should be on the lookout for, whether it is canned/bottled or brewery/draft only. I know I'll be trying to grab some M-43, but wasn't sure if Witch's Hat or anyone else had stuff on tap that may be available to try on-site or take home in growlers.

 

I am sure Witch's Hat will have This Guy on tap. Definitely worth trying.
I have seen M43/Boxer on tap a lot the past few weeks. Haven't seen it at retail in a couple weeks so maybe there will be a release this week.

 

Keep an eye on witchs hat tap board: http://www.witchshatbrewing.com/on-tap-now

They put their bottles and growler to go beers up there as well.

Also not a bad Idea to check out ascension if you're in the vicinity. Juicy I'm home is a pretty decent NE style ipa if they have it on.

 

Thanks - I had seen those both on WH and Ascension's recent tap lists, so hopefully they'll still be there. Just gotta convince the wife to go to over there with the kids in tow sometime. I was thinking of getting to Ascension pretty soon after they open to have some food and avoid any bigger (read: less family friendly) crowds that may develop later.