Other Half Brewing Thread (Feb 2016)

Yep, Half & Half is the name of what is being brewed at Barrier

 

All I have to say is don't complain about pricing when it comes to great beer. At the end, you're left with a satisfying experience.

 

I hate being a hoarder, but damn if I don't want to track down a growler of 2nd anniversary every time it shows up.

 

For those heading to Whole Foods Bowery, the Anny is kicked. Thankfully I called before heading down there.

 

Thanks for posting that - was just about to head down there for a fill.

 

Seems like NOble Grains still has some in the upper east side.

 

already a line at the door at 4:30 when i left session 2, 2 hour+ wait for a table....craziness...imagine it only got worse as the night went on

 

We got in line at 10:10, got in around 11. Wasn't too bad inside, but most Trillium beers were gone.

Major props to Kanger for starting an insurrection when some people tried to cut the line with the old subtle attempt to blend in with their friends. After the rest of the line jumped in to shame them they all left without going in.

 

Sure, 2nd anniversary is great, but for the style…”Smokescreen And Oil Slicks” is underrated/overlooked: roasty, bitter, malty, cocoa, earthy, slight coffee, rich and smooth. Ya, I’m biased towards smoked shit: Yazoo Sue, Alaskan Smoke, Finback Smoke Detection, Norwegian Wood, Holger Danske, Smoke & Dagger, Lava, Surly Smoke, Aecht Schlenkerla…regardless, Smokescreen is top notch

 

I couldn't read a damn thing on that board the one time I went there and I sure as hell can't make out most of what's in this picture

Yea I'm down on OH. I'm glad they make good beer and people like them. If one falls into my lap I'd gladly drink it, but between the lines, the service, the price, and the chaotic lack of organization I don't plan on making anymore trips there.

The way Kane consistently keeps growler prices very low despite making excellent beer, and the way Carton has handled their can releases and them both being much closer give me no real reason to go to OH. I could see if they were the only ones churning them out, but they're not. And their cans certainly aren't bad, but they're far from the best around.

I realize that doesn't affect the brewery in anyway just my personal opinion

 

I think someone in last month's thread mentioned a leaky can. I got a can of Anniversary in a trade that had a couple tiny dents and one wound up springing a pinhole and flooding the bottom of my fridge. The cans do seem a bit flimsy, so I'm curious how often this happens.

FWIW, I'm willing to waive my right to sue if Other Half would like to compensate me with large amounts of beer. #Celebrationnotlitigation.

 

I wish more people in NJ had this attitude - living in NYC without a car, OH is the only game in town for cans unless I want to rent a car which is a pain. I probably wouldn't deal with the lines either if I had an alternative for fresh cans in my fridge without the hassle. There's always Singlecut, but the price is almost double at $7/500ml bottle.

 

At that same release I had a can of Hop Showers 'shower' by bag with a pinhole leak. I would have asked for a new can if it was Anniversary, but ended up just chucking it.

 

Wouldn't call their cans flimsy at all actually, I deal with so much worse cough*DC Brau*cough. I've actually had that pinhole leak you mention, but only once out of 100+ cans. The leak was indeed a Hop Showers from the Anniversary release as well so that's odd.

 

Not sure if flimsy is the right word, but the seem to get dings in them very easily. The spots where they bend toward the top of the can seems to be the most susceptible.

 

With the consolidation of the canning suppliers, I would imagine all of the blank cans along the east coast are most likely coming from Crown, Cork and Seal. So you shouldn't see a difference in physical quality of the cans across small brewers like OH, Carton, Tree House, etc.

Are the leaks at the seal where the crown gets fused to the body, or somewhere else? Never experienced a leak yet myself.

 

Can only speak for myself, but mine was not where it is fused, but on the curved corner (shoulder?) just below there. Basically looked like the can had been dropped on its "corner" at some point and didn't retain the structural integrity to hold back the interior pressure. It seemed similar to the effect repeated folding would have on a piece of paper (or sheet metal) where it becomes really easy to tear apart.

I agree that there are a limited number of can suppliers and canners, so don't know why OH specifically would have an issue, but I have definitely seen a lot of dinged up OH cans. Then again, it could just be more obvious because they go with straight silver.