I’ve had their beers on trips to OH and KY on several occasions. I’m not sure I’d buy their beer over the local Chicago options.
Reyes is crazy. Who do they think they are to pull this off. No way in hell this pans out. It’s hurting everyone else in their own portfolio until they inevitably fail and pull out of the market. I’d love to see what data drove them to do this. If it’s just more bulk buying and grocery store stacks then so be it, but to actually think it’s going to move is lunacy.
Same here. I would have been excited about this a couple of years ago but now there’s already major over-saturation. Unless they’re coming in with 12-packs priced around $13-15, I doubt they’ll be part of my regular rotation. Quality-wise, what local breweries are they on par with? My first thought was Hopewell, decent/solid at various styles but not really top-tier in any of them. I’ll probably buy some at launch, just due to curiosity.
I've only had a handful of Rhinegeist (a few IPAs and Bubbles), but I will say I like Truth. I put it on the same level as Anti Hero. Can't vouch for the rest of their catalog outside of those though to make an even comparison to other breweries here. Its been a while since I've had some Hopewell, but I would definitely put Rhine ahead of them. But that's just my opinion.
I got a couple of 6 pks of Rhinegeist Truth in 2018 at Jungle Jim's outside Cinci and then again there at a Meyer's grocery store on sale. As I recall the cans were red. It was fresh and was an excellent example. I will eventually work my way back to the Ohio river valley and try it once again here in 2021. I give all brewers a 2nd and 3rd chance, always.
Oh yeah. That's right. Thanks for correcting! I think the red cans were a red ale? Dang it I didn't write that one down. That was an epic beer hunt all the way to Vermont and back. My fave ales from Ohio on that trip were Fathead Head Hunter IPA and Truth. I'm sure there are tons more!
Former Chicagoan now in Cincy. Rhinegeist will probably get lost in the shuffle up yonder. I will say that Truth is an outstanding everyday west coast style IPA that will hang with anything of its ilk that you can get in Chicago. Bright, tropical hops and more bitter than most. I much prefer it to Anti-Hero. It is their “lights-on” beer and it is ubiquitous in the tri-state area, they sell a TON of it. They have a few other highlights including a year-round Dark Mild, Uncle. Not a sexy style, but very well done. Their baseball seasonal is a Red IPA, Hustle, and is really nice. Bubbles and Slangria are lightly tart, fruited ales that sell very well locally. They seem to excel with their standard, year-round lineup and rotating, predictable seasonals. They aren’t putting out new NEIPAs weekly and don’t have a barrel program anything like what Rev has going. Not as experimental or boundary pushing as Half Acre or Pipeworks. Many of their one-offs and barrel-aged beers have been quite good, but they don’t create a ton of buzz. May not even make their way up north. That said, give some of their regular lineup a try and you might find a new fridge staple...if they stay in regular rotation.
I had Truth at their taproom and would be happy to try it here while it’s fresh. Oddly (at least at the super crafty bottle shops, having a dark mild and a red ipa may not be a bad idea. During the pandemic, some of these neglected styles are coming back a bit
Their beer is the definition of middle-of-the-road to me. Not offensive but not anything I buy regularly. Truth is a fridge beer at my father-in-laws and I think it's a decent WC IPA. Their Double WCIPA Sabertooth Tiger is tasty. I live in Cincinnati and people around here love it, but there are so many other better options around here that I can't do it. Their barrel-aged stouts are pretty good, but you guys have Rev, so it wouldn't even come close to that, especially at the price point.
