I got a few cans of SOS recently. I fell in love. I think I could drink only this beer the rest of my life and be happy. To my palette, it was a big step above some of the big guns (Pliny, Heady, Dinner, etc). I would really like to trade for a large quantity of SOS. Unfortunately its a doubly whammy. It is tough to trade for with high demand, and I'm getting the impression it is difficult to find in the NE area. I mean holy crap, how many beers have lookout threads... So, my infatuation has me desperately seeking clones. Are there any beers you think fit the bill as an SOS clone in the NE area? Keep in mind, I'm specifically asking what you think tastes/feels/smells like SOS, not what you think is better/more flavorful/etc. If you don't mind including availability information on said beer, I would appreciate that too. Thanks everyone.
Curious to see what folks say about this... I've had every New Englad IPA, most on a semi regular basis, and while I love Heady/Green/Melcher St/Lunch et al, SOS is a clear step above the rest IMO.
Sorry that this is kind of a half-assed answer but I think Crop Idyltime is a somewhat under the radar, but very good Vermont DIPA and is pretty widely available (in VT) and well priced. I've never got the opportunity to do a head to head and I don't drink either of them very often so I can't speak directly to their similarity, but it might be worth a shot given its availability. Nobody can ever seem to agree on whether two beers actually tastes similar or not, so one person's "exactly like SOS" is another person's "this tastes nothing like SOS" anyway
The only one I thought that came close that I have had personally is Simple Roots Citra and Amatillo. Sort of an SOS lite.
Well, I was hoping to get a few more responses then this, but it is what it is I guess. At least I got these two! Do either of you have any availability information on these? Thanks.
If your looking for something that is readily available in ct I would say the closest thing is probably two roads "road 2 ruin". If your looking outside ct for things that are gonna be close to sip of sunshine you have trillium,treehouse,nebco,nighshift,beerd
Road 2 Ruin is worth checking out, because it is so widely available. If you like it you're golden. While perhaps it is my favorite Two Roads regular offering, to my mind they need to pay a bit more attention when Sean comes down to brew SOS on contract. I live in central CT and the only beers I've found within the state that match the balance and "wall of sound" late hops additions that I love in SOS are Steady Habit, Beer'd and NEBCO. Unfortunately, they are all pretty much growler only, so trading is not gonna satisfy your habit.
NEBCO and Beer'd outside of CT? The OP is in Michigan so I'd bet it doesn't matter a whole lot either way.
There is probably a Michigan brewery doing a really good Citra IPA right under your nose. The more local, the fresher. Or move to VT or CT. Problem solved.
don't know if Toppling Goliath distributes to Michigan but pseudo sue is a delicious citra based IPA. might be easier to get than SOS.
This is spot on. The reason Sip of Sunshine is so good is because it sells out the day it hits the shelves. I've picked up SOS from the package store under 4 days old and freshness is key when you're talking about these really light citrusy hopped beers. There are a lot of citra hopped IPAs, but after a few weeks on the shelves they are not what they once were. I recently had a fresh Citra Ass Down by Against The Grain from Kentucky and it was pretty tasty. But advice for the OP: Treehouse from MA is seemingly cranking out more cans week after week. Julius gets canned about every 2 weeks and some of their other varieties are good if not better. Since SOS is only available at the liquor store and most of it is either allotted to special customers or held in the back, no one is really getting more than 4 cans every couple of weeks. I would suggest trying to trade for cans of Tree House, as their beer is different than SOS but just as good if not better, and now with their higher can allotments, a little easier to get.
Sos is easier to get in northern vermont, regular weekly deliverys..sells out day of but not that hard to pick up. Find a vt trader, what trade bait do you have/can u get? Founders back stage?? We don't get bells in vt....
Citra Ass Down is somewhat similar, but with a bigger malt profile. That's a good option. Among Vermont beers, I'd say Fair Maiden from Foley Brothers might be close (I like it better than SoS). Their Pieces of Eight is more like a Trillium DDH beer. While I certainly don't think SoS is close to as good as Heady, the top Trillium brews or say, Abner, it is darned good. Oddly of the sought after IIPAs from New England, I think it's one of the least "Vermont like", if that's an adjective. So Trillium, Treehouse etc. are the wrong stylistic direction (not to mention just as hard or harder to find). I have to believe that there is something in Michigan that isn't too far off.
Trillium is available only in Boston at the brewery at the moment. They usually have a beer from their normal hoppy lineup available at any time. You can't go wrong with Fort Point Pale, Congress Street, Melcher Street, Summer Street, Vicinity, etc.
