TX trade fodder

Quite a list there. Makes me even more excited to try it.

 

Already shipping out 4 bottles of it. People didn't really request it, but I offered to add it in to even out the trade and they were game. I think as long as the reviews stay mostly positive and hophead traders will be very interested in making a trade for this.

I feel that I can only directly compare DIPAs that were had recently. I dunno if I have a bad hop memory or something! In the past week I have had Endeavour, Hopslam and Double Trouble. Hopslam was the best but Endeavor did beat Double Trouble. My DT bottle is about a month older but I don't think that was what made Endeavour better.

At least we don't have to worry about Saint Arnold randomly starting to ship to California and messing up Pliny trades...

 

I really enjoy it. I feel that a lot of Texans are really brutal when it comes to our "Local" breweries and their line up. We always tend to compare them to the top of the heap. There's nothing wrong with that, but we have to ease up. A lot of the other breweries across the country get pretty hyped up from their local beer drinkers making those beers more sought after. Raising their trade value to acquire bigger beers. We have very limited beers down here from Freetail and (512) that barely gets credit (slowly). We have some decent stuff, why be so harsh?

 

I've always wondered that myself. I'm not sure why people can't accept that Endeavor was not brewed by SA for your specific trading purposes. It was to provide the TX market with a solid DIPA that we can actually get fresh and at a reasonable price. If it turns into something everyone outside of TX wants, then great, if not that's fine too. I enjoyed it and will probably continue to buy it when its fresh and I need a hop fix.

 

I've taken down a couple bombers since it's release and I agree it is a tasty beverage. I also did a side by side the other night with Heady and Hopslam being the competition and the Endeavour didn't stack up in our tasting. Don't get me wrong it's really good and I will certainly be purchasing more on a regular basis but it was just missing on a few notes when compared to Hopslam and HT. There's a little lack of depth IMO when compared to the best out there (that I've tried) but it's a great IIPA from a brewery not known for great beers. I gifted one in a box I sent out yesterday and I'm anxious to see what kind of feedback I get...it's a great gifter at $6 a pop. I disagree with TX brews not getting any credit though...every time I post in the trade forum I get a lot of responses for JK, Live Oak, (512) and Freetail. I actually traded some JK bottles to get the Heady Topper and the Hopslam and even get some requests for Real Ale (primarily Sisyphus). Don't underestimate BA's around the country...we know about great beers 2000 miles from here and they do as well. I believe we will be trading Endeavour for some mighty tasty bottles in the near future if not already. I know I will be sending out bombers in all my boxes to spread the word...

 

I picked up a few extra bottles today for the purpose of extra'ing in outgoing boxes. And to echo lokieman, I do a lot of trading via google+...and the Texas brews I send out do get a lot of love (JK, Rahr, Real Ale).

 

Some friends and I did a blind side-by-side of Pliny and DR11 (the precursor to Endeavor, for you non-Texas folk). Of the five people in the blind taste-test, four people picked the DR11. I should have some Pliny soon to do a re-match with the Endeavor, but I think it has a good chance of keeping its reigning title.

Joel

 

In my opinion Rodeo Clown is the best DIPA in Texas, and glad it's available in cans now.

 

Don't forget Deep Ellum Dreamcrusher! It's fantastic too!

 

Wasn't a fan of Dreamcrusher...could have done without the Rye and the heavy caramel malt influence. It was damn near an American Barleywine.

 

Saw they had some Dreamcrusher bottles at Seigels in Dtown this past weekend. Just their typical IPA is very addictive

 

Hello. I agree with Chad (thirdeye11) about the Dreamcrusher. For those of us in Dallas that are lucky enough to get it really fresh, as in 3 to 5 days fresh, it really is outstanding. The best IPA I've ever had, Double or otherwise, was the Dogfish 120 I had last year when I went to Delaware. It was also fresh as a daisy, 2 or 3 days since it was ready and it had been tapped right away. That is without a doubt the best IPA I've ever had. By the way, I bought some bottles of that 120, which I assume were from the same batch, and drank them a month or two later. Still great, but not as good as fresh from the tap like that. I assume if we tried Pliny Younger or Elder that fresh, or Hopslam that fresh, Or Sculipn that fresh, etc. we might also give them a very high grade. By the same token, if someone in Buttf*%k Montana gets an Endeavor bottle or a Dreamcrusher two months from now, will it taste the same?

 

Dream Crusher sold out at Seigels in a day. Got mine yeaterday at Kindred Spirits on Mockingbird (they received a single case.) I walked in one minute after it was delivered.

I was blown away by the pilot batch of D.C. a few months ago and have been waiting for it to come out. It is an utterly huge DIPA (compare to Maharaja). It really pushes the boundaries on hops - two big dry hop additions. From my understanding they are not making money on the beer - just too expensive to produce. I think they could reduce both the malt and hop bill somewhat (sacrilege?) and create a contender for the top spot in DIPAs.

 

I'm planning on hitting the brewery for a tour after the Patty's day mess blows over. Wish we would get some in Fort Worth

 

I didn't have the pilot batch, but apparently the current Dream Crusher recipe is slightly different and uses a different hop bill.

 

So far, I've only had one glass of production release (at that Beer World place on Greenville), but I think you are right. It is bigger and more hops vegetal. It's a great beer, but dare I say almost too big...maybe? One Saturday at the brewery last month I had some strait out of the tank after the first dry hop addition - thought it nearly perfect at that point. So its now aged a bit and had another addition of hops. Trying one of the bottles tonight.

I expect great things from that brewery though. Man, I'd love it if they'd make something identical to Schlafly "A IPA". That just might be the best (single) IPA in America - BRIGHT hop flavors/aroma and perfectly bittered with no lack of backbone. There is nothing I'd change about that beer.

 

Saint Arnold does distribute to parts of Cali. I am not sure if they do bottles, but I know draft is available not too far south of San Diego. They have very skim pickings though.

 

Saw Sierra N in cans at my local last night. That is definitely going to make river trips wicked.

Picked up fresh (2/14) Endeavour. Freshest IIPA I've had out of a bottle...as the kids say "that stuff did not suck" and at $5.99 it's insanely well priced.