All depends how long you wait, right? I'm finding that most stuff, if refrigerated from the outset, has a decent shelf life from 2 weeks to 2 months. Looks like Pliny the Younger was released recently, so pairing that with Focal Banger would seem to not wait too long.
I think they're both great, but I do think Younger is better than Elder. waited in line for about three hours once for it, not sure if I'd do that again. or if I did, I would make sure I did it at a place that handled it a lot better. but I think the hype will die down as a double IPA and a triple IPA are pretty common nowadays. on another note, I had my first Hudson Valley sour IPA the other day and it was good, but one of the weirdest beers I've ever tasted.
Hudson Valley is getting a lot of love in NY in its short history. Releases are getting better and better with every cycle.
Stumbled onto 450 North Brewing Company's IG. Will probably never be able to grab their beer, but love their aesthetic
I had the Rogue Straight Outta Newport IIPA over the weekend and I have to say.... it's one of the best IPAs I have ever had. Absolutely bursting with hop, pine, and sweet citrus. Ingredients: Rogue Farms Dare™ Malts; Pilsner, Goldpils Vienna and Dextra Pils Malts; Citra, Mosaic, Hallertau Magnum and Comet Hops; Belgian Candi Sugar; Pacman Yeast and Free Range Coastal Water
^As great as that sounds, I've been casually boycotting Rogue the last few year ever since I heard about how they've historically treated their workers, both in terms of pay and a general toxic culture, and shitty labor practices. Examples: nwlaborpress.org | Rogue Ales puts chill on Teamsters Union campaign Rogue is hiring and IT manager. Must have no self worth, apparently. • r/Portland http://i.imgur.com/cfGFm5j.png Why does /r/beer hate Rogue Brewery? • r/OutOfTheLoop I Hate the Rogue Brewery!! • r/beer I'm not sure if the culture has changed over the last few years since a lot of that stuff came out, but this always left a bad taste in my mouth that I've never been able to remedy.
I've had the following Terrapin beers: Lucile, The Walking Dead -- I gave it 3.75 Hopsecutioner -- 3.75 Wake-n-Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout -- 4.25 Vapricot -- 3.25 Liquid Lunch -- 3.50 Majority of these check ins were from 2016 -- only Lucile was from 8/17 -- so I'm interested to revisit their brand. The fact that nothing blew me away aside from Wake n Bake makes me a bit leery given I've probably only gotten more stringent in how I rate stuff. Still will order when I see them on tap, though.
Terrapin is alright imo. Generally I gravitate towards their stouts. Liquid Bliss(Choc PB stout) is kinda of their flagship, but it’s not as good as Sweet Baby Jesus. Their special stouts that I’ve tried have been great, like the Raspberry Truffle and White Choc Moo-Hoo.
Recently I’ve been impressed by Epic’s NEIPA Citralush (especially considering their relatively wide distribution) and Tart ‘n juicy IPA (not complex, but refreshing and easy to guzzle), Alvarado street’s Tayberry Gose (straight up jam), and Council Broken Wand w/ Boysenberries (also very jammy). And I stumbled upon a bottle of Cantillon Kriek (which was delicious) and 3F oude gueuze (haven’t tried yet, will be the first time I’ve had anything from 3F). I was unfortunately let down by Tilquin’s Oude Mure. Maybe just an off bottle, but it had almost no carbonation.
Founder's Solid Gold lager is pretty good, and will definitely be my go-to beer now to have for parties and the like.
Honestly I can't really think of anything that's nationally available. I'd say your best bet is hoping one of your local places makes a good one.
Been there, done that. German-style beers do nothing for me ie: Dovetail and (most of) Metropolitan's beers,
Then IDK. :( There are some decent takes on pilsners from our area - Rev Pils, Half Acre Pony Pils, Off Color Tooth and Claw. And I'd put Dovetail above all of those personally. So hefes, bocks, and kolschs are off the table too? Edit: Other places to check out for lagers in the area - Kinslahger from Oak Park and Baderbrau (their beer is mediocre as sin, but they do make exclusively lagers).
Yeah lagers aren’t my go to style either. If you like IPAs you could try an IPL. Or if you like stouts/porters you could try a dark lager like a schwarzbier. Or if you just like sweeter, maltier stuff in general, you could try a doppelbock.
Grimm is having a sneak-peek of some barrel-aged golden sours tonight in NYC that won't be released until their taproom (don't hold your breath) opens. Looking forward to see what they've done.