Bridgeport IPA

Can you guys get this stuff? It just arrived in Oklahoma a month or two ago, but I've drank about a case of it already. I don't know if I'm just on an IPA kick or not, but this stuff is going down good.

I love it too. Had it for the first time over the summer. Wish I could get more. You can get it in Oklahoma? I'm in Los Angeles and can't find it anywhere. This is again part of my "Why does beer suck in L.A.?" rant a couple threads down. Anyway, back to the beer. In my opinion it has the best citrus aroma of any IPA I've tried. Glad someone can find/drink/enjoy it. If anyone knows of any within 100 miles of LA, let me know.

10 years ago no one would have been envious of our beer selection in Oklahoma, but these days we're doing pretty good. Of course, you have to buy all of your good beer at the liquor store and it's not refrigerated. And I live in Oklahoma city. It's still pretty dismal in smaller towns. Basic Samuel Adams, Corona, Shiner Bock.

Oh yeah, have you tried their ESB, I've heard that was pretty good also.

Wish I could get it here! Back around 1994 I had a subscription to Beer Across America. They supplied their Pale Ale one month and it was so good, I ordered a case through BAA. That was the only way I could get it.

According to their website, Bridgeport is only avaialibe in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Alaska, Northern California (sorry, brewsmith) Arizona, New Mexico, Alabama, Georgia, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.

I wouldn't be surprised if it went nationwide before too long.

Rhoobarb said:

According to their website, Bridgeport is only avaialibe in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Alaska, Northern California (sorry, brewsmith) Arizona, New Mexico, Alabama, Georgia, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.

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I've come to another conclusion that may be completely obvious to everyone else. Everyone else hates southern California. Come to think of it, I kinda hate it too...

Dang, that sucks! I sure enjoyed visiting it. Couldn't afford to live there though.

I did notice a discouraging lack of beer selection however. Still, you guys can buy Sierra Nevada at the grocery store, I have to go to the liquor store from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. mon-sat.

billybrew said:

Dang, that sucks! I sure enjoyed visiting it. Couldn't afford to live there though.

I did notice a discouraging lack of beer selection however. Still, you guys can buy Sierra Nevada at the grocery store, I have to go to the liquor store from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. mon-sat.

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The only thing I can find on a regular basis is the Pale Ale. Heaven forbid that they should carry anything else SN regularly makes or worse seasonal. And on the afford to live here part, the market is so crazy right now that if the average homeowner tried to buy their own house right now, they couldn't afford it.

brewsmith said:

I've come to another conclusion that may be completely obvious to everyone else. Everyone else hates southern California. Come to think of it, I kinda hate it too...

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Dammit man, you've got mountains, an ocean, and beach bunnies, so quit yer bellyakin. Besides, you can make your own beer...what do you need a store for?

Yeah, you guys are pioneering some crazy real estate stuff out there right now. Buying a house and only paying the mortage, then turning around and selling it at a profit?

I did it! I found it! Even though Bridgeport doesn't distribute to southern California, apparently they do distribute to Beverages & More. They carry every thing there, at least from all the major micro brews in CA, OR, WA and a few other neighboring states, as well as well known nationwide microbrews and lots of imported stuff. Now it's just a matter of deciding what to try first...

I really like both the ESB and IPA. I've not tried the porter. Let me know what you think.

EP has a good point. I lived in Fullerton for many years. I wasn't brewing back then, but the weather is ok year round for some style or another.

Bridgeport, humm, maybe I'll drive up and have some "lunch".

ive got a frioend that i swear drinks their IPA exclusively. ive had all their beers and like the IPA the best i guess too, althogh the ESB isnt too shabby. great thing about bridgeport is that their beer, at least here in Durango, is so much cheaper than other similar quality beers- 12 packs are 9-10 bucks here, cant beat that.

Yeah, sixers are $6.50 here compared to $8-10 for most other good stuff. That's sweet that you're paying 10 bucks for a 12 pack.

I'll have to try the ESB. Even at $7.99 for a sixer, I'm glad I can even find it now. In my earlier post, I never meant to sound like LA is such a sucky place. I just meant you have to search long and hard to find a decent beer. And using El P's advice, I am now making my own. I just need to do more "research" every once in a while.

Yeah, once my Dortmunder's done, I'll probably do a Bridgeport clone. I've got a recipe in that clone brews book if you want one.

david_42 said:

Bridgeport, humm, maybe I'll drive up and have some "lunch".

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The BridgePort Brew Pub Downtown is still closed down for remodeling until February. I just walked over there the other day after work and to my dismay they were still CLOSED! You have to go to the one on SE Hawthorne.

i like their brews. all i've seen (and consumed) here in Texas is the IPA and the Blackstrap Stout.

Us mountain folk up here in Nor Cal can get any of that Sierra Nevada (bottled product) at the gas station. You do have to go to the grocery store to get the Bridgeport though, and when it goes on sale for $5.99, they sometimes run out. You ought to move up. Freeways are less crowded, air seems a little cleaner. We could use more homebrewers here anyway. There are several houses on the market walking distance to mine. They only cost 4 times what I paid 7 years ago, but it's only money, right.

George said:

Us mountain folk up here in Nor Cal can get any of that Sierra Nevada (bottled product) at the gas station. You do have to go to the grocery store to get the Bridgeport though, and when it goes on sale for $5.99, they sometimes run out. You ought to move up. Freeways are less crowded, air seems a little cleaner. We could use more homebrewers here anyway. There are several houses on the market walking distance to mine. They only cost 4 times what I paid 7 years ago, but it's only money, right.

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well, i am unemployed at the moment, and have been looking for a brewery job

Unfortunately, there are few breweries in the vicinity, and none currently within walking distance. There is supposed to be one coming in the near future, but it's being stalled in the lease details. The nearest one currently is about a 25 minute drive, next nearest is 35 minute drive, and if I want to spend 45 minutes, I've got several to choose from in Sacramento. They all seem to have a pretty good turn over rate. I'd bet that you could find work at one of them. The only sticking point is what I understand to be high housing costs. I don't really know because I've never lived anywhere else.
At least you have some Flat Tyre on it's way.

i was just joking. i've always wanted to scrub a mash tun for a living! i've been a "brewer for a day" at a micro and brew pub in Houston and loved it. the Texas coastal plains just aren't as pretty as No Cal, though.

We have yet to face hurricane conditions either. Fire and the giant faultline we're sitting on are pretty scary though. Brewer for a day sounds like a blast. I'm hoping that the local brewery comes through so that I can help out and learn a thing or two. Hopefully I could get some free pints while I'm at it.

Hey George, where is Auburn? I've been through most of the state, but don't recall Auburn. And I do plan on moving up, just probably a little further north. It's a few years off and haven't decided on the Portland area or further up near Seattle, but I'll be outta LA sometime.

George said:

We have yet to face hurricane conditions either. Fire and the giant faultline we're sitting on are pretty scary though. Brewer for a day sounds like a blast. I'm hoping that the local brewery comes through so that I can help out and learn a thing or two. Hopefully I could get some free pints while I'm at it.

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you got me there. at least we can see the hurricanes coming!
i got a couple pints outta the deal and some bbq chicken pizza

Auburn is roughly between Sacramento and Tahoe on I 80. It's nice here. Still has the small town feel, at least for now. Seems that is disappearing in most places, propably coming here next.

Just bought a sixer of Bridgeport IPA at Kroger for about seven bucks, and was going to post a thread asking about it, until a search turned up this thread.

I was wondering just what everyone thought about Bridgeport. From this thread, it looks like they produce good products.

I'd still like to know if I should judge IPAs by their offering? Is it just about what all IPAs are about?

I'm in the process of tasting differing ales in order to come up with an idea of what to brew next.

Also, on the hop scale, how does this one rank?

Thanks...

Pretty dang hoppy. I just made a clone and it calls for about 4 oz. of pellets.

billybrew said:

Pretty dang hoppy. I just made a clone and it calls for about 4 oz. of pellets.

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It does taste pretty hoppy. I was just wondering how hoppy is hoppy. Thanks for your response. Bridgeport IPA is starting to grown on me. The first bottle was something different, for sure...

I agree with El Pistolero your own is always the best, however I'll put Bridgeport up against any commercial beer. Sierra Nevada PA was my favorate until a trip to Oregon. Hands down Bridgeport is the best!

So I was able to pick up a sixer of Bridgeport IPA from the only place that I can find that carries it in So. Cal. It must have been sitting there for a while or in the light, or both, because the hop flavor or aroma is not there. I was expecting the nice grapefruit flavors of my first experience with the IPA, but this is just bad. I think I'll pick up another sixer in Oregon before I buy down here again.

bummer! that's one decent beer i can get at my local supermarket, and it's always good. we can get the blackstrap stout from Bridgeport too.

maybe you'll like that Elissa IPA i sent????

Well I finished off the sixer of Bridgeport IPA that I bought that turned out to be bad. The last two bottles I had were not as bad as the first. They had more flavor and aroma than the first ones, but were still very off. It must have been the side to the outside of the shelf that more light exposed to it that was worse. Remind me to dig to the back of the shelf next time...

Lounge Lizard said:

I'd still like to know if I should judge IPAs by their offering? Is it just about what all IPAs are about?

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No. Just as there is great variation between different beer styles, there can also be variation (to a lesser extent) within beer styles. This style guide has the basic rundown on IPA: http://www.mv.com/ipusers/slack/bjcp/styleguide07.html

If you want to get a good handle on it, buy a 6 pack of IPA with each bottle a different brand. I have been a Bridgeport IPA crack addict for 4 or 5 years now and it is, IMHO, the finest IPA commercially available.

As I've mentioned in another thread on this forum somewhere, however, I may have found a superior IPA in Stone's Ruination IPA. I need to drink a few more of them to be sure, but that was a damn fine IPA as well.

billybrew said:

I just made a clone and it calls for about 4 oz. of pellets.

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Oooooooo - will you share your recipe with me? Pretty please?

AHU

One of my co-workers told me how much he enjoyed a sixer of Mirror Pond recently. I told him that if he liked that beer, he really should try the Bridgeport IPA. It's been about a week. I haven't seen him yet, but I'm dying to hear how he liked it.

AllHoppedUp said:

Oooooooo - will you share your recipe with me? Pretty please?

AHU

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Yep, I'll type it up tomorrow.

Hey I thought I'd help billybrew out here. I too asked for this recipe a while back and he was kind enough to PM it to me. So I'll just do a little copy and paste from the PM that he sent me. I'll let him comment on whether this is the actual recipe that he brewed however. It is next up on my list. Here's the recipe:

1 gallon water
10 oz crystal malt steeped
sparge with one gallon water, bring to boil, remove from heat and add
4 lb alexanders pale malt syrup
3.33 lb m&f extra light dme
1 oz Chinook @ 11%AA
add enough to reach 2.5 gallons water
boil 45 minutes and add
1/2 oz east kent goldings
1/2 oz cascade
1 tsp irish moss
boil 14 minutes and add
1/2 oz east kent goldings
1/2 oz cascade
1/2 oz crystal
boil 1 minute, strain into fermenter, add cold water to reach 5-1/8 gallon water
at 80 degrees add
1st choice Wyeast 1056 American ale
2nd choice Wyeast 1332 Northwest ale
ferment 7 days
siphon to 2ndary
add 1/2 cascade
set 3 weeks
prime with dme and let set for 3 weeks

Hey, thanks. I forgot that I had done that. I bottled it this weekend. It was a little sweet, but I didn't taste it until after I had added the carbing DME. Other than that it was tasty. Well, could have been a little hoppier. I dry hopped 2 weeks before bottling instead of the recommended one week. That might have done it. I still think it will be a good beer though.