You guys do realize... (overhyped beers)

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ktblunden said:
Makes a huge difference how fresh PtE is. I had it on tap at the brewery and brought home fresh bottles (kept in a cooler the trip back and right into the fridge) and the bottle I had a week later was noticeably not as good as on tap. I'm getting to the point now where I just don't see the point in trying to track down hoppy beers from the other side of the country. The age and handling really have a detrimental effect on the beer. Drink local, drink fresh.
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I generally agree, but I have had good luck with bottles and growlers right from the brewery at RR. I literally had a swingtop growler taste fresh as could be, although a touch undercarbed 2 MONTHS after buying it at the brewery. I did however, have it filled, immerse it in ice within a minute or two of filling, and kept in the low 30s during those 2 months.

All that said, I'm sending some PTE out today in exchange for some Jai Lai and some HT, so...I guess I AM one of those guys seeking out IPAs from across the country.

In the end though, if I want something special and I want a lot of it, I'll just brew it :mug:
 
Had Pliny on Tap in Cali a month ago, was not overly impressed. I did like it and would drink it again, but Black Diamonds Rampage is IMO much better.
 
Homercidal said:
I'm elated that nobody seems to like Hopslam all that much. Maybe next year I'll be able to pick up more than a sixer again.
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That would be nice wouldn't it? Clearly a lot of people like it (me, for example) when its selling out in bottle shops and bars where I live in no time at all.
 
I made the pliny clone, and only have 10 bottles left after like 3 weeks. Best beer i have made, i love drinking it. I have never had the real thing but im assuming its only better. Chasing the unicorn beers can be exhausting and disappointing, but at the same time can be interesting to finally taste a beer you only can read about.
 
Pliny is overrated. I feel like its a good standard for IIPA's, but it's way to dry, and piney. It taste really one dimensional to me. I've had plenty of other IIPA's I much prefer over it. I can get it pretty fresh(within weeks of bottling) and have had it on tap, which on tap it is a lot better. I think Heady is way better, but it's in a whole other ballpark of flavor. Heady is worth the hype if you can get is very very fresh. After a month old Heady does not nearly taste the same. I've noticed it looses a LOT of hop flavor and aroma after a month or so.
 
CreamyGoodness said:
That you have hyped Heady Topper and Hopslam so much that there is no way I can be anything but disappointed when I do actually find a bottle and taste them?
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Right...Its our fault you wont enjoy it.

Wtf?!? How is hopslam and heady in the same category?
I put heady over pliny...


...Oh $hit look at that, ruined another one for ya!!

The hype heady gets and the first time you drink its sweet nectar will be one in the same...Intense Scene!
 
Can't compare any of the others, only had Hopslam, but it was the beer that took my beer lobe to another level. I just don't hype anything up in my mind and then I am not disappointed. Keep the bar low my friends. I'm like the opposite of the worlds most interesting man.
 
I've heard that Lagunitas Sucks is real close to Hopslam. Is this true? Never had Hopslam
 
Availability does wonders to the "greatness" of beers. When I finally had Heady, I was really let down...not that it wasn't good, but that it wasn't "the greatest beer ever!" If I had never heard of it and someone just brought over heady, I would think its a great beer, but when it got stuck in this mythical catagory, no beer can live up to it. Don't get me wrong, I get heady every month or so and love it, but its not my favorite.
 
I thought Heady Topper was amazing. But the Hill Farmstead Ephraim DIPA I had on the same business trip in VT was mind-blowing. The most complex, incredible flowery, fruity glass of hoppy deliciousness I've ever had. That beer changed my perception of what an American IPA can be like, and I consider myself to be a huge hop connoisseur.
 
dannypo said:
Plus it fades so damn fast.
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This is what struck me about this beer. I live only an hour from the brewery. I bought a case the day it came out. That night I was drinking one of the most delicious beers I've had in my life. Then, within a couple days, it had really dropped off. So I'm not surprised when I hear people on either side of the debate, because beyond the subjectivity of taste, freshness plays an enormous role in beers as heavily focused on aromatic hops as this one.
 
dannypo said:
Who cares if they use an extract for bittering? A lot of IIPAs use it. I know Lagunitas uses it and I am pretty sure Avery does as well.
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Exactly. Hop extract is nothing like malt extract. Or is it? Now I am confused...:confused:
 
I'm a hopslam lover. But I also knew what day it was showing up on shelves at the beer shop in my town, and there was absolutely no drama involved in walking down the street and picking up a 6 pack. Yeah, not a cheap 6 pack, but for a once a year purchase, it really isn't that bad when it's at its freshest possible in bottles.

I figure it's all just beer. The hyped up ones are the first ones I'll buy if I get the chance, but I'd never go out of my way to get any of them.
 
I don't really get the freshness thing. It may lose some aroma, but I think the effect is being drastically overstated. I may be wrong, but I thought Bells bottle conditions, so it should get better as it ages, like most high gravity beers. I had some last year that were a year old and they were fantastic.

Are we really able to distinguish between an American Barleywine and an Imperial IPA? I would doubt that more than 10% of us could, and you would never knock a Barleywine because it isn't fresh...idk fresh with high gravity from a bottle seems like a strange argument to me.
 
JDFlow said:
Pliney lost it's wow factor for me when I found out they use hop extract.
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Pretty sure Younger is the one made with hop extract, not Elder. They do that by necessity to limit the amount of hop material in order to get to the bitterness levels they need to. Also, what does it matter?
 
chiteface said:
I don't really get the freshness thing. It may lose some aroma, but I think the effect is being drastically overstated. I may be wrong, but I thought Bells bottle conditions, so it should get better as it ages, like most high gravity beers. I had some last year that were a year old and they were fantastic.

Are we really able to distinguish between an American Barleywine and an Imperial IPA? I would doubt that more than 10% of us could, and you would never knock a Barleywine because it isn't fresh...idk fresh with high gravity from a bottle seems like a strange argument to me.
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American Barleywine finishes much sweeter. Most breweries add sugar to IIPA's to get a drier finish. To me, American Barleywine has a heavy bitterness and an emphasis on maltier flavors while IIPA is heavy bitterness and an emphasis on hop flavors. Barleywine also tends to use darker malts. I notice a big dropoff in hop aroma and flavor as IIPAs age. It is an interesting tradeoff with needing to consume such high abv beers young, but some of the standouts on the market really are best as fresh as you can get them.
 
chiteface said:
I don't really get the freshness thing. It may lose some aroma, but I think the effect is being drastically overstated. I may be wrong, but I thought Bells bottle conditions, so it should get better as it ages, like most high gravity beers. I had some last year that were a year old and they were fantastic.
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If youve ever had a fresh heady compared to a month old, damn even a week old youll taste the difference, i never understood why people age IPA and DIPAs, recently was poured a double trouble from last year and i almost puked it was so putrid. Hot fusels, thick dark fruit oxidation and way to astringent...

The only thing "bottle conditioned" means is that they bottled it "still" with addition sugar to carb in the bottle. It also refers to an unfiltered unpasterized beer, hence the ability to secondary ferment in the bottle.

chiteface said:
Are we really able to distinguish between an American Barleywine and an Imperial IPA? I would doubt that more than 10% of us could, and you would never knock a Barleywine because it isn't fresh...idk fresh with high gravity from a bottle seems like a strange argument to me.
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Sweet caramel, biscuit, toasty malts and darker fruits come from the barleywine with a bigger focus on hop bitterness as a balance to a high FG.

DIPAs will have a lighter flavor, brighter fruits and a focus on the flameout flavor/aroma hops for a brighter citrus/pine/earthy aroma/flavor.

I wouldnt call an aged DIPA a Barleywine though...
 
chiteface said:
I don't really get the freshness thing. It may lose some aroma, but I think the effect is being drastically overstated. I may be wrong, but I thought Bells bottle conditions, so it should get better as it ages, like most high gravity beers. I had some last year that were a year old and they were fantastic.

Are we really able to distinguish between an American Barleywine and an Imperial IPA? I would doubt that more than 10% of us could, and you would never knock a Barleywine because it isn't fresh...idk fresh with high gravity from a bottle seems like a strange argument to me.
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The first time I had hopslam it was 4 months old, and I really didn't understand why people thought it was so great. Next time I had it, it was three weeks past the bottling date. Then I understood why people thought it was great. Huge simcoe aroma packed into 12 oz of glass. I have yet to taste a barleywine like that, but if I ever did, I might have to say I actually do like barleywines.
 
chiteface said:
I don't really get the freshness thing. It may lose some aroma, but I think the effect is being drastically overstated. I may be wrong, but I thought Bells bottle conditions, so it should get better as it ages, like most high gravity beers. I had some last year that were a year old and they were fantastic.
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I bet you learned this myth from this site. It just won't die I guess. Somebody with 50,000 posts says it and now it's gospel.

90% of beer styles are best fresh.
 
smizak said:
I bet you learned this myth from this site. It just won't die I guess. Somebody with 50,000 posts says it and now it's gospel.

90% of beer styles are best fresh.
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No I am just speaking from experience. I think the beer changes but I don't think it is better or worse really.
 
Johnnyhitch1 said:
If youve ever had a fresh heady compared to a month old, damn even a week old youll taste the difference, i never understood why people age IPA and DIPAs, recently was poured a double trouble from last year and i almost puked it was so putrid. Hot fusels, thick dark fruit oxidation and way to astringent...

The only thing "bottle conditioned" means is that they bottled it "still" with addition sugar to carb in the bottle. It also refers to an unfiltered unpasterized beer, hence the ability to secondary ferment in the bottle.

Sweet caramel, biscuit, toasty malts and darker fruits come from the barleywine with a bigger focus on hop bitterness as a balance to a high FG.

DIPAs will have a lighter flavor, brighter fruits and a focus on the flameout flavor/aroma hops for a brighter citrus/pine/earthy aroma/flavor.

I wouldnt call an aged DIPA a Barleywine though...
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Yes and bottle conditioning also provides more depth of flavor than force Carb, which is why Founders beers for example taste cleaner and the Bells has more "character". I am aware of what the styles are and didnt call an aged DIPA a barley. I just meant most of you couldn't tell the difference in a blind taste test.
 
chiteface said:
Yes and bottle conditioning also provides more depth of flavor than force Carb, which is why Founders beers for example taste cleaner and the Bells has more "character". I am aware of what the styles are and didnt call an aged DIPA a barley. I just meant most of you couldn't tell the difference in a blind taste test.
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That'd just another myth. Bottle conditioning adds carbonation and not much else. The difference is nonexistent to negligable.
 
dannypo said:
That'd just another myth. Bottle conditioning adds carbonation and not much else. The difference is nonexistent to negligable.
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Nonsense. The yeast content is higher and they have been more active. That will impact the taste. Furthermore they have been sitting in the bottle longer, which, even though I disagree that it will make the beer inferior, will impact aroma. Furthermore force carbing and bottle carbing have a different mouthfeel due to the way the CO2 is infused into the wort.
I'm sorry for ruining everyone's beer *****ery. I will sign off and continue to enjoy my crappy year old Hopslam. Worst thread ever.
 
chiteface said:
Nonsense. The yeast content is higher and they have been more active. That will impact the taste. Furthermore they have been sitting in the bottle longer, which, even though I disagree that it will make the beer inferior, will impact aroma. Furthermore force carbing and bottle carbing have a different mouthfeel due to the way the CO2 is infused into the wort.
I'm sorry for ruining everyone's beer *****ery. I will sign off and continue to enjoy my crappy year old Hopslam. Worst thread ever.
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I can't help but think of this guy...

comic book buy.jpg
 
Brewenstein said:
Zombie Dust. Waaayyyy overrated And ridiculously priced. Nuff said :rockin:.
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It's not that pricey. You can get it directly from the brewery for $35 out the door. In the store it's probably worse I suppose.
 

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