Favorite east coast beers / breweries

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BUCKEYE1303 said:
I'm from Ohio. But I love Triumph Brewing and Brooklyn Brewery.
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Everything I ever had from Triumph was just so watered down I personally wouldn't call them good.
 
bchurch said:
Everything I ever had from Triumph was just so watered down I personally wouldn't call them good.
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Just visited Philly this weekend and stopped by Triumph. Sampled the Chinook IPA and the Bengal Gold IPA--liked Bengal the best, but didn't find either to be watered down
 
afr0byte said:
I'd agree with the Magic Hat comment. I haven't had enough Flying Dog / Brooklyn to really comment. Have you not tried Golden Monkey from Victory? The DFH 60 minute, Palo Santo, World Wide Stout, are all pretty good. What don't you like about Victory/DFH?
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DFH - beers are either way, way too sweet or just lacked great flavor. I recently tried red and blue, thinking maybe tart fruit would help balance it out. It was sweeter than Kool Aid. It made the Lindeman's fruit beers seem balanced.

Victory beers all taste horrendous. I don't know why but they all taste like dirty swamp water. Golden Monkey could not go down the drain fast enough.
 
ReverseApacheMaster said:
Victory beers all taste horrendous. I don't know why but they all taste like dirty swamp water. Golden Monkey could not go down the drain fast enough.
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I just had a few Victory HopDevil IPAs this weekend. I fell in love with this beer many years ago when IPAs were new to this country. Now all these years later, I still think it's outstanding!
 
ReverseApacheMaster said:
DFH - beers are either way, way too sweet or just lacked great flavor. I recently tried red and blue, thinking maybe tart fruit would help balance it out. It was sweeter than Kool Aid. It made the Lindeman's fruit beers seem balanced.
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Are we tasting the same beer? Yes DFH is a bit sweeter than a west coast IPA, but certainly it's no where near as sweet as Lindeman's. Perhaps I'm just getting them fresher? I once aged a 120 minute for 8+ months. It was a bit sweet after 8 months.
 
I moved to the south, where I can no longer seem to find Tröegs =/

Victory Prima Pils, Hop Wallop and Festbier are EXCELLENT in my opinion.

I'll add Clipper City in Baltimore (they do the Heavy Seas series)
 
Not a fan of Victory or DFH either... especially if they are being compared to Surly, Bells, Russian River, or my own homebrews.

But hey... at least they're better than Sam Adams :)
 
Troegs
Long trail
Recently had a bunch of Mayflower beer during a stay in Cape Cod. Very good stuff IMO. The summer rye was awesome. Their porter was one of the best I have had.
It may be a stretch to call Fat Heads east coast, but they are becoming a favorite.
 
FirstStateBrewer said:
I just had a few Victory HopDevil IPAs this weekend. I fell in love with this beer many years ago when IPAs were new to this country. Now all these years later, I still think it's outstanding!
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Not to nitpick, but I think the USA brewed beer labeled IPA as far back as the 1800's and contemporary renditions could go as far back as the 1960's. I assume you're talking about the early 1990's though.

Hopdevil is certainly delicious!
 
I think Stoudt's has got to be my all time favorite east coast brewery, I'm surprised no one has posted it among all the other PA breweries that have been showing up on this thread.

Flying Dog, is another pretty good one only about 45 minutes from where I live.
 
0202 said:
Not to nitpick, but I think the USA brewed beer labeled IPA as far back as the 1800's and contemporary renditions could go as far back as the 1960's. I assume you're talking about the early 1990's though.

Hopdevil is certainly delicious!
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Yes, I'm sure IPA was brewed in America in the distant past.

When I started extract brewing 21 years ago, I couldn't go into a local liquor store in Delaware and buy anything other than a mass-produced light lager. I used to go on club road trips to Philadelphia, Baltimore and Stoudt's in PA to find craft beer. I don't remember drinking any IPA's back then. But when Victory began brewing in 1996, Hop Devil is the beer I remember. Loved it then and love it now.
 
FirstStateBrewer said:
Yes, I'm sure IPA was brewed in America in the distant past.

When I started extract brewing 21 years ago, I couldn't go into a local liquor store in Delaware and buy anything other than a mass-produced light lager. I used to go on club road trips to Philadelphia, Baltimore and Stoudt's in PA to find craft beer. I don't remember drinking any IPA's back then. But when Victory began brewing in 1996, Hop Devil is the beer I remember. Loved it then and love it now.
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Pretty much the same story in Virginia back in the early 90's. My first introduction to a commercial craft brewery's IPA was the original Tupper's Hop Pocket Ale by Old Dominion Brewing, around about 1994 or so--although I think that may have been classified as an APA, it was about as hoppy as anything I'd ever bought. Then I found Harpoon IPA, and then I started brewing them myself.
 
I think Bridgeport IPA was the first one actually called "IPA", that came out around 1984... I believe. Anchor Steam Liberty came out in the late sixties but that was just called pale ale, no India in the name. There have been a lot of commercially available imports in the past century, but as far as being brewed on US soil and of the India Pale ale Style as well as being named as such. I believe the 1980s is as far back as you'll find them.
 
The Alchemist (Heady Topper is happiness in a can)
Victory
Browns Brewing Co (their PA & IPA are lackluster, but their stouts and porters are superb)
Otter Creek/Wolavers
 
It kind of depends on how you define IPA. Traditional English India Pale Ales with the label IPA were brewed in the USA and Canada before 1900, and Ballantine India Pale Ale was initially brewed around 1961 in New Jersey. Our modern incarnation of IPA comes later, from California. I think I have my facts straight there but I'm no historian, just recalling what I've read. India Pale Ale was initially popular in England during the mid to late 1800's when the USA had massive amounts of active breweries and immigration.
 
Yards is one I haven't seen mentioned that I think is noteworthy. Also we get some good pilsners on the east coast, Victory and Troegs make good examples.
 
NC breweries need some love, my favorites are:

Highland Brewing - all are good, but known for their Gaelic Ale
Red Oak - all are good, unpasteurized
Duck Rabbit - Milk Stout is my favorite
Four Friends - I-77 IPA is very good
 
The Newport Storm in Rhode Island was the biggest surprise for me this year (strong and complex in many cases, and a very good hefeweizen), Gordon Biersch pub restaurants (a chain??? sorry but I can't argue with fresh beer). Capitol City (they have a Kolsch style on tap!), Port City (Virginia for their excellent witbier), and Devils Backbone Brewing (Virginia Vienna Lager which I can still taste in my mouth weeks later, in a good way).
 
What about Pennsylvania Brewing Company, they make Penn Pilsner? Also, Fat Heads makes some solid beers like Head Hunter IPA. Gotta show some love for Pittsburgh.
 
I want to know why I got all the way to page 7, and no one has called out the OP as 21st Amendment being one of his favorite EAST Coast breweries?!!?! :D

My favorite is Troegs, with a lot of love for Allagash.

You can have victory and DFH. DFH makes a couple beers that I enjoy, but these are their rarer one off's. Otherwise they are a little too "off center" for my likes.

Brew Pubs though, I enjoy my local Iron Hill (Chestnut Hill, Paul is doing an amazing job there) and just down the road is Earth Bread, where Tom is pumping out some damn good beer.
 
Also in NC are Triangle Brewing, Bull City Brewery and Burgers, Fullsteam, Carolina Brewery, and Mystery Brewing. All of these are 20-30 minutes of each other. A great up and coming location for micro breweries and home brewers alike.
 
ReverseApacheMaster said:
DFH - beers are either way, way too sweet or just lacked great flavor. I recently tried red and blue, thinking maybe tart fruit would help balance it out. It was sweeter than Kool Aid. It made the Lindeman's fruit beers seem balanced.

Victory beers all taste horrendous. I don't know why but they all taste like dirty swamp water. Golden Monkey could not go down the drain fast enough.
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really? victory prima pils is internationaly known as one of the greatest pils avaliable anywere. You must be getting old beer samples.
 
sonex said:
really? victory prima pils is internationaly known as one of the greatest pils avaliable anywere. You must be getting old beer samples.
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+100 on prima pils, and all of victorys offerings... But I also live 10 minutes from the brewery and get to enjoy them fresh.
 
Flying dog
Dogfish head
Ommegang
Allegash
Blue point
Victory
Smuttynose
Tröegs
Brooklyn
Magic hat
Flying fish
Heavy seas
Founders
Southern tier
 
I'm going to agree with many all ready pointed out, but being from South Jersey, I'm going to have to add 1 that was not even mentioned......River Horse Brewing, in Lampertville NJ, I LOVE the River Horse Triple Horse @ 10% UMMMMM. BTW Still looking for a recipe to brew that one????????????? Anyone have it?
 
Gritty McDuff's (I always liked the draft in the pub more than the bottles). Clown Shoes! Ipswich Ales (both by Mercury Brewing). Throwback, White Birch and Squam Brewing in NH. Rock Art in VT. That's about all I can think of that I've had and haven't been mentioned. There are a ton that I've read about and can't wait to try!
 
Esmitee said:
I'm going to agree with many all ready pointed out, but being from South Jersey, I'm going to have to add 1 that was not even mentioned......River Horse Brewing, in Lampertville NJ, I LOVE the River Horse Triple Horse @ 10% UMMMMM. BTW Still looking for a recipe to brew that one????????????? Anyone have it?
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http://hopville.com/recipe/1619626/belgian-tripel-recipes/tripel-horse-clone

This is my first stab at the recipe. I e-mailed the brewery and got the ingredients, but no percentages or target numbers. I think I'm pretty close, but I won't be brewing this til next month.
 
I trust DFH has been everyone's #1 east coast brewery for at least a day. Some people say their fine tastes are elevated past the point of being able to enjoy a DFH 60 minute IPA. Frankly I don't believe it.
 
Esmitee said:
I'm going to agree with many all ready pointed out, but being from South Jersey, I'm going to have to add 1 that was not even mentioned......River Horse Brewing, in Lampertville NJ, I LOVE the River Horse Triple Horse @ 10% UMMMMM. BTW Still looking for a recipe to brew that one????????????? Anyone have it?
Click to expand...

Triple Horse, YES!!!!!!!!!!! Also love Hop Hazard, Hop-A-Lot-Amus, and their Belgian Freeze seasonal.
 

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