Let's Remember Some Beers (In Memoriam: Old IPAs)

[yeahnatenelson]

A thread to commemorate the palate wreckers, triple-digit IBU hop bombs and ruthlessly homered regional "Pliney killers" [sic] of yesteryear that have since faded from the craft beer discourse.

I'll start off with one that I almost certainly called my desert island beer back in 2011: Alpine Bad Boy.

Tite. (photo stolen from evilc)

This beer ruled. For all I know it may continue to rule, but after having tried the Green Flash-era Nelson and Hoppy Birthday I had pretty much sworn off trying anything else. In either case this beer and every other beer that was at one time or another framed in contrast to Pliny the Elder in a petty beer forum argument is a total dinosaur with more in common with Sierra Nevada Pale Ale than the modern haze can.

 

[KevSal]

kern citra still kicking. how about hopslam, member the yearly freak out about that guy.

 

[yeahnatenelson]

how about hopslam, member the yearly freak out about that guy.

Hopslam hasn't caused a stampede in some years now but true to its nature still tastes less hoppy than it did last year.

 

[yeahnatenelson]

kern citra still kicking.

I do love that post #2 in this thread is about Kern Citra. I was torn between starting the thread with Bad Boy, Pizza Port Poor Man's or Kern Citra. Well done, sir.

 

[amk1]

OG Alpine Nelson was my desert island beer. It's one of the first beers that blew my mind when I moved to San Diego 7 years ago. As goofy as it is, I setup a Google calendar reminder for fresh bottles/batches when Alpine was regularly producing Nelson, Duet, and Pure Hoppiness on a regular schedule. I still get those reminders...

 

[BeersMorgan]

A thread to commemorate the palate wreckers, triple-digit IBU hop bombs and ruthlessly homered regional "Pliney killers" [sic] of yesteryear that have since faded from the craft beer discourse.

I'll start off with one that I almost certainly called my desert island beer back in 2011: Alpine Bad Boy.

Tite. (photo stolen from evilc)

This beer ruled. For all I know it may continue to rule, but after having tried the Green Flash-era Nelson and Hoppy Birthday I had pretty much sworn off trying anything else. In either case this beer and every other beer that was at one time or another framed in contrast to Pliny the Elder in a petty beer forum argument is a total dinosaur with more in common with Sierra Nevada Pale Ale than the modern haze can.

kern citra still kicking. how about hopslam, member the yearly freak out about that guy.

Back in I'm pretty sure 2012, maybe 2011, some friends and I tried to get all of BA's Top 250 list and these first 2 posts are 2 of the 28 I never got to. Is Kern Citra distributed now??

 

[thebandit1]

This beer was fantastic in 2010 or so. I was so excited when I’d go home to Philly because it would occasionally be on the shelf.

 

[FTowne1]

 

[mborden1]

This beer was fantastic in 2010 or so. I was so excited when I’d go home to Philly because it would occasionally be on the shelf.

For much of my time in Syracuse, Ithaca Beer Co was THE best spot nearby. Flower Power was the one turd that could pull something in a trade. Agree that 2010 was definitely in the sweet spot. When I left Upstate in 2017 I wouldn't even get it fresh at the brewery if I was popping in for a pint and a bite after a hike. Man, those Chief years were the best.

 

[tikk]

Was my jam. My buddy used to hate it because it was too unbalanced. Flower power was great when it was fresh too.

 

[steimie]

DRIPA, before they ruined it.

 

[jmgrub]

Drake's Hopocalypse - Black Label, Bootleggers Knuckle Sandwich.

Kern also did Winter Ale, which beat Citra IMO.

 

[user 306349]

when I first got into trading I was sending out boxes packed with 64oz growlers of Boneyard Hop Venom and Notorious almost every other week. I can't remember the last time I had a pour of either.

 

[yeahnatenelson]

This beer was fantastic in 2010 or so. I was so excited when I’d go home to Philly because it would occasionally be on the shelf.

Back when East Coast IPA meant something altogether different...

 

[gueuzelife]

It is a damn shame Alpine sold their brewery to Green Flash. I used to think they were pretty much the pinnacle of West Coast IPA ten years ago. Now look at them.

 

[yeahnatenelson]

It is a damn shame Alpine sold their brewery to Green Flash. I sued to think they were pretty much the pinnacle of West Coast IPA ten years ago. Now look at them.

So are the Alpine beers still totally borked?

 

[yeahnatenelson]

I still vividly remember driving out to the distant Chicago 'burbs to try super fresh Moylan's Hopsickle and Stone DDH Arrogant Bastard. The feeling was what I imagine eating fugu is like.

 

[KevSal]

View attachment 7129

Back in I'm pretty sure 2012, maybe 2011, some friends and I tried to get all of BA's Top 250 list and these first 2 posts are 2 of the 28 I never got to. Is Kern Citra distributed now??

hill farmstead Nor ftw!

some of those you might still be able to get. stone irs? blighs, drie og? you must have ran into those guys since yea

sounds like kern is doing some distro down south, hasn’t made it up here, got the hook up from BigFrank, but their other cans make it up this way

 

[gueuzelife]

So are the Alpine beers still totally borked?

Bought some Duet cans on a whim since it was only three weeks old or so but it is not the same. I thought the draft Nelson they did right after Green Flash purchased them was pretty good but once it hit six packs it was meh. I've had some good Windows Up on draft and one good sixer of Duet in bottles but I've been pretty consistently let down by "Alpine" beers. Growlers and bombers from the old brewery used to be so good.

 

[yeahnatenelson]

Bought some Duet cans on a whim since it was only three weeks old or so but it is not the same. I thought the draft Nelson they did right after Green Flash purchased them was pretty good but once it hit six packs it was meh. I've had some good Windows Up on draft and one good sixer of Duet in bottles but I've been pretty consistently let down by "Alpine" beers. Growlers and bombers from the old brewery used to be so good.

This is sad. Green Flash ***** the bed and their only enduring achievement is ruining Alpine.

 

[yeahnatenelson]

sounds like kern is doing some distro down south, hasn’t made it up here, got the hook up from BigFrank, but their other cans make it up this way

Is Just Outstanding still...y'know?

 

[KevSal]

Is Just Outstanding still...y'know?

i havnt seen it in forever but i’ll keep an eye out!

edit: looks like they got cans at a local spot, will pick some up soon

 

[amk1]

Bought some Duet cans on a whim since it was only three weeks old or so but it is not the same. I thought the draft Nelson they did right after Green Flash purchased them was pretty good but once it hit six packs it was meh. I've had some good Windows Up on draft and one good sixer of Duet in bottles but I've been pretty consistently let down by "Alpine" beers. Growlers and bombers from the old brewery used to be so good.

This is sad. Green Flash ***** the bed and their only enduring achievement is ruining Alpine.

They still brew smaller batch stuff and new recipes at Alpine, which are still good admittedly but not the same as the classics. It's a travesty that GF never figured out how to do those right. Proper Nelson in cans would have been amazing.

 

[exitmusic00]

I remember when this was first released...yeah I fell HARD for dat hype. Don’t even remember if I enjoyed it or not, I just had to GET it.

 

[KevSal]

I remember when this was first released...yeah I fell HARD for dat hype. Don’t even remember if I enjoyed it or not, I just had to GET it.

yea! that guy was really really good. i remember it being stupid expensive tho

 

[stupac2]

View attachment 7129

Back in I'm pretty sure 2012, maybe 2011, some friends and I tried to get all of BA's Top 250 list and these first 2 posts are 2 of the 28 I never got to. Is Kern Citra distributed now??

Oh man, also on that list, Masala Mama. I remember tracking down a growler of that and being so pumped, can't even remember what I thought of it (I could look it up but meh). Does that brewery even exist any more? I don't think I've heard anything about them in 5 years or more.

 

[gueuzelife]

I just recently dusted off my only growler of Town Hall (received in a trade) and sent it off to Goodwill. I do remember liking the Masala Mama that was in it though.

 

[yeahnatenelson]

Oh man, also on that list, Masala Mama. I remember tracking down a growler of that and being so pumped, can't even remember what I thought of it (I could look it up but meh). Does that brewery even exist any more? I don't think I've heard anything about them in 5 years or more.

Definitely still exists, with four locations now. Otherwise not much seems to have changed since that list was made.

 

[andrewdrinks]

kern citra still kicking. how about hopslam, member the yearly freak out about that guy.

Holy ****, I did not know this was now in cans

 

[stupac2]

Holy ****, I did not know this was now in cans

The cans have been hit and miss. Not necessarily of Citra, I'm not sure I've had that, but I had a six-pack of something else (JO maybe) where some of the cans were completely different from the others, not even like super oxidized so I'm not sure wtf. But it has scared me off of Kern a bit.