New England IPA "Northeast" style IPA

[marchuk96]

Ha ha. yes, of course. Sloop is awesome. The new space is pretty cool, very retro. Lots of IPAs usually. Captain Lawrence has some pretty awesome IPAs too these days. There are so many great places. Now Industrial Arts is opening a new brewery in Beacon. It just gets better and better!

Never heard of ober creek...mere minutes away and havent caught wind of em at all...crazy...also didn't know about industrial arts new place...super cool...c.lawerence can put out some great iPas too...I still really love hop commander from them...its just so solid and simple...id have to say sloop is just reigning supreme right now though but I'd love to try some stuff from the place you mentioned

 

[marchuk96]

Yes, right from primary fermenter via a spigot. (It's the Big Mouth Bubbler with spigot.) Happy to say goodbye to the raking cane!

I do leave a little headspace in the bottle. When I take out the bottle wand after filling, it leaves most of the neck empty, so sometimes I fill the neck halfway.

Speaking of bottle wands... I DO have a lot of trub in the bottom of the fermenter, and it does block the spigot. I tried tilting the carboy for the entire fermentation this last time, but either the cake slipped when I moved the carboy for bottling or there's just too much trub. I might try putting some kind of screen in front of the spigot (inside) and see if that works.

In the meantime, I purchased a larger bottling wand (for wine), which works a lot better and doesn't clog. I used the first beer coming out for the hydrometer reading, and I labeled the first and last bottles as "Trub" bottles -- and will open them first to check the carbonation. It usually takes 2 weeks for them to fully carb up, though I have had them good to go in a week.

I wonder if type of yeast has anything to do with oxidation? Of course, fast fermentation is key, but I wonder if anything else about the yeast can factor in? Say what you will about Safale-04, but (for me) it ferments fast and it always hits 1.010, no more or less.

In that beer (that didn't oxidize much at all) I only used flaked barley as the adjunct, no oats. I read somewhere that oats can cause oxidation, and while I'm not sure I believe it, it could be a factor?

That beer was also boiled for 90 minutes to bring down the OG a bit, and the base malt was pilsner. Not sure if either of those things mattered in terms of oxidation...?

I figured as much with the spigot...this is what I used to also do before shifting to kegs..but realize this when your bottling...every time you fill a bottle from that spigot...air is being drawn in threw the top exposing more and more o2 onto your beer...think about how long it takes to bottle and how much air has been sucked in in that amount of time...I don't think you'll have much luck with a screen when bottling as I believe it will just clog on you making for an even longer and agonizing bottle day(god I don't miss that)..if you cold crash for 24 hr's and leave the fermenter on a tilt...and then bottle on a tilt...you should really not get much in to any bottle as the cold helps to solidify that bottom trub...if your goal is neipa i don't see why u would want it down to 1.010...this will produce a much drier beer than what I believe to be desirable for this style even if your boosting body with oats or wheat or barley...mine typically finish around the 1.016-1.020 range giving a bit sweeter fuller bodied finish which again i think is more true to the style..if that is your personal preference then to each there own...while so4 works great i would think you would want something that maybe produces a better ester profile than that yeast ..again for this style...1318..or imperial yeast juice/dry hop/citrus or Conan strain may be better choices

 

[SRJHops]

Would love to see a picture of the pour. I just find it so hard to believe, especially having it sit warm on the dead regrowth yeast from the carb. If your getting zero oxidation at all your certainly doing it perfect

Honest question: Haven't we pretty much decided that for this style, trub doesn't really matter much for homebrews? Whether in the fermenter or bottle, the contact time isn't long enough to affect the beer? (Some say that trub actually helps beer, at least in the fermenter.)

Honest question 2: I admittedly don't know much about kegging procedures, but are most people doing a closed transfer? If not - and they are just racking into a keg - then isn't that pretty much the same oxygen exposure (and maybe more?) than racking right into bombers with just an inch of headspace?

 

[SRJHops]

I figured as much with the spigot...this is what I used to also do before shifting to kegs..but realize this when your bottling...every time you fill a bottle from that spigot...air is being drawn in threw the top exposing more and more o2 onto your beer...think about how long it takes to bottle and how much air has been sucked in in that amount of time...I don't think you'll have much luck with a screen when bottling as I believe it will just clog on you making for an even longer and agonizing bottle day(god I don't miss that)..if you cold crash for 24 hr's and leave the fermenter on a tilt...and then bottle on a tilt...you should really not get much in to any bottle as the cold helps to solidify that bottom trub...if your goal is neipa i don't see why u would want it down to 1.010...this will produce a much drier beer than what I believe to be desirable for this style even if your boosting body with oats or wheat or barley...mine typically finish around the 1.016-1.020 range giving a bit sweeter fuller bodied finish which again i think is more true to the style..if that is your personal preference then to each there own...while so4 works great i would think you would want something that maybe produces a better ester profile than that yeast ..again for this style...1318..or imperial yeast juice/dry hop/citrus or Conan strain may be better choices

Yeah, but I figure the air is just hitting the top of the beer as it leaves the carboy, which is why I put the last bottle (or two) aside and label it "Trub" beer. I open those early to check the carbonation and such. The tastiest beers are the ones being bottled from beer in the middle of the carboy.

I did a soft crash to about 50 degrees for the beer I bottled last night, and I think it worked - more trub than usual. The carboy was on a pretty large tilt, but I think the trub was still too much for the spigot. Or it might have moved when I picked up the carboy, not sure. You are probably right about the screen idea...

I don't really have a goal of 1.010 - that just seems to be how Safale-04 works for me. I'm going to try Juice next, and then London III. Though I have been pretty happy with both the mouthfeel (from some wheat and some carapils) and the relative dryness I've been getting. But I agree that 1.015 sounds good, and maybe 1.020 even. (Personally not a fan of the new Brut IPA's, BTW.)

 

[superiorsat]

I've read that yeast only consumes oxygen in the beginning of their cycle so this technique would not help in that case.
Any yeast experts here that confirm this?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/beerandbrewing.com/amp/over-the-top-brewing-high-gravity-beers

I'm not a yeast expert. But I do add honey or other sugars at the tail end of fermentation for a lot of styles without worrying about oxidation. These guys doing high gravity beers are adding O2 for the first 3 to 6 days and yeast nutrient and O2 with sugar additions as they feed the yeast. I personally don't add O2 after I pitch but I don't worry about it either until fermentation is over, then purge ,purge, purge. Pretty sure yeast is reproducing as needed to consume sugars which would generate the need for oxygen. 2 step starter would be reproducing in step 2 beyond what was reproduced in step 1 etc..

 

[Dgallo]

Honest question: Haven't we pretty much decided that for this style, trub doesn't really matter much for homebrews? Whether in the fermenter or bottle, the contact time isn't long enough to affect the beer? (Some say that trub actually helps beer, at least in the fermenter.)

I don’t consider trub and yeast the same thing. From my experience, many don’t. Trub is kettle/wort break and hops from boil/WP and yeast is exactly that, yeast. The yeast will die after 3-4 week in the bottle since their isn’t any more food for them left. When yeast die, they can release or leech the contents of their “stomach” which will produce off flavors and can cause a darkening of the color

Honest question 2: I admittedly don't know much about kegging procedures, but are most people doing a closed transfer? If not - and they are just racking into a keg - then isn't that pretty much the same oxygen exposure (and maybe more?) than racking right into bombers with just an inch of headspace?

When kegging, I purge the kegs full of c02 to remove any oxigen then rack into the keg so that oxygen is never in contact will the beer. I will then bleed off the air a few times while the gas line is still connect to the keg to insure the keg is only filled with beer and co2. There is no o2 contact in this transfer.

 

[SRJHops]

I don’t consider trub and yeast the same thing. From my experience, many don’t. Trub is kettle/wort break and hops from boil/WP and yeast is exactly that, yeast. The yeast will die after 3-4 week in the bottle since their isn’t any more food for them left. When yeast die, they can release or leech the contents of their “stomach” which will produce off flavors and can cause a darkening of the color

When kegging, I purge the kegs full of c02 to remove any oxigen then rack into the keg so that oxygen is never in contact will the beer. I will then bleed off the air a few times while the gas line is still connect to the keg to insure the keg is only filled with beer and co2. There is no o2 contact in this transfer.

Thanks for the clarification -- perhaps I am using "trub" too freely. So, trub is hops and hot/cold break from the kettle. Once it's in the bottom of the fermenter, is it still called trub? Or do most people start calling it the yeast cake after fermentation has completed? I know there is yeast in there somewhere, but for this style it mostly seems like a lot of hops when I dump it out of the fermenter when cleaning...

I did not know that dying yeast can darken beer -- does this happen only in bottles that were conditioned, or can it happen kegs too?

It does seem like most of the sediment in the bottles is yeast, but maybe some hops falling out of suspension too? Is that a thing?

 

[Dgallo]

Thanks for the clarification -- perhaps I am using "trub" too freely. So, trub is hops and hot/cold break from the kettle. Once it's in the bottom of the fermenter, is it still called trub? Or do most people start calling it the yeast cake after fermentation has completed? I know there is yeast in there somewhere, but for this style it mostly seems like a lot of hops when I dump it out of the fermenter when cleaning...

I did not know that dying yeast can darken beer -- does this happen only in bottles that were conditioned, or can it happen kegs too?

It does seem like most of the sediment in the bottles is yeast, but maybe some hops falling out of suspension too? Is that a thing?

I soft crash to purposely drop yeast and hop particulates out of suspension so they don’t make it in the keg. Then I force carb and I’m good. For you, it’s different because with bottling you’re looking to have some yeast in suspension to eat your priming sugar and set your carb. This will also cause the yeast to multiply so you’ll end up with more yeast sediment in each bottle.

 

[leesmith]

You can crash beers destined for bottling. There will still be enough yeast in suspension to carb the beer properly.

 

[troglodytes]

I soft crash to purposely drop yeast and hop particulates out of suspension so they don’t make it in the keg. Then I force carb and I’m good. For you, it’s different because with bottling you’re looking to have some yeast in suspension to eat your priming sugar and set your carb. This will also cause the yeast to multiply so you’ll end up with more yeast sediment in each bottle.

I can't believe I never thought about this as a bottling down-side I hadn't considered. I've only attempted 2 NEIPAs thus far and I am brewing my first batch with a kegging setup right now. In the past, I wouldn't say my NEIPAs were oxidized, they never turned brown, they never got that oxidized flavor, but the hop flavor and aroma did fall off a clip and what was left was not enough of a beer to be too enjoyable once that hop punch was gone...they went from good to ok over the course of a month.

I, like SRJHops, bottled straight out of my speidel spigot after adding priming sugar to carboy and bottled as fast and carefully as I could to minimize oxygen. It seemed to work, but at the end of the day, there's nothing you can do about the actual act of bottle carbing. That yeast will reproduce, rouse itself into suspension to carb, and then reflocc taking all those hop oils with them and there's nothing you can do about it.

 

[tld6008]

I can't believe I never thought about this as a bottling down-side I hadn't considered. I've only attempted 2 NEIPAs thus far and I am brewing my first batch with a kegging setup right now. In the past, I wouldn't say my NEIPAs were oxidized, they never turned brown, they never got that oxidized flavor, but the hop flavor and aroma did fall off a clip and what was left was not enough of a beer to be too enjoyable once that hop punch was gone...they went from good to ok over the course of a month.

I, like SRJHops, bottled straight out of my speidel spigot after adding priming sugar to carboy and bottled as fast and carefully as I could to minimize oxygen. It seemed to work, but at the end of the day, there's nothing you can do about the actual act of bottle carbing. That yeast will reproduce, rouse itself into suspension to carb, and then reflocc taking all those hop oils with them and there's nothing you can do about it.

IMO bottle carbing or conditioning in itself is not going to detrimentally affect the taste of your beer. Many of the beers we are trying to emulate have been bottle or can conditioned and have the results in the bottom which many people end up reviving to brew with again. I would think if you added your priming sugar to your carboy you would need to distribute it thereby stirring up unnecessary debris that shouldn't be in the bottle. Seems like the carb drops in the each bottle would be the best option if bottling from your fermenter.

 

[stickyfinger]

Had a sort of shift in thinking recently on some IPAs I've been doing. For a long time I've been doing low sulfate and neutral to higher chloride along with minimizing the bitterness from the hop stand and no specifically bittering hops. also, i've tried to include some other malts besides base malt - light crystal or honey malt or some flaked something or other.

However...lately I've been doing an about-face, and I really like it a lot. I'd recommend trying it if you haven't. I have been just doing a 1.070-1.085 OG of plain american pale malt. either bitter to 20-40 IBUs with a 60-min. addition or use a ton of hops at like 10-15 mins (or both) and up the sulfate to like 150pppm and keep the chloride lower. It is right up my alley honestly. It's got the amazing hop flavor along with a very nice bitterness and a crisp flavor but not austere at all. Don't fear the sulfate!!!

I also have to say that my recent experiments with hop hash in the late boil have been stellar. So much so that I just ordered another 5-6 lbs of hop hash to use in the late boil to hop stand land.

 

[stickyfinger]

Sorry, I forgot to say that I also have been experimenting with cryo hops more. If you add like 1/2 oz of cryo per gallon in the dry hop, you can start drinking the beer very early and it tastes amazing. I'd recommend it immensely. I use the CBDS and ferment in the keg and have been brewing on monday mornings, dry hopping on wednesdays, and putting the fermentation keg into the keezer on the next monday and drinking perfect IPA on tuesdays! it is incredible!

 

[marchuk96]

Sorry, I forgot to say that I also have been experimenting with cryo hops more. If you add like 1/2 oz of cryo per gallon in the dry hop, you can start drinking the beer very early and it tastes amazing. I'd recommend it immensely. I use the CBDS and ferment in the keg and have been brewing on monday mornings, dry hopping on wednesdays, and putting the fermentation keg into the keezer on the next monday and drinking perfect IPA on tuesdays! it is incredible!

Interesting...i typically use a 2/1 calcium chloride to gypsum ratio and a touch of epsom salt for all my ipas....so my c.c is 1 gram per gallon and my gypsum is .5 grams per gallon which usually gives me around 126ppm for calcium...7ppm for magnesium...99ppm for sulfate and 169ppm chloride...ph hits in at 5.36...i use brunwater...this has yielded pretty good results for me...with the addition of oats wheat and carapils and around 35-40 ibus combined with that water profile and a f.g around 1.016-1.020..my beer usually comes out real soft and yes...wait for it...even a tad "juicy"...im considering actual going lower in ibus still to see if i can get an even softer feel..i have a pale ale up next where i am going with 22 ibus ...are you not feeling the softer style anymore??? Are your beers still soft or more west coast based with what you are doing? Always wondered about that hop hash and how effective it is...similar to cryo i would assume..don't see many people talk about them much anymore since cryo came out...what kind of hopping rates you using for the hash??...i have also had great results with cryo too...i feel like it throws a bit more of that hop burn into the beer initially but fades after a couple days but the flavor it imparts is quite potent and nice...it can definitely dominate a beer though if your to aggressive with it and trying to show case other hops in the beer other than what the cryo hops are..and damn that is some quick turn over time right there!!...i recently did a hoppy sour beer and was drinking it on day 6 i believe...my typical turn over is about 9- 10 days...for ipa

 

[stickyfinger]

my latest batch should have been in the neighborhood of 150:34 sulfate:chloride. The calc'd bittering was 33 IBUs at 60 min then at least that much or more from a large hop hash addition at 15 min. and a hot hop stand with some mosaic pellets. Anyway, I think it is just a nice changeup to the process to try new bittering amounts and different salt ratios. One thing that I've found is that really soft, low bitterness IPA can start tasting kind of sweet after it has aged awhile, like over 1 month. I don't think the gypsum IPAs suffer from that as much. Maybe I just overdid it with the low bitterness beers for awhile! I think I'm in between a WC and a NE IPA at this point.

The hop hash is great except for the fact that it is like working with thick tree sap! It is soooo resinous. I just dump it in for the last 15 mins or so of the boil to make sure it dissolves. That gives some very nice bitterness too. I've used between 0.5-1 oz/gal in the late boil/hopstand with the hash. It is as potent as cryo if not more. There's not a huge supply of it so I suppose many people never try it. I just saw an email ad from Yak. Valley Hops and decided to give it a try.

I haven't seemed to have any issues with the 8 days grain to glass so far. Love it!

Interesting...i typically use a 2/1 calcium chloride to gypsum ratio and a touch of epsom salt for all my ipas....so my c.c is 1 gram per gallon and my gypsum is .5 grams per gallon which usually gives me around 126ppm for calcium...7ppm for magnesium...99ppm for sulfate and 169ppm chloride...ph hits in at 5.36...i use brunwater...this has yielded pretty good results for me...with the addition of oats wheat and carapils and around 35-40 ibus combined with that water profile and a f.g around 1.016-1.020..my beer usually comes out real soft and yes...wait for it...even a tad "juicy"...im considering actual going lower in ibus still to see if i can get an even softer feel..i have a pale ale up next where i am going with 22 ibus ...are you not feeling the softer style anymore??? Are your beers still soft or more west coast based with what you are doing? Always wondered about that hop hash and how effective it is...similar to cryo i would assume..don't see many people talk about them much anymore since cryo came out...what kind of hopping rates you using for the hash??...i have also had great results with cryo too...i feel like it throws a bit more of that hop burn into the beer initially but fades after a couple days but the flavor it imparts is quite potent and nice...it can definitely dominate a beer though if your to aggressive with it and trying to show case other hops in the beer other than what the cryo hops are..and damn that is some quick turn over time right there!!...i recently did a hoppy sour beer and was drinking it on day 6 i believe...my typical turn over is about 9- 10 days...for ipa

 

[stickyfinger]

Reposting this podcast from the Tree House yeast thread. Some interesting info and another study to contemplate. Does anyone know of a database of biotransformation-capable strains vs non-capable ones?

 

[Hannabrew]

Go for it. 0.35 is my standard w/ Barbarian A04 - (Conan). I read somewhere that the A24 blend is predominantly A04 w/ a little bit of A20.

I overbuild starter to get ~80B cells for next batch, then I just double it each time I brew- 80B to pitch & 80B saved for next time. I am on my 6th gen. Get Stonefruit consitently with low pitch and 63* for first few days.

Looks like this yeast works just fine at .35...activity started 5 hours after pitching and was roaring 12 hours later when this pic was taken. I guess we'll see how much it attenuates.

 

[marchuk96]

Looks like this yeast works just fine at .35...activity started 5 hours after pitching and was roaring 12 hours later when this pic was taken. I guess we'll see how much it attenuates.


View attachment 611135

Nice... that yeast is just amazing... Ive always turned out good beers with imperials yeast.. starter or straight pitch?? Did you buy that fermonster with that top or did you make it?? Also can you run me threw what you have going on with the 2 kegs??And finally... your bathroom looks very clean

 

[Hannabrew]

Ha, no starter. Straight pitch of 2 month old pack. Yeast nutrient added to the boil and around 90 seconds of pure O2.

I built that lid with parts from brewhardware.

I'm using the CO2 from fermentation to purge two kegs.

 

[marchuk96]

Ha, no starter. Straight pitch of 2 month old pack. Yeast nutrient added to the boil and around 90 seconds of pure O2.

I built that lid with parts from brewhardware.

I'm using the CO2 from fermentation to purge two kegs.

Huh...very cool idea...so let me see if I get it...so line out of top of fermonster is going into the water bottle and then line out of water bottle into kegs?? And then you close transfer the beer into one of them?? If so how...and why 2 kegs??

 

[leesmith]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/keg-purging-with-active-fermentation.628658/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/pressurized-closed-loop-corny-keg-fermenting.600563/

Two good threads on the process he’s using.

But it appears he is going into the blow off first and then into the kegs chained together...and venting out the back keg. Interesting. Wonder why?

And I’d like to know what the second keg is for also unless just to purge it because he can....for use with another beer or the fermenting batch pictured.

 

[stickyfinger]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/keg-purging-with-active-fermentation.628658/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/pressurized-closed-loop-corny-keg-fermenting.600563/

Two good threads on the process he’s using.

But it appears he is going into the blow off first and then into the kegs chained together...and venting out the back keg. Interesting. Wonder why?

And I’d like to know what the second keg is for also unless just to purge it because he can....for use with another beer or the fermenting batch pictured.

he’s purging two kegs cuz he can. the trap is usually to catch yeast and hops so they stay out of the spunding valve(if just blowing off co2) or out of the receiving keg if purging one during fermentation.

 

[Hannabrew]

he’s purging two kegs cuz he can. the trap is usually to catch yeast and hops so they stay out of the spunding valve(if just blowing off co2) or out of the receiving keg if purging one during fermentation.

This.

You can purge 3 kegs with one fermentation.

Trap is just to keep nasties out of kegs and also so I can track fermentation by the bubbling pattern

 

[leesmith]

That line you’re using seems like it would clog if you got a significant blow off from fermentation.

1/4”?

See I ferment about 3-3.5 gallons in a five gallon keg so I haven’t had to worry about clogging anything with the headspace I have...so I haven’t had to think about it.

I know there were discussions with Schematix about the problem of blow off and one guy considered a inline filter to catch debris. I like your solution...sort of reminds me of that CO2 harvester Norcal sells.

 

[Hannabrew]

It hasn't clogged yet! I rarely have this much in my fermenter...Usually 6G is the most and the fermonster is 7.7G-ish

 

[stickyfinger]

Just an FYI: I'd ditch all of the silicone tubing in the cold-side brewing processes. Switch over to beer gas line. Check out the oxygen permeability of silicone vs other tubing types:

https://www.coleparmer.com/tech-article/tubing-selection-guide

EDIT: It's on the order of 160X more permeable to oxygen (though you have to account for thickness and exact model of tubing and such but still.)

 

[Hannabrew]

I'm not too concerned about fermenter or transfer tubing as the beer is in the keg well before it's finished fermenting

 

[RTHP99]

If it’s not Sloop I don’t trust him lol

I like sloop, but cmon... Equillbrium all the way . Cool to see some of you guys seem to be pretty local, I’m in New Windsor

 

[Dgallo]

I like sloop, but cmon... Equillbrium all the way . Cool to see some of you guys seem to be pretty local, I’m in New Windsor

Though I like equilibrium, you must not have had Sloop recently because they are completely dialed in on their new system. Absolutely outstanding

 

[RTHP99]

Though I like equilibrium, you must not have had Sloop recently because they are completely dialed in on their new system. Absolutely outstanding

I get sloop on an almost weekly basis, most releases . I’m not taking anything away from them, but Eq is in another league. Obviously taste is subjective, so that’s just my opinion

 

[Dgallo]

I get sloop on an almost weekly basis, most releases . I’m not taking anything away from them, but Eq is in another league. Obviously taste is subjective, so that’s just my opinion

To each their own. Sloop is number one in my book. Above treehouse and trillium. The last citra and Nelson bombs were the best NEIPAS I’ve had

 

[stickyfinger]

To each their own. Sloop is number one in my book. Above treehouse and trillium. The last citra and Nelson bombs were the best NEIPAS I’ve had

I think Equilibrium and Sloop both have made great IPAs. Most of the time I'm not a huge fan of the hop character in the Equilibrium beers though. There has to be something about their process that just disagrees with me some. I'd be willing to bet that they are not doing as much of a biotransformation dry hop and Sloop is, but I'm not sure.

 

[leesmith]

Sloop was rough in the beginning but honestly the brewery was a great visit...it felt like a party at someone’s barn...their beer has improved quite a bit...and I had a few over the holidays.

I haven’t had Eq in a while but had them when they were really new and then a few times after they had been around for a while. Every time I felt like they were too sweet for my pallet.

I remember sitting at Sloop watching my kids play on the play set and this guy was raving about Eq and how they were soo much better than Suarez. I just smiled.

Sometimes I like a brewery not because of the beer but the atmosphere. Fiddlehead...man $6 32 oz growler fills of a decent IPA with chilled glasses and great pizza next door. Who doesn’t like that?

*Edit:

Dgallo,
What’s the Nelson Sloop beer named?

 

[stickyfinger]

Fiddlehead sort of drove me insane. The staff there were so nonchalant and couldn't care less if you were even there the day I was there. Well, actually there were two guys and one woman. The two guys were DBs if you ask me. The woman was doing all of the work. The beers I tried weren't really great when I was there. The pizza place next door was fun though.

I agree that many of the Equilibrium beers I've had have quite a bit of sweetness in the finish. I can handle that if the hopping is amazing, but I'd prefer a little drier most of the time.

The new Sloop down in the iPark is pretty awesome. You should go there if you haven't. The Lupulin Mutant is my favorite of theirs I think. Of course Juice Bomb is always good.

Sloop was rough in the beginning but honestly the brewery was a great visit...it felt like a party at someone’s barn...their beer has improved quite a bit...and I had a few over the holidays.

I haven’t had Eq in a while but had them when they were really new and then a few times after they had been around for a while. Every time I felt like they were too sweet for my pallet.

I remember sitting at Sloop watching my kids play on the play set and this guy was raving about Eq and how they were soo much better than Suarez. I just smiled.

Sometimes I like a brewery not because of the beer but the atmosphere. Fiddlehead...man $6 32 oz growler fills of a decent IPA with chilled glasses and great pizza next door. Who doesn’t like that?

 

[Dgallo]

Dgallo,
What’s the Nelson Sloop beer named?

Nelson bomb

 

[stickyfinger]

Nelson bomb
View attachment 611219

that was a very unique beer. i wasn’t a huge fan of so much Nelson, but that’s just personal preference, and I think they achieved what they were aiming for. Reminds me of Hall Blanc.

 

[leesmith]

Fiddlehead sort of drove me insane. The staff there were so nonchalant and couldn't care less if you were even there the day I was there. Well, actually there were two guys and one woman. The two guys were DBs if you ask me. The woman was doing all of the work. The beers I tried weren't really great when I was there. The pizza place next door was fun though.

I agree that many of the Equilibrium beers I've had have quite a bit of sweetness in the finish. I can handle that if the hopping is amazing, but I'd prefer a little drier most of the time.

The new Sloop down in the iPark is pretty awesome. You should go there if you haven't. The Lupulin Mutant is my favorite of theirs I think. Of course Juice Bomb is always good.

That stinks about Fiddlehead..we had a good experience. Although, when we left and were waiting for a growler fill this (clearly stoned out of his mind) guy was talking music with my 10 year old son. Harmless, but it seemed like he was just bumming free samples and chatting to whoever came through the door. Beer's not amazing but it gets the job done. I can't expect every beer to wow me but they don't suck at all. I thought the pizza was excellent....If my local brewery could up their beer game I'd love it (not even close to Fiddlehead quality). They serve the best burritos and other Mexican food in the area.
I'll have to try the new Sloop...heard nothing but good stuff about it.

 

[Dgallo]

Speaking off sloop..... just picked this up on the way home lol

 

[stickyfinger]

Speaking off sloop..... just picked this up on the way home lol
View attachment 611221

that’s one of my favs too. had a pretty apparent oaty character when I had it last

 

[leesmith]

that was a very unique beer. i wasn’t a huge fan of so much Nelson, but that’s just personal preference, and I think they achieved what they were aiming for. Reminds me of Hall Blanc.

Man, I love Nelson....such a unique hop. Literally just did a diacetyl test on my Nelson Pale Ale (it's not ready)...can't wait for it to be done. And I've got a Saison conditioning on Brett Brux that will get a generous dose after a month or so. I'm gonna have to try Hallertau Blanc.