The San Diego area thread

[kmcnair]

I don't post a lot, but if you've been digging on our WCIPAs lately, Sorta Mostly Dead is reaaaaaaly special. 4 packs and whatnot, released today. Strata is poppin' big time!

 

[rcubed1]

I don't post a lot, but if you've been digging on our WCIPAs lately, Sorta Mostly Dead is reaaaaaaly special. 4 packs and whatnot, released today. Strata is poppin' big time!

Confirmed, so good. Maybe someone should send some to Tyrsis

 

[Tyrsis]

Confirmed, so good. Maybe someone should send some to Tyrsis

WC IPA does not exist here. There's a lot of hazies (some are excellent, Half Acre and Maplewood in particular) and Milkshake *********. These Chicago shitlords love their milkshakes.

**** is gross, I'm sorry

 

[chemman141]

WC IPA does not exist here. There's a lot of hazies (some are excellent, Half Acre and Maplewood in particular) and Milkshake *********. These Chicago shitlords love their milkshakes.

**** is gross, I'm sorry

At least you have those malty midwest IPAs, right?

 

[Tyrsis]

At least you have those malty midwest IPAs, right?

this local brewery is calling hazy IPA's "east coast IPA" and I can't even

 

[rcubed1]

Stopped by TapRoom Beer Co for some Batten Beer. Recommend. First batches are great and I can’t wait till gets his system dialed in.

 

[Sebowski1]

Headed to Alpine at lunch to pick up Expo bottles and gave some their OGs another try. This batch of Hoppy Birthday is fire; closest to the original that I can remember. Got a growler of it for sure.

This batch of Nelson, however, is hot ******* garbage. Little aromatics, muddled profile, and a finish that was excessive on the cat piss. What the hell happened to this beer?

Expo is also, just, I don't know - meh? Younger and Expo are just polar opposites in every day. The former is tight, deliberate, and elegant in execution - and the latter just feels phoned-in. It's malty sweet and hot as ****, and doesn't really make an effort to integrate both.

It's like Russian River makes Younger because they're proud to put in the effort, while Alpine still makes Expo because they're obligated to.

Completely disagree with you on Expo and Younger. I love this Expo. Drank 4 bottles the other night. Love that beer so much. And I actually hated last year's batch. Way too bitter and Oaky. This year it's just about perfect for me.

Not digging this year's Younger. Too fruity of a hop profile. Think they used Strata this yer and that hop can do that to me. Rated it pretty low blind at Hamilton's. Everyone else seems to like though, so just a hop profile preference.

 

[smithj21541]

**** is gross, I'm sorry

#sorrynotsorry

 

[Xul1]

I don't post a lot, but if you've been digging on our WCIPAs lately, Sorta Mostly Dead is reaaaaaaly special. 4 packs and whatnot, released today. Strata is poppin' big time!

Congrats on the LA IPA Fest win! Haven't had a chance to walk over and try it yet but I'm looking forward to cruising over early this week.

 

[rcubed1]

Congrats on the LA IPA Fest win! Haven't had a chance to walk over and try it yet but I'm looking forward to cruising over early this week.

Where are the results?

 

[Xul1]

Where are the results?

I haven't seen full results, just saw on social media that NPBC won.

 

[hophead841]

I don't post a lot, but if you've been digging on our WCIPAs lately, Sorta Mostly Dead is reaaaaaaly special. 4 packs and whatnot, released today. Strata is poppin' big time!

Sorta Mostly Dead is excellent.

 

[rcubed1]

Rock Bottom La Jolla closed and I'm sad. Lots of great memories there.

 

[blackzag05]

Where are the results?

2nd Golden Road
3rd Fieldwork

peoples choice TARANTULA HILL

 

[Tyrsis]

TARANTULA HILL

who

 

[riko1]

Interesting to see Ballast Point with a full-page ad in today's U-T. They're sorta maybe trying to acknowledge they lost their way (except for the part about their quality being better) over a "trying couple of years" and are now positioning themselves as back on track.

 

[Tyrsis]

yeah this was all over the instagram too. I mean, if they go back to making good beers again, I ain't mad.

 

[Xul1]

I get what they were going for, but they would've been a lot better off if they'd waited a few months to deliver that sort of message, rather than dropping it right when the ink dried on the Kings & Convicts buyout. I think they also went a bit too hard into the whole quality and innovation thing - using extracts to make seventeen Sculpin variants isn't innovation - but I'll give them another shot in a couple of months to see if the quality improves.

 

[rcubed1]

I get what they were going for, but they would've been a lot better off if they'd waited a few months to deliver that sort of message, rather than dropping it right when the ink dried on the Kings & Convicts buyout. I think they also went a bit too hard into the whole quality and innovation thing - using extracts to make seventeen Sculpin variants isn't innovation - but I'll give them another shot in a couple of months to see if the quality improves.

All the brewers that did help them innovate are gone and I'm guessing Colby doesn't brew anymore.

 

[chemman141]

who

Trash brewery run by terrible people in Thousand Oaks CA. They definitely sell more of other peoples beer than their own in their own taproom. It's become a "place to be seen" if you get my drift.

Those peoples choice awards are useless, they're never in the top 3 of the blindly judged entries. If they were actually voted on blind I would give them some weight.

 

[kmcnair]

Congrats on the LA IPA Fest win! Haven't had a chance to walk over and try it yet but I'm looking forward to cruising over early this week.

Thanks!!

 

[arren]

I get what they were going for, but they would've been a lot better off if they'd waited a few months to deliver that sort of message, rather than dropping it right when the ink dried on the Kings & Convicts buyout. I think they also went a bit too hard into the whole quality and innovation thing - using extracts to make seventeen Sculpin variants isn't innovation - but I'll give them another shot in a couple of months to see if the quality improves.

The execution was just piss-poor, complete with the false platitudes and tired idioms. I've been seeing sponsored ads on FB lately too trying to hit that personal note, spotlighting all the employees - but eh, at this stage in the game it feels really disingenuous. Show, not tell.

I mean, it also doesn't help that they turned their IG into one of those eyesore grids with like 30 separate posts. What a misguided move.

Anyway, offtopic but I'd like to reiterate: this batch of Hoppy Birthday is incredible. It's the best batch of Alpine beer I've had in years - I ended up getting a 32oz growler and chugged it pretty quickly, just like the good old days.

 

[Brent212]

Anyway, offtopic but I'd like to reiterate: this batch of Hoppy Birthday is incredible. It's the best batch of Alpine beer I've had in years - I ended up getting a 32oz growler and chugged it pretty quickly, just like the good old days.

I saw some Hoppy Birthday cans in Vons a few days ago. Could those be from this good batch? I should have looked at the date, but assuming it's recent, maybe?

 

[rcubed1]

I saw some Hoppy Birthday cans in Vons a few days ago. Could those be from this good batch? I should have looked at the date, but assuming it's recent, maybe?

Cans are not from up the hill if they are 12 oz.

 

[arren]

I saw some Hoppy Birthday cans in Vons a few days ago. Could those be from this good batch? I should have looked at the date, but assuming it's recent, maybe?

Eh, not sure, but not likely. At this point, I don't trust any Alpine beer in cans or bottles to be the same as the beer they have on draft at the brewery proper.

Like when I was getting my growler the dude tried to sell me on a sixer of bottles instead, saying it's cheaper, and I had to politely decline.

 

[Brent212]

I assumed the flagships like HB were all brewed at GF, regardless of whether it's in packaged or keg form. If the stuff served at Alpine is actually brewed there, that's awesome, and I need to make a trip out there post haste.

 

[riko1]

I don't think it's safe to assume that any draft Alpine served at Alpine was brewed at Alpine.

 

[arren]

I don't think it's safe to assume that any draft Alpine served at Alpine was brewed at Alpine.

Oh I completely agree. My point was that if I tried something on draft at the brewery and it was bomb, I'm getting a growler of that - not a sixer of something that was bottled/canned from a presumably different batch.

 

[Sebowski1]

How many of you are self-quarantining/social distancing/not going to bars, breweries, restaurants...?

 

[Getalegup]

How many of you are self-quarantining/social distancing/not going to bars, breweries, restaurants...?

Time to drink your cellar!