We don't get the same range of well-hopped beers in Wisconsin that it seems
you can on the coasts, but my favorite hop-babies that we can get locally:

1) Dogfish Head 60 Minute (lush, florid, long, bright, open)
2) Sierra Nevada Celebration (the last batch in particular
was broad, supple, and beautiful; not as monolithic as in the past).
3) Dogfish Head 90 Minute (a good, bracing, stiff one).
4) Bell's Two-Hearted Ale (was my fave till the DfH 60 came into town).
5) Victory Hop Devil (solid, enjoyable)
6) Goose Island IPA (a really well-rounded and satisfying IPA from Chicago)
7) Anderson Valley Hop Ottin' (pleasant & flavorful)

IPA's that I've had here but haven't bought again very much because they
just haven't been slammin' or enchantin' enough or maybe I should try them
again include some great ones, by most measures, including 3Floyds Alpha
King, Rogue Brutal Bitter, and Red Seal. I will, though, run out and get
the Racer 5, thanks to the recommendations!

"Latosha Washington" > wrote in message
...

> Also like Town Hall, LaConner, Diamond Knot and Bells Harvest Ale.

Two of those three are definitely on my list - LaConner and Diamond Knot.
Bell's Two Hearted as well. Been eons since I had Town Hall's IPA (assuming
you're talking the one in Minneapolis), but it was quite good. Among brewpub
IPAs, Big Time in Seattle also has an outstanding one.

-Steve

Steve Jackson wrote:

> "Latosha Washington" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>Also like Town Hall, LaConner, Diamond Knot and Bells Harvest Ale.
>
>
> Two of those three are definitely on my list - LaConner and Diamond Knot.

I think La Conner's IPA isn't quite the same as it once was, but the
brewer who used to brew it is now at Rogue's Issaquah Brewhouse, and
when he has occasion to brew a hoppy beer there, it's very good indeed.

Diamond Knot's IPA & Industrial IPA are the same as ever, and now that
they have the B2 production brewery running, I expect to see more
handles around the region. That won't suck.

Another reliable IPA comes from Boundary Bay. It's one of the
permanent handles at my local.

> [...] Among brewpub
> IPAs, Big Time in Seattle also has an outstanding one.

These days, it's more like an outstanding three: Scarlet Fire,
Bhagwan's, and Meerkat, and sometimes something else as well.
--
dgs

Dr. Ernst Primer (again) wrote:
> Dr. Ernst Primer (again) wrote:
>
>>dgs wrote:
>>
>>>[...]
>>>
>>>Pike Brewing is still very much in business. You're wrong.
>>>
>>>HTH. HAND.
>>>--
>>>dgs
>>
>> I heard you the first time, and I'm happy to be proven wrong in this
>>case. Cheers.
>
>
> Speaking of which, where's the best place to get some Pike's,
> considering they're still around? I live in San Francisco and wouldn't
> know where to start looking for a 6-er.

Dang, that's a good question. None available at BevMo? I don't
recall Pike on tap anywhere in the City, but then, there's a *lot*
of competition for handles these days. I like all the North Coast
beers on at the Hog Island Oyster Bar at the Ferry Building.
--
dgs

"John S." > wrote in news:1147032170.811886.250810
@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:

>
> Dr. Ernst Primer (again) wrote:
>> I consider myself fairly experienced with IPAs and I've recently
>> discovered "Racer 5" by Bear Republic.
>>
>> I think it's the best IPA I've ever had, foreign or domestic. Only
>> one that comes close is the now-defunct Pike Brewing Company IPA,
>> formerly of Seattle, Washington.
>
> So many good ones to choose from. Near the top imho would be:
> Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
> Old Dominion New River Pale Ale (that name is a mouthful!)

New River Pale Ale is actually an APA (to split a beer-hair). That
being said, I'm going to go cry now, as I used to live 15 miles away
from Dominion and always had New River in my house as my standard beer.
Perfect balance of malt and hops, wonderful mouthfeel, IMO the best beer
on the planet pound-for-pound. It's about the only thing I miss from
living on the East Coast.

To be local again, I'll vote for Masala Mama from Town Hall in
Minneapolis. Brewpub-only, but damn, it's spectacular stuff. Bottled,
dunno. Hop Devil, like everything from Victory, seems to have gone
downhill in recent years. Maybe SNCA by default as the best.
--
************************************************** ***
Dan Iwerks needs a bicycle like a woman needs a fish.
The fundamental problem with Solipsism is it makes me
responsible for the fact that you’re a complete idiot.
************************************************** ****

dgs wrote:

> These days, it's more like an outstanding three: Scarlet Fire,
> Bhagwan's, and Meerkat, and sometimes something else as well.

The Meerkat hasn't been on for a month or so but at the moment they
have the Decade IPA going. One of their tastiest IPAs in my opinion,
too high acohol for me to drink too much of but really excellent big
IPA.

Dave

"Dan Iwerks" <dan_iwerks*at*yahoo.com> wrote in message
.30...
> "John S." > wrote in news:1147032170.811886.250810
> @g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:
>
>>
>> Dr. Ernst Primer (again) wrote:
>>> I consider myself fairly experienced with IPAs and I've recently
>>> discovered "Racer 5" by Bear Republic.
>>>
>>> I think it's the best IPA I've ever had, foreign or domestic. Only
>>> one that comes close is the now-defunct Pike Brewing Company IPA,
>>> formerly of Seattle, Washington.
>>
>> So many good ones to choose from. Near the top imho would be:
>> Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
>> Old Dominion New River Pale Ale (that name is a mouthful!)
>
> New River Pale Ale is actually an APA (to split a beer-hair). That
> being said, I'm going to go cry now, as I used to live 15 miles away
> from Dominion and always had New River in my house as my standard beer.
> Perfect balance of malt and hops, wonderful mouthfeel, IMO the best beer
> on the planet pound-for-pound. It's about the only thing I miss from
> living on the East Coast.
>
> To be local again, I'll vote for Masala Mama from Town Hall in
> Minneapolis. Brewpub-only, but damn, it's spectacular stuff. Bottled,
> dunno. Hop Devil, like everything from Victory, seems to have gone
> downhill in recent years. Maybe SNCA by default as the best.
> --
> ************************************************** ***
> Dan Iwerks needs a bicycle like a woman needs a fish.
> The fundamental problem with Solipsism is it makes me
> responsible for the fact that you're a complete idiot.
> ************************************************** ****

"Dan Iwerks" <dan_iwerks*at*yahoo.com> wrote in message
.30...

> New River Pale Ale is actually an APA (to split a beer-hair). That
> being said, I'm going to go cry now, as I used to live 15 miles away
> from Dominion and always had New River in my house as my standard beer.
> Perfect balance of malt and hops, wonderful mouthfeel, IMO the best beer
> on the planet pound-for-pound. It's about the only thing I miss from
> living on the East Coast.

New River is certainly a good APA. I've had it as my home draught
beer on a number of occasions, as well as the Tupper's Pils. While solid,
at least for as East Coast beer, it's about fair-to-middlin' when compared
to a number of West Coast entries. Vinnie Cilurzo's stuff at RRBC comes
to mind, as well as the beers Paddy used to brew at Moylan's, and when
Marin IPA was on, it was untouchable.

> To be local again, I'll vote for Masala Mama from Town Hall in
> Minneapolis. Brewpub-only, but damn, it's spectacular stuff. Bottled,
> dunno. Hop Devil, like everything from Victory, seems to have gone
> downhill in recent years. Maybe SNCA by default as the best.

Was just there last Saturday, and things don't seem to have gone downhill
in the least. Hop Devil is likely become a victim of palate creep as people
titrate up their hop resistance, but it remains largely unchanged from the
pilot batches.

With Old Dominion's recent sale, I have to wonder if there'll be some
reracking of the lineup and maybe some new products.

>>>>Hop Devil is likely become a victim of palate creep as people titrate up
>>>>their hop resistance, but it remains largely unchanged from the pilot
>>>>batches.

I just bought it again tonight after the current discussion, and at first it
seemed a bit uninteresting, compared to sundry hop monsters and hop flower
goddesses. But by the end of the bottle (which was best quaffed quickly for
maximum effect) it turned out to be a great, quenching guzzle on warm/humid
day.

Dan Iwerks wrote:
> "John S." > wrote in news:1147032170.811886.250810
> @g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:
>
> >
> > Dr. Ernst Primer (again) wrote:
> >> I consider myself fairly experienced with IPAs and I've recently
> >> discovered "Racer 5" by Bear Republic.
> >>
> >> I think it's the best IPA I've ever had, foreign or domestic. Only
> >> one that comes close is the now-defunct Pike Brewing Company IPA,
> >> formerly of Seattle, Washington.
> >
> > So many good ones to choose from. Near the top imho would be:
> > Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
> > Old Dominion New River Pale Ale (that name is a mouthful!)
>
> New River Pale Ale is actually an APA (to split a beer-hair).

I'll drink to that. Actually I enjoy the New River as well as the two
Tuppers. Although the Pils would probably rank third of the group in a
close race.


> That
> being said, I'm going to go cry now, as I used to live 15 miles away
> from Dominion and always had New River in my house as my standard beer.
> Perfect balance of malt and hops, wonderful mouthfeel, IMO the best beer
> on the planet pound-for-pound. It's about the only thing I miss from
> living on the East Coast.

Did you ever make it to the pub? Pretty decent food and the freshest
beer.

>
> To be local again, I'll vote for Masala Mama from Town Hall in
> Minneapolis. Brewpub-only, but damn, it's spectacular stuff. Bottled,
> dunno. Hop Devil, like everything from Victory, seems to have gone
> downhill in recent years. Maybe SNCA by default as the best.
> --
> ************************************************** ***
> Dan Iwerks needs a bicycle like a woman needs a fish.

Hehe..

> The fundamental problem with Solipsism is it makes me
> responsible for the fact that you're a complete idiot.
> ************************************************** ****

"John S." > wrote in
oups.com:

>
> Dan Iwerks wrote:
>> "John S." > wrote in news:1147032170.811886.250810
>> @g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:
>>
>> >
>> > Dr. Ernst Primer (again) wrote:
>> >> I consider myself fairly experienced with IPAs and I've recently
>> >> discovered "Racer 5" by Bear Republic.
>> >>
>> >> I think it's the best IPA I've ever had, foreign or domestic.
>> >> Only
>> >> one that comes close is the now-defunct Pike Brewing Company IPA,
>> >> formerly of Seattle, Washington.
>> >
>> > So many good ones to choose from. Near the top imho would be:
>> > Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
>> > Old Dominion New River Pale Ale (that name is a mouthful!)
>>
>> New River Pale Ale is actually an APA (to split a beer-hair).
>
> I'll drink to that. Actually I enjoy the New River as well as the two
> Tuppers. Although the Pils would probably rank third of the group in
> a close race.

The Tuppers Hop Pocket Ale was the beer that really hooked me hard as a
beer geek. Miss that one as well, but nothing as much as New River.

>> That
>> being said, I'm going to go cry now, as I used to live 15 miles away
>> from Dominion and always had New River in my house as my standard
>> beer. Perfect balance of malt and hops, wonderful mouthfeel, IMO the
>> best beer on the planet pound-for-pound. It's about the only thing I
>> miss from living on the East Coast.
>
> Did you ever make it to the pub? Pretty decent food and the freshest
> beer.

Dozens and dozens of times. Going to be back out East for a few days
and need to make a pilgrimage there. Wondering how many growlers of the
brewpub version of Oak Barrel Stout I can get into my carryon . . .
--
************************************************** ***
Dan Iwerks needs a bicycle like a woman needs a fish.
The fundamental problem with Solipsism is it makes me
responsible for the fact that you’re a complete idiot.
************************************************** ****

"cg" > wrote in news:Zyu8g.133$5Z.71@dukeread02:

>
> "Dan Iwerks" <dan_iwerks*at*yahoo.com> wrote in message
> .30...
>
>> New River Pale Ale is actually an APA (to split a beer-hair). That
>> being said, I'm going to go cry now, as I used to live 15 miles away
>> from Dominion and always had New River in my house as my standard
>> beer. Perfect balance of malt and hops, wonderful mouthfeel, IMO the
>> best beer on the planet pound-for-pound. It's about the only thing I
>> miss from living on the East Coast.
>
> New River is certainly a good APA. I've had it as my home draught
> beer on a number of occasions, as well as the Tupper's Pils. While
> solid, at least for as East Coast beer, it's about fair-to-middlin'
> when compared to a number of West Coast entries. Vinnie Cilurzo's
> stuff at RRBC comes to mind, as well as the beers Paddy used to brew
> at Moylan's, and when Marin IPA was on, it was untouchable.

Definitely a personal preference thing, but I tend to find a lot of West
Coast beers fall prey to the usual West Coast stereotype of unbalanced
towards the hop side of things. New River's perfectly balanced between
a lovely hoppy bite and actual full, sticky malts.

>> To be local again, I'll vote for Masala Mama from Town Hall in
>> Minneapolis. Brewpub-only, but damn, it's spectacular stuff.
>> Bottled, dunno. Hop Devil, like everything from Victory, seems to
>> have gone downhill in recent years. Maybe SNCA by default as the
>> best.
>
> Was just there last Saturday, and things don't seem to have gone
> downhill in the least. Hop Devil is likely become a victim of palate
> creep as people titrate up their hop resistance, but it remains
> largely unchanged from the pilot batches.

I've read something that Victory claims their recipes haven't changed,
but about everyone I know agrees that in the last two years Old
Horizontal and Storm King have really taken a significant step backward.
I've only had Hop Devil a couple of times in the last year or two, but
it just didn't have the bounce it used to. It wasn't that it seemed
less hoppy or anything but that the malt seemed thinner than it used to.

OH and SK used to be my favorite beers on the planet, but something's
been off for the last few years. 2005 SK was at least decent, but the
2004 was positively terrible.

> With Old Dominion's recent sale, I have to wonder if there'll be some
> reracking of the lineup and maybe some new products.

Certainly could, but OD's been pretty successful as a growing regional
brewery and I'd like to believe nobody's going to screw with what's
proved to be a reasonably good business model. That being said, if they
want to ramp up distribution and bring their beer to Minnesota, well, I
wouldn't exactly pout about that.
--
************************************************** ***
Dan Iwerks needs a bicycle like a woman needs a fish.
The fundamental problem with Solipsism is it makes me
responsible for the fact that you’re a complete idiot.
************************************************** ****

Dan Iwerks wrote:
> "John S." > wrote in
> oups.com:
>
> >
> > Dan Iwerks wrote:
> >> "John S." > wrote in news:1147032170.811886.250810
> >> @g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:
> >>
> >> >
> >> > Dr. Ernst Primer (again) wrote:
> >> >> I consider myself fairly experienced with IPAs and I've recently
> >> >> discovered "Racer 5" by Bear Republic.
> >> >>
> >> >> I think it's the best IPA I've ever had, foreign or domestic.
> >> >> Only
> >> >> one that comes close is the now-defunct Pike Brewing Company IPA,
> >> >> formerly of Seattle, Washington.
> >> >
> >> > So many good ones to choose from. Near the top imho would be:
> >> > Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
> >> > Old Dominion New River Pale Ale (that name is a mouthful!)
> >>
> >> New River Pale Ale is actually an APA (to split a beer-hair).
> >
> > I'll drink to that. Actually I enjoy the New River as well as the two
> > Tuppers. Although the Pils would probably rank third of the group in
> > a close race.
>
> The Tuppers Hop Pocket Ale was the beer that really hooked me hard as a
> beer geek. Miss that one as well, but nothing as much as New River.
>
> >> That
> >> being said, I'm going to go cry now, as I used to live 15 miles away
> >> from Dominion and always had New River in my house as my standard
> >> beer. Perfect balance of malt and hops, wonderful mouthfeel, IMO the
> >> best beer on the planet pound-for-pound. It's about the only thing I
> >> miss from living on the East Coast.
> >
> > Did you ever make it to the pub? Pretty decent food and the freshest
> > beer.
>
> Dozens and dozens of times. Going to be back out East for a few days
> and need to make a pilgrimage there. Wondering how many growlers of the
> brewpub version of Oak Barrel Stout I can get into my carryon . . .

The fish and chips is a favorite of mine, but the burgers are down
right tasty too. You might look into a keg instad of a dozen growlers
(grin). Dominion sells a fair amount of their beer to local
restaurants too. Red Hot 'n Blue is currently selling one of their
ales and Oak Barrel Stout. A 22 ounce glass of stout and ribs...yum!



> --
> ************************************************** ***
> Dan Iwerks needs a bicycle like a woman needs a fish.
> The fundamental problem with Solipsism is it makes me
> responsible for the fact that you're a complete idiot.
> ************************************************** ****

it's not an ipa it's a pale ale..and it's called alpha king

"Of course, the American
beer drinking public is largely stupid, so they'll likely continue to
produce
the 90 & 120. "

that makes no sense...the majority of the american beer drinkers are
drinking the macro produced beers from bud miller and coors.... the
smaller majority of beer drinkers are drinking hand crafted brews and
from what i've seen and heard dogfish 90 minute is highly regarded as
one of the top Double IPA's...on the list of top ipas i would aslo put
alesmith ipa, harpoon ipa, smuttynose finest kind ipa and lagunitas ipa

> wrote:
>it's not an ipa it's a pale ale..and it's called alpha king

They certainly *call* it a pale ale. But if it quacks
like a duck...
--
Joel Plutchak

"The bicycle has done more for the emancipation of women than anything
else in the world." - Susan B. Anthony

Joel wrote:
> > wrote:
>
>>it's not an ipa it's a pale ale..and it's called alpha king
>
>
> They certainly *call* it a pale ale. But if it quacks
> like a duck...


Alpha King is as much an IPA as any. What the brewer calls it is irrelevant

>>>>I will, though, run out and get the Racer 5, thanks to the
>>>>recommendations...


And it's delicious. It has this satiny mouthfeel, a lustrous orange/copper
color (it is really a visually beautiful beer), and it takes it's time
spreading across the palate in shades of hop intensity. If wine drinkers
only knew about the spectacular flavor available in great beers like this,
they would save a lot of money.

On 2006-05-06, Robert > wrote:

> Try Lagunitas IPA and if you can find it Hoptown IPA

Ahh, a local.

Yes, Hoptown IPA is quite tasty if you like your IPA's just a tad on
the sweet side. I do. Another sweetish IPA along the same lines is
Wet Mountain, a very good IPA from a small pizza chain/micro brewery
called Il Vicino's. As a bonus, their pizzas are killer. The best
I've tried.

http://www.ilvicino.com/ilvicino/locations.asp

nb

On 2006-05-08, Joe Bloggs > wrote:

> my current (daily) fav, is Wet Mountain IPA (Bristol Brewing, Co
> Springs, CO).

Joe, the bottled stuff, which is contract brewed, is nowhere near as
good as the real deal. If you can get to one of the breweries (CO
SPRNGs), do it. The bottled stuff is really inferior. You can buy
growlers to go (2L) and they will even fill your 5 gal corny keg for
$40 (roughly 4 cases of beer). Wet Mountain. Yum!

http://www.ilvicino.com/ilvicino/locations.asp

nb

On 2006-05-04, Dr. Ernst Primer (again) > wrote:

> I consider myself fairly experienced with IPAs and I've recently
> discovered "Racer 5" by Bear Republic.

The first time I tried Racer 5 I was less than impressed. Turns out
one of their early releases just didn't get it and a few cases
escaped. I tried the newer stuff and it's not bad. But, I'd much
rather have my favorite, Drake's IPA from the Drake's Brewing CO in
San Leandro CA. This is a very malty and hoppy IPA without being too
syrupy and heavy. Not everyone will like the strong malt profile, but
the equally strong hops profile balances perfectly and still leaves a
clean underwhelmed palate. In fact, I just talked myself into a sixer.

nb

"notbob" > wrote in message
...
> On 2006-05-04, Dr. Ernst Primer (again) > wrote:
>
>> I consider myself fairly experienced with IPAs and I've recently
>> discovered "Racer 5" by Bear Republic.
>
> The first time I tried Racer 5 I was less than impressed. Turns out
> one of their early releases just didn't get it and a few cases
> escaped. I tried the newer stuff and it's not bad. But, I'd much
> rather have my favorite, Drake's IPA from the Drake's Brewing CO in
> San Leandro CA. This is a very malty and hoppy IPA without being too
> syrupy and heavy. Not everyone will like the strong malt profile, but
> the equally strong hops profile balances perfectly and still leaves a
> clean underwhelmed palate. In fact, I just talked myself into a sixer.

Unless Drake's have cleaned up their act considerably, and done some
reformulations, there's no way their IPA would hold a candle to Racer
5. Given the limitations of the brewhouse (admittedly, I haven't seen the
inside of it sine 2002), there was plenty of reason to question the
consistency
of the product.

Racer 5, OTOH, while having gone through some minor growing pains
when Richard expanded, has never been less than outstanding. We lived
in Santa Rosa back when Richard was brewing Racer 5 as a "seasonal"
four times a year, and were gratified to see it move into regular production
and year-round availability.

Hoptown's DUIPA, although a "double" IPA, is one of the few Northern
CA beers that comes close to Racer 5 (Marin IPA and RR IPA being the
others). Drake's is a good enough beer, but just doesn't stand up against
the competition.

Will reevaluate at the end of the month when I fly out and spend 3 nights
at Barclay's in Rock Ridge sampling the local wares.

cg

On 2006-05-13, cg > wrote:

> Unless Drake's have cleaned up their act considerably, and done some
> reformulations, there's no way their IPA would hold a candle to Racer

I think they must have. Winning gold at GABF is no joke. And you
obviously didn't get the 22oz'er of Racer 5 I did. No doubt they've
both matured since getting more shelf space.

> Hoptown's DUIPA, although a "double" IPA, is one of the few Northern
> CA beers that comes close to Racer 5 (Marin IPA and RR IPA being the
> others). Drake's is a good enough beer, but just doesn't stand up against
> the competition.

Sounds like were into that gray area of personal taste. I like a lot
of IPA's for a lot of different reasons and drink them all regularly.
Actually, my favorite is my own homebrew, BGA, which blows 'em all
into the hay bales.

nb

"cg" > wrote in message
news:Acb9g.63551$5Z.55555@dukeread02...

> Unless Drake's have cleaned up their act considerably, and done some
> reformulations, there's no way their IPA would hold a candle to Racer
> 5.

That's what I would have thought. And then I judged at the LA County Fair
beer comp last year, in the IPA flight, and lo and behold we awared Drake's
No. 1. It wasn't a unanimous pick (I think I had what turned out to be Stone
IPA at No. 1 - the beer that turned out to be Racer 5 was a bit high in
diacetyl, which the Racer 5 is prone to going overboard on periodically),
but it was within the top three for all of us. And we all decided that a
brewer that made a really good IPA that was a bit out of the incredibly
similiar profiles of all the others deserved some recognition.

We were all stunned after we'd turned in our forms and scores and found out
we'd just given Drake's the medal.

> Racer 5, OTOH, while having gone through some minor growing pains
> when Richard expanded, has never been less than outstanding. We lived
> in Santa Rosa back when Richard was brewing Racer 5 as a "seasonal"
> four times a year, and were gratified to see it move into regular
> production
> and year-round availability.

Racer 5 has been essentially my house beer for years. I enjoy trying a wide
variety of things, but it is so consistently outstanding and nearly
perfectly balanced that it's tough to push it away. The one flaw I detect in
it, as noted above, is that occasionally the diacetyl levels start creeping
a tad high (including in the one I'm drinking at this very moment). It's a
nitpick, because it's never excessive, and it adds even further complexity
to the beer in most cases (and I'm sure is a contributer to the great
mouthfeel).

>
> Hoptown's DUIPA, although a "double" IPA, is one of the few Northern
> CA beers that comes close to Racer 5 (Marin IPA and RR IPA being the
> others). Drake's is a good enough beer, but just doesn't stand up against
> the competition.

It may be time to revisit.

And I've tried liking Hoptown, and just can't. Not that it's bad, but
there's a little something not quite right there. It's almost like they've
managed to find hop astringency.

-Steve

On 2006-05-13, Steve Jackson > wrote:


> No. 1. It wasn't a unanimous pick (I think I had what turned out to be Stone
> IPA at No. 1......

Ahh yes .... a very good choice. My second if I'm not in the mood for
a heavy malt profile. Very well balanced.


> And I've tried liking Hoptown, and just can't. Not that it's bad, but
> there's a little something not quite right there. It's almost like they've
> managed to find hop astringency.

Hoptown belongs to one of several sweet IPA's. I think this
magnifies the hops bitterness.

nb

"notbob" > wrote in message
...
> On 2006-05-13, cg > wrote:
>
>> Unless Drake's have cleaned up their act considerably, and done some
>> reformulations, there's no way their IPA would hold a candle to Racer
>
> I think they must have. Winning gold at GABF is no joke. And you
> obviously didn't get the 22oz'er of Racer 5 I did. No doubt they've
> both matured since getting more shelf space.

Have you judged at GABF? Trust me. Those awards aren't all
they're cracked up to be. Of course, that's true with just about every
award out there. I put exactly zero stock in GABF and their awards.

There's no doubt that BRBC has has consistency issues, but I've
rarely had a beer that was overly diacteyl-laden. Drake, OTOH,
at least when Roger owned/ran it, had serious problems. It was
a function of lack of capitalization, as Roger was pretty much on a
shoestring budget, but Drake's did put out some of foulest beer
(Wizard held the Foulest Brewery Ever title for years). Oddly,
they put out some of the best beers as well - last time I was in
Barclay's, they were pouring a Drake's beer that was low gravity,
pale straw/gold, and had an amazing hop flavor and aroma. They've
definitely cleaned up their act.

Again, GABF award mean exactly SFA. They actually are a joke.

On 2006-05-13, cg > wrote:

> Again, GABF award mean exactly SFA. They actually are a joke.

What!? Just because Old Milwaukee takes a gold in the American Lager
category? Sssshhhh.......

nb

On 2006-05-13, cg > wrote:

> Hoptown's DUIPA, although a "double" IPA, is one of the few Northern
> CA beers that comes close to Racer 5 (Marin IPA and RR IPA being the
> others).

You wanna try a double IPA? Try Pliny the Elder. Whoa!! Even I
forgot about that one till this afternoon when I remembered and had
one. Yikes! Talk about hops. The closest thing to working on a hops
ranch in a bottle. (I know ...I did for 3 summers)

nb

"notbob" > wrote in message
. ..
> On 2006-05-13, cg > wrote:
>
>> Hoptown's DUIPA, although a "double" IPA, is one of the few Northern
>> CA beers that comes close to Racer 5 (Marin IPA and RR IPA being the
>> others).
>
> You wanna try a double IPA? Try Pliny the Elder. Whoa!! Even I
> forgot about that one till this afternoon when I remembered and had
> one. Yikes! Talk about hops. The closest thing to working on a hops
> ranch in a bottle. (I know ...I did for 3 summers)
>
> nb
Umm....I only had the small samples of both at the GABF last year
but...Pliny The Younger impressed me way more than Pliny The Elder. No
slight on the Elder intended.

On 2006-05-13, Bill Becker > wrote:

> Umm....I only had the small samples of both at the GABF last year
> but...Pliny The Younger impressed me way more than Pliny The Elder. No
> slight on the Elder intended.

Don't tell your momma this weekend.

nb

notbob > wrote:
>...they will even fill your 5 gal corny keg for
>$40 (roughly 4 cases of beer).

Unless the definition of "case" has changed, 5 gallons
of beer is roughly two cases:

12 ounces/bottle x 24 bottles/case x 2 cases = 576 ounces

There are 640 fluid ounces (US) in 5 US gallons, so you'd
have two cases plus about 5 bottles worth.
--
Joel Plutchak

"The bicycle has done more for the emancipation of women than anything
else in the world." - Susan B. Anthony

if you like Racer 5 then you should try Racer X (10)...that's not bad
either

On 2006-05-15, Joel > wrote:

> Unless the definition of "case" has changed, 5 gallons
> of beer is roughly two cases:
>
> 12 ounces/bottle x 24 bottles/case x 2 cases = 576 ounces
>
> There are 640 fluid ounces (US) in 5 US gallons, so you'd
> have two cases plus about 5 bottles worth.

Hey! ...I said roughly.

nb

I've had so many IPAs that I'm almost bored with the style. However,
Great Divide's Titan IPA and Hercules Double-IPA really impressed me;
those two I will definitely drink again.

Also I like Sierra Nevada's newish bottled IPA.

VW wrote:
> Dr. Ernst Primer (again) wrote:
>
>> I consider myself fairly experienced with IPAs and I've recently
>> discovered "Racer 5" by Bear Republic.
>>
>> I think it's the best IPA I've ever had, foreign or domestic. Only
>> one that comes close is the now-defunct Pike Brewing Company IPA,
>> formerly of Seattle, Washington.
>>
>
> LaConner IPA, Stone IPA, and Boundry Bay Imperal IPA get my nod, but if
> I ever see a Racer 5 I will give it a try. And when did Pike Brewing
> Company IPA go away? It is still at my local markett last I looked

I like the Stone, but my favorite among what's available now is the
"Limited Availability" Saranac IPA. Hops are our frineds!

One of my all time favorites was the old Balentine IPA, back when it was
aged one year in wood before being bottled. The the bean counters
decided six months was enough, and I don't even know or care if they
make it since the sell out.

Balentine used to make a really good dark beer, just called "Balentine
dark" anywhere I could get it. It was only on tap, and I might call it
stout today, a strong ale with some caramel character but hops at the
pale ale level, and a creamy head.

--
bill davidsen >
Beer blog: http://blogs.tmr.com/beer
Unsigned numbers may not be negative. However, unsigned numbers may be
less than zero for suffietly large values of zero.

Bill Benzel wrote:
> In rec.food.drink.beer cg > wrote:
> :
> : 60 Minute is a good enough beer, but the 90 and 120 aren't worth the time
> : or money. Dogfish Head does a couple of beers really well, but their
> : 90 & 120 just highlight the fact that they're a one-trick pony. You can
> : only
> : go so far with abusively hopped, syrupy beers. Of course, the American
> : beer drinking public is largely stupid, so they'll likely continue to
> : produce
> : the 90 & 120.
> :
>
> Have you ever tried a 120 minute that has been cellared for 3 years?
> It's a completely different beer at that point. The syrupy, cloying
> sweetness disappears, the bitterness mellows, and the beer becomes
> something more akin to a barleywine with a flavor profile not unlike
> Samichlaus.

I have some home brew which has cellared for five years or so, and it
has improved somewhat. But it didn't start with the flavor flaws you
describe, and it ended being better, but not amazingly so.

--
bill davidsen >
Beer blog: http://blogs.tmr.com/beer
Unsigned numbers may not be negative. However, unsigned numbers may be
less than zero for suffietly large values of zero.

I admit to having sampled a tad extensively from a veritable array - a
BEVY, if you will - (Ha!) of IPAs over the last 12 mos, and these are
the standouts (that I can remember):

-Green Flash IPA near San Diego (Apparently 100% better under their new
whizkid brewer, and I believe it!)

-Pliny the Elder (a line from James Joyce: "My soul swoons softly."
Incredible!)

-Racer 5 (now getting the street cred it deserves)

-Moylan's Hopsicle Imperial Ale (wow!)

....and the winner, acc. to my own buds...

-Avery Maharaji Imperial IPA (made me glad to be alive...hopheads: LOOK
for this one. Trust me on this!)

-Honorable Mention: just about anything Stone has done.

-michael
Berkeley, CA, Unistat, The Empire