20 replies to this topic

[Big Nake]

I wanted to make it an all-Wisconsin beer trip but my wife did some of the beer shopping and picked up some other stuff too... which was good. I'm thinking that I may have forgotten some but here is a list» New Glarus Two Women (German Country Lager... sort of a red lager)» New Glarus Moon Man (Pale-colored Pale Ale w/5 hops including Amarillo & Citra I believe)» New Glarus Totally Naked (Pale Lager with Noble hops)» Capital Brewing Supper Club (Pale Lager with Munich & corn along with Northern Brewer hops)» New Belgium Ranger IPA (nice)» New Belgium Summer Helles (also nice... I have mentioned it before)» Wisconsin Brewing Amber Lager (pale colored amber lager. Low on hops... not bad)» Wisconsin Brewing Session IPA (a nice IPA on the low end of IBUs for an IPA, I believe)» Point Cascade Pale Ale (all Cascade pale ale... quite nice)» Point "Beyond The Pale" IPA. (nice)» Summit EPA (Extra Pale Ale) (First time trying it and it was quite tasty)I also had a Leinie Honey Weiss when out to lunch one day and a Leinie Red Lager when out to dinner one night. That's a lot of beer but for some reason my wife was in the mood for beer this trip. She really liked the Point Cascade Pale Ale... probably her #2 beer after Moon Man.Cheers Beerheads.

Edited by KenLenard, 28 July 2014 - 09:55 AM.

[johnpreuss]

You definately can't go wrong with the New Glarus offerings.  Point has come along way since I went to college in Stevens Point, it used to just be Point Special Lager... but their Pale Ale is pretty good.  Summit EPA - This is my go to commercial beer.  Living in Minnesota it's on tap darn near everywhere.  Story goes that back during the early days of craft beer the owner of that brewery went bar to bar offering to install an extra tap free of charge to get the bar to offer it. 

[Big Nake]

I was reading on the Point site that they have been expanding at an alarming rate which is good to hear. They are something like the 5th oldest continuously-running brewery in the US. I remember trying Point Amber (a lager) last year and it was a diacetyl bomb. The Summit EPA was a surprise and it was very good. Although I was trying to figure out why they called it an "extra pale ale" because it's not 'extra pale' so what is the 'extra'? Does it have a higher-than-normal ABV? The bottle didn't say. The Capital "Supper Club" was very unusual. I was actually drawn to it because of the label design which was cool. The label doesn't tell you what style of beer it is but the tag line for it was something like "A Wisconsin state of mind" and also "NOT BAD". Seriously... NOT BAD is on the label. Their site says it's "Brewer's Malt (2-row), Munich, corn grits and Northern Brewer hops". 5%, pale-colored and 18 IBUs I think.There's something about standing on a deck or a pier/dock overlooking the water and drinking a locally-made beer. Beer on the pier!

[johnpreuss]

There isn't anything "Extra" about the Summit EPA.  If memory serves me it's a 1.050-55 35 IBU pale ale.  Much like SNPA on the grain bill and it's bittered with Horizon, late addition of Fuggle and Cascade.  I like it ALOT... but I like SNPA as well. 

 

Yes, beer on a dock, pontoon, next to a tent.... always better than at home!!! 

[denny]

I thought that the NB Ranger was solidly mediocre.

[neddles]

There's something about standing on a deck or a pier/dock overlooking the water and drinking a locally-made beer. Beer on the pier!

I hears ya there. 

[Poptop]

I thought that the NB Ranger was solidly mediocre.

Had a Professor that used to say, "The mediocre are always at their best."

[HVB]

I thought that the NB Ranger was solidly mediocre.

You are generous :-)

[denny]

You are generous :-)

 

I'm in a good mood today....

[johnpreuss]

HEY NOW!  There are times that my only IPA options at my little hick liquors stores are Ranger and Rebel.  At least it's not all full of tropical hops.

 

Edit... I did get them to start carrying Surly Furious

Edited by johnpreuss, 28 July 2014 - 01:22 PM.

[Big Nake]

I'm not an IPA fan necessarily but I will take various opportunities to sample one here or there because I don't brew them. I thought the Ranger was very tasty but that's coming from an IPA newbie. If you guys are saying that it's mediocre because there isn't enough hop presence then maybe that's why I thought it was okay. If you're referring to the blend of hops or that the hops are boring or whatever... again, maybe that's why I thought it was okay. The tropical hops like Citra, etc. have their place and the more mainstream hops have their place too.

[positiveContact]

I'm not an IPA fan necessarily but I will take various opportunities to sample one here or there because I don't brew them. I thought the Ranger was very tasty but that's coming from an IPA newbie. If you guys are saying that it's mediocre because there isn't enough hop presence then maybe that's why I thought it was okay. If you're referring to the blend of hops or that the hops are boring or whatever... again, maybe that's why I thought it was okay. The tropical hops like Citra, etc. have their place and the more mainstream hops have their place too.

 

I'm still working my way through hop varieties but I think I might agree with you on the types.  I might be a little more traditional in my preferences for hops.  I'm still going to give citra a try though

[johnpreuss]

I'm still working my way through hop varieties but I think I might agree with you on the types.  I might be a little more traditional in my preferences for hops.  I'm still going to give citra a try though

 

I like Citra, but Mosaic, NZ hops in general... I'm not a fan.  I don't want my IPA to smell like a boat drink.

[Big Nake]

I have come a long way on some of these. Amarillo was off my radar until I understood better ways to use it. Amarillo and Citra together are very nice and I have this dark hoppy wheat beer on tap right now with 2 ounces of late Citra and that came out very nicely as well. But the idea of a bunch of late Mt. Hood, Cascade, Columbus, Simcoe, etc. has its place, no question. I have these Mosaic hops that are slated for a pale ale late-addition so fingers are crossed that I like how they play.

[denny]

I'm not an IPA fan necessarily but I will take various opportunities to sample one here or there because I don't brew them. I thought the Ranger was very tasty but that's coming from an IPA newbie. If you guys are saying that it's mediocre because there isn't enough hop presence then maybe that's why I thought it was okay. If you're referring to the blend of hops or that the hops are boring or whatever... again, maybe that's why I thought it was okay. The tropical hops like Citra, etc. have their place and the more mainstream hops have their place too.

 

Like all NB beers, it's solidly made.  I didn't find it to be anything other than a well made, ordinary IPA.  There was just nothing about it that said "wow!" to me.

[HVB]

HEY NOW!  There are times that my only IPA options at my little hick liquors stores are Ranger and Rebel.  At least it's not all full of tropical hops.

 

Edit... I did get them to start carrying Surly Furious

I do not feel that an IPA needs to be all tropical hops.  Ranger just did nothing for me when I had it.  Maybe it was the situation or it was old, it was in the Denver airport so I do no think that was it, but I was flying out into a snow storm so I may have not been in a good mood .  it was a fine "beer" it was just not an IPA I would go to when wanting an IPA.  Something like Union Jack, Dales, Torpedo, Furious, Stone or something else would be my first choice.  It just did not have the aroma and flavor I want in an IPA.

 

 

I like Citra, but Mosaic, NZ hops in general... I'm not a fan.  I don't want my IPA to smell like a boat drink.

You should try my Holiday Hug recipe.  It has mosaic in teh hop blend and I do not feel it is a boat drink but a damn nice IPA. 

[Poptop]

Just can't get enough of the citra/mo combo. Maybe it's the 'tropical' south Florida heat and humidity that makes that marriage in an APA taste so delicious. Gonna have to review the Holiday Hug.

[neddles]

Agree on the Ranger, well made but no real "wow" factor.

 

IMO Moon Man and Two Women are the class of Ken's list. Exceptional beers that are exceptionally drinkable and full of great flavors. Like other hop centric beers you gotta get that Moon Man fresh.

 

No problem with fruity/tropical hops here. In fact it's been the theme lately. Drinking a Saison with Motueka, just kegged a PA with Mosaic, and ordered another half pound of El Dorado. 

[Poptop]

I just received a pound each; Citra, Mosaic and Amarillo. If anyone wants to trade off a few ounces, PM me.

[Big Nake]

Agree on the Ranger, well made but no real "wow" factor. IMO Moon Man and Two Women are the class of Ken's list. Exceptional beers that are exceptionally drinkable and full of great flavors. Like other hop centric beers you gotta get that Moon Man fresh. No problem with fruity/tropical hops here. In fact it's been the theme lately. Drinking a Saison with Motueka, just kegged a PA with Mosaic, and ordered another half pound of El Dorado.

I agree on the Moon Man and Two Women. I'm able to duplicate the Two Women well enough for my tastes and I can make a nice Amarillo-Citra Pale Ale that I call Man In The Moon and my wife calls Moon Man so that's good enough for me. Also, with 4 taps, I'm able to dedicate one of them to something with the late-hop character that I like and my wife loves. Anything with late Amarillo and/or Citra works. I have this 312 Urban Pale Ale coming out next which has Nugget, Mt. Hood and Amarillo and I currently have this dark & hoppy wheat beer with late Citra. But the taps are balanced so there will almost always be a pilsner, kolsch, helles or something of that variety, maybe something in the amber lager style (festbier, Two Women, Vienna) and then maybe a standard pale ale, etc. The idea of making one of these tropical/fruity hop beers where something clean like Magnum is used for bittering and then a bunch of the floral/fruity hops are used in the last 10-15 minutes seems to work well and I'm noticing many people that I know who used to be "beer mortals" (only liking bland beers) are coming around to liking beers with this late citrusy-hop character. Last year when we were in WI, my SIL tried Moon Man and winced. Then she drank Two Women all week. But the next time she came over and my Man In The Moon was on tap, she tried it and said it was awesome & drank it all afternoon. Go figure.

Edited by KenLenard, 29 July 2014 - 07:07 AM.