Take beer advocate stuff with a grain of salt. Beers that the masses on that site vote high might not be your taste. I had some Smuttynose Pumpkin this year and went on to see what the reviews were like. They rated it as decent from what I remember. So either I got a bad batch or they are over friendly with their ratings. Plus I think the site is slightly biased towards certain kinds of beers because like BOTL there is a forum. With a forum comes a fanboy type attitude and while here at BOTL it tends to be Tats and DPG stuff there I gather much of it is West Coast beers like Russian River, and Stone or Rogue. I could be wrong I don't hang there much but that's the impressions I get.These guys don't seem to think so, although I will keep an eye out for it as I love trying new stuff.
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/273/751/?sort=serv&servT=8&start=10
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/147/4083
I find myself using beer advocate more and more as a resource for trying new stuff....like when I'm in the store looking for something i've never tried. I look at it kind of like BOTL, in that they're just guys who dig beer, doin' reviews. For the most part, I've found the average scoring to be a fairly decent indicator of how much I'll like it....but again, just for the most part.
Thanks for the advice Adam....I'm not a member, and I didn't realize there was a forum, but I guess I should've assumed there was. I can see the bias thing playing a factor, which is why I prefer to taste stuff myself...I simply use it as a guide to point me in a direction.Take beer advocate stuff with a grain of salt. Beers that the masses on that site vote high might not be your taste. I had some Smuttynose Pumpkin this year and went on to see what the reviews were like. They rated it as decent from what I remember. So either I got a bad batch or they are over friendly with their ratings. Plus I think the site is slightly biased towards certain kinds of beers because like BOTL there is a forum. With a forum comes a fanboy type attitude and while here at BOTL it tends to be Tats and DPG stuff there I gather much of it is West Coast beers like Russian River, and Stone or Rogue. I could be wrong I don't hang there much but that's the impressions I get.
I need to get my hands on a fresh Pliny. I know with my homebrew IPAs the hops fade after like two months big time. I did like the ones I tried but the aroma that I suspect makes it awesome was really faded last time I had some. I'm trying to think of some east coast you could look to try. When the local place releases their Nugget Nectar I'll see if I can get ya a bottle or two. Great Divide also had a very good and interesting bourbon barrel aged IPA. Least I think it was bourbon. I'm still looking to try the cedar aged Cigar City IPA.Thanks for the advice Adam....I'm not a member, and I didn't realize there was a forum, but I guess I should've assumed there was. I can see the bias thing playing a factor, which is why I prefer to taste stuff myself...I simply use it as a guide to point me in a direction.
That said, when it comes to IPA, I have been leaning towards Californian (Sierra Nevada Torpedo/Celebration, Russian River, and now Stone.) versus my local stuff...and Oregon is indeed known for its quality of beer (Rogue, Widmer, Full Sail, Deschutes to name a few). They seem to have their IPAs figured out IMO.
Nice. Found some last year and am hoping to find some more this year. Currently enjoying:Drinking some Nugget Nectar right now! I love the stuff and it's brewed 10 min down the road.
I sourced some of that Lennys RIPA not all that long ago Larry, and I concur...that's one excellent beer! I just wish it were easier to find (and cheaper!!)...although I'm hoping the place I found it will continue to stock it. They only had 6 left (sell em' by the 12 oz bottle), and I took em all.Kyle, since your original post I have grown fond of the following IPA's....
He'Brew R.I.P.A. on Rye
Flying Dog Raging Bitch
Left Hand Brewing 400 lb Monkey
I find that I really enjoy English and Belgian-Style India Pale Ale more than any others so far.
Here's more info on Loose Caboose.
The Racer 5 is hands down right now my favorite every day IPA. The ONLY one of the many that I've tried that I can find by the 6 pack and more recently, a half-case. The bombers are nice....but I like being able to buy beer by the 6'er of 12 pack. Not too many IPAs that I've been drinking come that way.....one of the few exceptions being the Racer 5.I recently had a Bear Republic Racer 5 that I really enjoyed.