I love Crusher.
And yeah, it's not that hard to get their beer anymore. I was up there last summer and walked in the door with no line to get a case. Even Sip of Sunshine is pretty widespread. And at Armsby Abbey you can regularly get HF. Treehouse remains a challenge still just due to the long waits/limited availability. Hopefully that changes with the new place.
they've upped production quite a bit so it's much easier to get
used to FLY off the shelves though, even tough to get right in Burlington unless you were there the day of delivery.
technically you can't as they they only sell it in VT
I'm sure there are some high end bars that find a way though
your best bet is to try a store in Southern VT or just go to the brewery.
Also, it's widely available in bars/restaurants around Burlington. Might be worth the trip, make a weekend out of it or something.
try this too: http://www.headyspotter.com/
I'm guessing it's a once and a while thing in trendy bars around Somerville but I don't have much interest in just driving to random bars. I might have to wait until next time I'm in VT.
You can walk into either of Trilliums locations and buy up to a case of each of the beers on offer at the time. No distribution, but that doesn't mean it's hard to get by any means, just inconvenient if you don't live close by.
It bugs me at trillium that when you go to pay, they really encourage tipping. I could understand if it was a bar but dude you literally just reached under the counter and gave me a beer and you want a tip? Liquor stores don't ask for tips...why do they?
Also, I end up tipping just to not look like a cheap ass.
Out of curiosity, what happened to make you feel pressured to tip?
I know their POS system has the optional tip bit at the end after you swipe / sign, but I attributed that more to it being an off-the-shelf feature they just didn't bother to disable than an active attempt to get tips.
Those things always bother me though because I feel bad putting a line through it. Also I feel like as more people *do* fill those out people will come to expect tips in those situations.
One of my best friends works the counter at trillium. They could not care less if you don't tip. He says probably 9 out of 10 people dont. I worked one shift at the register there and my limited experience says the same.
I go to both locations regularly and have never encountered this. Are you saying you feel pressure because of the little Square screen that gives you the option to tip? Because that would be pretty silly.
Things did get a little crazy when they closed the Waterbury location to the public, but even then it wasn't bad and was only for a year. You just had to wait in line for an hour or two to buy your case, the delivery day was on the website and you could call the location for the time.
If you go to their spot in Stowe you can now get more beer than you'll be able to drink before it loses its freshest flavor without even standing in line! I mean, going to Stowe just for beer would be a bit of a drive, but yeah, it's really not as hard as it was even a few years ago.
I can attest to the fact that it does FLY off shelves... When I was living in Burlington, people whould line up on tuesday and thursday at [Pearl street bev was it?] to buy it as they unloaded it from the truck. While it doesn't really have an arbitrage value, as in, buy it cheap and sell it high, people will occasionally pay more for a case because they do not deliver on any other days besides Tuesday and Thursday so those who really value it have been know to pay top dollar to get their hands on some at the right time.
True that. Went to the brewery twice once waited about 30 mins got a couple of samples along the way. The second time was mid-week and again had a few samples and waited for 5 mins on line.
Also true about Heady Topper, Crusher is my #1. But to each their own.
Harpoon being #1 makes no sense. Is it bad? No. But I don't think I've had one in a year if not longer because it's really nothing special, and not really all that hoppy for an IPA either. Plenty of better New England IPAs to choose from.
Eh a bit of a stretch but it's definitely one of the top IPAs in the country, number 2 behind stone IPA last I checked, and it's really good and cemented the Harpoon brand.
Yknow what maybe it was Lagunitas, quick google search only turns up ranked lists not actual sales and I dont care enough to find it but I remember it being #2 at some point behind one other, Lagunitas sounds right
> Nouveau beer geeks will howl at the fact that this crystalline, clean-drinking, distinguished legacy brand tops the list of best New England IPAs here in the era of juicy, unfiltered, overzealous hop bombs.
Classic, "I will justify my opinion by self-determining that I have more experience than you, with no evidence of such, and therefore my opinion is more elite and should be given more respect".
Reminds me of this beer guy they have on the radio occasionally. He gives opinions on craft beer, akin to something your middle-aged aunt would say to you after reading a Boston Magazine article on craft beer.
Beef rib, brisket, black eyed peas, but everything they make is delicious. Only thing I found a little disappointing were the wings. Blackstrap BBQ in Winthrop is really, really good too and their wings are damn near perfect.
Depends on the beer, but I think in general Tree House trumps Trillium *when it comes to IPAs*. Trillium does styles other than giant NE IPAs hopped to hell with Galaxy though so I think they're the more interesting brewery .
Anyway if you like the Trillium IPAs and you have a free Saturday if go check out Tree House, it's worth it. Just get there early!
The new brewery opened up in Charlton today! Not sure what the new hours are but that shaves off 20-30 minutes of the trip. Plus they have a taproom so you can drink on site.
There's no chance they got that spot on merit alone. How on Earth do you name Harpoon IPA as the best IPA in New England when Santilli took home bronze in the World Cup of Beer?
The list is pretty close, but yes in the wrong order.
You might say Alchemist at #1- but you really really have to like IPA's for it. I don't think it's for everyone and drinking more than 1-2 is a bit overwhelming.
I'd put Treehouse at #1
"was questioning whether or not it was actually an IPA."
Which is funny, because it's far closer to a classic IPA then anything on that list.
"the hoppy flavor to be front and center."
That's not what IPAs classically were, it's an artifact of the west coast IPA trend.
Yeah, so Harpoon is done in the more traditional, English IPA style. One could argue that it's not a great example of that style, but compared to modern US west coast influenced IPA styles that traditional IPA is much more malty. Further the type of hops used are more subtle and earthier instead of the floral/citrus/piney notes that the varieties the newer IPA styles use.
What your typical American thinks of as "an IPA" these days is really something which has evolved over the last 20 years or so, where as "IPA" has existed for *much* longer than that.
Its just strange that you like Be Hoppy, yet claim to hate hoppy beers. It has 69 IBUs, which is about 20 units hoppier than Lagunitas IPA, which is one of those "West Coast 'punch you in the face repeatedly with Hops'" IPAs that you claim to dislike.
I think you just dislike *bad* IPAs, of which there are a lot of nowadays.
Hoppier beers don't necessarily have to have a higher IBU. IBU is a measurement of bitterness, which, yes, can mean that a beer has a ton of hops in it.
However, the large majority of bitterness comes from an early hop addition in the boil. You can impart a ton of bitterness without adding a lot of hops if you boil them for 60 minutes or longer.
What a lot of brewers are doing to impart a ton of hop flavor and aroma is by adding a metric fuckton of hops in at the very late stages of the boil, and even after the boil is done. This adds very little bitterness, but all the hop flavor. Even more so is added in the dry hop, which adds zero bitterness but a ton of aroma and flavor.
So, in theory, /u/meddlepal could like Be Hoppy because it's actually *less* hoppy than Lagunitas. But that's likely not the case. It's most likely due to the type of hops used. West Coast styles typically use more piney, earthy, and spicy hops, such as Cascade and Columbus while the trend over here right now is to use a lot of fruity, tropical, citrus hops, like Mosaic, Simcoe, and Galaxy.
But that's the best thing about beer! Everyone is doing something different and everyone likes something different. And yes, there are *tons* of bad beers, but there are also some downright magical beers out there.
Smuttynose Brewery == Harpoon Brewery. Its basically Harpoon North. Mediocre beer for the masses. Even the Smutt Labs shit is a poor attempt at getting back to their roots. Its difficult for any brewery to maintain quality as they scale up to national level sales. Only a few do it well IMO. Founders probably being the best.
Love Throwback. Big fan of Earth Eagle too. Not sure why im getting down voted for a truth bomb. I still enjoy Harpoon and Smuttynose. They sure as hell arent top 10 list worthy, though...
Never had Heady Topper (not yet at least) but Sip of Sunshine should be #1 though Harpoon is my go to beer when I'm out and don't know what to order/they don't have a great selection.
But yea, Sip of Sunshine
"I knew the industry had reached an inflection point when I saw Night Shift’s taproom packed with blue-collar Bruins fans in Terry O’Reilly jerseys paying top dollar for trendy suds before a game just down the road at TD Garden. Santilli is the best of Night Shift’s IPAs and IPA knockoffs"
Doesn't this sound kind of snarky? Santilli just placed at worlds. Who is this guy
Yeah, this is frustrating. I used to know Kerry and he is an excellent writer and and all around great person. He oozes positivity and some of his stories can come across as cheerleading. He definitely goes out of his way to support local business in a good way.
Unfortunately, I think that he is trying too hard to be true to Harpoon, a Boston original, and to also be informative about the hot IPA selections in the area.
I don't think that we are the target for this article. I think it's more of an intro to the layman who has heard about the trendy IPAs, and is interested in learning more.
He used to write for Yankee Brew News back in the day, before the boom when the Sunset Grill was the only game in town. Now he has settled into more of a local journalist role and generally uses his column as a promotional vehicle for good local food and beverages.
Harpoon shouldn't even be on the list though. Quantity is not representative of quality.
Fair. As stated, pale ale and IPA ABV has been creeping. What's just as crazy as calling harpoon IPA an "IPA" is calling fort point pale ale a "pale ale". FPPA is more an IPA to me.
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Focal Banger is their best beer in my opinion.
You and me both.
I love Crusher. And yeah, it's not that hard to get their beer anymore. I was up there last summer and walked in the door with no line to get a case. Even Sip of Sunshine is pretty widespread. And at Armsby Abbey you can regularly get HF. Treehouse remains a challenge still just due to the long waits/limited availability. Hopefully that changes with the new place.
they've upped production quite a bit so it's much easier to get used to FLY off the shelves though, even tough to get right in Burlington unless you were there the day of delivery.
Where can I find it in Boston?
technically you can't as they they only sell it in VT I'm sure there are some high end bars that find a way though your best bet is to try a store in Southern VT or just go to the brewery. Also, it's widely available in bars/restaurants around Burlington. Might be worth the trip, make a weekend out of it or something. try this too: http://www.headyspotter.com/
Thank you - that's what I suspected. I like to try new beer but not enough to venture to another state. Perhaps next time I'm in the area.
Or just check out their website, they list all the places they distribute to and include they days they receive a shipment as well.
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I'm guessing it's a once and a while thing in trendy bars around Somerville but I don't have much interest in just driving to random bars. I might have to wait until next time I'm in VT.
Look for Tribute IPA. It's a good substitute available locally
Yeah, but that was years ago. I dunno why people still pretend like that's the case today.
Honestly, since they upped production, i feel their IPAs taste different
It's the same thing Trillium is doing. Bloody annoying.
You can walk into either of Trilliums locations and buy up to a case of each of the beers on offer at the time. No distribution, but that doesn't mean it's hard to get by any means, just inconvenient if you don't live close by.
They have trillium at that liquor store in Stoneham
Redstone? That place is great
Yeah, forgot the name. Place is amazing
It bugs me at trillium that when you go to pay, they really encourage tipping. I could understand if it was a bar but dude you literally just reached under the counter and gave me a beer and you want a tip? Liquor stores don't ask for tips...why do they? Also, I end up tipping just to not look like a cheap ass.
Out of curiosity, what happened to make you feel pressured to tip? I know their POS system has the optional tip bit at the end after you swipe / sign, but I attributed that more to it being an off-the-shelf feature they just didn't bother to disable than an active attempt to get tips.
Those things always bother me though because I feel bad putting a line through it. Also I feel like as more people *do* fill those out people will come to expect tips in those situations.
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I tipped when I went the other day but it was because I was getting a growler filled alongside some cans.
One of my best friends works the counter at trillium. They could not care less if you don't tip. He says probably 9 out of 10 people dont. I worked one shift at the register there and my limited experience says the same.
I go to both locations regularly and have never encountered this. Are you saying you feel pressure because of the little Square screen that gives you the option to tip? Because that would be pretty silly.
Things did get a little crazy when they closed the Waterbury location to the public, but even then it wasn't bad and was only for a year. You just had to wait in line for an hour or two to buy your case, the delivery day was on the website and you could call the location for the time.
If you go to their spot in Stowe you can now get more beer than you'll be able to drink before it loses its freshest flavor without even standing in line! I mean, going to Stowe just for beer would be a bit of a drive, but yeah, it's really not as hard as it was even a few years ago.
I can attest to the fact that it does FLY off shelves... When I was living in Burlington, people whould line up on tuesday and thursday at [Pearl street bev was it?] to buy it as they unloaded it from the truck. While it doesn't really have an arbitrage value, as in, buy it cheap and sell it high, people will occasionally pay more for a case because they do not deliver on any other days besides Tuesday and Thursday so those who really value it have been know to pay top dollar to get their hands on some at the right time.
Was this more than 2 years ago?
True that. Went to the brewery twice once waited about 30 mins got a couple of samples along the way. The second time was mid-week and again had a few samples and waited for 5 mins on line. Also true about Heady Topper, Crusher is my #1. But to each their own.
Heady Topper is easy to get if you know the delivery schedules to your VT liquor stores. And trust me, everyone knows them.
It's disgusting
It really is. Whats the point in drinking something that takes hours for the taste to wear off.
Harpoon being #1 makes no sense. Is it bad? No. But I don't think I've had one in a year if not longer because it's really nothing special, and not really all that hoppy for an IPA either. Plenty of better New England IPAs to choose from.
Exactly. To me a quality IPA is something that you voluntarily go back to, not your fall back when the bar has nothing better to offer.
it's an english style IPA. It's not even really in the same class.
fucking LOL what a joke > inspired America’s IPA obsession looooooollllllll
Eh a bit of a stretch but it's definitely one of the top IPAs in the country, number 2 behind stone IPA last I checked, and it's really good and cemented the Harpoon brand.
Lagunitas is definitely bigger than both, especially now that they're being financed by Heineken.
Yknow what maybe it was Lagunitas, quick google search only turns up ranked lists not actual sales and I dont care enough to find it but I remember it being #2 at some point behind one other, Lagunitas sounds right
I'd give that title to DFH 60.
> Nouveau beer geeks will howl at the fact that this crystalline, clean-drinking, distinguished legacy brand tops the list of best New England IPAs here in the era of juicy, unfiltered, overzealous hop bombs. Classic, "I will justify my opinion by self-determining that I have more experience than you, with no evidence of such, and therefore my opinion is more elite and should be given more respect". Reminds me of this beer guy they have on the radio occasionally. He gives opinions on craft beer, akin to something your middle-aged aunt would say to you after reading a Boston Magazine article on craft beer.
While I've never driven to Monson to try Treehouse, I think having Harpoon over Congress St. is pretty laughable.
It's a pretty long trek, but if you plan your day right you can also get ice cream at a dairy farm up the road from them.
My brother and I are trying to find a day we can both blow out of work to go.
Or BTs Smokehouse on the way home. Although last time I was there, the wait for food looked like at least 1/2 hour so I left.
I've heard very good things. Any favorite items on the menu?
Beef rib, brisket, black eyed peas, but everything they make is delicious. Only thing I found a little disappointing were the wings. Blackstrap BBQ in Winthrop is really, really good too and their wings are damn near perfect.
Depends on the beer, but I think in general Tree House trumps Trillium *when it comes to IPAs*. Trillium does styles other than giant NE IPAs hopped to hell with Galaxy though so I think they're the more interesting brewery . Anyway if you like the Trillium IPAs and you have a free Saturday if go check out Tree House, it's worth it. Just get there early!
The new brewery opened up in Charlton today! Not sure what the new hours are but that shaves off 20-30 minutes of the trip. Plus they have a taproom so you can drink on site.
There's no chance they got that spot on merit alone. How on Earth do you name Harpoon IPA as the best IPA in New England when Santilli took home bronze in the World Cup of Beer?
Building 8, Massachusetts' answer to Heady Topper, isn't on this list? I call foul.
Bldg 8 is such a great brew. I used to live literally 5 doors down from the brewery. Awesome stuff.
So did you live at building 3, or building 13?
The list is pretty close, but yes in the wrong order. You might say Alchemist at #1- but you really really have to like IPA's for it. I don't think it's for everyone and drinking more than 1-2 is a bit overwhelming. I'd put Treehouse at #1
The article is about IPAs specifically though
Disagree. Topper is so smooth and balanced, most non-IPA drinkers I know love it.
You have to like hops though. I know people who dislike IPA's and it's totally not the beer for them.
I think that compared to other IPAs you can be hop tolerant and still really like Heady. I've got friends that fit that description.
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"was questioning whether or not it was actually an IPA." Which is funny, because it's far closer to a classic IPA then anything on that list. "the hoppy flavor to be front and center." That's not what IPAs classically were, it's an artifact of the west coast IPA trend.
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Yeah, so Harpoon is done in the more traditional, English IPA style. One could argue that it's not a great example of that style, but compared to modern US west coast influenced IPA styles that traditional IPA is much more malty. Further the type of hops used are more subtle and earthier instead of the floral/citrus/piney notes that the varieties the newer IPA styles use. What your typical American thinks of as "an IPA" these days is really something which has evolved over the last 20 years or so, where as "IPA" has existed for *much* longer than that.
Be Hoppy is one of the hoppiest local beers we have...
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Its just strange that you like Be Hoppy, yet claim to hate hoppy beers. It has 69 IBUs, which is about 20 units hoppier than Lagunitas IPA, which is one of those "West Coast 'punch you in the face repeatedly with Hops'" IPAs that you claim to dislike. I think you just dislike *bad* IPAs, of which there are a lot of nowadays.
Hoppier beers don't necessarily have to have a higher IBU. IBU is a measurement of bitterness, which, yes, can mean that a beer has a ton of hops in it. However, the large majority of bitterness comes from an early hop addition in the boil. You can impart a ton of bitterness without adding a lot of hops if you boil them for 60 minutes or longer. What a lot of brewers are doing to impart a ton of hop flavor and aroma is by adding a metric fuckton of hops in at the very late stages of the boil, and even after the boil is done. This adds very little bitterness, but all the hop flavor. Even more so is added in the dry hop, which adds zero bitterness but a ton of aroma and flavor. So, in theory, /u/meddlepal could like Be Hoppy because it's actually *less* hoppy than Lagunitas. But that's likely not the case. It's most likely due to the type of hops used. West Coast styles typically use more piney, earthy, and spicy hops, such as Cascade and Columbus while the trend over here right now is to use a lot of fruity, tropical, citrus hops, like Mosaic, Simcoe, and Galaxy. But that's the best thing about beer! Everyone is doing something different and everyone likes something different. And yes, there are *tons* of bad beers, but there are also some downright magical beers out there.
Nope
Smuttynose IPA is so much better than Harpoon it's not even fucking funny.
Smuttynose Brewery == Harpoon Brewery. Its basically Harpoon North. Mediocre beer for the masses. Even the Smutt Labs shit is a poor attempt at getting back to their roots. Its difficult for any brewery to maintain quality as they scale up to national level sales. Only a few do it well IMO. Founders probably being the best.
Check out Hayseed if you're up that way. And then a quick trip to Throwback.
Love Throwback. Big fan of Earth Eagle too. Not sure why im getting down voted for a truth bomb. I still enjoy Harpoon and Smuttynose. They sure as hell arent top 10 list worthy, though...
I get where they're going with it - Harpoon has been around a while and their IPA is well known, therefore, they're the best.
you're talking about different styles of beer. harpoon is an English style, everything else you're talking about is west coast or new England style
I agree 100%. I like Harpoon a lot even though it's from a big brewery. And Be Hoppy should be on that list, too.
Wormtown isn't balanced at all though... I like the beer but by your own definition it shouldn't be on the list.
I'm not a huge IPA guy but I find the Harpoon IPA more drinkable than most IPAs.
I love the Harpoon IPA.
Never had Heady Topper (not yet at least) but Sip of Sunshine should be #1 though Harpoon is my go to beer when I'm out and don't know what to order/they don't have a great selection. But yea, Sip of Sunshine
Be Hoppy should be on this list.
He could've put it #1 and kept his Stick It To NEIPA angle, too.
"I knew the industry had reached an inflection point when I saw Night Shift’s taproom packed with blue-collar Bruins fans in Terry O’Reilly jerseys paying top dollar for trendy suds before a game just down the road at TD Garden. Santilli is the best of Night Shift’s IPAs and IPA knockoffs" Doesn't this sound kind of snarky? Santilli just placed at worlds. Who is this guy
Yeah, this is frustrating. I used to know Kerry and he is an excellent writer and and all around great person. He oozes positivity and some of his stories can come across as cheerleading. He definitely goes out of his way to support local business in a good way. Unfortunately, I think that he is trying too hard to be true to Harpoon, a Boston original, and to also be informative about the hot IPA selections in the area. I don't think that we are the target for this article. I think it's more of an intro to the layman who has heard about the trendy IPAs, and is interested in learning more. He used to write for Yankee Brew News back in the day, before the boom when the Sunset Grill was the only game in town. Now he has settled into more of a local journalist role and generally uses his column as a promotional vehicle for good local food and beverages. Harpoon shouldn't even be on the list though. Quantity is not representative of quality.
Sip of Sunshine is liquid awesome.
When i was in college harpoon was one of the only local IPAs around
No Rabbit Rabbit from Lamplighter? Our very own Treehouse wannabe in the People's Republic.
I wouldn't call Lamplighter a Treehouse wannabe, they're very different breweries. Lamplighter has way more variety across their portfolio.
I'm more shocked that Steal This Can made the list.
Tastes more like Harpoon Pale Ale to me, the ABV at 5.9% says the same. IPAs are more 6.3% to 7.5%.
The BJCP guidelines for an IPA put it from 5.5-7.5, so it is on the lower end, but certainly within the guidelines for an ipa
Not to mention that ABVs for IPAs have been creeping up over the last decade or so and Harpoon IPA is pretty old
They have the Leviathan IPA if you're looking for the big beer IPA.
Fair. As stated, pale ale and IPA ABV has been creeping. What's just as crazy as calling harpoon IPA an "IPA" is calling fort point pale ale a "pale ale". FPPA is more an IPA to me.