20 thoughts on “September 17, 2017: Although My Toes Are Never Safe”
I question the competence of these dudes at Paste. You blind-tasted 247 IPAs?? Muh-hahahaha! And Ballast Point Sculpin didn't make your top 50? Nor Racer 5? Nor Torpedo? Nor Track7 Panic? Nor Stone? Ummmmm.
but whatever. IPAs! 50 of 'em! Ranked!
this quote from their description of the Bell's Two-Hearted Ale (ranked 49th???) illustrates the absurdity of this exercise:
This is exactly the kind of classic, balanced American IPA that was in the 25-beer final during last year’s tasting of 116, but had a slightly harder time when surrounded by the sea of 247 …
The omission of Sculpin is the exact thing I would've pointed out.
Oh well. Lists are fun?
the Grapefruit Sculpin is way up on the list. But the regular Sculpin did not make the top 50.
I'm actually more disturbed by the Racer 5 and SN Torpedo not being on that top 50 (they did include the SN Hop Hunter). Or the SN Christmas Ale, which is an IPA. Presumably because SN did not send them one (they limited the sample to no more than 3 brews per brewery).
This is a position that no one here will support, but ballast point is overrated. And over priced.
i can support this. especially that last part.
(the grapefruit sculpin is damn good though).
I can support the overpriced part. The Grapefruit Sculpin is outstanding, however.
Nothing from 3 Floyds made the top 247...huh?
No beers from New Glarus on the list, either; given the small reach of some of the breweries mentioned, I'm not cutting any slack for the authors, who should've been able to get one through the Cheddar Curtain. (I'm thinking Scream IIPA is probably their best, but Moon Man is pretty nice, too).
Fun story about moon man. I had a can a couple weeks ago, then I followed it up with a can of anti-hero, which is a beer that I love quite a bit. But, moon man is so crisp and bright that it kept my palette in a moon man state for the whole anti-hero.
well, Track7 only recently started bottling. It's mostly a drink-on-premises and fill-your-growler kind of place, with very limited distribution in the Sactown area.
Wouldn't have minded stopping there if I'd been in town longer. I was staying in Land Park*, so it was close enough. I'm more of a Belgian guy than an IPA guy, though, which tipped me toward Pangaea.
*Beautiful neighborhood. I walked about ten miles in it over 36 hours. There was plenty more to see. Seeing so many houses with single-pane windows was a real trip.
So, being a Belgian guy. Have you tried any Belgian strong ales that you like? They are quickly becoming one of my favorite styles. Laughing Sun in Bismark, has Sinister Pear, which is a top 5 beer of all time in my book. Local brewery Copper Trail on occasion has their Belgian Workhorse which is awesome as well. They are sneaky though. 9+ % ABV, but go down way too smooth.
I would guess they invited New Glarus to submit a sample and they did not. Moon Man is a Pale Ale, so would not be eligible. A damn fine beer though. I stopped in WI on my way back from vacation a few weeks ago to load up on some New Glarus beers. Two different liquor stores. Neither had a New Glarus IPA on hand. I did buy a bomber of Serendipity, which was incredible.
Reading the notes on how these guys blind-tasted and rated makes me think they might know what they are doing. It wasn't just a couple guys in mom's basement blogging about beer. So, reading the list, I do not question their competence. However, I do question how you could possibly taste 247 beers (even split into multiple tastings) and rate them fairly. Would it be an advantage to be the first or last beer tasted in a session? I do wonder if the panel members also had personal favorites that did not make the cut. Overall, an interesting list, and I would like to officially volunteer for the next tasting.
You may be right about New Glarus not submitting a sample; I get the impression they do not care about – or are outright disdainful of – rankings stunts like this. I imagine other breweries also responded "Pfffft." to Paste's request for free beer for a pool this large. It does undercut the "Best American IPAs" claim if the breweries have to pay (the marginal cost of a six pack?) to play.
I do question how you could possibly taste 247 beers (even split into multiple tastings) and rate them fairly.
I think that's why I'm so skeptical of something like this. If they'd decided to do the best 250 IPAs in the US by region, I think they'd have set themselves a more manageable task, perhaps been more transparent about the rigor of their taste testing, and avoided some scoffing along the lines of "If you sampled 247 beers across multiple tastings, can you really claim any one beer is the #1 IPA, or the #9 IPA, or even the #22 IPA?" But to say "IPA X is the best IPA on the West Coast" would generate some real heat, and it's a claim that (theoretically) they'd be able to back up. They could even compare the three best beers from each region in a subsequent tasting and have it stand up to some scrutiny.
Heh, I was in Wisconsin for a conference over the weekend and likewise picked up some New Glarus on the way out of town--I went with their Staghorn Octoberfest.
That's a very solid choice. One of my favorites of theirs for, uh, extended periods of consumption.
I guess that list makes me a liar to the guy is sitting next to in a bar in DTW a couple years ago when I told him two hearted is one of the great IPAs of the world.
I question the competence of these dudes at Paste. You blind-tasted 247 IPAs?? Muh-hahahaha! And Ballast Point Sculpin didn't make your top 50? Nor Racer 5? Nor Torpedo? Nor Track7 Panic? Nor Stone? Ummmmm.
but whatever. IPAs! 50 of 'em! Ranked!
this quote from their description of the Bell's Two-Hearted Ale (ranked 49th???) illustrates the absurdity of this exercise:
The omission of Sculpin is the exact thing I would've pointed out.
Oh well. Lists are fun?
the Grapefruit Sculpin is way up on the list. But the regular Sculpin did not make the top 50.
I'm actually more disturbed by the Racer 5 and SN Torpedo not being on that top 50 (they did include the SN Hop Hunter). Or the SN Christmas Ale, which is an IPA. Presumably because SN did not send them one (they limited the sample to no more than 3 brews per brewery).
This is a position that no one here will support, but ballast point is overrated. And over priced.
i can support this. especially that last part.
(the grapefruit sculpin is damn good though).
I can support the overpriced part. The Grapefruit Sculpin is outstanding, however.
Nothing from 3 Floyds made the top 247...huh?
No beers from New Glarus on the list, either; given the small reach of some of the breweries mentioned, I'm not cutting any slack for the authors, who should've been able to get one through the Cheddar Curtain. (I'm thinking Scream IIPA is probably their best, but Moon Man is pretty nice, too).
Fun story about moon man. I had a can a couple weeks ago, then I followed it up with a can of anti-hero, which is a beer that I love quite a bit. But, moon man is so crisp and bright that it kept my palette in a moon man state for the whole anti-hero.
well, Track7 only recently started bottling. It's mostly a drink-on-premises and fill-your-growler kind of place, with very limited distribution in the Sactown area.
Wouldn't have minded stopping there if I'd been in town longer. I was staying in Land Park*, so it was close enough. I'm more of a Belgian guy than an IPA guy, though, which tipped me toward Pangaea.
*Beautiful neighborhood. I walked about ten miles in it over 36 hours. There was plenty more to see. Seeing so many houses with single-pane windows was a real trip.
So, being a Belgian guy. Have you tried any Belgian strong ales that you like? They are quickly becoming one of my favorite styles. Laughing Sun in Bismark, has Sinister Pear, which is a top 5 beer of all time in my book. Local brewery Copper Trail on occasion has their Belgian Workhorse which is awesome as well. They are sneaky though. 9+ % ABV, but go down way too smooth.
there's a lot to like on this list of belgian strong dark ales and this list of belgian strong pale ales.
I would guess they invited New Glarus to submit a sample and they did not. Moon Man is a Pale Ale, so would not be eligible. A damn fine beer though. I stopped in WI on my way back from vacation a few weeks ago to load up on some New Glarus beers. Two different liquor stores. Neither had a New Glarus IPA on hand. I did buy a bomber of Serendipity, which was incredible.
Reading the notes on how these guys blind-tasted and rated makes me think they might know what they are doing. It wasn't just a couple guys in mom's basement blogging about beer. So, reading the list, I do not question their competence. However, I do question how you could possibly taste 247 beers (even split into multiple tastings) and rate them fairly. Would it be an advantage to be the first or last beer tasted in a session? I do wonder if the panel members also had personal favorites that did not make the cut. Overall, an interesting list, and I would like to officially volunteer for the next tasting.
You may be right about New Glarus not submitting a sample; I get the impression they do not care about – or are outright disdainful of – rankings stunts like this. I imagine other breweries also responded "Pfffft." to Paste's request for free beer for a pool this large. It does undercut the "Best American IPAs" claim if the breweries have to pay (the marginal cost of a six pack?) to play.
I think that's why I'm so skeptical of something like this. If they'd decided to do the best 250 IPAs in the US by region, I think they'd have set themselves a more manageable task, perhaps been more transparent about the rigor of their taste testing, and avoided some scoffing along the lines of "If you sampled 247 beers across multiple tastings, can you really claim any one beer is the #1 IPA, or the #9 IPA, or even the #22 IPA?" But to say "IPA X is the best IPA on the West Coast" would generate some real heat, and it's a claim that (theoretically) they'd be able to back up. They could even compare the three best beers from each region in a subsequent tasting and have it stand up to some scrutiny.
Heh, I was in Wisconsin for a conference over the weekend and likewise picked up some New Glarus on the way out of town--I went with their Staghorn Octoberfest.
That's a very solid choice. One of my favorites of theirs for, uh, extended periods of consumption.
I guess that list makes me a liar to the guy is sitting next to in a bar in DTW a couple years ago when I told him two hearted is one of the great IPAs of the world.
Anyway, Lists are dumb.
R. I. P. Bobby "The Brain" Heenan at age 73.
One of my favorite WWF characters and one of my favorite announcers.
Spooky, he was a first rounder in that pool.