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Southern Tier IPA, the only good IPA?..

This forum is for discussing everything beer retail: LCBO, Beer Store, Grocery Stores and Indie Stores.

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Brewbert
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Southern Tier IPA, the only good IPA?..

Post by Brewbert »

This is the only IPA I can find that's worth 12-13 dollars for a 6 pack...

Grand River Curmudgeon IPA is actually pretty damn good I bought a 500 ml bottle of it last night and enjoyed it quite thoroughly.

Any other IPA's I should try? 6.5% ABV + is prefered. I rarely enjoy the weaker ones.

Counting the days until Southern Tier x2 IPA is in stock.. :o

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SteelbackGuy
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Post by SteelbackGuy »

Are you talking about home consumption or going out to a bar?

If you're looking something in the 6.5% ABV and higher range, why not try FLying Monkey's Smashbomb Atomic IPA. Best IPA brewed in the province.
If you`re reading this, there`s a 15% chance you`ve got a significant drinking problem. Get it fixed, get recovered!

TheSevenDuffs
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Post by TheSevenDuffs »

SteelbackGuy wrote:Are you talking about home consumption or going out to a bar?

If you're looking something in the 6.5% ABV and higher range, why not try FLying Monkey's Smashbomb Atomic IPA. Best IPA brewed in the province.
I assume he is talking about home consumption. Hopefully Mad Tom IPA will fill that void shortly followed by Smash Bomb being bottled and sold at the LCBO in early July...

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Derek
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Post by Derek »

The lack of a readily available IPA that's brewed in Ontario seems more & more odd as the years pass.

I can walk into a BC Liquor store and find at least half a dozen (sometimes a dozen) different ones:
http://www.bartowel.com/?p=1939

The Magnotta True North is more of a British version... it's too bad their West-Coast IPA never got widespread.

Great Lakes often have Project-X bottles for sale on-site. They've won the last couple of Ontario IPA challenges at Volo.

Amsterdam occasionally has their Boneshaker on-site as well.

If you're near the Granite, growlers of their Hopping Mad are a great value.

But yeah, if you're outside the GTA, it's pretty tough. It's great that the Grand River was more widespread this year.

You might also consider Flying Monkey's Netherworld Cascadian Dark Ale. The last pack I had wasn't even that dark. It's not overly bitter, but it's loaded with fresh hop flavour.

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Post by Brewbert »

I'm talkin about home consumption here sorry I didn't clarify. I've had the true north ipa, can definitely say I'm not a fan of that kind. I'm also in Mississauga so it's not hard for me to get downtown it's just irritating. The LCBO by dundas and mavis has a pretty good selection.

Where can I find smashbomb ipa. I love their hoptical illusion and netherworld brews. -- Any pubs around Mississauga or Oakville, or any downtown for that matter? And when will it be at the LCBO early july is that 100%?

Mad Tom IPA who brews that? The name makes it sound good haha.

I'm half tempted to pick up and move to BC. I went to visit a friend last year and had a bottle of red racer ipa.. then proceeded to have several pints of it on tap. Worthy of uprooting my life to move there as far as Im concerned.

And agreed, the lack of decent IPA's around is startling, and confuses me.

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Derek
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Post by Derek »

Great Lakes & Amsterdam are both on the west side, near the highway. You could probably get there quicker than many Torontonians! Just call first to see what they have in the fridge.

Also, Black Oak is in the same area, and I think they plan to bottle another batch of their 10 Bitter Years soon!

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Gedge
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Post by Gedge »

You can add the Great Lakes Crazy Canuck to the list. They nailed it with this one.

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Jon Walker
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Post by Jon Walker »

Gedge wrote:You can add the Great Lakes Crazy Canuck to the list. They nailed it with this one.
Except it's an American Pale Ale not an IPA, which is what the OP asked about.
I don't always piss in a bottle but when I do...I prefer to call it Dos Equis.

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Gedge
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Post by Gedge »

Jon Walker wrote:
Gedge wrote:You can add the Great Lakes Crazy Canuck to the list. They nailed it with this one.
Except it's an American Pale Ale not an IPA, which is what the OP asked about.
Given the paucity of hopped-up beers readily available at retail in this province it'll do as far as I'm concerned. Tastes pretty damn close to other beers I've seen described as straight-up IPAs.

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Jon Walker
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Post by Jon Walker »

Okay...but if you re-read what he asked he's interested in IPA's and ones over 6.5% (Canuck is 5.2%) as he finds weaker ones less to his liking. It may seem nitpicky to you but I'd rather make suggestions that are within someone's criteria than outside them.

Bottom line, there isn't much to choose from in bottle form in Ontario that fits the bill beyond of couple of the beers already mentioned. And Brewbert you are right. There are a PILE of great IPA options available here with more than a dozen locally made ones regularly on offer at local stores, several locally made IIPA's, at least two dozen U.S. and foreign IPA's and IIPA's available at any given time and a huge number of bars serving multiple IPA's at once (Alibi has about 6-10 on tap right now).
I don't always piss in a bottle but when I do...I prefer to call it Dos Equis.

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Gedge
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Post by Gedge »

Only thing I can think of that meets the OPs criteria - besides those already mentioned - would be Dead Elephant.

Outside the OPs parameters, Hopsinjoor and Crisoffel Nobel Pils - wrong styles, yes, but high octane brews with something of a hop fix.

Real shame the Hophead was only a seasonal. Great beer and such a bargain.

Might still be some Southern Tier Gemini kicking around the system as well.

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Belgian
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Post by Belgian »

Overly simple answer to OP - yes. You really can't beat the style, availability and price of ST IPA. We must support the snot out of a beer like that so it does not go the way of the Dogfish.
In Beerum Veritas

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SteelbackGuy
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Post by SteelbackGuy »

Belgian wrote:Overly simple answer to OP - yes. You really can't beat the style, availability and price of ST IPA. We must support the snot out of a beer like that so it does not go the way of the Dogfish.
Mind you, DFH 60 was pulled from shelves because DFH pulled out of Ontario, and had nothing to do with sales.
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Kel Varnsen
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Post by Kel Varnsen »

Sgt. Major's is good when it is good (the sample I had at the brewery a couple of months ago was really goo), and is available at around 60 LCBO's across the province. Although it does only clock in at 5.5%, so might not be what you are looking for.

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Gedge
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Post by Gedge »

The Muskoka Mad Tom sounds promising - 6.4% ABV and 64 IBU.

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