The Bar Towel

seangm wrote:

ry_kinney wrote:I guess it's the El Dorado hops but am I wrong in thinking Meanwhile doesn't taste like a NE IPA? It's a decent beer but not what I expected, more along the lines of a Belgian IPA.

So I've had a few cans now, and I taste it too. I didn't notice so much when I had the first couple within a day or two of canning, but at 3 weeks old some yeast driven fruitiness seems to be coming through. Definitely getting a bit of a Belgian ale vibe, there's a bit of spice and witbier-like fruity esters. The initial tropical fruits from the hops seem to fade really quickly, but it's evolved in an interesting way. Almost a different beer.

I bought 3 cans and my first and third had the Belgian vibes. Second can tasted totally different, tropical IPA flavours as intended.

How are Robohop and Octopus tasting? I haven't had a chance to pick either up yet!

Octopus is tasty. Nice and fruity. Actually a little more fruity than last time I think. For me though, it's not As good as their other ipa. Karma/thrust/lake effect. A level below

Meanwhile... was a bit misstep for GLB. Not at all as advertised. It faded extremely quick as well. Not sure what they were thinking there in calling it a NEIPA, other than the Vermont yeast... but it definitely had a Belgian IPA vibes.

ry_kinney wrote:

seangm wrote:

ry_kinney wrote:I guess it's the El Dorado hops but am I wrong in thinking Meanwhile doesn't taste like a NE IPA? It's a decent beer but not what I expected, more along the lines of a Belgian IPA.

So I've had a few cans now, and I taste it too. I didn't notice so much when I had the first couple within a day or two of canning, but at 3 weeks old some yeast driven fruitiness seems to be coming through. Definitely getting a bit of a Belgian ale vibe, there's a bit of spice and witbier-like fruity esters. The initial tropical fruits from the hops seem to fade really quickly, but it's evolved in an interesting way. Almost a different beer.

I bought 3 cans and my first and third had the Belgian vibes. Second can tasted totally different, tropical IPA flavours as intended.

How are Robohop and Octopus tasting? I haven't had a chance to pick either up yet!

Octopus is nice, although I find it to be one of their more mild IPAs. I'm not sure if it's just my palate lately, but I've found Canuck to be just as flavourful albeit with a different hop profile (fresh Canuck is one of my favourite locals). Haven't tried the latest Robohop though, waiting for it to hit a nearby LCBO.

Octopus is confounding me. I grabbed a few cans. One was really nice.

The others are all over the map. One came off like a spoiled Duvel or something.

The worst is the one I'm having now. The aroma reminds me of burnt tires and the crappy tinned smoked oysters my wife has on her guilty pleasures menu.

I don't want my IPA to smell like that shit. Why can't it smell like all those beautiful hops that were supposedly used?

The confounding part is the inconsistency. I really have never had Great Lakes products come off so messy. They are so good at consistency, at the very least in can to can of the same batch.

Maybe it''s the Belgian yeast thing, in which case, please guys, learn, move on and source your yeast somewhere more reliable.

Yech, I am closer to a drain pour than I have ever been. Do I keep drinking this nasty smoked oyster, or do I go grab myself a beer.?



...pour

Tapsucker wrote:Octopus is confounding me. I grabbed a few cans. One was really nice.

The others are all over the map. One came off like a spoiled Duvel or something.

The worst is the one I'm having now. The aroma reminds me of burnt tires and the crappy tinned smoked oysters my wife has on her guilty pleasures menu.

I don't want my IPA to smell like that shit. Why can't it smell like all those beautiful hops that were supposedly used?

The confounding part is the inconsistency. I really have never had Great Lakes products come off so messy. They are so good at consistency, at the very least in can to can of the same batch.

Maybe it''s the Belgian yeast thing, in which case, please guys, learn, move on and source your yeast somewhere more reliable.

Yech, I am closer to a drain pour than I have ever been. Do I keep drinking this nasty smoked oyster, or do I go grab myself a beer.?



...pour

I've had another can since my post on Monday and agree with the inconsistency. It seemed almost sweet, mostly malty as if a bunch of the hops were missing. I don't think it was me, as it was the first beer I had that evening. I probably won't buy anymore of the current codes on shelf since something seems off right now. When does Karma come back? lol

Lake Effectt canned date feb 18 is still drinking phenomenal to me. Octopus has been fairly consistent for me...not as bitter as last year but overall pretty consistent both in cans and on tap.

The case of octopus I order online is awesome. What dates are your cans?

Masterplan wrote:The case of octopus I order online is awesome. What dates are your cans?

Stupidly I threw them all into the recycling together without making note of it. Found another one I forgot I had in the fridge and it drank nicely but the code was smudged and I couldn't read it; still felt subdued compared to what I remember from last year, but it could just be all the Lake Effect I was drinking just before Octopus came out. Maybe I'm just going crazy?

Lake effect was/is significAntly better than octo. So yeah, may just be more noticeable when basically doing a side by side c

Awesome selection at the brewery this weekend. Karma Citra, Blackberry farmhouse ale, lemon-lime wit and more. Grabbed a mixed 6 and a bomber of chocolate coffee imperial stout for under $30.

beerstodiscover wrote:Awesome selection at the brewery this weekend. Karma Citra, Blackberry farmhouse ale, lemon-lime wit and more. Grabbed a mixed 6 and a bomber of chocolate coffee imperial stout for under $30.

That blackberry saison was pretty gross and the lemon-lime wit wasn't much better. The ACTRA collab was boring. However, I did enjoy the choclate coffee imperial stout and Karma Citra is usually good.

Having lot's of selection is not always a good thing.

BakaGaijin wrote:Having lot's of selection is not always a good thing.

True, but it keeps people coming in for the next untappd tick .... and while they're there pick up a few can/bottles of the boring stuff that pay the bills.

GL has the advantage of listing all of their core and some limited editions at the 'BO. For most other breweries with limited 'BO exposure, the need to constantly turn out new releases in order to keep their name top of mind is unavoidable.

I've been drinking a fair amount of the Karma Citra since returning to Canada and must say I consider it exceptional. One of the best IPA's I've had from Ontario

This batch was outstanding. It's funny how variable their IPAs can be from year to year.