Dogfish Head isn't bad. I like the 90 minute best of them all...but I think they're better on tap. If you're local, can't go wrong with a Revolution League of Heroes variety pack...usually comes with a couple of the Hero IPA's that aren't packaged individually along with a current seasonal and some Anti-Hero.

If you can, try and get some Pipeworks Ninja Vs Unicorn or some Spiteful Working for the Weekend. Both are terrific.

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It's probably the best of the nationally distributed ones. For a birthday gift he probably would appreciate a more local option he can't get as easily. Unless he lives right by you find a local place with an IPA in cans or bottles. Sometimes the local places distribute to grocery stores even but you can always go to the brewery.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

This.

Locally, Pipeworks, Hailstorm, Noon Whistle are crushing the IPAs now. Shoot for cans, look for the dates on the bottom of the can and send them out.

Visited my guys at Corridor again this weekend. They have the hazy juicy IPA beer routine dialed in. Duke Juicem was delicous. Definitley one of their stronger efforts.

Best beer I had was their Belgian Wit with grapefruit - Make It Wit Chu. If the weather was warmer that beer would be heaven.

Also tried their imperial stout CocoCup which is brewed in the popular pastry stout format. A 5oz pour was perfect. The chocolate was the star with the coconut and coffee taking a back seat. As I'm not a coffee drinker I appreciated the muted coffee flavor.

Pipeworks' Ninja vs. Unicorn is very good, as is Prairie Artisan Ales' Phantasmagoria.

Might make a run by Corridor this Friday after grabbing galactic double DC from Half Acre

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-- source

Picked up Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing IPA. Not generally a big fan of their stuff but this is a pretty good, light, hoppy and kind of citrusy brew.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

Stopped by the new brewpub in town and had a gruit style beer for the first time. Damn, it was excellent.

Yes, I have a half-barrel sitting in the kegerator. Perfect warm weather beer.

With the weather warming up I got to say "hello, old friend" to Dogfish Head's Seaquench Ale. Love that beer with the temps are high and sun is shining.

Gave Cigar City's Guayabera (citra pale ale) a try after really enjoying Jai Alai. Nothing stuck out about the beer. Like Maduro, it was a solid fine beer but nothing I'd seek out again.

Hop Butcher's (for the World) Watch for Falling Coconuts was an interesting beer. It's an pale ale with el dorado & cashmere hops and coconut. Never heard of cashmere hops and supposedly they give off a coconut flavor. The beer was surprising good as I didn't think coconut work. I'd buy the beer again for a random occasion.

I remember about 8 or 9 years ago reading about how Cigar City was the new hotness, how Jai Alai was the best IPA ever made, and how their imperial stout ABSOLUTELY CRUSHES anything put out by Goose Island so please just shut up oh my God, and now they're just some company that makes decent beer. This is just a long way of me saying that I am glad that I am no longer active on Beer Advocate.

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craft beer "community" is no different today. it's move to H A Z E from Boston/Vermont or pastry stouts.

Huna is still better than anything Goose produces outside of BCBS.

I'd prefer to participate in a literal dick measuring contest over masturbatory, navel-gazing, beer-nerdery any day.

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I agree with your general point but Vermont really doesn't deserve to be tarred like that, especially since the most obnoxious haze bros complain that Lawson's, Alchemist, and Hill Farmstead are more "west coast style IPAs." Anything not completely turbid and with any non-juice notes seems to get called a west coast IPA by default.

I've been going through a lot of lagers and especially pilsners recently. I found Baderbrau pretty solid and underrated across the board, liked Half Acre's Fader more than Pony, and was surprised how much I enjoyed Off Color's Tooth and Claw. The real highlight for me though was trying Urban Chestnut's stuff on the shelves. Their pilsner was good and their zwickel was amazing. Really need to try Dovetail's stuff soon.

Had a Gelato Stout from Only Child in Gurnee yesterday. It was fine...nothing really special. Kind of tasted a lot like Left Hand Milk Stout...

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The paczki stout from Marz was good fresh, but went to shit in like 2 months. Drain pour level bad,

Hit up Noon Whistle and tried the Gummypocalypse, Cubbie Gummy and Swanky Smack. 2 NE IPAs and a red sour. Gummypocalypse was very good, Cubbie Gummy was too much of the hazy nonsense. They do some brisk carryout business.

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Sex isn't dirty, sex isn't a crime. It's a loving act between two or more consenting adults.

-Hank Kingsley

PSA. If you’ve never been to the Beer Cellar in Glen Ellyn, you must go. Better craft selection than Binny’s.

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Looking at their pics online makes me wonder if any person in history has purchased a 50/50 Eclipse varietal.

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returned from a long weekend in portland. great change of pace from the trendy styles (juicy NEIPAs, pastry stouts) dominating beer converstations. breweries and bars were still serving "hazy" beers but they all retained the breweries' roots/expertise in west coast/pac nw bitterness/dankness. dabbled in a few koslch and pilseners too.

i'd rank my visits as:
breakside brewing
occidental brewing
gigantic brewing

visited a couple bars in between those breweries. but things got really fuzzy as friday's day drinking advanced into night so couldn't give ya the list. one i remember, lardo's, had a great happy hour of $3 pints.

will visit again soon as i barely scratched the surface of portland's offerings. there is too much to do in one weekend.

Had my first Spotted Cow last night.

I give it a solid meh.

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Sex isn't dirty, sex isn't a crime. It's a loving act between two or more consenting adults.

-Hank Kingsley

You're doing it wrong. Maybe it lost a little of its luster with some many other craft beers out there now, but it just screams summer refreshment.

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My take on it as well.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

My Dad's buddy got him a 12er of Yuengling Black and Tan. I liked it but holy fuck is it heavy. I couldn't drink more than 1-2.

No, Furious is correct. It's not bad, but it's definitely overrated and I wouldn't go out of my way to find any.

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Alter had their King's Blood barrel aged version of their Belaton flowing again. On tap and in 22oz bottles.

I was at a birthday party at Imperial Oak the other night. I'm not pleased with what they've done with their selection as they have expanded. Their gin-barrel Berlinner was just ok, and they had very few choices for low IBU beers.

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"When people want their version of the truth, they go find it, no matter how baseless their beliefs." -- Ken Rosenthal

My husband likes badger better

I prefer moon man. Spotted cow is a nice change up from my usual choices however.