Why We Picked It: I love to pick up some local brews straight from the brewery. Hysteria is about 10 mins from the house and American IPAs may still be my favorite among all the growing beer styles out there.
What Hysteria Says About It: We wanted to throw it back to what got us into craft beer in the first place...nice, clean West Coast IPA's. This beer is perfect for drinking with anything, including as you cry by yourself about life.
Style: IPA - American
ABV: 6.5%
IBU: 66
Website: https://www.hysteriabrewing.com/
To Better Know A Brewery: It started with a single batch and grew from there. Our passion or "uncontrollable excitement" for crafting beer that's not afraid to be beer. Three friends who more or less fancied themselves mad scientists were playing off of the inventors that came before them, so often thought of as mad for their ideas.
We've set out to create an environment drawing on the innovative, collaborative, and community driven atmosphere that makes craft beer so special. We believe a business can be a valuable part of the community and aim to elevate the lives of our patrons, offering a welcoming, (pet) friendly and encouraging taproom experience. We aim to collaborate with our friends and neighbors in the DMV area to create a truly unique product distinct to the place we call home.
We strive to make bold, flavorful beers with an eye on the ever evolving techniques that make brewing today so great, and are committed to continual experimentation.
HEAVILY COMMITTED PEOPLE.
INSANELY FULL FLAVORED BEER.
I am going to jump on this one early. My wife took the afternoon off and we split it for lunch today. Had it with some slow cooker chicken pot pie https://flip.it/Ro19NC
ReplyDeleteThis paired VERY nicely with it on a cold rainy day. I would not call this a west coast IPA as I ranted about last year as most east coast breweries just dont hit it the same way or with the same hops.
That said I thought this was a really good, clean, crips, a little floral (but not too much) East Coast-West Coast IPA. I would have liked another (or even a full one) to finish off my bowl of pot pie with, but not something I would buy on the reg or seek out. A solid beer for that East Coast version, but nothing life changing.
4.2 bowls of gruel out of 5.
crisp* not crips
DeleteLet's get some stuff out of the way:
ReplyDeleteThis doesn't taste like coffee, thank God.
This is not a "West coast IPA"
West coast IPAs are my favorite beers.
OK, to 1996 we go... Yummy and great pivot from the last too (this doesn't taste like ☕) with a nice, crispy, refreshing IPA. I am surprised the IBV is Only 66 as the bitter hits you hard both as an opener and the lingering after taste. I love bitter beers so this is spot on.
As most east coast interpretations of a West coast IPA this one can't seem to balance the citrus and fruit flavor bouquets. They're so faint you probably missed them.
With that, taking the stick out of my ass and giving the straight skinny: damn good beer.
Two not too. Ok, we're all smart enough to know what we mean when we misspell, and we're mature enough not to judge?! I'll stop correcting myself. Too much work when trying to get my buzz on.
ReplyDeleteI don’t know why these east coast breweries put west coast in front of IPA. They can just make an IPA and a good one. But throwing west coast in front of it evokes such memories.
ReplyDeleteMost of us remember that first “craft beer” we had. You took that sip and got punched in the face with hops. Before that the only beer you had was some Miller/bug/Coors or a German or English import. You could not believe what you were tasting and just hooked.
A west coast IPA needs those pacific north west hops and a punch in the face of intense flavor. Putting west coast in front of IPA is setting up any east coast brewery to fail.
Ah dang it you got me ranting. I said i was not going to rant.
https://media0.giphy.com/media/vglbgyqTLUyM8/giphy.gif?cid=4d1e4f299fb42bc792cf7f5bfe35c21310f8b702e0884f40&rid=giphy.gif
Oops meant to reply to Theodore above with that comment. Oh well.
DeleteRocko’s modern IPA? It’s no Trash Panda.
ReplyDeleteGreat aroma! The taste is a little harsh without a ton of depth. Certainly not my favorite Hysteria offering. But for being practically walking distance, it’s great.
IPAs are by far my favorite, and this one was tasty, whichever coast it was really from...
ReplyDeleteI like IPAs but I didn’t love this one. There was an aftertaste that I didn’t care for, sort of like a stale beer tap line or something.
ReplyDeleteAlso, re: East Coast IPA/West Coast IPA differences: East Coast comes in a six pack, while West Coast comes in a Tupac.
DeleteYYay for west coast IPAs! This one is a winner. I'm not sure if this is the right description, but to me, it has notes of butterscotch in aroma and flavor. Nice bitterness, and quite smooth but enough bite to remind me that it is an IPA. I like that it is a bit unique but still true to form. Well done.
ReplyDeleteI like to read other people's description after my own so that I don't just go with the flow. I will say that I stand corrected that it is an east coast interpretation of a west coast IPA. I think I'm just glad it didn't have hop haze :) Great insights so far!
DeleteNice to be back in IPA land after the a detour to breakfast stouts. Definitely more my style.
ReplyDeleteStop me if you have heard this one.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of the 1990's and beer, I went to Ursinus College in Collegeville, PA (where I met my brilliant and beautiful wife, Carolyn.) Ursinus was not a dry campus, but we were not allowed to have kegs on campus. So, enterprising Ursinus students would go to a soemwhat local dairy, where they would pay a few bucks for empty plastic milk jugs (one gallon) - sold in giant trashbag size clear bags. Then, students would procure a keg, go to some park or parking lot off-campus, tape the keg, and pour the beer from the keg into all of the milk jugs. Then they would take all of the beer milk jugs back to campus and try and fit it in various refrigerators. Or leave it out. The beer was often "skunked" and I always though the beer had a milky taste, although I think the milk jugs were all clean, so I think that was just the psychological impact of drinking semi-warm Milwaukee's Best that was poured from a milk jug into a plastic solo, or sometimes paper, cup. Later in college, when my friends and I hosted a party. I remember buying a case of Red Dog (remember the Tommy Lee Jones commercials?) and I was (rightly) treated like a king. It was like no one at my college ever got beer from a can before, much less premium brew like Red Dog. Anyway, the 1990s and beer are complicated for me.
Onto this beer. I really liked it - I thought it was smooth, fresh, kinda citrusy and did NOT suffer from the same weird, bad aftertaste that I often experience when I drink Hysteria beer. I did drink it while eating a take out meal from Cured, which could have improved the experience. Had I been eating out for real, I might have ordered another 1996, rather than try something else. So, I am a fan. 4.1 out of 5 Premium Red Dogs for me.
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ReplyDeleteI thought this one was boring. Gave it the Meh poll ranking because it wasn’t bad just nothing to make it stand out from other IPAs in my mind. Next!
ReplyDeleteSomething seems quite off-flavored - especially for a West Coast IPA. Maybe excess Diacetyl? It just tastes muddled and skunked. Think I must have a bad can as it is undrinkable - going to grab something else from the fridge...
ReplyDeleteMmm. IPA. I liked it. The pepper flavor was unusual, but I liked it. 4/4.
ReplyDeleteNot a big fan of the ipa trend and this does nothing to change my mind. Ready for another stout.
ReplyDeleteI drank this around 4 p.m. while I was working on a proposal. At 7, I was backing to work on it. Taking break now, but will be back on it later tonight.
ReplyDeleteSo I generally liked this one, but it may be in part because of a desperate need for a beer all day. This is a kind of run of the mill, pleasant, but not interesting IPA. Some nice bitterness but not as bold as I think and IPA should be. All in all, meh. Or slightly less than meh. 2.75 out of 5 flannel shirts (which is what I was wearing in 1996).
As a west coaster raised 300 miles from the coast, I feel especially qualified to comment on this one. So I will while waiting for the Hold Steady show to start. How can a livestream concert start ten minutes late? I guess they're still drinking. As am I. Anyway. This is hoppy. Quite hoppy. Quite piney I would say but not my favorite kind of pine. Does seem to have almost a sweet aftertaste which I'm not sure I'm digging. I don't think I have one of the bad cans that seem to be making the rounds. Just a bit bizarre. It's like it's sweet and then watery. I'm consuming this can quite quickly trying to figure out what's going on here. I'll certainly finish it, but if I haven't properly identified the flavors and feels by the time I finish it, I won't be buying six more to continue my investigation. 3 out of 5 classic 1996 movies. Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suit on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pissing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourselves. Choose your future. Choose life... But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin' else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got heroin?
ReplyDeleteHow was The Hold Steady show?
DeleteI liked this IPA quite a bit. 1996 was the year I finished up college so I’m probably biased. Gonna keep it simple and leave it at that.
ReplyDeleteI liked this beer. I am a fan of IPAs in general.
ReplyDeleteI love hysteria. Great venue and great beers that I've tried and enjoyed there. This one beer however isnt one I recall having tried. I'm very sure I would remember.
ReplyDeleteSo it was quite a surprise.
I can honestly say I havent tasted anything quite like it.
After my first sip I put the glass down and gathered my thoughts on what the aroma and flavors reminded me of. After 20 minutes or so of attempts I was still at a loss.
But I did google the string: "bovine pee special cola medicine drink as floor cleaner" , and with the results that came up I thought: 'By golly - THATS what it tastes like.
From the first few google results I found fascinating that in some parts of the world bovine pee is highly regarded for therapeutic purposes, eg in ancient Ayurvedic medicine. Sadly reading this drivel was more interesting than drinking this 'knats piss'.
I surprised myself in finishing the whole thing, which to me means I have to rate it more than 1.5. But I actually gave it 1.75 because I really liked the can design. Also 1996 was a good year too.
Maybe mine was one of the bad cans in the batch. I have a strong constitution but it still took > 90 minutes to finish. In my homeland [where the IPA was invented] Boris would already have this strange potion in circulation by now as an all-in-one medicine and hospital floor cleaning winner of a solution.
Or maybe I had a bad can?