nelson is a damn good beer. i checked my ratings (all done on ratebeer) and here's what i have relative to Nelson: Russian River Blind Pig 4.4 Firestone Walker Union Jack IPA 4.2 [on tap at brewery] Russian River IPA 4.2 Alpine Beer Company Duet 4.2 Hollister Pocket Full o' Green 4.2 [on tap at brewery] La Cumbre Elevated IPA 4.2 Ballast Point Sculpin 4.1 Alesmith IPA 4.1 Surly Furious 4.0 Nelson 4.0 Kern River Just Outstanding IPA 4.0 Cigar City Humior Jai Alai Cedar IPA 4.0 PP CBad Hakunama Ta Tas 4.0 Societe the Pupil 4.0 PP Solana Beach Aggie IPA 4.0 Bells Two Hearted 3.9 These were recorded over a period of 2.5+ years so changes in preference and freshness of beer/bottle variation are factors. i really think the firestone walkers hoppy beers are actually underrated if you consider how damn good they are spot on fresh at the brewery. cheers.
Nelson is fucking killer. A friend of mine said the last bottle I brought back from San Diego was the best beer he'd ever had. For my money Alpine makes the best IPA's on the planet.
Except Zombie Dust isn't an IPA. But it is an awesome beer, better or on par with Nelson. For my tastes Nelson blows away Duet and Furious.
I personally think calling Zombie Dust an APA is sort of a stretch. 6.4% @60 IBU? The same with Alpha King, 6.66% @66IBU. That places them both firmly in the AIPA category by BJCP standards. Alpha King is even listed as an example of the style on their(BJCP) website. Either way, they're still great beers. Oh yeah, Nelson is just about as good as it gets.
Isn't this whole Nelson vs Duet argument really just preference for wetter vs. drier IPA's? Both are fantastic, and though they have some difference in hop profiles, ultimately depends on what kind of body you're in the mood for. My single IPAs ranked: Nelson Blind Pig Duet Columbus JO Two Hearted Alesmith IPA White Rajah
Probably not. But sometimes I prefer Duet. Or Societe's Pupil. Or Blind Pig. Depending on the dry hop used and freshness, double dry hopped Stone IPA can be out of this world, too.
Pretty sure no IPA is better than GLBC Commodore Perry. They don't distribute here, but I've has some as fresh as 6-7 weeks, and there is nothing better out there.
