I don't know if it's just me but has anyone else noticed that Flower power is not the same. It is still good but not quite as good as it used to be. To me, it tastes slightly watered down and doesn't have the same hemp like-floral quality. There is a white niagara grape taste that is new without the overwhelming passion-tropical fruit sensation. Am I alone in this observation?
It was better when it was on-tap only. But really, no. I still think it's the best regular IPA found in the Northeast.
Still as good as ever IMO, always been a top 5 IPA and a go to for me if its fresh. Only problem is I can't find it as easily now as I was able to a year ago. Doesn't seem like it is shipped to NJ as often.
I haven't noticed that. It is still the best IPA in the country as far as I am concerned (granted I haven't tried them all).
you can still tell when it is brewed. From Fresh Beer Only.com : Ithaca: Uses a best before date. Month is notched on the side of the label when best to drink before. Bottling date is 3 months from best by date.
I was finally able to try FP when visiting family in Long Island for Christmas. While the sixer I bought was nearing the end of its best-buy life, it was still very solid; I could definitely tell the potential is there as one of the better IPAs when fresh. Great beer!
I bought some today that had just come off the truck. Has a "best buy" date of April. Looking forward to opening a couple tonight.
I live in southern california and find everytime I have flower power it is fantastic rivals west coast IPA's it uses great hops and is smooth hoppy goodness can't wait to get some more
Hey, I just walked out of J Ryan's, Syracuse, NY knowing the Flower Power I just had was superb.... Wanted to look up a saison I tasted, but was compelled to respond to this Flower Power post first. Flower Power continues to impress....not Heady or Lunch, but still keeps me calling it's name.
If it was made in northern VT, or Santa Rosa CA...If you could only buy it at the brewery...if you could only buy it in a few states...if it had its own day...it would be a higher rated beer on this site.
I've been getting FP pretty regularly lately (thankfully!), and if it does fluctuate it's within a pretty tight range. As hoppy beers go, I've found it to be one of the more consistent ones.
Refrigeration, as with most, is a big factor with this beer. I've got some best by Jan/Feb FP's in the fridge that I bought cold that taste perfect right now. The warm 6 packs I buy tend to fluctuate slightly bottle-to-bottle.
I'm surprised because I live near the brewery and it has to be 10X the size of the old one. Be patient they have to be cranking out FP by the boatloads vs. yesteryear.
Thank you everyone for your feedback. My taste buds must be changing. Still like the beer but don't seek it out like I used to. Even on tap,it doesn't leave the serious lacing on the glass either. Thought maybe they knocked it down a notch so they could produce a super Flower Power double IPA and charge $12 bucks a 4 pack like Firestone Walker Double Jack.
I wish I could try the variants they've done in the past. Dry Hopped Flower Power (I'm sure they still fiddle with this) and Sour Flower Power.
Bottled on date is on the cases only I think. Haven't had this beer since last spring when a bunch of it showed up in this area. Need to revisit once I find some fresh batches.
I don't think anything has changed and this is one of the best IPAs you can buy, especially when fresh.
Just wrote a review of FP a couple of nights ago. Had a best by date of Feb '13. Beer was excellent and the tropical aroma and flavors were intense. They should rename it Mango Power.
How old was it? I just grabbed a fresh pack the other day and it is tasty business as usual. FP falls off really quick though.
"I don't think anything has changed and this is one of the best IPAs you can buy, especially when fresh." I totally agree that it is still one of the best IPA's. They built a new brewery over the 2012 summer in order to increase production and I've noticed a slight change but that is probably to be expected. I believe Flower Power has been evolving for a number of years now. I just discovered it summer 2011. Late to the party!
I know at one point, maybe a year or two ago, there was a recipe/hop change which was confirmed by Ithaca. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong. I also remember it being a summer seasonal at 8% abv, fwiw. So I know it's probably gone through some changes over the years. Either way, it's always been a great IPA.
Yeah, I think it was longer ago that two years but IIRC you could almost date the change by checking the dates of the reviews of the beer, all of a sudden the scores just shot up.
Yep, this is one where fresh is best, it falls off quickly. Good thing is they date the case with bottled on and best by on bottle.
