I initially did this blindly as I knew Dank was a touch lighter in color. It kind of shows up in the photos. I also didn't want to be phased by any cloudiness. I've had Elevated cans where they were very cloudly, and other times, like the tasting I did yesterday, the canned variety showed the most carbonation and clarity among the 4 beers.. It seemed like the draft version was the cloudiest, and lacked the most carbonation..
The Dank on the far left is the latest 2-14-14 (gold cap), while the other one is a 1-31-14 bottled date. The older 1-31-14 was quite a bit clearer than the fresh one.
As far as taste, I completely failed trying to guess what was what. The dank 2/14/14 which I had on draft the day prior was my guess for what was actually the canned elevated. I'm no judge, and never could do it, because after just a few sips, they all started tasting very similar.
After messing up my guesses, I drank them all knowing what I was having..
1-31-14 dank vs. 2-14-14 dank:
- 2-14 had a touch more tropical aroma and sweetness. I really had to seek it out though. That slight difference does attribute to a different taste, however small the difference . 2/14 had a near 'onion' like dankness to it, while 1-31 stayed closer to elevated. The onion quality wasn't too apparent since the tropical aroma kind of equalized its presence.
- I felt the 1-31 dank tasted the closest to elevated in a stand alone 'tasting' based off of tasting them separately last week.. Tasting them together yesterday, the same was true. 1-31 was a bit less of a tropical fruit hop bomb than the latest, which had the best smell of them all
My canned 1-18-14 elevated stood up very well against the other giants. I've had elevated cans where they are a touch less carbonation, and even cloudy. I've had draft where it was clear as day and carbonated very well. With them fluctuating batch by batch, I can't say that draft is the way to go 100% of the time.
What I've learned:
These all tasted nearly identical about halfway through.... as they should. They are basically the same recipe/beer, save for a few small differences in hops. I have a 2-14 bomber left that I'll likely do a stand alone sampling to see if I like it. I'll do the same with the canned and growler draft separately
Dank vs. Elevated:. All along I felt dank was a touch sweeter (fuller bodied) with a more aromatic hop presence, leading to a touch more enjoyable experience. What I've found is that the difference may be smaller than I think when they are side by side... Alone, dank seemed to be superior.. Reviews online have seen a small decline. I'm guessing they are drinking batch #3. With each new batch, reviews may be all over the place without the person knowing what is being reviewed. It's all being thrown under a big umbrella "project dank".
Cost analysis: Of the regulars drinking at the brewpub, it seemed like more than 80% were drinking elevated. I was the only guy with a baby pint of 'dank'. Dank in my opinion can be slightly better than elevated, but it costs about three times as much as elevated.. Is it three times better? I think it's tough to say. Over time, Dank will have its good batches, and GREAT batches, which may tip the scale. The way they hop the dank, it makes a great beer even better. But there's a catch. The cost can be killer. If you can afford it, I guess go with dank. But there is absolutely nothing wrong with elevated either.
I feel it's probably not worth it. But I find myself buying so much of it. I have regrets initially knowing I could have elevated out of my %($ by now. But I'm memorized and then saddened when that bomber is empty within two glasses. First world problems.
yeahitsRUST, i dont think i'll be doing any growler fills to send. Canned elevated is pretty awesome
Bottom line: I drank a crap load of beer and accomplished nothing out of it. These are all elite level beers. If one sat around a 97/100, the other is within a 0.5 or 1. It was nearly too close to call. But I gotta stick with whats easily accessible and cheaper. Canned elevated takes the win here.
And that's how you ramble.... Some stand alone reviews coming up later today or tomorrow
This may be the best beer I have ever had. Wonderful blend of mango/grapefruits with some dank piney hops. It blends so well
