As far as east coast ipas we tasted sips of sunshine, heady, and crusher side by side. Crusher won in my opinion. Great welcoming bitterness with a hearty citrus finish.
As far as west coast IPAs, I like pliny, but prefer hopocalypse from Drakes and Hop 15 from Port. Last year's hopocalypse wasn't that great though.
Sacramento is trending on East Coast IPAs now. Yojo from Moonraker and Track 7 Love and Happiness in Vermont are both very good.
I don't normally trade for beer, but am a hoarder member for The Bruery (Black Tuesday sours etc.).
DTB - if you can score atrial rubicite that would be tight, great JK beer.
DCH - If you can get any Kate the Great or Event Horizon, those are favorites as well.
I've got more experience with East Coast IPAs (duh) - Sip is my wife's favorite beer. Maybe the only beer she likes. Heady is good; I'm not huge on Crusher, it just struck me as too sweet and almost syrupy. My favorite from the Alchemist is Focal Banger, and their new brewery means it's actually available in cans (along with Crusher).
Pliny is excellent. I really need to try more of RR's offerings, and a buddy and I are thinking of going to Philly for the Pliny the Younger release next year.
Trillium and Tree House kill it, and there's a brewery up in Burlington, Vermont called Foam that is AMAZING if you can get any of their stuff. Also can't go wrong with Bissell Brothers, Maine Beer Co., Fiddlehead, Exhibit 'A', Night Shift - the beer scene gets better every day, it seems.
Love what I've had from Bruery - never gotten Black Tuesday, but I enjoyed a bottle of So Happens It's Tuesday by myself one night and was feeling no pain.
Kate the Great I've never had, but that's an interesting story... the brewer from Portsmouth Brewery (Tod Mott) left, and they don't make that beer anymore. BUT, he left to found his own brewery - Tributary - and took the recipe; he now releases "Mott the Lesser" once a year. Same great beer, new name.
I got four this year (2 per person, my dad made the drive with me). It's fantastic - I have one left, planning on aging it to drink next to the 2017 release when it hits.
