Is this a “rebuilding” year for our URI Rams?

[section(105)]

......this....

[TruePoint]

Why are we here? This is dumb as shit.

Lighten up TP. It's Christmas break with 2 weeks off from action.

So we need to pretend it’s a rebuilding year? There are plenty of ways to kill time with irreverent discussion about things that aren’t dumb as shit.

[theblueram]

Why are we here? This is dumb as shit.

Lighten up TP. It's Christmas break with 2 weeks off from action.

So we need to pretend it’s a rebuilding year? There are plenty of ways to kill time with irreverent discussion about things that aren’t dumb as shit.

We are discussing last years rebuild discussion. Has nothing to do with this year.

[NYGFan_Section208]

I thought this was about the weave....

[section(105)]

.......another Whalers please.....

[rambone 78]

WAY too much time on our hands.

[theblueram]

LMAO. This board is becoming too serious. Lighten up Francis!

[NYGFan_Section208]

.......another Whalers please.....

I actually prefer the Two Roads now...

[TruePoint]

Speaking of whalers, the east coast IPA is so much better than the APA, which is what initially turned me on to Whalers. I was tired of only being able to get an APA when I went to RI, so for a couple years I agitated with all the good liquor stores near me to start carrying whalers and a few of them have. Then I was in RI this summer and had the East Coast IPA and now that’s the one I want but I feel bad going back to these guys and telling them I don’t want the APA anymore and they need to switch it up after I asked them to stock the APA for so long.

[theblueram]

Speaking of whalers, the east coast IPA is so much better than the APA, which is what initially turned me on to Whalers. I was tired of only being able to get an APA when I went to RI, so for a couple years I agitated with all the good liquor stores near me to start carrying whalers and a few of them have. Then I was in RI this summer and had the East Coast IPA and now that’s the one I want but I feel bad going back to these guys and telling them I don’t want the APA anymore and they need to switch it up after I asked them to stock the APA for so long.

What is an APA? American Pale Ale? I find Whalers is too deep in the grapefruit. As are many PA's nowadays. Some brewers overpower the taste of the lager.

[rambone 78]

The number of different IPA's out there is crazy.

Seems like wherever you go there's something different. And they are constantly changing them out.

Literally hundreds of breweries in NE now.

Fruity beers aren't my thing though.

[NYGFan_Section208]

The East Coast IPA, from what I remember is definitely not fruity. Have been into more session type stuff lately (Hazy Little Thing, Long Trail VT IPA..) although I did have a Wachussett Winter at the bar waiting for takeout and recently the Sierra Nevada Celebration ... cold weather making me consider going a little heartier...

[TruePoint]

The Celebration reminds me of our annual Christmas trip to my in-laws. My MIL always stocks it for me. In this area it wouldn’t be a go-to for me, but there isn’t a lot better available where they live in upstate NY and now it’s become somewhat of a tradition. Overall, though, I agree NYG - this time of year is great for darker beers. I start getting into marzens and bocks and brown ales in the fall, and closer to the holidays more stouts, porters and strong ales. It wasn’t that long ago that if you wanted “good” beer you basically had a bunch of IPAs to pick from but now the quality has spilled over into other styles and we’re all better for it.

[section(105)]

.....love this, glad The convo moved off dumb shit.....

[TruePoint]

Anything I could do to derail the “rebuilding talk”

You’re welcome

[phipsiGD'11]

More micro brewers need to get into the stouts. Screw IPAs APAs and any other kind of PA.
Also, last year was more of a rebuild for us than this past year was for UMASS. Thank the lord we ended up better than they have.

[Rhode_Island_Red]

Still nothing like a ‘Gansett. Hi, neighbor!

[Rhody74]

Still nothing like a ‘Gansett. Hi, neighbor!

Red, I agree with you on most things but that’s horse piss.

[rambone 78]

The first beer I ever had was a Narragansett.

Never had one since. Stuff is nasty.

[section(105)]

......the Gansett Fresh Catch if OK......yup just OK......

[hrstrat57]

Had a Gansett Time IPA last night, was slightly better than the Weave.

Miss that familiar potato chip smell in Cranston. A good friend of mine Dad worked at the brewery since he came back from the Pacific with the Marine Corps until it closed. Of course would drink nothing but Narragansett. The new stuff is ok but it’s a name grab.

[PeterRamTime]

Still nothing like a ‘Gansett. Hi, neighbor!

Red, I agree with you on most things but that’s horse piss.

Tastes better than any bitter ass IPA that people force themselves to like so they can be trendy.

[UCH21377]

I've never liked IPA's and I feel like I'm missing something but I just don't like the taste. Same with the sours; just don't get it. My kids love them though. I prefer the darker ales which are sometimes hard to find in the breweries.

[rhodyruckus]

Speaking of whalers, the east coast IPA is so much better than the APA, which is what initially turned me on to Whalers. I was tired of only being able to get an APA when I went to RI, so for a couple years I agitated with all the good liquor stores near me to start carrying whalers and a few of them have. Then I was in RI this summer and had the East Coast IPA and now that’s the one I want but I feel bad going back to these guys and telling them I don’t want the APA anymore and they need to switch it up after I asked them to stock the APA for so long.

What is an APA? American Pale Ale? I find Whalers is too deep in the grapefruit. As are many PA's nowadays. Some brewers overpower the taste of the lager.

Get yourself to Shaidzon Brewing in West Kingston good sir. Plenty of lagers usually.

[rhodyruckus]

Speaking of whalers, the east coast IPA is so much better than the APA, which is what initially turned me on to Whalers. I was tired of only being able to get an APA when I went to RI, so for a couple years I agitated with all the good liquor stores near me to start carrying whalers and a few of them have. Then I was in RI this summer and had the East Coast IPA and now that’s the one I want but I feel bad going back to these guys and telling them I don’t want the APA anymore and they need to switch it up after I asked them to stock the APA for so long.

This is actually a semi-hot take in the craft beer circles I run in. I personally prefer the Rise much more than the IPA but to each their own. For "East Coast" IPAs, between Harpoon IPA, Wachusett's offerings like Larry, Monsta, etc. and Otter Creek's Backseat Berner and Free Flow, that is kind of covered for me. But a pale ale that doesn't either taste watered-down or is overly malty/British style is tougher to find in my experience.

That is probably why distributors are pushing the Rise as opposed to IPA, it fills a lane not occupied with hundreds of similar beers already.

Edit: can we re-title this to "Is this a rebuilding year for craft breweries?"

[reef]

Give me a Guiness out of a tap and I am great

[NYGFan_Section208]

Speaking of whalers, the east coast IPA is so much better than the APA, which is what initially turned me on to Whalers. I was tired of only being able to get an APA when I went to RI, so for a couple years I agitated with all the good liquor stores near me to start carrying whalers and a few of them have. Then I was in RI this summer and had the East Coast IPA and now that’s the one I want but I feel bad going back to these guys and telling them I don’t want the APA anymore and they need to switch it up after I asked them to stock the APA for so long.

This is actually a semi-hot take in the craft beer circles I run in. I personally prefer the Rise much more than the IPA but to each their own. For "East Coast" IPAs, between Harpoon IPA, Wachusett's offerings like Larry, Monsta, etc. and Otter Creek's Backseat Berner and Free Flow, that is kind of covered for me. But a pale ale that doesn't either taste watered-down or is overly malty/British style is tougher to find in my experience.

That is probably why distributors are pushing the Rise as opposed to IPA, it fills a lane not occupied with hundreds of similar beers already.

Edit: can we re-title this to "Is this a rebuilding year for craft breweries?"

My wife likes Rise. The best thing about it is...you can get it just about everywhere. Really simplifies the package store shopping trip when I only have to think about one person. And maybe the best thing about IPAs is that the spectrum of available kinds make it interesting. There is such a wide variety of beers called IPA's, that even if you "don't like IPA's", there's probably at least one that you would like... because, there's lots of IPAs I definitely don't like

[PeteRI]

They're a pain in the ass to get - only available on-premise 3 days a week -but I love the DIPAs Tilted Barn is producing. If you love hazy juice bombs, these folks are hard to beat - The Chosen One, The Other One, Cactus etc.

[NYGFan_Section208]

They're a pain in the ass to get - only available on-premise 3 days a week -but I love the DIPAs Tilted Barn is producing. If you love hazy juice bombs, these folks are hard to beat - The Chosen One, The Other One, Cactus etc.

Haven't been there in maybe a year or so... they always had good product, I just couldn't handle the lines. Any better on that front?

[rhodyruckus]

They're a pain in the ass to get - only available on-premise 3 days a week -but I love the DIPAs Tilted Barn is producing. If you love hazy juice bombs, these folks are hard to beat - The Chosen One, The Other One, Cactus etc.

Haven't been there in maybe a year or so... they always had good product, I just couldn't handle the lines. Any better on that front?

Tilted Barn's Christmas tree business was a good excuse for me to get 2 trips in this past month, first to tag our tree then to pick it up! My fridge is pretty full though as I went crazy with purchases in October into November followed by a drinking "break". So it has been mostly on-site taproom drinking, which is great as TB is usually running 8 draft lines strong.

The lines have gotten considerably better since they have started with Thursday evening hours in addition to 12-8pm Fridays. However if DDH Chosen One or some other desired beer drops you can probably expect lines the first hour + they are open.

Excited for the new barn being constructed closer to the South County Trail entrance! Real bathrooms and everything lol.

[SGreenwell]

They're a pain in the ass to get - only available on-premise 3 days a week -but I love the DIPAs Tilted Barn is producing. If you love hazy juice bombs, these folks are hard to beat - The Chosen One, The Other One, Cactus etc.

Haven't been there in maybe a year or so... they always had good product, I just couldn't handle the lines. Any better on that front?

If you want one of their special releases, or you're getting there right as they open, I believe there are lines. I've been probably five times and never had a line more than five to 10 minutes long, but we typically don't go right when they open.

[section(105)]

.......loved it back when Casey’s had.......PBR on draft.....

[Blue Man]

Checking back in on this thread - I’m so happy that it’s active because of beer.

Basketball this week!

[URI96]

They're a pain in the ass to get - only available on-premise 3 days a week -but I love the DIPAs Tilted Barn is producing. If you love hazy juice bombs, these folks are hard to beat - The Chosen One, The Other One, Cactus etc.

Haven't been there in maybe a year or so... they always had good product, I just couldn't handle the lines. Any better on that front?

Night and day difference regarding the lines. Last several times I have been it's been in and out.

[NJRhodyFan]

They're a pain in the ass to get - only available on-premise 3 days a week -but I love the DIPAs Tilted Barn is producing. If you love hazy juice bombs, these folks are hard to beat - The Chosen One, The Other One, Cactus etc.

Haven't been there in maybe a year or so... they always had good product, I just couldn't handle the lines. Any better on that front?

Night and day difference regarding the lines. Last several times I have been it's been in and out.

My brother and I had a few pregame beers at Tilted Barn before the PC game and there was no line at all. It's also a few hundred yards down the road from Back 40 which is another great pregame spot.

P.S. - The DDH Chosen One from Tilted Barn is one of the best beers I've ever had. Fantastic!

[NYGFan_Section208]

Good news, thank you both. It's not far from my house, but hadn't been there in a while...been looking at it like one of those places "no one ever goes because it's too crowded"

[ramster]

Rebuild? Or reload?

[Ramulous]

Last year was a rebuilding year in my opinion...

When Hurley left for Conn we had three important contributors returning....Jeff, Cyril, and Fatts......no seniors of import on the team....and heavily dependent on incoming freshmen to replace 5 or 6 departing players who took us to 2 NCAA tournaments....the freshmen played like freshmen....this year they play like sophomores.....and two of those freshmen are no longer here.....

This year is a little less of a rebuilding job....our two sophomores are playing more meaningful minutes and we are more realistic of their playing ability having seen them play in approximately 50 games now....and our freshmen and newcomers are playing like freshmen and first year players through 17 games....

We are still rebuilding...

[rambone 78]

I think Long, Toppin, and Walker as a transfer are actually playing better than what our freshman usually do.

And since they are playing more minutes than you might otherwise expect, that has to help accelerate their development going forward.

So there is an element of rebuilding, but nowhere near a complete rebuild.

[Blue Man]

Agree with ramulous on last year. You lost a program-defining coach and 5 seniors, and had to depend on freshmen to shore up 2 vacated starting spots and a vacuum of minutes.

This year should be more or less a finished product - or at least one that dances. You returned your entire starting lineup. You have the same 3 leaders on the team. Those 3 leaders have been to and won NCAA and A10 tournament games. They have lost NCAA and A10 tournament games. They have experience out the ass.

The reason many on the board has been restless or up-and-down every game, is because we know what this team is capable of when they are playing their best, and we haven't really seen it.

The hope for me, is that knowing where we stand (12-5 (4-1)) - without firing on all cylinders yet - means that we're very capable of making a serious run this year once those pieces come together.

All of that said - until we beat another Q1 team, our only focus needs to be wins - ugly, blowouts, perfect - whatever. We need to be a top 3 seed in Brooklyn. We're not on the bubble, so we need to play our way in. Beat Duquesne on Wednesday and we're 1 step closer.