The 'deal' started from the beginning of it's introduction. If my memory holds true, Ghost was first released in a bomber. Because of the hype on this board, I bought one at Calandro's. Brewers were trying to out-hop each other, and I saw this as Parish's entrance into the market.

My first experience back then: I thought it was another decent hoppy beer, but I didn't buy it again because I thought it was overpriced and I didn't like the fact I had to open and drink a whole bomber--too much of the same thing at one sitting. Ghost was a decent beer but nothing that special to me.

Read this from Parish back on Feb 13, 2014:

quote:
Ghost in the Machine update: We have been getting a lot of inquiries about this beer, so here are some FAQs answered for you.
We are letting the immense qty of dry hops settle out and we will likely be packaging it Monday or Tuesday latest. Should be on tap in the brewery taproom by Tuesday. Bottles will ship to our distributors end of next week.
The beer is super aromatic ranging from dank, orange, apricot, pine, and floral and is very bitter. IBUs are over 150.
It's probably too hoppy for you.
This is the first commercial batch and we will probably modify the hop types and quantities in future as we #1 learn what our currently used varietals do to a beer like this and #2 are able to acquire larger amounts of the newer hard-to-source sexy hops like Citra, Simcoe, Amarillo, Galaxy, and Mosaic. The limit on production of this beer is due to lack of the hops we want to use. FYI. Cheers!

Local hop heads though fell in love with this stuff. Did it have something to do with marketing? I don't know. If Ghost had been named 'Hop Stupid' I don't know if it would have tasted the same to patrons.

From a 2015 article:

quote:
This beer is a paradox. Ghost misleads you slightly with its light color and equally airy aroma, coming across as pleasantly citrusy (grapefruit, orange, apricot?) with hints of pine. But that first sip lets you know everything about the beer’s motives. Ghost packs more hops than Blake Griffin, Bugs Bunny or Tigger too. After drinking one, sentences like that become funny.

That’s exactly the reaction brewmaster Andrew Godley wanted. When previewing the beer in 2013, he told local press that years of clamoring for IPAs made drinkers desensitized. “We need a beer that is capable of satisfying the most voracious appetite for hops,” he thought, so Parish allegedly used 10 pounds of hops per barrel during brewing—no wonder it’s been suck a limited release so far. When Parish officially introduced the beer commercially for the first time last Spring, they put the premise in even simpler terms on Facebook: “It’s probably too hoppy for you.”

Despite a high ABV (8%) and undeniable bitterness (Parish said IBUs are 150+), Ghost in the Machine goes down smoothly; it’s likely too smooth considering the punch it packs. But for those who dismiss the idea of lesser-known brewers producing something world-class or of drinking Southern IPAs in general, Ghost in the Machine is the beer ready to change your mind. Running across town may sound sillier than waiting in an hour-plus line, but this kind of beer rightfully demands a little effort. LINK

Since Ghost is such a hit and supplies are limited, a desire for this beer has reached another stage. The 'me too' sheepeople, who aren't regular DIAP drinkers, don't want to be left out. So the race is on, and the game is to score as much Ghost as you can, damn the other loser who can't find it.

This is my first step into the chase for Ghost since my first bottle back in 2014. In my opinion, the Ghost of today is less hoppy that the original. Parish lists the IBU as 100+, so we don't know if it's equal to the 150 back in the day. I've had two so far on two different occasions. I do like it better than my first experience. It is more refined, but still hoppy as hell. Not as refined as OPUS, but that's a different style of beer.

As far as DIPA go, I still prefer Crowd Control over Ghost. CC is less hoppy and crisper, smoother. I like OPUS over Ghost too.

Being part of the Ghost Hunters is also a fun game. And like any hunter, after making the kill you get to enjoy the fruit of your hunt.

The 'deal' is, Ghost is a really good DIPA in short supply, with a cult following building the legend, creating a vacuum sucking in other beer drinkers who don't want to be left out of a good thing, who want to share in the Ghost snobbery.

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Posted by urinetrouble

Member since Oct 2007

20507 posts

Posted on 5/28/16 at 8:49 am to Enadious

quote:
My first experience back then: I thought it was another decent hoppy beer, but I didn't buy it again because I thought it was overpriced and I didn't like the fact I had to open and drink a whole bomber--too much of the same thing at one sitting. Ghost was a decent beer but nothing that special to me.

I didn't think batch one was world-class, but still one of the best DIPAs in the south, and certainly the best option at the time. People with just pining for a great local hoppy beer and this was the first one. Mechahopzilla had been released about six months before and it was just wasn't that good. IIRC, batch one Ghost sold out in a few days at some places, so it wasn't too crazy. It wasn't nearly as crazy as it is now.

Batch 2 was when he got access to the newer, juicier hop varieties like Citra and Galaxy and that was a big jump in flavor. He also moved it from overpriced 750mL bottles and to 4-packs. Seems like things really took off from there.

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Posted by Big Floppy TDs