Are IPAs ruining everything?

[nikro000]

I personally like balanced beers, but there are opinions and articles that IPAs are taking over and ruining the craft beer industry

https://bottlebread.wordpress.com/2018/ ... ness-wars/

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/drin ... ation.html

What do you think?

[BlackDuck]

I'm not so sure it's ruining the craft beer industry. I for one, like IPA's. As both articles point out, (one of which was written 5 years ago) there is a difference between hoppy beers and bitter beers. I like my IPA's hoppy, but not over the top bitter. I think a high bitterness takes away from the tasty hops. But here's the thing, that's my personal opinion. Other people love bitter IPA's and that's totally fine. Both articles seem to be just stating the authors personal tastes and opinions about IPA's.

The main reason I don't think IPA's are ruining the craft beer industry is because stouts, porters, belgians and farmhouse style beers seem to be among the most popular styles right now. Just look at some of the most sought after beers. Click Here for an example list. Yea, there are some IPA's on this list, but just look at how many other styles are on the list. I counted only 8 out of the 50 that are IPA's. If IPA's were having such a big impact on the industry, the other styles would be drifting away in the wind...and they're not.

[Kealia]

Are IPAs ruining everything?

IMO, no. They aren't ruining anything but they are taking over and I'm personally a bit tired of it, too.

I skimmed the articles and saw this:

Is anybody else fed up with the IPA -IBU craze in the Northwest? I get it! Some people like bitter beers! Good for you! But does that mean that 3/4 of the table in some pubs have to be IPAs?

I echoed this same sentiment to some friends recently. I'm a huge IPA fan and I love exploring all that hops bring to the table....BUT I like other beers too and they are getting harder and harder to find. I get it, brewers need to deliver what people are buying - which will always follow trends. So, if people are hot on NEIPAs, like right now, THAT is what they are going to brew to meet customer demands. But that means it's much harder to make room for pale ales, stouts, hefs, etc. Hell, I can't remember the last time I saw an amber on anybody's tap list.....

How's that for rambling?

[mashani]

I love me an IPA. Not so much DIPAs that are more then 7% ABV or so. It's not that I hate them, I just think 9% DIPAs are stupid, because I like to drink more then 1 beer and not feel sad, and you can get all the flavor/aroma without pumping up the grain bill that high. I do love Pliney the Elder, but that falls right at 7%, and it uses sugar to keep it light bodied and easy to drink. IE it's like a Belgian grain bill. Which I most appreciate.

That said I love me all sorts of beer, and if you look at what I've brewed lately, it's a pretty diverse mix, from German lagers/kolsch type beers to English Browns, Irish Reds, Brown Porters, Bitters and ESBs, and only 1 IPA in the last 7 beers, and that was an English IPA.

My next 2 beers will probably be a Dry Irish Stout, and an American Pale Ale tending towards the hoppy (flavor/aroma) side, AKA a "Session IPA".

FWIW, Great Lakes pretty much always has an Amber or Red on tap, as well as German style beers. Other local breweries also have a good selection of German style beers. But we have a good sized community here that appreciates such things, not just a bunch of hipsters who drink PBR or IPA and nothing in between.

[Kealia]

But we have a good sized community here that appreciates such things, not just a bunch of hipsters who drink PBR or IPA and nothing in between.

...which is what California is turning into. Add in the man-bun, skinny jeans that are too short and a beard and that completes the picture.

My apologies to anybody who fits this description

[Beer-lord]

As a guy known around here for my love of hops, I have to chime in. There was a time when I almost craved a bitter beer. I still love them in moderation but I now enjoy the flavors and aromas of hops in beer. Hoppy beer to me no longer means bitter. I've enjoyed brewing beers with 8 oz of hops are more in the recipe but with most of the hops coming in flame out, whirlpool and dry hop additions. Are they bitter? Nope. Are they hoppy? Not in a bitter sense but I love how after pouring a glass of a beer brewed with lots of hops, I get a whiff of them before I even take the first sip. To me, it's like an introduction. Hello, how are you? I'm brewed with lots of hops. Smell me? Taste me?
But then again, I'm the guy with literally more than 10 lbs of hops in my freezer at almost any time. If I use 6 oz in the boil/late addition/whirlpool and 4 oz in a dry hop, they do move fast.

[ScrewyBrewer]

IPAs remain my goto beer even today. People I know tend to associate hoppy beers with bitter beers. And just refuse IPAs outright or drink a sip to reconfirm they don't like them. A couple of really bitter IPAs tend to wear my taste buds down as quickly as DIPAs wipe me out. But I do enjoy a citrusy high aroma IPA with just enough bitterness to add a clean finish. Every brewery taproom has a least one IPA and store shelves are well stocked with plenty of IPAs. I've read where marijuana is claimed to be responsible for tamping down craft beer sales. But that's a topic for a whole 'nother thread.

[Beer-lord]

Regarding big beers, last night we had a Sierra Nevada Hoptimum Triple IPA. It's big but it was EXTREMELY well balanced. Not boozy at all, not bitter but it was heavy. I only had half and that was enough but it really is a good example of a very well done beer. There are only a few others that I can say that about.

[ScrewyBrewer]

Regarding big beers, last night we had a Sierra Nevada Hoptimum Triple IPA. It's big but it was EXTREMELY well balanced. Not boozy at all, not bitter but it was heavy. I only had half and that was enough but it really is a good example of a very well done beer. There are only a few others that I can say that about.

Thanks for the tip Paul, I'll give that one a try too. I've never had a Triple IPA before but I'm a long time fan of Sierra's beers.

[denny]

I get so freeking sick of people whining about IPA. Here in the heart of IPA land, we also have lots of other choices. If you can't find something other than IPA to drink, you're not looking hard enough.

[Kealia]

In some cases that is true. But I am seeing a trend of nothing but IPA on the boards at local tap rooms.

We have a new one in Santa Cruz that opened up last year (or maybe 2 years ago....). In any case, I was there last weekend and out of 15 taps, 12 were a hazy IPA of one type or another (varying hops, guest taps, etc.). 1 was a hazy pale ale, and the other two were an imperial stout and.....I forget

For me it's not really about too many IPAs - it's more "too many of one thing" without any choice. If that's the direction they go, I'll just stop going there unless all I want to drink are hazy IPAs (they like the term "foggy" instead of hazy). If all they had were sours, I'd feel the same way. I like going where I have choices depending on my mood, the temperature, what I am eating, etc.

Or....I could brew something myself

[denny]

In some cases that is true. But I am seeing a trend of nothing but IPA on the boards at local tap rooms.

We have a new one in Santa Cruz that opened up last year (or maybe 2 years ago....). In any case, I was there last weekend and out of 15 taps, 12 were a hazy IPA of one type or another (varying hops, guest taps, etc.). 1 was a hazy pale ale, and the other two were an imperial stout and.....I forget

For me it's not really about too many IPAs - it's more "too many of one thing" without any choice. If that's the direction they go, I'll just stop going there unless all I want to drink are hazy IPAs (they like the term "foggy" instead of hazy). If all they had were sours, I'd feel the same way. I like going where I have choices depending on my mood, the temperature, what I am eating, etc.

Or....I could brew something myself

Why not go somewhere else that has what you want?

[Kealia]

Why not go somewhere else that has what you want?

If that's the direction they go, I'll just stop going there unless all I want to drink are hazy IPAs (they like the term "foggy" instead of hazy).

That's what I was referring to with this comment. They haven't always been that way, it's just lately. There are other places I can go that keep a better variety - -so they will get my $$.
So, to your point, I do have choices and options but it's much easier to type angrily away on a keyboard than it is to drive another 15 miles to a better spot

[Beer-lord]

I follow lots of brewery tweets across the country and even locally and the last 2 months I've seen more mention of sour beers than another other. Locally, sours have taken off quickly and are likely to be here for awhile.And, lagers are making a comeback. Again, locally and regionally, we're seeing lagers though more of the creative kind.

[ScrewyBrewer]

I follow lots of brewery tweets across the country and even locally and the last 2 months I've seen more mention of sour beers than another other. Locally, sours have taken off quickly and are likely to be here for awhile.And, lagers are making a comeback. Again, locally and regionally, we're seeing lagers though more of the creative kind.

If I see a 'foggy/hazy' lager on tap somewhere I'll shake my head, laugh to myself and try at least one.