IPAs that don't taste like dish soap

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by wafels_and_schnapps, Jan 7, 2013.

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  1. wafels_and_schnapps

    wafels_and_schnapps Initiate (0) Jan 6, 2013 Massachusetts

    For many years, I've been terrified to try IPAs. I find that the hoppier the beer, the more it tastes like straight up dish soap. Maybe I haven't given IPAs a fair chance. Maybe I wrongly associate IPAs with dish soap. But at any rate, does anyone have suggestions for good IPAs...?
     
    Kyrojack likes this.
  2. WotanMitUns

    WotanMitUns Initiate (0) Dec 20, 2012 Alaska

    The last thing I think of when I taste Heady Topper, Double Jack, Head Hunter or Pliny is dish soap. Give those a try if you can find them.
     
  3. Deltoro

    Deltoro Initiate (0) Sep 15, 2012 Florida

    They all do. Some soaps are better than others. The new zest ipa is really good. Try the Irish spring red ale if you see it anywhere.
     
  4. HipsterBrewfus

    HipsterBrewfus Initiate (0) Jun 3, 2012 Maryland

    Wouldn't you better off suggesting some easier to find IPA's?

    Sculpin for example?
     
    Dan_Bowman likes this.
  5. tectactoe

    tectactoe Initiate (0) Mar 20, 2012 Michigan
    Trader

  6. Treebs

    Treebs Initiate (0) Apr 18, 2011 Illinois

    What IPA's have you had that have given you the "dish soap" flavors? That will probably help narrow it down a bit. Perhaps there's a particular hop gives your palate the flavor of dish soap and you can recommedations of IPA's that don't use that particular hop in the brew process.
     
    BigTomZ, j47paco and BeerKangaroo like this.
  7. Handle

    Handle Initiate (0) Mar 16, 2009 North Carolina

    I wish I could help, but I don't know that I've ever had an IPA that tasted like dish soap.
     
  8. otispdriftwood

    otispdriftwood Initiate (0) Dec 9, 2011 Colorado

    Dish soap is one taste I NEVER got from any IPA or DIPA I've ever tried. I suggest eating something spicy before trying another IPA or if that doesn't help, having your taste buds checked.
     
    jrnyc and BeerKangaroo like this.
  9. WotanMitUns

    WotanMitUns Initiate (0) Dec 20, 2012 Alaska



    Sculpin may be somewhat easier to find, but it's often 3-4 months old when I see it in my area. But yeah, it doesn't taste like dish soap either.
     
  10. wafels_and_schnapps

    wafels_and_schnapps Initiate (0) Jan 6, 2013 Massachusetts

    That's sort of the problem...I can't remember the ones I've already tried, because it was a long while ago and I've basically shunned them out of my memory. :slight_frown:
     
  11. Hanzo

    Hanzo Initiate (0) Feb 27, 2012 Virginia

    So there is a connection between dish soap and IPAs? I was wondering why the cleaning power of my Dawn fell off so quickly.
     
  12. whiterabbit

    whiterabbit Initiate (0) Jan 24, 2010 Ohio

    Try a decent pale ale, like Sierra Nevada. A lighter hop flavor than an IPA. If this is still not for you, it is ok to admit IPA's are not your style. There are many styles to consider.
     
  13. JM03

    JM03 Initiate (0) Nov 12, 2010 Ohio

    I usually leave a few ounces of my IPAs in the glass and use it to was the rest of my dishes.

    Seriously though, I've never tasted anything that resembled dish soap in any beer. Maybe you aren't rinsing your glasses enough and there is dish soap left in it?
     
    HipsterBrewfus likes this.
  14. HipsterBrewfus

    HipsterBrewfus Initiate (0) Jun 3, 2012 Maryland

    Ok, then perhaps any basic Stone IPA or something that isn't elusive and extremely difficult to get for a large portion of the population. Also, I feel like those are IPA's for people who already have a deep appreciation for IPA's.

    But im also not a hophead, so what the hell do I know?
     
    GeddyLeeRocks likes this.
  15. iwantmorehops

    iwantmorehops Zealot (739) Sep 25, 2010 Vermont

    I have experienced this a number of times and it immediately ruins the beer for me, the most recent perpetrators were Otter Creek Hop Session ale, and Long Trail IPA. I'm absolutely meticulous about my glassware, it doesn't go in the dishwasher, and I rarely even use soap. Maybe its a specific variety, or just a mental association with that smell, but I've only experienced this with IPAs and pale ales.

    OP, Seek out some Jacks Abby, they brew amazing hoppy lagers that dont taste like soap.

    Edit: I should add that I drink a lot of hoppy beer, and just about all of it doesn't taste like soap
     
    BeerKangaroo likes this.
  16. ubenumber2

    ubenumber2 Initiate (0) Sep 1, 2012 Arkansas

    Just peoples taste ,all Porters and Stouts have an aftertaste that reminds me of when someone wipes out an ashtray with a damp cloth
     
  17. PsilohsaiBiN

    PsilohsaiBiN Initiate (0) Aug 10, 2010 New York

    Dogfish Head 90 Minute just may be your jam, or perhaps Heavy Seas Loose Cannon, maybe even some Victory Hop Devil. These are more balanced IPAs compared to others that are all hops and little malt.

    One IPA that actually gave me a soap taste is Hop Stoopid. To me it tastes like Pliny, but with some weird, soapy taste at the end. Maybe I had a bad bottle? YMMV .
     
    Fantasy_Factory likes this.
  18. WotanMitUns

    WotanMitUns Initiate (0) Dec 20, 2012 Alaska


    Are you saying you've licked ashtrays people have wiped out with a damp cloth?
     
    Fantasy_Factory likes this.
  19. Providence

    Providence Pooh-Bah (2,628) Feb 24, 2010 Rhode Island
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I am assuming Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is something you have tried (given how attainable it is). If you haven't, do it! If you have had SNPA and think it tastes like dish soap, perhaps IPA's are not the thing for you.

    A word to the wise though....sometimes flavors get stuck in our memories and we associate then with those memories moving forward, even if the flavor isn't really there. For example, growing up as a kid I loved "spiced drops," those gummy candies that had tons of clove flavor added to them. I specifically loved the green colored spice drops which were spearmint flavored. The first couple of times I tried a traditional Heff, one with a ton of clove flavor my brain said, "Why does this taste like mint?" I even came on here asking about why Heffs had a menthol like flavor to them. No one had an answer. I dug deeper and figured out what I wa remembering when I drank Heffs was not a mint flavor, but the heavy clove flavor that was in the minty, gummy candies I loved. Now my brain can isolate what I am tasting and associate it properly. As a result I love Heffs!

    Now, I have no idea why you would associate hops with dish soap, but who knows, life is crazy and the brain/taste bud connection are a complicated pieces of equipment!
     
    JxExM, tronester and iwantmorehops like this.
  20. ubenumber2

    ubenumber2 Initiate (0) Sep 1, 2012 Arkansas

    Yeah we have to be open to trying new things man , geesh



    Actually its the smell of an ashtray and the taste of the porter that are similar , maybe I should have been more clear for the folks who are not well awake this morning :wink:

     
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