Just started drinking IPAs.. What to look out for?

Cigar City-Jai Alai, DFH 60 minute, Firestone Walker-Union Jack...just to name a couple of my personal favorites.

 

Look for fresh ipa's so that the hop character hasn't faded. Look for good balance- so a deep malt presence and then some intense fruits. Ipa's have so many fruit flavors, everything from lemon, orange, tangerine and grapefruit to more exotic like pineapple, mango & melon. It' should have a little pine and some sweetness both from fruit and from malt. Finally it should have some nice oily bitter and a good long finish.

They abound on the shelves but all the truly great ipa's are dinstinct in some way and memorable. Double jack, flower power, sculpin, alchemy hour, perpetual ipa,ruination, west coast ipa, leviathan . . . I could list all day.

 

Simple! Just E-mail mother earth brewing co in vista,CA. Apparently they know everything there is to know about beer lol

 

90 minute ipa is more on the malty side to give you an idea.

 

I'm guessing Washington DC, lots of really good stuff, easy to get - Torpedo/Caldera/Modus Hoperandi/Bells Two Hearted/ Smuttynose.

 

If you are in washington dc, I'd reccomend the following (all of which should readily available):

DC Brau Corruption
DC Brau Public (it's a pale ale but is pretty close to an IPA)
Firestone Walker Union Jack
Ballast Point Sculpin
Stone IPA
Evolution Lot 3
Green Flash West Coast IPA
Founders Centennial
Bells Two Hearted
Lagunitas IPA
Lagunitas Lil' Sumpin' Sumpin'
Smuttynose Finest Kind
Bear Republic Racer 5
Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye

 

As stickboy mentioned check for dates or buy from a smaller bottle shop who's reliable. I was checking dates a few days ago and there's some Oskar Blues stuff on the shelf pushing almost a year old. fresher is better, some are case dated not bottle dated so ask. Ever a great IPA dies with age, and you'll hate it and it will suck, and you'll be unfairly biased. Add Union Jack and Double Jack if it's fresh, and these are bottle dated.

 

Some IPA's that I really like are:

- Stone Brewing Co. IPA
- Sam Adams Latitude 48 IPA
- Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

Amd if you like a hoppier, more powerful IPA, then try some Dobule IPA's. I've yet to have a bad DIPA. I'd try any of the top rated ones here.

 

figure out what hops profile you like.... and then search reviews (or post again!) to get more specific recommendations.

Piney flavored IPAs?
grapefruit?
tropical fruit?
you get the idea. Then all the beer wonks on this site will gladly tell you the top 10 beers you can buy in your area with that flavor dominating... and you'll be one happy camper.

 

What to look for?

How about a palate orgasm? The style is so broad and with new hops being produced each and every year, its constantly changing. I would suggest starting out with the citrusy forward beers and subtle IBUs (70-80 range). Eventually you will explore a side street of the oniony and piney ales this style offers. Quicker than you think, you will want bigger and better...more hops and more hops. Try everything you can get your hands on.

I have finished my PSA...

 

Completely agree with borderican about 90 minute being malty. I actually prefer 60 minute to its bigger brother.

 

Check out Uinta Hop Knotch IPA.(gotta support those Utah Breweries). And I agree with the above mentioned West Coast stuff, Racer 5, Stone, also consider (Pizza) Port: Mongo and Wipeout.

 

Favorites

Lunch, Jai Alai, Sucks, Two Hearted, Flower Power, lil sumpin sumpin, ruination. They are all top notch, easier to find, Port Mongo, Uinta Hop Notch, Smuttynose Finest.I thought Shlafly's IPA was delicious too, and if you like 90 minute, try Maharaja, extremely well balanced DIPA that I love.

 

get a 12 of Dales Pale Ale..have a party

 

lots of great suggestions already so I'll just say if you are trying multiple different ipas in a sitting be mindful of your palate and enjoy

 

Green Flash Imperial is top of the game in my opinion. Ballast Point Sculpin is amazing. You should be able to get both anywhere.

If your in Washington take the pilgrimage Santa Rosa, CA and get that Pliny!

 

Given that it has "Cowiche Canyon Organic Hop Lab #2" printed right on the can, I would say your prayers have a good chance of being answered.

 

It would be helpful if you could just drink all the bad and average IPAs out there because most of the good ones are already at maximum fan capacity.

 

If you're in Seattle or thereabouts, head to Bottleworks, 99 Bottles, Full Throttle Bottles, Last Drop Bottle Shop, etc. and ask the folks to help you put together a mix-6 of west coast (including Idaho) IPAs. I'm not dissing east coast, Colorado, or midwest IPAs --- it's just that we don't get a ton of them and the ones we get IMO are not nearly as good as the local and west coast ones we get.

Unfortunately, most of the local IPAs that are bottled are bombers, so you might need to get some of those. But the best of the PNW DIPAs are draft only, but not particularly hard to find.

Finally, we don't get Hill Farmstead, Alchemist, Lawson's, Smuttynose, Cigar City, Founders, Bell's, Surly or any of the many highly rated IPAs from the east coast and midwest. Here's my advice --- don't sweat it. Don't get started on trading (at least for IPAs and DIPAs) --- our stuff is just as good and it won't cost you an arm and a leg in trading costs. We've got it good here.

 

Firestone Walker Double Jack
Cigar City Jai Alai
Dogfish 60 and 90 Minute
Victory Hopwallop
DC Brau OTWOA (you'd have to trade for this, they only sell it at the brewery in DC)
Bells Hopslam
Deschutes Hop Trip