India Pale Lager (IPL). Thoughts?

Jack's Abby is all you need to know. Hoponius Union and their 2nd Anniversary Lager are sublime.

 

This beer is just amazing and so isn't imperial version. I believe this style will be the next big thing. During the summer it is such a easy drinking and flavorful style. A big fan!

 

I, personally, didn't find the few IPLs I have had any more easy-drinking than American IPAs. When many of you talk about the crisp mouthfeel and clean finish in Jack's Abby IPLs, are you implying they are easier to drink (i.e. produce less palate fatigue) than IPAs? With lagers, the hallmark characteristic of the best examples of the styles is that #3 tastes better than #2; #4 better than #3, etc. Instead of your palate wearing out, it seems to open up and allow you to appreciate more and more subtlety the more you drink. Are you guys implying something similar with the best IPLs?

 

Had this one at a couple of beer festivals, and it is a phenomenal beer. Got to chat with the brewers too awesome guys. Wish that they would come out with this one in bottles I would buy it all the time.

Cheers,
Ben

 

Agreed. Troy and Ben are great guys. While a lot of people know them for their (awesome) sour program and for Co. Native, they also brew lots of good lagers including a dunkel, baltic porter, Herman Joseph's, and even a corn lager in addition to the IPL. I think they're also in charge of Barmen Pils, too.
Their IPL won a GABF medal, so maybe that'll push them to bottle it.

 

Who really care's what you call it? Jack's Abby's beers are awesome. Lager or Ale doesn't matter. Mass Rising and Hoponius are freaking great beers, and I'm dying to try Kiwi Rising.

I also disagree with your 2nd example. Wouldnt it be more of a marketing gimmick to label Nugget Nectar an India Pale Amber or Little Sumpin Sumpin an India Pale Wheat? I do happen to agree that Sucks is better, but when its not around Little Sumpin Sumpin is still pretty damn good.

 

Sam's Dbl IPL was O.K. - won't buy it again though.

- not to sound silly, but I prefer Ales ovr Lagers anymore (go ahead roll your eyes..I did once too when sum1 said it to me). BUT..its no bullshit & true, I'm finding out. To my so called veteran trained Palate.

- or maybe I'm just an Arrogant Bastard, no pun intended (lol)

Cheers All!

 

Have you not found anything like this in the 19th century records?

 

JA Lashes which is on the shelf is excellent. Very Nugget Nectar like.

 

Hop forward pale lager? I think this style already exists with a different name...

Pale lager

 

I think most who are using terms such as "crisp mouthfeel" and "clean finish" simply know they are words used to describe lagers. So, because the label says "lager" on it, that's how it's being described. I'd be curious (and I'm not calling anyone out, I'm genuinely curious) if anyone has put an IPL in a taste test with multiple IPAs and can pick out the IPL. Because I imagine something that is 70 IBUs and hopped like an IPA is NOT going to taste "crisp."

 

Um yeah -- makes me proud. Hop-forward Freedom of Speech (though it sounds more like alcohol-forward).

 

Ballast Point Fathom and rough draft nu agent IPL's are really good.

 

Below is the Pale Lager beer style as defined by ratebeer:

“Pale Lager

The color of pale lager ranges from light bronze to nearly transparent and the alcohol anywhere from 4-6%. Adjunct usage may be quite high though in some cases the beer is all-malt. Carbonation is typically forced though not always. One thing that does not vary is that neither the malt nor the hops make much of an impression on the palate. These beers are brewed for minimum character though faint traces of hop or malt may show through. Commonly detected features and flaws include fusels, oxidized malt and skunked hops. The body will often be thin and/or spritzy while the finish is typically mildly bitter.”

None of the beers that I drunk which are labeled as India Pale Lager (IPL) tasted like the above description.

Cheers!

 

I don't, and I apologize, it certainly came off that way. It just irks me when I read about hop heads who say things such as, "I never liked lagers until I tried Jack's Abby's IPLs!" Because that's not what a typical German pale lager tastes like at all. All that person likes is more hops. It's why, guess what, their DOUBLE IPL is rated higher than their regular IPL.

If it's a gateway to get more BAs to try more lagers (regular pale lagers, like Weihenstephan Original for example), I'm all for it. But I'm not so sure that's what's happening here.

 

It's interesting that Sam Adams' IPL is listed as such by BA -- no recognition of the "style."

My Overall comment from my review of the Sam Adams IPL:

 

Heh.

I've often heard that that's the defining characteristic of English session ales as well.

Is it that beer is confusing or that beer confuses?

 

Because some people prefer Lagers India Pale or not!

 

I doubt extra hoppy lagers will draw people to lagers generally when all too often people who are into IPAs (or more so, DIPAs and big stouts) think of lagers as "bland" and "boring."

Rather, I'm guessing more of the sort of people who frequent this board will just eventually investigate lagers as another avenue to explore. I doubt I drank a single quality lager (as opposed to macro) for at least the fifteen years leading up to, say, five years ago. I'd been so keen on pales and IPAs, especially, that I'd felt no particular need to look further, but eventually I was looking for something new and found something old: the very Weihenstephan Original of which you speak. Needless to say, I got back into lagers right quick after that.

 

I agree except I am a big fan!