American Beers = Overly Hopped

Don't like it, don't drink it. Either way, quit complaining.

 

if you're at all familiar with the well established breweries of america, and you can't find beer that isn't hop forward... i don't know what to tell you. i mean, shit, open up my reviews and go down the line looking at anything isn't a (D)IPA.

 

Tired of hops? Then shy away from IPAs/PAs. Obviously, some are well balanced but many are bound to be hopbombs....because people like them, myself included, from time to time. There's a whole world of other kinds of brews out there. If you've got a decent shop or two around, you should have an ample selection of less hoppy american beers. Vote with your wallet.

 

I think they do it because we like it and buy it.

 

America has FAR more diversity of beer styles done well today than any other country. It is not close. The hop forward beers are what the craft market is demanding most of, so that is the current focus and they are phenomenal, but you can get whatever you want. It is way better than a market with "crisp" pils after "crisp" pils..but if you want those, we have those too. You really have to look hard to whine about the beer choices in the US today...but there will always be whiners.

 

This. If you can't find alternatives that aren't overly hopped you're not looking closely enough. There is plenty of everything out there these days. Without trying particularly hard today's selections included a ba ris, Huge hop bomb, American wild ale, and a reasonably traditional take on a saison - All American made.

 

That's not what was originally said. He said brewers, "make what sells." Of course the customers didn't say they wanted a beer that didn't exist yet, but once it was made they did want it and thus SA and SN continued to make a lot of it.

 

I think the 100 IBU beer was the initial flagship beer of most American craft breweries..so we saw a "hop bubble" for the last decade. Any new brewery that comes up had to have a 'hopgasm', 'hopblast' etc kind of beer to establish themselves. I do feel we're coming out of that bubble now..only to be replaced by a barrel aged bubble (be it bourbon or wine or oak barrels). Soon enough a different style will come forward and breweries will experiment with that for a couple years and move on.Was I the only one who noticed an uptick in imperial pilsners and black IPA's a year or two ago?

 

Yea-- the craft beer scene is so boring right now. gtfo. Troll post of the day.

 

Don't buy six packs. Buy singles. Or do more research on the beer you're buying before you buy it. Or buy Belgian made pale ales. Not american made pale ales. Or buy well known american made Belgian style pale ales that are true to style. Or try any one of the many IPA's out that there that do not have overgenerous hop proportions.

Have I bought beers that I assumed would fit a style profile when they didn't? Sure. And I've been pleasantly surprised at times and disappointed at others. That's all part of being a consumer. That doesn't mean you need to complain about it or mischaracterize US beer production.

 

Having too much hops is like having too much fun - can't happen. Besides like a tons of other people have remarked - there are plenty of other options out there. Drink the other options and get over it already.

 

Exactly. They originally DIDN'T make what sells. They branched out and tried something different. Therefore, saying brewers should continue to brew IPAs because they sell is like saying Sierra Nevada should have brewed adjunct lagers when they started, because that's what was selling at the time.

My point is, just because hops sell, doesn't mean that's all you need to do. It's ok to brew more pilsners, Helles....etc. If the beer is good, it will sell.

 

Hops rule man.. Not so much about the bitterness, but the flavor. I wish I could stuff my nose with Hops and walk around all day

 

Lots of good stuff has been said here. I like many styles, I don't limit myself to one and then get bored with it. Sure, I like a hop bomb as much as the guy, but I also like a more balanced IPA, such as Two Hearted. I also like amber ales, and porters and stouts. And yes, I also like the lager. It's all beer, what's not to like?

 

As has been mentioned in a few posts most American beers are not ‘over hopped’ whether that be the popular beers like Bud Light, Bud, Coors Light, Miller Liite … or beers like Sam Adams Boston Lager, New Belgium Fat Tire, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale …

There are some hoppy beers being produced by craft breweries but they are the minority of the beer being consumed as measured by volume.

Cheers!

 

I wish more American breweries would strive to make fresh traditional lagers since imports are often not at their best. I don't want my Pilsner, helles, kellerbier or dunkel to be brewed with pacific North west hops. I think traditional lagers would sell, American brewers just haven't given them a good chance.

 

But the Pilsners and Helles don't sell. At least not nearly as much as IPAs. Kellerweis is an incredible beer but is struggling to justify its space in Sierra Nevada's lineup.

The point you're missing is that up through the 70's there was only one style of beer that was readily available for the most part. Now that almost all styles of beer are accessible to most people IPAs and hoppy beers in general are clearly the favorite among the craft crowd, and even those who are just wetting their toes. There isn't really anything different to try and brew right now because it's all already been done and hoppyness, for the moment, is king.

 

The missing part, I think, is that there is usually an easy way and a hard way- sometimes they even get all switched up as preferences change. These days making a super hoppy beer is the easy way to get recognition, so more breweries (not all, mind you) will go that route.

Always be thankful for the pioneers and those who take the hard way, though, and support them when you can.

 

same. if I'm feeling I want an IPA it doesn't matter which one because they are all the same to me. I still like them but to me it seems they are all 99% the same.  

 

The days of hops being a mere bittering agent are over. It's all about the flavor.