Have we moved beyond fruit infused IPAs?

Unfortunately I am in that same boat.

Cheers!

 

I think they're here to stay as long as they pick an acceptable fruit... by the time we get to Durian IPAs, yeah it's time to stop

 

If done well, I'm all for 'em!

 

And it was good. I for one am all for it. I look at these beers as stepping stones for bringing more people into the fold. I have a lot of respect for brewers that can get this fruited profile with no adjuncts. I have had both of the new SN additions, didn't care much for Sidecar but thought the Tropical Torpedo was a solid beer. As with everything else, if you don't like it, don't drink it.

 

New fruit IPAs are still being released. Troegs released First Cut (Mango IPA) not long ago.

That said, most of the fruit IPAs I've had aren't very memorable. I wouldn't exactly be upset if they're starting to disappear.

Granted, Spring House better keep The Astounding She Monster in their lineup. That's one of my favorite IPAs.

 

Can you clarify "new drinkers" whether you mean new craft beer drinkers, or drinkers new to fruited beers (the latter could be both old and new craft beer drinkers).

The reason I ask is, for awhile I've had an admittedly tongue-in-cheek opinion these fruit-infused beers [IPAs particularly] are like beer training wheels for newcomers to craft beer. There are so many newcomers to craft these days, that it makes sense they would drive the popularity of these types of beers. I'm just curious if your research is able to confirm that the fruited IPA trend is fueled at least in part by the influx of novice craft beer drinkers.

I know I sound pretentious, but honestly I don't begrudge anyone enjoying these fruited IPAs... New people drinking craft beer is good. People can drink what they like. Brewers can make what they like. I think fruited IPAs are straightforward, expectations are simple, very easy to enjoy, and I drink them myself occasionally.... I just don't think the flavors are complicated or offer any challenge to the drinker.

 

I actually grabbed the SN IPA sampler from Costco that contained Torpedo, Black IPA, German IPA and the Peach IPA for a party a month ago. I figured I would get to try the black, german and peach out since there was only me, my son and my future son in law that drank IPA's. The Peach beer was the first one gone, I drank one, my son had one and other BMC drinkers choose it over their normal brews. Everyone who tried it liked it. I think this statement you made below is the main reason it went over so well

 

You would lose that bet. I do like Sam Lager, Harpoon Ipa and some more mainstream stuff.

 

How long did it take for all the fruited wheat beers to die out in the early to mid 90's?

 

Not the first bet I have lost.

Cheers!

 

Fruited IPA's . just not my cup of tea. Great for others. I really dislike grapefruit, in any form. I ask, what are they trying to do, as brewers? Just popular stuff? Different taste profile? Mixing it up? Trying to get new to beer, new to ipas drinkers? The mango rita converts? If I want to drink mango and pineapple, I will make some rum drink. Are the brewers/drinkers bored/unhappy with malt, yeast and hops for flavor? Sort of at a loss here. Different is not better. IMHO. Cross over from the alco pop crowd? And get offa my lawn too. I have to get off my soap box and slink way now. And crack open some of that Rodenbach Alexander aged on sour cherries for 2 years( WHAT, FRUIT ?) Never mind.

 

Yes. It was interesting to try at first, but I don't need fruit in my IPAs.

 

This is a great question...the data is super hard to quantify here, but in general it means folks who are new to drinking "Craft" beer... not necessarily new to the styles of fruited beers. It's determined to be a "new" drinker if the volume of "X" style keeps getting bigger while simultaneously remaining the same or larger in existing categories...leading one to believe that there are new folks who are trying and buying these beers for the first time. Really it's shorthand for "not beer geeks."

Most of the market data really doesn't apply to the BeerAdvocate demographic. If you know the difference between an altbier and a California Common, or find yourself pining for a great ESB or a nice Helles you're outside the bell curve. The craft beer market is so different today than it was 5 or 10 years ago. Drinking good beer is part of the popular culture than it ever was before, and more and more, people are interested in getting into the culture aspect of it. This is one of the reasons, a lot of analysts insist there are two craft beer markets: IPA and everything else. IPAs are now fairly synonymous with craft beer, and IPA is the point of entry for folks looking to get into good beer.

You make a point about the "training wheels" aspect of fruited beers. There is something there for sure, but it's not just limited to fruited beers. One of the reasons the new wave of IPA (i.e. New England or Hazy styles) is that these beers are inherently more approachable. Taking that type as an example.

• Much lower bitterness than old-school IPAs (7%ABV beers with 30-45 IBU)
• Haze (which is a visual differentiator) and tells other folks "I'm not drinking macro beer" as much as holding a bottle
• Very fruit-forward hop flavors which give the impression of sweetness (as opposed to older pithy, piney, cat piss-like styles)
• Full mouthfeel

Fruited beers do much the same things. Sometimes with color, sometimes with aroma, but because many of them are IPAs or other hop-forward styles, they don't have the "girl beer" (no offence intended here, just stating a common trope) connotations of the old-school fruited wheat beers from the 90s.

Does anybody Remember back in the mid 2000's when big IPAs were first emerging? There was something of a hops arms race...1000 IBU beers, super bitter bombs, more hops than water...etc. That was a machismo fad that thankfully faded, but we did learn from it...we especially learned that bitterness as a selling point only works for so long. I much prefer many of the new style beers to some of those older versions, because frankly, I can drink a lot more of them without being wrecked. Of course, if given my 'druthers, I'd still drink a Celebration over just about anything else and that's an old school beer that still holds up IMO.

Beer comes and goes in cycles, fruited beers are just the latest in that long line. There are great things to be learned, as brewers, from watching what hits and what doesn't and it adds tools to our arsenal when we're designing beers that will be the next, "next big thing."

 

Like Kolsch beers!?!

Cheers!

P.S. Maybe Boulevard is ahead of the trend here!?!

 

Thanks @sierranevadabill that was more detailed than I expected. I had no idea you could tease out new craft beer drinkers in the data that way. Very Interesting. I agree we're at a better place today than the IBU arms races and the sexist "fruited beer is for girls" tropes of the past.

A detail our echo-chamber community needs to be reminded of regularly. Thanks for continuing to come around these parts and indulge us despite being outside of Sierra Nevada's mainstream market. I'll try to return the favor next time I'm at the beer store.

 

Not a SN fan? I'm at least a 6-8 cases per year guy. Torpedo, Narwahl, Bigfoot, Celebration, Celebration, hoptimum and those awesome 24 oz, hop series bottles and such.

 

Celebration listed twice?

I am guessing you are a BIG Celebration fan!

I am too!!

Cheers to 'Celebrating'!!!!!