Sour IPAs? Gimmicky or legitimate style?

I'm a fan of Hermit Thrush's Green Street IPA. Wouldn't mind having a few more options on the shelf.

 

I'm thinking if it tastes good, who cares if it belongs to a "style". Like Funky Gold Mosaic, tasty stuff.

 

The Veil has made a series of sour IPA's with varying levels of tartness. Some were pretty good as a nice change of pace from the usual dipas.

 

Coincidentally yesterday i was at Hudson Valley Brewing and had Subglitch (sour fermented ipa with lactose and wildflower honey) and Multichorus (sour ipa with white chocolate, vanilla, cardamom)

They were like nothing I've ever had. So unique. But im indifferent on wether its an own style.

 

Stop it already, with the sour IPAs!

 

I just recently said this on another thread about "blonde stouts", but I think that changing a major characteristic of a beer pushes it out of a particular style.

Making a Stout blonde or an IPA sour can no longer be considered a Stout or an IPA in my opinion. If there unique to the point where you can't associate them with their original style without knowing they're called a "sour ipa", then give them their own category.

 

I'm not going to be drinking them, but if people like them then I don't see a reason to stop.

 

It's the crusty old man in me coming out...now get off of my lawn

 

Why? Dry-hopped sours are awesome.

No such thing as a sour IPA, though. Well, a purposefully brewed one, at least.

 

They are just hoppy American Wild Ales, absolutely no need for yet another IPA sub style. Anyway, I have had a handful of Almanac and from several other breweries that make some I have really enjoyed.

 

I have had a few and some I like a lot but I agree it is getting a little gimmicky. I think the style started sliding off the edge with Black and Brown IPAs as the do havoc to the word "pale". There are so many substyles that buying an IPA is getting to be a lot like going to the dog pound to get a dog - you are pretty sure its a dog but after that all bets are off.

 

Two brewers I have loved since their start at one of my local brewpubs on a one barrel system now create magic in a beautiful big new brewery called Hudson Valley Brewery, and they have been putting out sour IPA that are astonishingly delicious. Never thought the style was that great back in the day, now I can't get enough. Bring em on! Their latest cannings were Subglitch and Multichorus (for those who trade) which I was lucky enough to try but not lucky enough to score.

edit- shoulda read through first, @Urk1127 discussed both beers above, oops. Wish I coulda been there with him y'day

 

Keep them Sour IPA's a comin ! I love em. Magnify did one of the first I had ( Froot Joose ) - when they told me they were brewing it I was very skeptical but I really enjoyed it. More recently Hudson Valley has come out with some amazing brews. Some of the best IPA's I've had, delicious.

 

Trinity brewing in Colorado Springs has on called red swingline that was phenomonal. It was lacto soured and finished with brett with copious amounts of dryhops.

 

Right on.

Or the sour IPA is relabeling of an old thing to make it seem "new" and/or "innovative"...

 

Dry-hopping a beer does NOT make it an IPA.

Many sour beers esp. wild fermentation use very little to no hops because hops can impede wild fermentation. What are you left with? Kettle-soured quasi-IPA that is dry hopped?

Or are you brewing an IPA and dosing it with acidulated malt or lactic acid?

I've had lots of great dry-hopped sour beers from Casey, Black Project, and Wiley roots. None of them are IPAs.

 

But marketing does.

 

Yeah, this strikes me as being similar to how Dogfish Head rebranded their brown ale as a Brown IPA. They're just hoppy sours, folks, and aren't anything new.