Does Anybody Like Brut IPA?

Just had this tonight as well, was really like your typical super bitter but hoppy Stone DIPA. Dry but lacking the extreme degree which is what Brut is supposed to be all about.

I've had a couple of standout ones made by Flatlands Brewing and Laughing Monk and a whole lot of ok ones I wouldn't take over a basic IPA. Still mostly misses at this point.

 

I think it's a fad, but I didn't hate the 4 noses Brut I had the other day. I wasn't exactly exciting or anything.

 

I had two before making one that I put on tap at the North Vancouver Beer festival this fall. It went over very well, but not with IPA people. The non IPA people loved it. It was light (but 7%), dry but not bitter, and very aromatic.
I feel like it is a style that should have more acidity than most do. It is trying to take a cue from sparkling wine after all. I think that could perk more people's interest. I have big plans for playing with this style. I think it has great possibilities .

 

I loved the Brutus brut IPA from Riverwalk Brewing. It was nice to finally have a beer that I could see through again :-)

 

Haven't tried it yet, keep seeing it and wonder whether I should buy it or not. I like dry hopped ipas mainly with emphasis on doubles.

 

I have tried a few. Poorly made examples are really awful but when you find a well made example they are worth searching for. The two I have enjoyed the most are Tired Hands and Free Will Brewing.

 

Mmmm, I think I’ll have a chocolate chocolate.

 

I'm curious enough but haven't tried one. I don't get out much so most of my beer drinking is at home. So I'm always reluctant to buy a 6-pack or 4-pack of something I'm unfamiliar with.

 

Since people think that white chocolate "technically" isn't chocolate, then there can be some truth in your joke.

 

I have only had one Brut IPA - ‘Week 104’ by Industrial Arts, and I would definitely get it again.

 

Being a bit playful with you: I think I know what you mean, but the way you put that sounds sorta backwards. I don't think "session IPAs" were going for a certain flavor profile and had to sacrifice ABV to get there.

 

A couple of BAs have brought up the 'analogy' of Session IPAs. I personally am not a fan of Session IPAs since they come off as watery for my palate. Have folks who have tried various Brut IPAs felt those beers were watery?

Cheers!

 

FWIW I have had a handful of Brut IPAs (so far). I did not find any of those beers to be thrilling but I personally would not describe them as being watery. In contrast basically every Session IPA I have consumed had a watery quality to them.

I really wish that the Brut IPAs from Social Kitchen & Brewery was available to me. It would be very helpful to try a 'good' Brut IPA to establish a baseline.

Cheers!

 

Since Surly's been working on our brut IPAs I've been sampling as many other examples as I can find out in the world. As with all other IPA styles there are some that are more successful than others. To me, the hallmark of a successful Brut IPA is one that delivers a big hop aroma and flavor punch up-front, with a moderately filling mid-palate, and that fades into nothingness at the finish. With just a hint of hop and malt flavor lingering.

Where many version fall short for me have been:

• Promising a mega hop/fruit aroma and then not delivering in flavor
• Using the enzymes to dry the beer out too much, so it becomes astringent and unpleasant at the finish rather than crisp and clean.
• leave too-little malt so that the mid-palate becomes thin and seems watery.

As with anything, the devil is in the details. It's finding the balance of hops/malt/dryness/finish that separated the good from the unsatisfying. Once a brewer has a real hit with the style, so that most folks can agree on what's good, there will be a better, more accurate version of where the style will adapt.

It's too soon to say whether they trend will be a fad, or simply a blip on the beer style radar, but it's been fun to watch the early adoption of something fun in the marketplace.

Brut IPA is one of the first "viral" beer styles and a real reflection of the brewing era we live in now.

-Bill

 

Bill, thanks so much for sharing your thoughts.

I have yet to drink a 'good' Brut IPA but the search continues.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Jack

 

Watery is definitely one of the pit falls of the style it seems, @BillManley covered that aspect really well I think. As for the one's I've tried and enjoyed; two from Mile Wide in Louisville was very nice, Gimme the Brut from Hi-Wire in Asheville was also pleasant, those are the only two I've rated on this site and I liked Hi-wire's more than most.
Other good ones I've had but not added in here were Triple Zero from Final Draft in Redding, CA, one from Von Ebert in Portland, and one from BareBottle in SF.
Also worth noting is that I took some cans from Final Draft in Redding and drove several hours in the summer, wrapped them in a sleeping bag and buried them at the bottom of my stuff to try to keep them from getting to hot, but when I got home the flavors had changed markedly. Not sure if it was heat or an issue with canning but I wonder if the lack of body makes flavor changes more likely or more noticeable?

 

Do companies use something different in these beers?

Had one and my stomach was wrecked for a couple days.

 

Jack, give Drake's Brightside Extra Brut IPA a try...probably a few good ones on the East Coast, too. I think a Gamma Amylase beer could be a session beer if one cuts back on the grain bill, but it could also be a delicious 7% IPA/1.054 OG Beer (Brightside)...cheers and happy holidaze

 

Short answer: No

Long Answer: Nope