Is IPA still king?

I wholeheartedly agree with this.

 

Craft is 6.5% of the US beer market by volume (Brewers Association's definition and statistic) and IPA's make up around 19% of the "craft/specialty" segment (IRI data), so, yeah, under 2% of the total beer sales in the US.

IPAs have only been the #1 beer style in the craft segment for a year or two, when it replaced "Pale Ale". Not a very long reign according to that unnamed "California brewery employee".

 

I would still argue that's fairly one dimensional. Just because one tastes like mangos and the other tastes like grapefruit doesn't matter, they're both still fruit.

The dominant flavors will still be those of an IPA.

 

About 5 years ago I started into crafts and DFH 60 min was one of the first IPAs I had. I grew out of them to stouts and porters. Now the IPA has taken on the moniker of "transition beer". "IPA" has become a pretty clever marketing tool. Acronyms are always intriguing since, at first, you don't know what it means. It's like a club you want to be a part of. Is it king of beers? That's debatable, considering that macro lagers are the best-selling beer out there. I think it's more of a round table situation and the IPA is having it's turn to speak.

 

IPA is the most popular craft style and will remain so for a long time.

 

“I would still argue that's fairly one dimensional. Just because one tastes like mangos and the other tastes like grapefruit doesn't matter, they're both still fruit.”

Hops have way more hop flavors than fruit. The next time you drink a hoppy beer you should create your own ‘spider chart’. The minimum number of spokes you should select is 10: Floral, Fruity, Spicy, Piney, Citrus, Herbal, Grassy, Cheesy, Woodsy, Onion/Garlic.

The other flavors worth considering are Earthy and Dank (Resinous).

When you ‘fill out’ the spider chart indicate the level of intensity for the aforementioned flavors.

Cheers!

 

This sounds so geeky and fun.

 

I'd also l like to know what metric this guy is using as a basis for his claim. As Jesskidden already stated, it's the best selling craft style. And on Beeradvocate, 4 out of the top 10 beers are double IPAs. Does he have 2013's beer sales before anyone else?

 

I see the hype machine cranking up to boost barrel aged beers and sours/wilds. There's a little rust showing on the IPA crown.

 

I don't think people love IPAs because "cheesy" and "woodsy" flavors really pop in their double IPAs. They're incredibly popular because they have strong tropical fruit flavors that are bold and noticeable due to the hops used in today's IPAs, and the dry hopping techniques. It doesn't need to be overly complicated.

Let's not get caught up in trying to prove Heady Topper is as elegant as Rochefort 10. IPAs are the hamburgers of the beer world. Easy to love, easy to make.

 

Fucking love a good cheesy IPA

 

You mean like Bud American Ale knocked it out of the park for Ambers?

 

The Craft Brewers Alliance [aka Red Hook, Widmer, and Kona] is not owned by AB-InBev. AB-InBev is a significant minority shareholder in CBA.

 

Cheesy is sort of an ‘off flavor’ which you sometimes get with older hops.

Some folks like “woodsy”.

The point is that every hop variety will provide more than just fruity flavors and when you brew an IPA with multiple hop varieties (e.g., Ithaca Flower Power) then the amount of flavor/aroma diversity is expanded.

To put it simply, IPAs are not just one dimensional in flavor (e.g., fruity). They have a complexity of flavors and obtaining a ‘good’ mix of those flavors is not “easy to make”. You should try and homebrew a clone of Ithaca Flower Power and you will learn that lesson.

Cheers!

 

When I started to get into the craft beer scene, I thought Quads were on the top of the food chain. Man was I wrong.....Is all about IPA or DIPA.

 

I have been seeing a growing number of customers asking for something other than IPA's. I have seen the interest in Pilseners, wheats, stouts, porters, and fruit based beers double.

Some of those customers are regular craft beer drinkers who have been buying mostly IPA's. They are either looking to "switch it up a bit", expand their palates to become more knowledgeable, or initiate a significant other into the craft beer community. One or two (and I'm not making this up) have said that big, bitter beers are ruining their stomachs.

But where I see the most interest in other styles is from people looking to get into craft beers but intimidated by the big, hoppy beers. Most of them know someone who is a beer lover and tried some their beers....which were IPA's.

That being said...IPA's are still my top sellers and still my personal preferred style and always will be.

 

Budweiser is the king .

 

Anyone who says IPAs are out of style is probably a Hipster, someone who is more concerned what other people think about their beverage choice than the actual flavor. I think IPAs are still one the styles topping the list, which is always getting better. Ranch IPA and Dirtwolf are two to name a few. New hop varietals and hop combinations are becoming endless. If anything IPAs are getting better.

 

I like Ipa's and they are quite popular but if and or when breweries that brew them put them aside and start brewing other styles then there could be a drop off in popularity.