Educate me: IPL vs Pilsner

So you don't think lager with lots of hops tells you a lot about what to expect? Personally I think there is a little more to it than that, but even if all the information it gives is hoppy lager, how is that very little information?

 

Brewer's are doing it to sell more beer and make money. Calling it an IPL allows them to separate themselves from the sea of IPAs.

Kiwi Rising is the top rated IPL, but people aren't tripping over themselves to get it. Beer geeks would give up their first and second born children to obtain Triple Sunshine or Dinner.

Brewer's are doing it as a gimmick and another way to use the word "India" to make sales. Why else lager a hop forward beer, which takes longer?

This isn't teaching IPA drinkers how to appreciate lagers. It's simply giving them what they already love with a different name. Again, see @ChrisLohring's posts on the differences.

 

Do you think "ale with a lot of hops" conveys something specific, too?

 

Why must we do all the work and educate you. This is supposed to be fun

 

Who said anything about specific? Lot's of styles cover a wide range of brews. If someone described a beer to me as "ale with a lot of hops", I would have some idea what to expect. Cue the semantic argument about why I shouldn't have any idea...

 

That's very true, and I can definitely get behind that attitude. I was just trying to get at the best way to do so, and in a more long-lasting way. To me, the makers of Pivo Pils, Sunshine Pils, etc, are singing their own song.

Cheers!

 

I could easily make you something that you would have no idea what to expect, "with ale with a lot of hops"

 

It is my understanding that IPL (the beer, not the cricket tournament) is a bottom fermented IPA.

 

I saw ChrisLohring's posts and agree. But that doesn't mean it is a gimmick. It is a different style. I isn't meant to be a pilsner, and if it tasted like a pilsner, it would sell like a pilsner (not as well). But I can certainly tell a difference between Ballast's Sculpin and Fathom (not sure if the base is at all the same). Yes, they allow brewers to sell more beer...that's why they exist right? If IPAs are the rage, why not release an IPL rather than 2-3 slightly different IPAs? You lager a hop forward beer (despite the expense/time) because you obtain the different taste, lighter mouthfeel and other characteristics that result. It differentiates your beer, however slightly, from the zillions of IPAs on the shelf.

By the way, BA calls Fathom an Imperial Pilsner...now that is misleading. IPL is a better descriptor.

 

if it was going to be converetd to a bjcp style it would be that route. THere may even be subcatagories to that.
All lager yeasts are bottom fermenting.
Although them tasting like a pilsner? Im sure American breweries will gravitate toward the Americna pil vs a trditional pils

 

So brewers are only making IPLs to make more money even though the process is longer, more costly, and relies on consumers biting on a new style (granted not everyone is a ticker and the majority of people like to drink what they're familiar with)? Got it. If we were talking about session ipas and brewers jumping on that bandwagon Id agree its for the profit, but IPLs aren't that common and there isn't a huge demand for them, yet.

 

There are not as many session IPA out there as everyone thinks, please list them if you have more than the standard few that are readily available.
How are they for profit? All beer is for profit no matter what it is.
If you just think lower alcohol is going to be more profit then each brewery should be making a traditional berliner weisse that comes in at maybe 2-3.5%
Now yes, there are breweries that charge way to much for a said product but brewing a certain style for profit is not it.
Brewing a session IPA and charging as much as an IIPA or a RIS (which happens a lot) is the problem, but idiots fork over the money

 

We don't know HOW much more costly it is to brew them. Knowing that would certainly help. Because the amount of money to be made from extra sales could easily outweigh that number.

In 2014, if I'm a brewer I'm going to try to sell something that's popular (hops) to the consumer in a more creative way than simply brewing an IPA.

Would you rather try to compete with 6000 beers (the number of IPAs in the Beeradvocate database) or 750 beers (the number of American pale lagers in the database)?

If Hoponius Union were labeled an IPA, do you think you'd even know it existed?

 

You have to go far the down the list of american ipa because there is over 6000 of them, and there is only 700+ american pale lagers. If there was the same amount in each style then maybe you could argue that hoppier beer get higher ratings, but with such a gap in the number you greatly skew the argument. Also the fact that there is over 6000 ipas and only 700 american pale lager tells me that there is a greater demand for ipas than pale lagers. Obviously the people who are rating on a site like this love hoppy beers, however, if the general public could vote or pick a craft beer of their choosing then american pale lagers would see a huge spike in demand and ratings.

 

You can hopp up anything you want...is it going to be good, probably not.
There is a lot of lack of knowledge in the craft beer world, hopped up and higher rating proves that

 

Some folks have posted that IPL = IPA.

@HuskyHawk posted: “The Lager fermentation process yields a crisper beer in my view, with a similar hop profile to an IPA and less weight, perhaps more drinkability.”

I share HuskyHawk’s sentiments exactly: The use of lager yeast and the process of lagering results in a beer that has differing qualities from an IPA.

Yes, both an IPL and IPA are hop forward beers using American and/or Australian/New Zealand hops, but the quality of crispness/drinkability distinguishes an IPL from an IPA.

In other words IPL ≠ IPA.

Cheers to HuskyHawk!

 

Yes for the same reason I know what sunny ridge is, which is that they're both damn good beers made by a great brewery. Its costly in the sense of opportunity cost, or the fact that they are forgoing extra profit through longer fermentation process as opposed to fermenting an standard ale.

 

“ …if the general public could vote or pick a craft beer of their choosing then american pale lagers would see a huge spike in demand and ratings.”

Yep, BAs have differing wants then the craft beer drinking segment in general. There is a reason that Blue Moon has a sales volume much greater than the types of beers that BAs praise.

Wait a few years and see the sales volume of Blue Moon Toasted Lager once AB gears up production and distribution of that beer.

Cheers!

 

There are also extra energy costs for producing a Lager. Maintaining x barrels of beer at near freezing temperature for many weeks is not cheap.

Cheers!

 

it is a quality product - their consistency and quality control is second to none. I make no comment on the enjoyability of said product - that is a different conversation. But yes, AB Budweiser is a quality product. (Horrible product, but consistently horrible in the same way )