Have IPAs Become Commoditized?

There's a sea of dull average IPA's out there, you have to pick thru them, but no they are not all the same the better one's are works of art just like a great Stout. Some are forgettable though. I can damn near tell by smell whether they nailed it or not.

 

I agree, to an extent. There is no short supply of very good IPAs. I think the top tier IPAs however deliver something special and/or different. Honestly, this won't stop me from trying as many as I can. I still come across one in the crowd that makes me go, "damn."

 

I either agree or my palate is completely burned out on hops. I received a trade in this last week for some sours and the dude threw in a Pliny, Just Outstanding and Pure Hoppiness. Pliny wasnt what I remember. The other 2 were good but not life-altering like I'd hoped. I drank them all and said to myself, "I feel like I've had these a thousand times before". Drank a New Glarus Scream IIPA last night and was left a bit underwhelmbed, too. Even the Heady's I drank last month were lacking. I think it's simply time for a break. Sucks ESB isn't a more prominent style.

 

Commoditized? Yes, IPAs are marketable goods.
All the same? You must have changed your mind recently HOP_KING. I guess you can now move to either coast with no regrets.

 

IPAs, Ambers, Brown Ales, Pales, Porters and any number of other styles all can be categorized as all sort of the same. Sure, there are a few standouts within each style but most Brown Ales are just Brown Ales, most Ambers are just Ambers.

IPAs are incredibly popular, its no surprise we see them all over the place. I think it is a bit overstated when people say "its easy to brew a great IPA, thats why everyone brews them". Maybe its just me but there are a few terrible IPAs, a lot of mediocre IPAs but I do not see there being a enormous number of truly great IPAs. I think the same holds true for most styles, I think we just over analyze IPAs due to their popularity.

Commodity? Maybe but to limit it only to IPAs is a bit misleading.

 

It's not that IPAs have become indistinguishable from each other. What's happening is that some folks are "over dosing" on IPAs and getting jaded or blasé. The next thing on the horizon for them, if it hasn't already begun to happen, is the dreaded "Lapulin Threshold Shift" and their loss or drop off of the ability to experience the full range of hop flavors and bitterness, leading them into the pursuit of ever more intense doses of hops that have to be fresher and fresher for those folks to find what they seek. Signs of this may include:

"Is IPA x less hoppy than last year? Does anyone know if they changed the recipe?"
"IPA x loses it's freshness within hours of being bottled."
"West Coast IPAs are all better than East Coast IPAs."
"IPA x tastes like (expletive deleted)." (Especially when said of an IPA where 100s or 1000s of reviewers give the IPA high marks.
Etc.

 

This is true but the difference for me personally is that in general a bad Stout, Brown Ale, etc., is still drinkable whereas a bad IPA, not so much.

I think the market is approaching saturation with IPAs but it does seem as if most are of decent quality anymore, so that has been good. But I won't lie, I won't be too broken up about it when the IPA/hop the heck out of everything fad starts to wear off a bit.

 

"sort of all the same"

Many are average but dozens are great and unique...and actually you could say that about most styles...(insert style)...stout, porters, session, wheat, saison...it's all good.

 

Have IPAs Become Commoditized?

I'm still buying...haven't hit the peak yet.

Buy low, sell high

 

It is more like IPA proliferation, British, AIPA, White, Black, Session, Double, Tripple, Oaked, Belgian,Rye, Red, and combinations of those. Had an Oaked Rye IPA at the NHC.

 

I'm guessing the OP meant to say "marginalized". I couldn't disagree more. There have never been so many different kinds of IPAs available as there are now, with new hop varieties, easy access to more ingredients and brewers catering to a burgeoning group of IPA drinkers.

If you seem to be encountering too many similar IPAs, do a little better research beforehand, or lay off that style for awhile.

 

I agree with this statement whole heartedly. I also think there is a sea of dull beer tasters out there that are jaded like Drtth said. Truth be told, alot of the offerings suck, (relative to the greats) but it's our job to wander through that sea of blah to find the hidden gems.

 

yes beer is a commodity. You buy it, it is for sale. You could even argue the trading aspect of it which is done by a niche group almost in the same vein but I wont go there.

and IPA is a type of beer.

it's a commodity. Just like a bar of soap.

Not getting your angle. All beer is a commodity. Just like (ironically) ingredients that go into beer, grain, hops etc..

now as to more of what your question, there are so many IPAs out there it's ridiculous. Many stand out as solid brews, but many are also highly coveted. Brewers understand that IPAs are a style that is highly desired and so they make it, and there are many out there that glut the market.

 

He may be focusing on the point that many commodities are indistinguishable from each other and their origins lost E.g., Copper, petroleum, wheat., etc.

 

If I examined the beer I drink on a regular basis, it leans heavily toward IPAs of all types. However, there are certainly times when I have felt as I've experienced the "Lapulin Threshold Shift" referred to above and at those times, I have something different like a stout or a barleywine or it's Sunday and my next beer will be the following Friday. I will say that chances are if I had a beer or two every day, it would not be an IPA or two every day. It's all about variety and changing things up for yourself. I've mentioned this before in another way, but I truly believe that the number of craft beer drinkers who are loyal to one brand like a BMC drinker is loyal to his or her brand can be counted on one hand. Expanding that, I truly believe the number of craft beer drinkers who are loyal to one style can be counted on two hands.

 

Copper is copper. Beer is beer. As products they are commoditized and sold.

What I am saying, is that it's a bad analogy.

 

I don't disagree it’s a bad analogy.

Yes, beer and copper are different. To clarify the point I was trying to make but didn't communicate well about the usage of term "commodity." Yes it is for sale, but for a great many things where the term "commodity" is used you don't have differentiation *within* the category. For example, copper from Utah and Copper from Peru are indisitinguisable from each other as copper when used by the US Mint to make pennies. The taste of a particular strain of wheat will be basically the same regardless of whether it is produced by a Russian, a Frenchman or a Canadian. Your car can't tell whehter the gasoline you put into it came from Texas or the middle East.

He may be focusing on that aspect of "commodity" which is true for many commodities.

 

I would say it seems there are quite the massive amounts of IPAs on the market today. Some are meh, some are drinkable, and every now and then one jumps out and makes you say wow! The most recent for me was Enjoy By 07/04. Another was a fresh Nelson from Alpine. I really enjoy them all and as a commodity, I will keep drinking and trying the new stuff as it comes out. I enjoy the fact that breweries continue to try new things. It keeps life interesting.

 

Okay, you asked for it. My opinion is you should stop making ridiculous threads. Cheers.