IPA craze: When will it be over?!

I think you could make this statement equally for just about any style. If we look around, I believe there has been an increase in other styles right along with the venerable IPA and all it's descendants. Lots of Gose (geese?), saisons, etc have been showing up lately. I do agree that the IPA has become a staple in the beer world and they will always be around, in abundance, but I think there is a pretty decent cross section represented in WBADYN and NBS lately. The fact that brewers emphasize them, well, you can't fault them for making things people want to drink. If I remember right, there was similar talk about barrel-aged everything you could think of last year some time. Things come in, take the world by storm for a while, then sort of settle into an equilibrium. I also believe there is movement supporting the other styles, whether consciously or not. There is a tendency, in a complex world with tons of choices, to revert to the pure and simple things. I'm not beholden to one particular style myself, but I often go back to a "plain old" pilsner or hefe just for refreshment. Or when I don't want to spend an hour analyzing what I am tasting and just want to knock back a brew. To some extent, it is all cyclical and when you come down to it, it is us that drive the wagon on this.
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The AAL "craze" has not ended despite the increased variety and selection we have available to us. People like them, it is safe to say it will never go away. People like IPAs, they are never going away. IPAs generally provide the optimal balance between drinkability, flavor intensity and alcoholic punch, making it the perfect daily drinker for many beer drinkers. This is not a craze, its just the way it is.

 

Never started with me......I love my stouts

 

Random question which may sound stupid. Has there ever been an IPA brewed with fruit added to it? Like a strawberry IPA, or an IPA with blueberry's added? My girlfriend asked me this question yesterday and I thought it was a nice idea.

 

The problem with the IPA "craze", for me, is the preponderence these beers are given at most craft bars, at least here in NYC. In my fav establishment, out of 28 rotating taps, anywhere from 50 to 65 percent will be occupied by some sort of IPA.

"Balderdash", I protest, for naught. "That's what folks want" they say. "Hmmpff", I retort.

That'll teach 'em.

 

IT WILL NEVER END! You are doomed!

 

Ha! Maybe the things that bug people tend to stand out more than they really should, but from my point of view there really are too many goofy-themed crazy-ingredient beers as it is these days. Please let it end soon!!!

I'll even take more IPAs in their place .

 

only three things on the menu at the beer cafe at Orval--Orval, Vielle Orval, and Petite Orval. And the first two are the same beer, differentiated by 6 months (minimum) of in-house aging (IIRC--may have been a year). Wonder if somebody would ever open a brewery here and just make one or two beers. (OT I know...)

 

I don't think it will end. Too many people like them.

 

I imagine they'll stop brewing them when people stop buying them. While I like a nice brown ale, people aren't exactly kicking down doors to get at them.

 

I was not trying to imply that you were insinuating that you wanted IPAs to go away, my argument is simply that I do not believe this to be a craze, I believe this is simply the way it is. People have based their entire business model after this. Look at Lagunitas, nearly everything they brew, if its not an IPA it could be easily mistaken for one. They are tremendously successful with this model, I cannot imagine them ever changing. Sure, some breweries may increase diversity but hops will always sell.

On another note, I find, at times, that some people are more sensitive or perceptive to the mention or appearance of something they do not like or enjoy as much as other. There is a lot of shitty music out there that I cannot stand, in my mind I cannot go anywhere without this music being played, although that is not honestly the case. I see this same behavior exhibited by many who do not appreciate IPAs or hops in general as much as others in threads in this forum quite often. I will not say this is the case here, just a thought.

 

Hops are a hot commodity right now, and seem to be exploding in their number of varieties compared to the varieties of malts and yeast strains. It only follows that more experimentation comes in the hop addition.

 

What are IPAs?

 

What about the sour or over the top imperial stout craze? I don't think any of them will be ending soon!

 

Two that immediately come to mind are Abita Gapefruit Harvest IPA and Dogfish Head ApriHop.

Just remembered Stone Grapefruit Slam IPA, also. I'm sure there are many more.

 

Not too long ago you may have been noticing too many brown ales, or fruited wheat beers, or ESBs; and making the same sort of observation. There will definitely be another style that catches the public's attention before long, so have no fear.