The American IPA Enigma

I think it will make a specialty entry for hazy/juicy IPA in the next revision. They will join the Black/White/Red/Belgian/Wheat/Rye/Session variants. I can't see it becoming its own category, or an alteration to the IPA style to afford for either being called just plain ol IPA.

 

The one where people don't feel compelled to purposely add starch to ensure cloudiness.

Cheers.

 

One beer style doesn't need to better than the other. There's room for all different styles and substyles. Depends what you're in the mood for.

That statement assured me that you are, indeed, drinking.

 

Barry, some of these so called 'NE' style IPAs are pretty low in bitterness. What are your thought about classifying a beer as being an IPA if that beer is low in bitterness?

Cheers!

 

Probably similar to calling a beer an IPA even though it isn't going to India, never saw the inside of a barrel whilst shloshing at sea, and consuming it fresh and young

 

Justin, only six emoticons!?!

To get 'back on track': what are your thoughts about classifying a non-bitter beer as being an IPA?

Cheers!

 

Just to add to my prior statement, if this were to happen I really hope that competition organizers don't break off American IPA from Substyles at the judging table. Each one has its own merits as an IPA, and having NEIPA added to the substyles and judged only against other substyles would be wrong. Let them stand on their own as an IPA and judges as so against all other IPAs.

 

Same as my prior statement about the difference between a REAL IPA and what we call IPA today. The IPA designation is fluid, changing over time based off of the preference of the consumers. We don't drink highly bitter beers after aging them in barrels and losing the fresh hop quality because we don't like it that way. We want an expressive fresh hop bouquet. Same thing with the NEIPA. The consumer is moving away from bitterness being the sole definer of IPA and moving towards more balance with the assertiveness coming in the form of late hop additions instead of bittering hops.

EDIT: I would say the sole defining aspect of an IPA is large hopping rates. What defines the substyle is where those hopping rates are used in the process.

 

No, I got your point. Sure they're the same overall style, but they're different substyles, which can mean that they vary quite a lot.

 

Fixed it for you...

Did BJCP ever recognize "West Coast" IPA? No... I also hope they never recognize NEIPA and I can't wait until the day that moniker goes away... Its just a style that is constantly evolving, and marketing is what's fueling the fire. None of the OG brands in NE who started making the beers set out to make a "NEIPA" they were just trying to make a style of beer they thought was better. And boy have people taken it to a whole new level.

Now that I think about it the west coast brands were the one's beating their chest's about the style they created but the NE guys never set out to do that. Or am I wrong? When west coast was cool were breweries not on the west coast the ones that created that moniker just like breweries outside of New England have created this one?

 

I noted your caveat of "I think".

Do you have published IBU values for Tree House 'NEIPA' beers? If so, I would appreciate reading that information.

If you don't, I can't accept the statement of "typically >40 IBUs".

Cheers!

 

But who is the authority in generating a style name?

Why don't we just call these beers Cloudy Pale Ales?

I recognize that breweries like to choose the moniker of IPA for marketing reasons but should marketing folks be the accepted authority for re-defining beer style names?

Cheers!

 

The Tree House beers that I have had were very lightly bittered; not the bitterness level I personally associate with the IPA style.

Cheers!