No love for malt

That's the way I read it and yes, I've seen posts from folks who apparently don't want pesky malt to interfere with their enjoyment of hops.

 

90 Minute finishes dryly to me, so I like it. I don't mind the taste of even crystal malt upfront or mid-palate as long as it doesn't finish too sweet. Celebration Ale is almost a little too sweet, but it has just the right amount of bitterness to outmatch the sweetness, so I still enjoy it. Not to mention that the malt has a bit of toasty complexity to it, which is nicer than just plain caramel.

 

I love Malt and some sweetness - hell, I really like Double Bocks like Troeggs or Sam Adams which are yummy beers! Too bad Sam Adams has almost done away with their Double Bock. It was like dessert in a glass. The Troeggs is like 90% as good, thankfully.

But yeah - malt is good. No issues here

 

Well of course you need Malt. Like you need water, hops and yeast.

Depends on the style though and the Brewers skill. Malty IPAs suck, but you need enough to avoid the terrible session label. A nice malt backbone in a Oktoberfest beer is the king, with a kiss of hops of course. Malt is like salt , used wisely and in proportion it's magic.

 

Extremely well said.

 

Besides hop sourcing, I really think that malt usage is what sets the good IPAs from the not so good IPAs, and it seems to me like it’s a very fine line to walk. You need a certain amount of sweetness for hops to read as “juicy”, but if you go too far it’s syrupy cloying mess. You basically want enough malt for people to taste but not so much that they realize they’re tasting it.

 

Hopslam is sweet and malty kinda sticky. It's also not very hoppy. Since bells already has a freshness problem with their distribution anyway... It taste cloying as the malt turns sweeter and Carmely. The dry hop aroma and flavor fades and the hop bitterness falls off. In about 30 -60 days after canning your are left with a mess of a dipa. I like malt but I hate stale malt and hop fade in beers that aren't fresh. It's still drinkable but the $23/6pk for maltslam... They need to knock it off.

 

Dfh 120 min ipa... Way too sweet. Probably from all the malt they have to use to brew a 18% beer.

 

On the other hand, here in CA, malt may start becoming a star. Already had one beer from Cellarmaker who has used it.

https://sf.eater.com/2017/9/29/16375644/admiral-maltings-craft-beer-malt-san-francisco

 

Just saw this at the store. Love and Malt... a groovy brown ale.I might grab one next time.

 

The same people who refer to Hopslam as "Hypeslam".

I find people tend to complain about malt mostly in D/IPAs. For what little weight my anecdotal observations are worth.

 

I would guess that's it^ : when the malt overshadows the hops, & hides some of the hop flavor(s). I don't mind the honey/mead/floral types (usually DIPAs), but (guessing) the flavor you get when those age beyond a certain point, is what people are not liking. &....some IPAs start out that way.

 

I've always liked Hopslam, but it is certainly a hypetrain beer. I find it to be solid, but nothing to get a rise in your Levi's about.

Count me in on that, as well. Malty IPAs (or, as they've been known to be called, "American Barleywines") aren't for me.

 

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot is a great example. Imperial/Double (Brown) IPA.

EDIT: Then you also have Thomas Creek Up The Creek, Founders Devil Dancer and Dogfish Head 120 IPA.

 

I was just thinking about Bigfoot.

I don't have an issue with hoppy barleywines . . . as long as they're marketed as such. If I buy something that says "IPA" or "DIPA" on it, though, and I get a beer that's a malt-bomb, I tend to be pretty pissed, even if it is an otherwise good beer.

Expectations are a bitch.

 

That would be an American style barleywine.

 

They can also fall into the catch-all of "American Strong Ale". Especially Devil Dancer and 120.

 

Well, no, you don't need hops. Malt + water + yeast= beer. The hops are just the seasoning. You could make a beef roast without salt, pepper, and garlic, and you would still have roast beef, but, it's better with the seasoning.

 

Stop, no. Malty IPA does not equal Barleywine. Hoppy Barleywine does not equal Imperial IPA.

 

I know. All those are exceptions.