The reason I don't drink IPLs

Jacks Abby makes great beers, wish they had distro here.

 

Sixpoint Tesla, when and where available, has a nice hop presence and lager crispness. 7.1% ABV 49 IBU. (I'm a Sixpoint fanboy, so while you wait for Tesla, whack yourself on the DDH Hi-Res, brewed in February, 11.1% 111 IBU).

 

You forgot the retired (unfortunately) Yuengling IPL. One of the best cheap beers ever!

 

Peak Organic makes a couple (Fresh Cut and Super Fresh) really solid IPLs.

 

Stone Tropic of Thunder is fucking legit. You should be able to get that one, Squire

 

Looking back to the days when beer advocates itched for the release of Kiwi Rising.

Was mediocre then, is mediocre now.

 

I think the additional dryness can be a definite selling point (and I think Ballast Point Fathom IPL was a good example of this when it was still around), whilst being a "lager" is not, for the target audience. I definitely think the Brut IPA style (and higher gravity variants, a la DIPAs) will have legs in providing a dry and clean hop delivery system for people who are used to drinking IPAs and DIPAs, but who are growing tired of constantly drinking higher gravity beers (as someone who drinks mostly moderate gravity lager beers maybe I'm projecting a bit here, but I know I would grow tired of them). Having a drier beer at the same high abv to me seems like a solution to this problem. I don't see cold fermented and cold stored making a difference here. The difference between a clean lager beer and a clean fermented ale becomes obliterated by the (albeit tasty) hops.

 

I second this.

 

Last summer I was really loving Original Tallboy from Sudwerks and recently I've been pretty impressed by Finer Things from Fieldwork. Both act as as good a canvas as any for modern hop varietals (I'm pretty sure they both draw from the mosaic/galaxy/citra well?). Seems to me that lager yeast works better with light bodied beer and lends a crisper quality that works well with low abv and big hop flavors. Low abv ipa/pale ales tend to get a little harsh flavored in my experience.

I'd love to see more IPL, if that just means well hopped lagers using modern aromatic hops

 

I’ve had most of Jacks Abby beers, IMO every one is worthwhile. Both Hoppius and Mass Rising are terriffic.

 

My favorite used to be Otter Creek Citra Mantra, but since BrewMaster Mike left, the lineup of Fresh Slice, Citra Mantra and OverGrown etc...just aren't the same. Those 12 pack varieties used to all be awesome and great value buy. Anyone else miss them?

 

We're in agreement. As I posted in another thread, IPLs taste ok to me, but if I want hops, I'm grabbing an IPA.

I don't WANT my hoppy beer to be clean, I want some fruity esters from an ale yeast in my IPAs.

And if I want a lager, I want it to be clean, and to also showcase a solid malt backbone. Both of these characteristics are buried under a mountain of hops. I often wondered if I'd be able to pick out an IPL and an IPA in a blind tasting.

That being said, have you had Hoponius Union? That seems to be the "gold standard" for IPLs. I still don't purchase it often, because of what I said above, but it's definitely a tasty beer. I sometimes have it at restaurants because it's the best option on draft around here.

 

For me it had always been a matter of whether I was in the mood to choose between either an IPA or a Pils.

It was most often the latter, as (until recently) the readily available American Craft options were few and far between vs. the wide assortment of IPA (in which case it was a choice between a lower strength Pale Ale and a higher strength IPA - first world problems!)

With hoppy pale lager / IPL becoming a thing in recent years it added more complexity to the choosing, and I’d often give these newcomers a try over Pale Ale and IPA. But the funny thing about that is that
Pils has been coming back strong! So between IPL and Pils I’m pretty well set if I want a hoppy lager.

 

I don't buy IPLs because the name is stupid.

Yeah, I'm a curmudgeon...

 

I don't know about "stupid". Looks good on a label.

 

I think I would be hard pressed to tell the difference between a IPL and a Brut IPA