What to do with IPLs?

Help Discussion in 'BeerAdvocate Talk' started by unlikelyspiderperson, Jun 3, 2020.

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  1. unlikelyspiderperson

    unlikelyspiderperson Grand Pooh-Bah (3,966) Mar 12, 2013 California
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I've been adding a fair number of beers from Sudwerk to the database the last few years, they have been putting out a steady stream of heavily hopped and dry hopped lagers, some hazy some clear, and they are typically quite delicious. I've been adding them as "American Lagers" cause I don't know what else to do. They are clearly lagers, from America, says so right on the can but I can't shake the feeling that someone looking in the BA database for american lagers doesn't want a hazy, double dry hopped, galaxy bomb. I am certain this has been discussed before but I couldn't find a thread by searching titles so I figured I'd bring it up again.

    Is American Lager the best place to put beers like this for now? Is there a better category that I'm overlooking? Is the prospect of the IPL off the table for some reason?

    inquiring minds wish to know!
    Thanks
     
    #1 unlikelyspiderperson, Jun 3, 2020
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  2. SierraNevallagash

    SierraNevallagash Initiate (0) Sep 23, 2018 Maine
    Trader

    I've encountered this issue a couple of times as well. While it didn't bother me as much as the whole "kettle sour" issue, I've definitely hesitated in the past.

    Personally, I go with "American Lager". It is technically a lager, it's American (and heavy-handed hopping is definitely an American trend), and there just aren't any other categories that are appropriate. It can't be classified as an ale, it doesn't match the pilsner descriptions, and there is no "IPL" category (yet). It's definitely a little strange to lump an IPL in the same boat as Live Oak stuff, or Suarez, but until an IPL/Hoppy Lager category is added to BA, my vote is to stick with "American Lager". Cheers!
     
    #2 SierraNevallagash, Jun 3, 2020
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  3. Mikemcgrath4

    Mikemcgrath4 Initiate (0) Aug 16, 2014 North Carolina

    Seems to be a growing issue on the website. New "styles" keep coming out that don't necessarily have defined features because they are so new and some brewer somewhere came up with it on there own and then got copied. But i would think that IPL's seem to be consistent enough to be added at this point. Reminds me of back when there was no "NEIPA" category, that one took WAY too long to be added. Also frustrating is the sour question as said above.
     
    #3 Mikemcgrath4, Jun 3, 2020
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  4. dbrauneis

    dbrauneis Grand High Pooh-Bah (8,071) Dec 8, 2007 North Carolina
    Mod Team BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    No idea if an American India Pale Lager category/style will be added to BeerAdvocate but I can say that there are many examples of the IPL style in the American Lager.
     
    #4 dbrauneis, Jun 3, 2020
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  5. MrOH

    MrOH Grand Pooh-Bah (3,995) Jul 5, 2010 Virginia
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    Put them under the IPA umbrella, regardless of yeast. That's the intent in these brews.
    In fact, a lot of yeast strains that were thought to be lager strains are genetically ale strains.
    A good number of beers that could be listed as NEIPA are still added as American IPAs.
    The whole kettle sour thing throws me for a loop. Especially since they all seem to be so heavy fruited. Maybe "Sour American Fruit Beer" would be a good catch-all.
     
    #5 MrOH, Jun 3, 2020
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  6. dennis3951

    dennis3951 Initiate (0) Mar 6, 2008 New Jersey

    American Lager is the right style. If you make IPL a style you will have endless and pointless debates about weather or not beer A is or is not an IPL.
     
    #6 dennis3951, Jun 3, 2020
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  7. unlikelyspiderperson

    unlikelyspiderperson Grand Pooh-Bah (3,966) Mar 12, 2013 California
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    This is an interesting suggestion that I definitely hadn't considered. Like you say, the flavor intent is the same as an IPA and as such the same people would be interested in them (and those people might not even glance at the american lager category since.they don't want a "lager"). Any thoughts from Mods/site personnel on this idea?

    Especially for the beers from Sudwerk that I mentioned, the intent is clearly to create an ipa-like experience and I buy and enjoy them as ipas. I have the Sierra Nevada /Bitburger hippy lager collaboration as well as a modern hopped pilsner in my fridge too and those are very clearly playing up the " hopped lager" thing. These newer class of ipls very much seem to aim to emulate the IPA (many of the Sudwerk beers are hazy with that soft/juicy mouthfeel even) so maybe that is where they belong
     
    #7 unlikelyspiderperson, Jun 3, 2020
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  8. MrOH

    MrOH Grand Pooh-Bah (3,995) Jul 5, 2010 Virginia
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    If it's hazy, it's not a lager.
     
    #8 MrOH, Jun 3, 2020
  9. unlikelyspiderperson

    unlikelyspiderperson Grand Pooh-Bah (3,966) Mar 12, 2013 California
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Not always true, I've had a number of Keller biers that were definitely lagers and definitely hazy
     
    #9 unlikelyspiderperson, Jun 3, 2020
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  10. dbrauneis

    dbrauneis Grand High Pooh-Bah (8,071) Dec 8, 2007 North Carolina
    Mod Team BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    As I stated in a previous post in this thread, the correct style for these beers at the current time is American Lager.
     
    #10 dbrauneis, Jun 3, 2020
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  11. dbrauneis

    dbrauneis Grand High Pooh-Bah (8,071) Dec 8, 2007 North Carolina
    Mod Team BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    While this is true these are not the only beers that often get added in the incorrect style (though I would venture to guess that a majority of the remaining NEIPAs that are listed as American IPAs were added to the site prior to the creation of the NEIPA style).
     
    #11 dbrauneis, Jun 3, 2020
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  12. unlikelyspiderperson

    unlikelyspiderperson Grand Pooh-Bah (3,966) Mar 12, 2013 California
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Thanks, I'll continue to do so. May I suggest that we. Consider changing the description for.the american lager style to.broaden it out a.bit? It currently leads with this
    Obviously not always the case and I would imagine that well see more of these hopped.lagers as.more brewers figure out the techniques
     
    #12 unlikelyspiderperson, Jun 3, 2020
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  13. dbrauneis

    dbrauneis Grand High Pooh-Bah (8,071) Dec 8, 2007 North Carolina
    Mod Team BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    @Todd Can we update the style description for American Lager to include that it could be hoppy since this is the current best fit for IPLs?
     
    #13 dbrauneis, Jun 3, 2020
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  14. Todd

    Todd Founder (13,518) Aug 23, 1996 Finland
    STAFF Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah

    I'd rather add India Pale Lager as a style.
     
    #14 Todd, Jun 3, 2020
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  15. unlikelyspiderperson

    unlikelyspiderperson Grand Pooh-Bah (3,966) Mar 12, 2013 California
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I think that's a better option and there should be ample options available now a days to justify the style
     
    #15 unlikelyspiderperson, Jun 4, 2020
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  16. Jugs_McGhee

    Jugs_McGhee Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,140) Aug 15, 2010 Texas
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Don't mind if you do.
     
    #16 Jugs_McGhee, Jun 4, 2020
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  17. dennis3951

    dennis3951 Initiate (0) Mar 6, 2008 New Jersey

    If you do that I think a better name would be American Hoppy Lager, AHL.
     
    #17 dennis3951, Jun 4, 2020
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  18. Casterbridge

    Casterbridge Savant (1,055) Mar 26, 2010 Connecticut

    Several of the ones I enjoy, such as Jack's Abby's Kiwi Rising and Von Trapp's Double IPL, fit nicely under American Imperial Pilsner.
     
    #18 Casterbridge, Jun 4, 2020
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  19. Amendm

    Amendm Pooh-Bah (2,589) Jun 7, 2018 Rhode Island
    Society Pooh-Bah

    What to do with IIPLs........I know...I'm going to grab a 4 x 16 of von Trapp's Ipl and drink um.

    I support an IPL style category.
    Cheers.
     
    #19 Amendm, Jun 4, 2020
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  20. southdenverhoo

    southdenverhoo Pooh-Bah (1,567) Aug 13, 2004 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah

    well that dialogue worked out nicely
     
    #20 southdenverhoo, Jun 4, 2020
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