Supermarket IPA - a new IPA substyle?

You forgot the French and Italian sub-styles of all those

 

Fresh Squeezed has always been a sleeper pick for those who know.

 

As always...the answer is Swami's

 

Fresh Squeezed..sells well here so never see it older than 6 weeks. That's .my limit for all IPAs. I guess it's easier in Oregon than Alabama etc

 

"Best supermarket IPA?"

In Miami Florida It's s definitely Head Hunter IPA.. that beer encapsulates all of these beers flavor profiles in a balanced package. All these beers have their time and place tho.. I just had a Stone IPA for the 1st time in yearssss and I can see the allure of just wanting a palate wrecking resinous brew. Head Hunter cannot deliver that.. ever.

 

I agree, Jack - the package date matters a LOT with each of those beers, IMHO. As far as my favorite, I’m partial to Stone because the bitterness profile fits my palate perfectly, but a really fresh Fresh Squeezed is pretty phenomenal.

And they are all beers I’d gladly drink if offered one. But I’m a pushover for the style, so that’s a pretty short putt.

 

There’s going to be a huge regional factor in this discussion. I’ve never struggled to get fresh Fresh Squeezed on the West Coast. Next time I get it fresh East of the Mississippi will be the first. Jai Alai seems like they intentionally age it before they sell it anywhere. I’ve even gotten it on tap where it tasted like a bit of wet cardboard. The cans are a straight no go for me. I would have swapped in Two Hearted for Jai Alai in this.

no hate intended, I was raving about Jai Alai the first time I had it in Florida in 2014

 

I call them "Shelfie IPA's. I like that term better. I do have a new favorite, actually. Great Lakes MIdwest IPA which just came here is my new favorite.

 

I bought a 6 pack of Midwest IPA a few weeks ago when I first saw it. I was surprised I liked it so much coming from Great Lakes a brewery known for their lagers.

 

I like this. "Supermarket IPA" makes it sound like the buyer is some sort of lesser consumer just because they don't go directly to a brewery or specialty shop every time they buy beer. While I love to try new and unique things, I'm not going to go out of my way and pay more for something that I may or may not enjoy as much as the fresh Stone IPA that's always in the cooler at the grocery store, which I'm going to anyway.

These beers are at everywhere because of years of consistent quality on behalf of their brewers. Back when they were first released, IPAs weren't the dominant style, so they kinda set the tone. Put some respect on them.

 

Yawn, what were we talking about???

This is pretty silly IMO...."supermarket IPA?"
WTF?

 

I distinguish supermarket IPA as to mean I can go to any major chain and acquire it, with a bit of variation. I can find FS, Lagunitas, Goose and Stone all or 3/4 at nearly any Vons, Luckys, even my Walmarts. I don’t have to go to a bottleshop or Whole Foods, let alone an actual brewery. It’s great that we get world class beer as easily as we get Miller, Bud or Coors.

 

The store I went to had 2 of their IPAs, the IPA variety pack, and The Strawberry Pineapple Wheat. Thats it. No lagers. Maybe stores in Mass. have their lagers. I'll have to check. They just came to MA and RI as I said.

 

When I used to live in California, I could find Sculpin, Grapefruit Sculpin, and even Pineapple Sculpin at Ralphs. I can’t think of a better IPA that I could find regularly at the supermarket than that.

Speaking of Sculpin, there was a time in my beer drinking life where that beer was rare and exclusive. Years later production ramps up and I could find it at major supermarkets in Southern California, and just like that it transforms into a Supermarket IPA. The Supermarket IPA labeling is dumb.

 

Reduces the risk of a DWI that way.

 

I’m surprised there isn’t a Tree House “Supermarket IPA” so they can do the blind taste test and say how superior it is over all others like every other video they make. I love Tree House and the videos are entertaining but they come off a bit pretentious and patting them selves on the back most of the time in their “blind” taste tests. For this one I’m sure based on his comments that the Jai Alai was past its prime. I’d guess that if all of those were 4 weeks or less from bottled on date that Fresh Squeezed and Jai Alai would come out on top. But perhaps that’s just my preferences. All 5 of those IPAs are decent, I have no problems with any of them.

 

I tend to grocery shop at the Wegman's just across the river in VA. The Stone IPA is always within a month of packaging, but the Aslin and Solace sits there. Even if I didn't prefer WCIPA over NEIPAs, I'd still choose the fresher. We've been given a bill of sale when it comes to the Hazys, y'all.

 

Supermarket IPA = above average IPA with wide distro. I'd love to be able to try Swami, or Sip, and a bunch of others... but SEVA don't get it (didn't read orig article, unsure what was chosen)

 

Sigh. He owns a brewery and you do not. Sensory analysis is how they stay successful.
That said. Spend some time with the beer you are drinking and fucking think about it. Let it warm up a bit in a Teku glass, and see what it does. Try the same thing from a can. How's that going for you? Now. Try it again from a shaker pint.
Think about what changed.
It winds up being way more neat than you'd anticipate.

 

Dude owns, arguably, the most successful brewery of the American craft brewery era.

His success had effectively nothing to do with this sort of "high level" sensory analysis.