Is Pale Ale Passe ?

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by KStark, Feb 10, 2013.

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  1. Jerrky

    Jerrky Initiate (0) Sep 18, 2010 Massachusetts

  2. Jerrky

    Jerrky Initiate (0) Sep 18, 2010 Massachusetts

    Your right, and hopefully extreme IPAs will be passe. While I love hops, I don't see the point of hopping a beer to the point where you can't taste anything else. A good beer has a nice balance and you can taste more than just the tongue numbing hops.
     
  3. SunDevilBeer

    SunDevilBeer Pooh-Bah (1,945) May 9, 2003 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah

    Tho I still like SN Pale Ale on occasion I've become bored of it & its numerous clones (most of which aren't nearly as good). For a long time I think SNPA was THE standard for the American Pale Ale.

    I'm seeing sort of a renaissance / re-thinking of the style with newer pale ales such as Widmer Drifter & Victory Headwaters brewed on a broad scale (& some other boutique breweries) making balanced, interesting, drinkable pale ales that don't taste like SNPA. Seeing different hop combos being used too.

    Glad to see it as a customer not interested in the latest imperial / bbl-aged / belgo-style / adjunct-laden fad.
     
  4. fx20736

    fx20736 Initiate (0) Mar 7, 2009 New York

    one of the best sentences I have ever read on BA.:slight_smile:
     
  5. steveh

    steveh Grand Pooh-Bah (4,030) Oct 8, 2003 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Bravo.
     
  6. 510a

    510a Initiate (0) Jan 12, 2013 Washington
    Trader

    Drinking A Red Chair as I write, Deschutes Mirror Pond is still a regular staple in my beer fridge. Locally we have Mannys Pale , tap only ,but its everywhere , and quite tasty.
     
  7. Handle

    Handle Initiate (0) Mar 16, 2009 North Carolina

    Took the words out of my mouth. This style will never become passe, no matter how many drinkers--myself included--reach for an IPA instead.
     
  8. thedominator

    thedominator Initiate (0) Mar 22, 2010 New York

    Daisy cutter is the SHIT!!!!
     
  9. djsmith1174

    djsmith1174 Pundit (991) Aug 21, 2005 Minnesota

    If passe is french for "Very tasty, sessionable beer" then yes, APAs are passe.
     
  10. basscram

    basscram Initiate (0) Mar 29, 2006 Maine
    Deactivated

    I'll say one thing is for certain,.. Pale's are getting some nice additions of hops on the aroma end of the boil which could be pushing it to the ipa spectrum. your nose has a lot to do with things I believe. They are still moderate on their grain bill but use certain hops in the beer and crafted just so, as to fool your senses and also bring both senses of taste and smell together.
     
  11. bismarksays

    bismarksays Initiate (0) Dec 7, 2008 Iowa

    Pale ales are not only popular, they tend to be very versatile. They are great as a session beer, match up well with a variety of foods, and express both the hops and malt well.
    Give me a SNPA or Widmer Drifter any day and I will be a happy man.
     
    tgchief likes this.
  12. ShogoKawada

    ShogoKawada Initiate (0) May 31, 2009 Pennsylvania

    I love a good pale ale. I buy quite a lot of them.
     
  13. aboucher0319

    aboucher0319 Initiate (0) Mar 1, 2011 Minnesota

    That's just one specific pale ale. Not saying that it is passe as far as my own tastes go, but using one beer to argue that an entire style isn't passe doesn't sway me. Sierra Nevada simply makes such a good pale ale, but the style does seem to be phasing out. I do enjoy a good pale ale as a Minnesotan drinking Summit's flagship EPA, as well as drinking the SN Pale and 8 Bit from Tallgrass, but from the decrease in popularity I've noticed, it seems to be becoming a bit obsolete, with some specific exceptions as aforementioned, amongst consumers as a style.

    Those are my observations, anyways.
     
  14. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,071) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    [
    The lastest IRI data I've seen, from November (admittedly, not the best source since it does not include on-premise and some other retailers) has IPA's at 16.6% of the total craft market (#1, other than "seasonal", as noted) and Pale Ale's at 12.3%.

    I'd say looking at those figures, one wouldn't accurately call IPA "dominate" nor Pale Ale "passé" - although IPA's share has been on the rise and continues to grow while the latter style is down. Still, throw in Amber Ale, Golden Ale, ESB and Blonde/Kolsch (all lower ibu and abv styles of ale) along with Pale Ale as a subset of ales, and IPA's don't even outsell those.
     
  15. aboucher0319

    aboucher0319 Initiate (0) Mar 1, 2011 Minnesota

    I agree that anything with 10% or more share in any market can't necessarily be considered passe, however I suppose my question would be what these figures were 5 or 10 years ago. I would guess that the pale ale numbers have been dropping; past years number's put into a pattern would tell more of a story than a single year's numbers would. I may be wrong, but I would like to see what the pattern has bee, and of course only time will tell how this argument ends.
     
  16. Jimjohson

    Jimjohson Initiate (0) Dec 26, 2012 Georgia

    I've been wanting a Schoenling for a while, grew up on 'em. When a fermenter comes open I've decided to go after that Cincinnati Pale Ale that Palmer mentions to see it it'll scratch that itch. :slight_smile:
     
  17. steveh

    steveh Grand Pooh-Bah (4,030) Oct 8, 2003 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Oh gawd, the IPA villagers are lighting their torches...
     
    mgoose likes this.
  18. Kadonny

    Kadonny Pooh-Bah (2,582) Sep 5, 2007 Florida
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I actually just got the Pale Ale bug last week since warmer weather is on the horizon (it is on the horizon, right, I mean Punxutawney Phil didn't see his shadow so winter is almost over) and am picking up a Troegs Pale Ale sixtel tonight. I can't wait, I haven't had the Pale Ale on draft in probably two years, should be good.
     
  19. dennis3951

    dennis3951 Initiate (0) Mar 6, 2008 New Jersey

    Are figures for the volume of beer sold or the $ amount?
     
  20. rlcoffey

    rlcoffey Initiate (0) Apr 20, 2004 Kentucky

    IPA has been growing insanely. If I remember my IRI data correctly*, IPA was up something like 40% year over year.

    *highly unlikely

    Edit: looked it up, the IRI data I was referencing was midyear 2012. +39.9% for IPA. It was year-to-date numbers vs same mid year numbers in 2011. "Double, Triple, Imperial" IPA was up over 60% (they were included in the IPA numbers also). This is dollars, not volume.

    Edit to my edit: As of that point in the year, IPA had passed Seasonal, but Seasonal repassed it later on. Fall and Winter are good times for the Seasonals.
     
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