Does the Brut IPA Have a Future?

I have discussed two Brut IPAs in the past two New Beer Sunday threads.

Last week I discussed Sierra Nevada Brut IPA:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-beer-sunday-week-728.604530/#post-6367920

From that post:

“This is a nice enough beer but really there is not a lot going on here. If this was the goal of the Sierra Nevada folks then they achieved but I really think this beer would have benefited from a more generous hopping level. Maybe they saved some money on ingredients (hops) for this beer?

I normally do not do this but I checked out the BA reviews for this beer. There are well over 100 reviews posted and the average score is 3.69 (Good). Yeah, I suppose this kinda sums up this beer.”



Two weeks ago I discussed Ommegang Brut IPA:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-beer-sunday-week-727.603843/#post-6359005

From that post:

“I am very, very glad that I found this beer. If this specific beer is representative of what a Brut IPA should be I am a fan of the Brut IPA beer ‘style’. Hopefully other breweries can learn to produce their Brut IPAs to be similar to the qualities of Ommegang Brut IPA.”

I am of the opinion that if breweries could learn how to brew beers like Ommegang Brut IPA there is a future for this burgeoning beer style. If instead the breweries produce product akin to the Sierra Nevada Brut IPA I personally do not see this becoming a thriving beer style.

Cheers!

P.S. I took note from the article: “Hi-Wire, like Boulevard and Drake’s, also discovered that successfully executing a Brut IPA requires finesse, a mastery of the techniques required to create it, and a willingness to hone in on the details.” If this is indeed the case then perhaps it might be best for this style to just ‘go away’ for the vast majority of craft breweries. Perhaps it is just too hard of a style for them to brew.

 

I've had 3 from Ommegang, ,Sierra Nevada and a local Twin Elephant. Enjoyed them all but found them to very different from each other. Looking forward to trying more of them.

 

Honestly to me every brut ipa hasn't had the flavor punch I'm looking for in an IPA. I'm going to keep giving them chances, but to me personally the future doesn't look like the second coming of the NEIPA like some initially thought.

 

I had a really good one- Moral Panic from Ska brewing. I don't think Brut IPA will be a huge deal, but I'm starting to believe it will have a small but permanent place in brewing repertoire.

 

I hope this style continues to evolve. I've had the New Belgium and Sierra Nevada as well as a couple from local brewers here in Orlando. I liked them all. In fact, I liked them enough to brew my own using a recipe from Jan/Feb issue of Zymurgy Magazine. They are still conditioning but flat out of the fermenter it tasted pretty good. I do have to say I was surprised how fast the bubbles appeared in the air lock when I added the enzyme.

 

I want to like the style, and I hope it does stick around. I've only had the New Belgium, Sierra Nevada, Stone Enjoy By, and Ommegang. All very different from each other and my favorite by far was the Ommegang. It tastes the most like I expected a Brut IPA to taste like (with my very limited experience with the style). I'm eager to try more. For me, being a beer hobbyist is always about trying something new and different, and occasionally finding new favorites.

 

I 100% agree with you here!

Cheers!

 

Stone's Enjoy By Brut beat Ommegang's Brut by 1 point in my book. Both are exceptional.

Call Brut IPA a substyle or an emerging distinct style (as mentioned in the article), whatever you want. It appears to be gaining steam ATT.

I plan on trying more Bruts, a nice break from NEIPAs.

 

I'm on the lookout myself, it's just enough different to be interesting.

 

I honestly can't say, the SN one is the only one I tried. It was okay, but not a repeat purchase for me, too one dimensional imho. I'd like to try one that has more body to it and a lot more flavor.

 

I had Stone’s Enjoy By Brut. I did not enjoy. I another from a local brewery. I did not enjoy that one either. I’m done with Brut IPAs.

 

They are a neat science experiment, but they don't get me too excited. I feel like they will join Red and Black IPAs as passing fads, though I rather enjoy those two. CDAs forever!

 

That would not be consistent with the Brut IPA style. A Brut IPA should be super dry with an extremely low final gravity.

Using Sierra Nevada Brut IPA as a 'baseline' I agree 100% with you here! Way more hop flavor should be present.

I would recommend Ommegang Brut IPA to you from a flavor perspective but that beer is very dry (i.e., you may not like the body aspect).

Cheers!

 

That is kinda where I was a couple of months ago but after drinking Ommegang Brut IPA I have a much differing perspective here.

My guess is that there are a plethora of poorly brewed Brut IPAs out there. I have had a few non-inspirational brands myself. As I quoted from the article above (post #2) it seems that brewing a 'proper' Brut IPA can be challenging. Maybe some (most?) breweries are not up to the challenge? You (and I) need to find the breweries/brands that have been brewed 'right'.

Cheers!

 

Exactly! And why does everything have to be framed in an all-or-nothing, next big deal kind of way these days?

 

One more vote for Ommegang.
The other 3 I've had won't be revisited. Guessing it will be a persistent style for a few that can pull it off. The rest? Dry-hopped pils, &/or session IPAs, probably offers better odds for sustained sales to customers looking for something light, dry, & hoppy.

 

It simplifies complexity to fewer choices.

 

Guess I’ll keep my eyes out for Ommegang. I know I’ve seen their beers around, not sure about this one.

 

And I do hope that you can find this specific beer. Going more broadly, there may be other breweries that produce beers akin to Ommegang Brut IPA. Hopefully you will be successful at discovering those beers.

Cheers!