Fruited IPA situation...

I like Grapefruit Sculpin as much as the next guy, but in most cases I find augmented IPA's to be overly sweet....almost syrupy or artificial tasting.

There are so many good dry hopped beers readily available....I'll stick with those.

 

I haven't been overly impressed by any that I've tried. I want to like them because I tend to like a more citrusy flavor from IPAs than piney/bitter, but at this point I would be okay with the fad passing by.

 

I dont think every time you see "Grapefruit"(Or insert your fruit) IPA they are using actual grapefruits and squeezing them into the brew tanks. Although in some case that may be the case. Sometimes alternative methods are use to impart similar characteristics to a beer. For example sometimes "Liquid Smoke" is added to a beer to add a smokiness to the it. Or "Oak Spirals" added to a beer to impart a barrel aging character which then allows the brewer to use the term "Oak aged" slightly out of context. I think the same happens with some Fruit Infused IPAs, maybe this will help explain the term "brewed with Natural Flavors" that is common on these kind of IPAs. Exposing certain flavor profiles and characteristics of hops is a much as an art as it is a science and not everyone can do it, so sometimes they "need" some fruit to help them out. Just my two cents.

 

Personally it feels rather cheap to me, for the exact reason you mention. With hops being able to generate so many fruity flavors if brewed properly, the only reason to actually add fruit would seem to bypass actual skillful brewing.

Would much prefer a well brewed citra hop beer than a beer with citrus fruit added to it, or a well hopped galaxy IPA than one with mango added, ect.

 

Stone's Tangerine Enjoy By has been my favorite one out what I've had as the fruit wasn't overpowering and complemented the base beer.

Most others I pass on without hesitation.

 

Strangely, I have been appreciating fruited beers more and more -- except for IPAs. Witbier, saisons, lambics, gose, etc., can all be amazing with fruit, but with IPAs, with a few exceptions, I prefer all the fruity flavors to come from the hops alone.

 

It's difficult for me to explain, but I think this is because, when one truly craves an IPA, it's the hops he or she craves, and the fact that they resemble fruit is a (hyped) hindsight observation. So that when fruit is added to an IPA, the fruit adjunct becomes the focal point of the beer, and the flavor profile becomes closer to a shandy, so that what was craved about the IPA to begin with--the hops--is overshadowed. Fruited IPAs are trying to play on the faux-fruit aspects of hops, but in doing so detract from the appeal that makes "fruity" IPAs appealing in the first place.

 

You can always see trends and other brewers who appreciate a new thing and then do it themselves. This year there was blood orange in the hefe, lots of IPA's that added fruit zest, beer that added teas, and coffee has found its way into the lager. That one was like watching a pinball go from california and ballast points cream ale with coffee over to sixpoint and saranac who both now have lagers with coffee. I don't mind unless that's all there is. Let's see everyone who made the cream ale with coffee now make a plain ordinary one. =)

 

Fruit in beer is nothing new, so I really wouldn't call it a trend. I would say that because craft beer drinkers have developed a craving for "variants" and "ticking" that it has created an environment suitable for brewers to add a little bit of this or that to a beer to change it slightly to appeal to the collective or addictive personalities that people have.

I wouldn't say I'm for or against fruit in beer as a general rule. Some beers just do well with fruit and others don't so it really depends on the end product. I think a lot of brewers are just doing with fruit what they would do with any other ingredient, which is to put it out there and see if people like it. Generally I have noticed that the fruit beers I like the most are the ones that are "stand alone" and not ones that just had fruit added to an already existing recipe. While I can't know how these breweries operate I wonder if it is because those "stand alone" beers had the recipe formulated with the fruit in mind instead of added as an afterthought.

 

In hot and humid Georgia summers, I kinda dig the fruit additions for refreshment value.
My favorite "fruit" beer styles are the small-batch foeder sours brewed by Southern Brewing Company with additions such as blackberry/raspberry, strawberry, peach, etc. The "Strawberry Cecil" was aged using 90 pounds of berries. Mmmm!
Fruit = summer, and after spending 11 years teaching elementary school, anything related to summer makes me smile...including fruity brews.

 

I haven't had too many I suppose, but I enjoy the grapefruit variations.

That said, after having Watermelon Dorado I have to say; please don't do this. Ever.

 

I'm nonplussed by the whole thing. This morning I posted about New Belgium Citradelic which I like, but I like it because it's well made and tastes good. I would like it just as well if it wasn't an IPA. I see these fruit beers as a trend that will run until another trend comes along.

 

I think it's gone a bit overboard. But that's fine. The American ipa is a big canvas and why not?

 

Blood orange, tangerine, grapefruit, mango, pineapple, watermelon - I'm all in if they're well made. That includes Watermelon Dorado.

 

I love fruit in beers, if it's done well. To each their own. That's why we have so many different types and styles of beer - everyone likes different things.

 

I would go further and say that for many fruit-IPAs the added fruit dilutes the hoppy character of the IPA that I like, not compliment it. Particularly for brewers that use real fruit juice, rather than fruit essences.

Nay.

Although, I agree with @HorseheadsHopHead that I don't mind fruit additions in many other beer styles, just not in my IPAs.

FYI, this thread had some interesting technical information about brewing with fruit with input from pro and home brewers in case anyone is interested: https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/beer-and-fructose.391071/#post-4556261

 

So far I haven't found watermelon, or any melon for that matter, to work well in beer. Peach, cherry and some of the red berries do seem to work though.