People like me get to obsess over these things 50/100 years from now, though. So, I'm all for it. Make it as messy and complicated as possible! The archives of modern beer times will be such a treat to go through!
I read that article in May 2025. It didn't make sense to me. It would appear that you are just as confused. Permit me to double rant. It makes no sense why a brewery would submit a beer that features American aroma hops (i.e., Cascade) into the ESB category. It also makes no sense to me that beer judges would award a beer that has aromas/flavors of grapefruit, piney, etc. a Gold Medal for the ESB category. No need to reply to this post; it is just a rant. Cheers!
I'm with you, I love how much linguistic goofiness goes on in beer world. And when you read up on beer history you see that it always has
GABF lists both American-Style India Pale Lager and West Coast-Style Pilsener as separate styles. Looking at the numbers, it seems like: IPL is an APA in strength + hop load, but with pils malt + maybe adjuncts WC Pilsner is a pils in strength + balance, but with American late hops Do I have that right?
I guess we can put this thread to bed - I had the Glittering Image yesterday, and it was perfectly delicious.
