Have IPAs Become Commoditized?

I don't believe IPA is a commodity. For most consumers, brand recognition is a deciding purchasing factor, while lowest price is not a deciding purchasing factor.

 

It's a good analogy if you use the term commoditization rather than focus on commodity. As in, goods that were once considered in terms of unique merits and quality are viewed as generic and interchangeable. And I agree this goes for most common styles with the proliferation of brewers. Happened with ambers and pale ales, now with 20+ ipas to choose from most will be similar, so why pay a premium?

 

Well, you can distinguish the copper from the zinc (97.5%) Ina penny. Just had today it.

 

I'm a little later than the rest of you guys to the IPA party, but I've noticed that every single brewery in the country does at least one IPA. Some are pretty good, some are so so, some are awful, and the select few(heady, 90min, enjoy by, 2hearted, hopslam, sculpin) are head and shoulders above the rest, so those are the ones I drink. It's hard not to notice all of the IPAs available at every bottle shop you go to, but like I said some are pretty good, some are so so, some are awful and ones I love, I drink.

 

The market is saturated with IPAs, as essentially every brewery has at least one in their lineup. While it is one of my favorite styles, it takes a hell of a lot for one to stick out to me these days, making the good ones really good. I can't remember the last time I was truly blown away by an IPA.

 

Would have thought this to be.a troll but apparently not- let's enjoy beer more and handwring less.

 

I think overall, American craft brewers have really improved ipas in recent years vs the ipas that were available 10 years ago. Heck even Sam Adams finally has a respectable ipa in the Rebel. Much better (still not great but ok) than any previous ipas they tried.

 

I have found in general that the new "IPA" from a new brewery can be underwhelming to expert consumers. They think to themselves "there is no way this will be a... Pilny, or an X [<--- insert favorite 100pt IPA here.]" That is why it is important that people not just stick with the Imperial IPA or regular IPA of recognized and trusted brands. Being in the business, I sample a lot. As "hopfenunmaltz" said, give the "Oak Aged Rye" of a brand you don't know a try. Or try something like the Avery Twenty One. In this example, it's not even an IPA but is an Imperial Brown Ale (80+IBU?) ... these sort of styles are similar with hops and fun to try. They will simultaneously break the chains people feel that they are stuck in of the everyday IPA that they have had so many times. Also, I have some customers that have fallen in love with the RYE IPA style (think Schmaltz's Lenny's Rye I.I.P.A). Any of these "oddballs" most will find will expand their horizon with the style and give them hope for the future. Try combinations like "Le Freak" (Belgian Triple, Imperial IPA style) and just enjoy. Don't think too much! And always give the new brewery that you are able to get your hands on a try!

 

Exactly! What he said!

 

No.

 

With an expanding populatation, mediocrity is bound to follow suit.

 

To a degree, in that as the overall number of IPA's continues to grow exponentially so does the number of mediocre IPAs, and the number of IPAs with similar flavor profiles. But great new IPAs are being made as well, you just now have to sort through more mediocre ones to find the great ones. This applies for pretty much all popular beer styles IMO. But I certainly dont think that makes them commoditized to the degree that they all taste the same. In fact, I think theres more diversity in the IPA style then ever. You just have to make an effort to find it.

 

Yeah, a lot of people in this thread seem to be misunderstanding what OP means by "commodity".

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commoditization

...the process by which goods that have economic value and are distinguishable in terms of attributes (uniqueness or brand) end up becoming simple commodities in the eyes of the market or consumers.​

If someone had access to the data, it would be interesting to see average ratings and standard deviations of all the beers on this site broken down by style. That would help give you some idea of an answer.

 

The tricky thing with IPAs is that the better ones sell and have quick turnover ensuring fresh beer. The others sit and gather dust, they're not dated , not really popular etc. some wayward guy sees one of these slow movers and an average ipa might slip to old and awful, the guy hates it and the beer sucks. I see this with brews like Modus Avery and the like which are good IPAs, but old not so much. No date I don't buy unless it's a local offering I know to be fresh. With HDR flying off the shelves here I bet the turn around on most IPAs is much slower, do I buy Bells Two Hearted.

 

Another "there's too much good beer out there, woe is me" thread.

I wish to God some of you drank like more than 5 years ago.

 

Let me know when the IPA outsells the American Lager. I believe it has a ways to go.

 

No, and absolutely not. We have a very short attention span within a national and international distribution network to bolster it, and there are too many hop varietals and options with grain and adjuncts for the IPA to make it a one tor even two trick pony.

 

If the big boys ever bottled, sold, and marketed an IPA the way they do lagers, I'd be willing to bet it would do some major damage to the lager market share. The masses in the US drink swill lagers because they've been told and conditioned that that's what "beer" is.

 

I don't know. All I know is that as long as Hill Farmstead is doing their thing, everyone else has something to chase.

 

Biff?