IPA craze: When will it be over?!

For the most part I dig hoppy beers if they are well made and there's some kind of balance, even an unequal one. While I do sometimes get hop fatigue, and I'm not one of the ones reading this and thinking you are out to ban IPAs and I get what you are saying, I don't think it's a craze at this point - it's a characteristic of American craft beer, one that you just happen to not be entirely sympathetic to.

Chances are slim that there will be a significant step back from the chokehold hoppy beers have on American craft beer culture, but there's enough variety here that there's still going to be non-hoppy choices. Don't worry about it, just revel in your status as a dissident and drink beer you like.

 

I think there is still room for growth in IPA. I'm not talking about black IPA, white IPA, etc., but just making reference to the explosion in the diversity of aroma hops that we are currently seeing. It used to be grapefruit aromas, but in the last 5 years or so, we see aroma hops with characters described as dank, lemony, grapey, blueberry, tropic fruit, melon, and more. I agree with the OP that sometimes hop bitterness gets out of hand (I typically avoid IIPAs because I find them too bitter and or too boozey), but I hope brewers continue to explore what hops can do for beers in the context of more balanced approaches.

 

Peter, not only the new varieties of hops which constantly become available (I am on the lookout for Equinox hops which sound yummy from an NHC presentation) but also how they are used. It seems like the late hopping method is becoming more and more popular with craft breweries.

Cheers!

Jack

 

NHC stands for:
Naval Historical Center(a real thing, but pretty odd in this context)?
Nullified Horizontal Connection (hate it when that happens)?
My own personal amusement aside, what is it? I'm genuinely interested.

And by late hopping method, are you referring to what I think of as dry-hopping? If so, I didn't think that was anything new or trendy, but then I live not more than a couple of hours from the Yakima Valley AKA Hopheaven.

 

National Homebrewers Conference.

The Late Hopping Method that I mentioned is where the brewer adds all of the hops later in the boil (and dry hopping). Classically you would add some hops in the beginning of the boil for bittering and other hops toward the end of the boil for flavor/aroma (plus dry hoping for 'extra' aroma). The Late Hopping Method still provide some bitterness but the aspects of flavor/aroma are emphasized. For a person who enjoys hop flavor/aroma but isn't a big fan of bitterness, the Late Hopping Method achieves the beer they like.

Cheers!

P.S. More info here:http://www.mrmalty.com/late_hopping.php

 

Actually no. If there is a variety of beer for me to purchase, then there has to be a brewer making them. Put in a little leg work and you'll find that plenty of brewers are making lots of things besides IPA's.

 

Never mind...I figured it out. Lagunitas a fairly popular brewery has over a hundred beers listed on this site. Only about thirty of those are IPA's.

 

I emailed Heady Topper. Terrible topic. IPAs are why most of us are here.

 

Who remember's the first wave of 1990's "microbreweries" and "brewpubs" (remember that term?)? Not all of them made IPAs, but there had damn well better have been some sort of "red" or "amber" ale or lager on their menu because back then, it was the American Amber, Pale Ale and Stout (or Porter) that ruled the brewhouse. Sure, you often saw the gateway Blonde Ale or Wheat beer or the special rotational India Pale Ale that was a hopped up version of their Pale that only "hopheads" enjoyed, but not nearly as intense as it is nowadays. Most thought it too bitter. I remember fondly a time when IPA was rotational and never "flagship". Then west coast brewers such as Stone stated taunting us with "you're not worthy" and then hop bitterness became a thing. I think the hop-forward IPA thing is here to stay, though. Just like craft beer in general. I do see room for malt-forward styles to become the next big thing and a hoppy-malty dichotomy much like to see with New York versus Chicago style pizza.

 

IMO, this post has been poorly timed as I consider summer to be "IPA Season". The only other seasons I care about are football season, and fall/winter which I dub "stout season".

 

They'll be around for a while assuming we keep drinking them in large quantities. That said, brewers can get away with not having a great IPA in their lineup. Troegs only added Perpetual IPA to their lineup a few years ago. Before that they were doing just fine without an IPA.

 

Let the consumer decide, but as certain hop varieties increase in use & scarcity & price, beer price points will also rise. I never thought people would pay $10 / pack for cigarettes or that we would see $4 / gallon gas... but here we are!

 

This is one of the beers I bought a case of (in cans) a few days ago and it's never tasted so good. Much better than Nugget Nectar. Definitely the best beer in their regular lineup. They should add another IPA or two.

 

To stop the craze you need maybe something better. But what is better than super hopped very tasty brews? I took a break from IPA's for awhile but gladly went back to them. Went to a beer fest yesterday and IPA's were the highlight for me.

 

Vermont may be the biggest culprit in much of the hype, drawing thousands upon thousands to the state all on a mission to wipe out the Lawson's,Alchemist, and now Fiddlehead off the shelves in the wink of an eye (as well as creating long lines at HF which ended up instituting a ridiculous 3 growler limit that you should feel blessed to get).

Now Lawson's most recent move is contract brewing at Two Roads in CT and calling it "Lawson's" beer,and charging virtually the same price as the hand crafted special bottles made in Vermont as well as the same price on draft for the "real" Lawson's beer. I love Lawson's beer,but a move like this, strictly motivated by money to create a placebo product, stinks on ice.
All of this brought on by the (Vermont) IPA "craze" that is in full swing now with no apparent signs of slowing down any time soon.

 

What EagleTalon said. End of thread.

 

I think the "gotta get the rare beer at any cost" or "must try everything" mentality is more responsible for this than the popularity of IPAs. The beers in question in this case just happen to be IPAs. Great IPAs are everywhere. I see no need to travel hundreds or thousands of miles and stand in line to try something that is likely no better than what can be obtained locally. My lone Heady Topper experience was rather disappointing. Thankfully it required absolutely no effort on my part, and was free, to boot.

 

I really don't know what the point of this thread is? The only thing that is a given...some breweries in America are making lots of IPA's. Why are they making IPA's? Because they want to...no that is not the point. Because people enjoy them...no that is not the point. It does not matter, there are lots of other styles to drink and purchase...no that is not the point.

Preemptive sigh.

 

Great IPAs are everywhere, and the only time I buy Heady Topper anymore is for my trading friends that want it.