IPA craze: When will it be over?!

Never I hope.

 

The boring IPAs/DIPAs will probably go away over time. But the special ones will be here for the long haul to enjoy for ages.

 

I don't think all breweries are doing more IPAs than previously. WTF cares what the "craze" is? That's what People magazine is for. There's enough beers out there to enjoy whatever it is that makes your dick or titties hard. I love a good mix of fruity IPAs and thick stouts.. don't care what everyone else is doing. If it was a lager craze people would bitch too and I certainly wouldn't be as happy. Supply and demand brother.

 

Agreed. I like them, but do they have to take up 80% of the taps?? And Ellie's is excellent.

 

Those assholes are the minority here. Don't worry about them. They don't go away, but the rest of us roll our eyes at them as well.

 

That's like asking "When is this lager craze or stout craze" going to end? It's not going to end because it's not a craze anymore. It just is. It's embedded in the beer culture now. What is going to "fix" it is when the market starts weeding out the excess of breweries who are making mediocre beer.

 

I'll try not to slam anyone or any beer styles but, I'm biased cause I got IPA on the brain controlled by my tastebuds. This craze will go on forever cause its the foundation along with pilsners bridging the gap into craft beers. Everyone wins ! Cheers!

 

So long as they're easy to make and people are willing to drink them, this IPA "craze" will not go away any time soon. I see it more as becoming the new norm in brewing: how well can I craft an IPA that is bitter but with complexity at the same time? I think it is a good measuring stick of how good a brewery is. If you cannot make a decent IPA, then making beer is not for you!

 

Biff?

 

When will it be over? Look up at the sky. See the yellow ball, you know, the sun? When it gets hot enough to kill off life on earth the IPA craze will still be going strong on another planet.

 

Does anybody else hate the phrase "hop-forward" when describing beer, or am I the only one?

 

I stopped drinking beer in 2003 cause i quit smoking. When i came back in 2013 to enjoy a brew i was like WTF is going on??? I'm not a huge fan of IPAs-- too hoppy for me. That said, i think the progression is refreshing. And no, i didn't start smoking again!

 

This question made me sad.

 

Well, Holy Hell, you sure stirred the pot, old boy. I love IPAs, almost as much as I love variety. This is my first post on BA...judge accordingly. As a person paid to stock a beer cooler, I can certainly relate with those who post in favor of the style. The style has a powerful following, to be redundant. There are plenty of great beers, in a variety of styles, available in this (and other) countries. As excited as I get to sample an IPA new to the market, I also can relate with your desire to see the same creative fervor that has been recently applied to IPAs applied to the many other beer styles which exist. However similar to yours that sentiment may be, I don't see an absence of this creativity, when I approach the situation fairly. If said creativity needs to catch up in other styles, I am confident it will happen...and then some.
The first brewmaster I met told me (upon my asking such a sophomoric question as, "what's the best beer?") the best beer is the freshest beer. This struck me as wisdom, at the time, and it still does. In light of that wisdom, I invite you to engage--with as much excitement as you have displayed on this forum--with those brewers local to your area. If you don't find the receptivity you initially seek, employ patience. Your insistence will probably win through, and you may end up enjoying the pleasant result--not only of a new beer you want to drink, but also that your desire for a new, potentially unique (for the moment) brew has come into existence because you were forthright about your palate's longing...to the right folks. I wouldn't want to be misheard as implying that this is not an appropriate outlet for your concern. That having been said, get the beer you want to drink brewed, by any means necessary (not to be interpreted as violence, which probably goes without saying, but...you know...the internet, right?). Talk to some local brewers, show interest. This will most likely increase your chances of manipulating your hometown offerings, and possibly add more bountiful variety to a national selection you see as lacking. After all, this country boasts yearly, if not daily, of being the very place where YOU can do just that.

 

OP, what breweries exactly are you talking about when saying they are making an abnormally large % (majority) of their brews being IPAs?

I can see the Alchemist, maybe Stone & Lagunitas being such examples. However, a lot of the great IPA makers have a very balanced lineup - even if the other styles aren't of note to the craft community (or hype train).

Just curious, not doubting. Cheers!

 

First five craft beer places on my taphunter app whose taps were recently updated:

3 of 12
6 of 15
0 of 12
6 of 19
2 of 18 were IPA's.

Carry on.

 

You sir are my hero!! The Hop Patrol salutes you

 

IPA is my favorite style but I love a good brown ale or stout... At this point, I've tried quite a few IPAs, and you've really gotta do something special to appeal to me. My favorite IPAs--Odell IPA, Sculpin, Enjoy By, Two Hearted, Torpedo, Jai Alai, 90 Minute, Fresh Squeezed--all have something different and unique that really sets them apart from others. While there are a lot of really awesome IPAs out there, there are probably twice as many boring ones, even from great breweries. Flipside Red IPA from SN, for example, just wasn't that interesting or great for me, and I'd much rather see it replaced by a really great imperial stout or brown ale.