IPA Freshness Hype

I just had one of my last Hopslams last week, and it sure didn't seem any less hoppy than the first one from January. I think for sure you're right about people on here getting their panties all in a bunch over a few weeks' difference in age.

 

Can you invite me over for some more scientific discovery? Panzer is tasty and would love to try it aged.

I've heard its more the aroma fades, and smell being part of taste might be the argument for fresher IPA's. To each their own.

 

As a personal opinion, IPAs should be consumed as quickly as possible. My only reasoning is that I don't really enjoy a heavy malt presence. The fresher IPAs are, the more hops and less malt. I'm not snobby about it. If I am looking to by an IPA that is a month or more old, I won't buy it; I'll find something else, because God knows, there is more than enough beer to satisfy us.

With that said, everyone is different. Some people enjoy how an IPA changes, others don't notice how an IPA changes. Whatever the reason, we're all different, and we all have different palates.

Sincerely,

Shmuff Daddy

P.S. As for the psychological element, I'm not crazy. But maybe a little.

 

While I agree for the most part, there are some IPAs for which freshness matters more. I feel that Pliny the Elder is one of those IPAs based on my experience over # of bottles and on draft pints I have consumed.

Compare this to say, Maharaja, Hopslam, 90 minute, Torpedo, and Sucks, freshness seemed to matter a bit less... obviously, entirely based on my experience and memory (which obviously isn't perfect by any means).

 

I've been wondering the same more recently. Before I figured the higher abv/ the longer it can hold up. Once I joined BA (in Jan) I realized the freshness hype.

I think there is plenty of evidence in my own experience to realize that the fresher, the better. I'm drinking a single centennial hop dipa right now that is past its prime and you can absolutely detect plenty of hops, but they are not as 'alive' as they once were and taste a bit stale. I personally don't put a ton of emphasis on freshness (I saved my last sucks for a whole other month before drinking it) but I understand that hops really do 'fall off'

I don't know if that answers any questions. I've done a side by side with a Dales and noticed the fresher one more citrusy/crisp, but I wouldn't turn an ipa down just because it's three months old.

I know some people that prefer aging such beers i.e. my buddy thinks Nugget Nectar is perfect with 9 months on it. (I totally disagree. Funny thing I think two week old NN is better than two day old though)

Edit: On the beers I've compared freshness. Big difference- Sculpin (I didn't think it was even good the first three bottles), Enjoy by. Not much - 90 minute, Dorado.
And Flower Power is always good, just fades by tiny increments over time.

 

I've never realized that, but age on an IPA is really shown the aroma. I've had Head Hunter that is days old, and the smell that is bequeaths is joyous. I've also had 2 month hold Head Hunter; and while it is delicious, the aroma just isn't the same.

 

I have tested the same IPA around 6 months difference in age several times, along with having many other hoppy beers with too much age on them. Not only do I think the hops fall off with age but in my opinion they develop a distinct "old hop" flavor. Some have called it wet cardboard, cheese etc, to me none of those do it justice. It tastes like old hops. Yes, I have picked out the older beer in a blind testing with two of the same beers. This flavor isn't necessary that bad, the problem is that it takes away from original character the hops (citrusy, piney, earthy, whichever) and begins to deteriorate into the bland old hop flavor. All that said, a couple weeks isn't going to make a huge difference one way or another, but a couple months is, especially after that 3 month mark. I also think that different species of hops can deteriorate faster and slower than others. I don't have enough experience to say which ones hold up longer. But, if they behave differently during every other step of the process (while growing, during the boil, during dry hop) than I would bet they behave differently with some age.

 

it is stupid to be upset that other people care more about freshness than you do. get over it.

 

I haven't done a vertical. Though, I've had fresh Zombie Dust and old Zombie Dust passed off as fresh, and it was easily apparent that it wasn't fresh. Again, an IPA isn't bad if its older, it just loses some of those characteristics that really make it pop.

 

Hops oxidize quickly in beer. They actually gradually give it an off flavor. Makes it taste stale.

 

You've enjoyed IPAs cellared for years? really?

Most Ipas are dry hopped a lot that gives us that wonderful smell fruity, tropical dankness. That's the first thing to go if it's not refrigerated it's gone in a couple months.

You want to waste that beautiful smell and all the dry hops it took to get it you go right ahead and cellar that ipa for a couple years. Beers like Citra & Sculpin are dry hopped to the point they smell like fruit juice you age that a couple months at room temperature and its gone it's just a shell of the beer that you once had.

 

I kind of agree with the OP.......never really thought about the whole freshness thing on IPA's as long as they were within the DoB.....until I bought a case of Enjoy By. I drank my first Enjoy By within a week or its born on date....finished the last Enjoy By the day after the best by date....I did notice a difference.

Now I understand Enjoy By might be a bad example as I'm assuming it may be a beer which is brewed specifically for a short shelf life but I did notice a difference....though I really don't think it's nearly as extreme as most people on BA claim. Yes I preferred the Enjoy By when it was more "fresh" but even when it had "expired" by 24 hours it was still a damn tasty beer.

 

p.s. your original post is confused anyway. IBUs "fade" much slower than the flavor imparted by hop oils. just look up some homebrewing literature (or the million posts on BA) about it. p.p.s. beer is not the only thing that gets less flavorful even though it comes in a sealed package. even talking about the "science" behind it is being a bit over the top... we're not in science=magic territory here.

 

Fresh IPAs are cool and all, but I'll take m'lady cleansing herself w/ a Summer's Eve over a gotdam beer, anytime. Y'all got yer priorities mixed up.

 

Agreed with the fact that I like bw with some age as well. I think the dry hopping part fads very very fast in the nose/aroma, which in affect, make the taste fade faster too. Two examples that come to mind, SN Estate and Port High Tide, both dry hopped. I had both in December, then both in Feb and it was a HUGE fall off. I think dry hopping is actually ment to be consumed fresher, I could be wrong though. (and indeed I am, they were wet hopped, now I really have to research)