IPA Obsessions

I can sort of see where the OP is coming from. My wife introduced me to some people she works with that said they were into beer. We scheduled an evening out for a few pints. When the waitress took our orders on the first round, the 3 of them ordered the same DIPA and I ordered a Live Oak Hefeweizen. They sort of stared at me. One of them actually said something along the lines of "Dude, I thought you said you were into craft beer." It does seem that some have the opinion that you're not a 'real' beer drinker unless every beer you consume has a minimum of 65 IBU. Funny thing is I really do love good APA's, IPA's, IIPA's, etc. also.

 

Awesome story. You like IPA's? Me too.

 

One of the most well said, polite, and accurate replies I have seen in these forums.

 

I am not sure why it is either... like just about anything I've always preferred variety...

I was in IPA mega land last week, and sure there's some great beers but after a short while it gets old fast...

 

Not many styles I haven't tried. I like lots of them. Always come back to D/IPAs for regular consumption. Not just the taste as the lower ABV allows me to have/try a few without being totally knackered.

 

American craft beer regardless of style is hopper than the same styles from Europe. Hoppy is the signature trait of most American craft beers IPA or otherwise.

 

From another BA that's on the back nine of life, I am a complete Hop Head. I only consume IPA, DIPA and Imperial Stouts (only the hoppy ones) love the taste, the bite and really love the aroma after the pour, reminds me of when the sandwich bags had flaps for the top and no pleats in the corners

 

Thank you.

 

send me some Heady and I'll send you some Barleywine

 

Amen brother!

 

This is an overlooked aspect. Those of us who have been in this for a few decades are in a very different position with history of tasting, developed preferences, palates, etc. (especially with international travel & drinking over the decades too)

Think of the styles and examples we first enjoyed from Germany, Belgium, England, a few American micros and then eventually more American stuff once it really got under way in the 90's. New kids today did not have that background, nor the timeline, nor the developed taste for "craft beer" before styles like American IPAs were invented in the first place. So many kids here just got into craft beer in recent years and those styles were already popular. They got their exposure to the whole picture with American IPAs and double IPAs already being a part of it. That sets up a situation wherein it is understandable why they like some things that others with a longer timeline of drinking experience may not like. The same goes for not appreciating other styles - you can see this in the various threads about German beer as well, but I don't want to get off topic. Heck, the same might be said of pale ales, whereas more veteran drinkers seem to be able to enjoy them more often (in my experience at least).

Personal preference is some of it. I remember friends not liking Two Hearted IPA when we were drinking it in the late 90's (many of us preferred pale ales). But there I go again - having an established taste for pale ales will impact someone as they first try some American IPAs vs. someone with no real historical taste background or developed palate at all.

Sorry to disappoint some folks but the beer world is no different than any others - fads, coolness, etc. does in fact play a substantial role in why people like what they do, and especially for those who are more impressionable.

 

Exactly - we used to all just drink average ales and lagers, the second-tier "Meh" beers from Europe, and a few homegrown big brewer swills. Once you have your first real beer, made by someone whose hand you can shake, it's all over. IPA or not, I want to know my brewer, my brewery, and what goes into it. Oh, and I love data. Don't hold back on data. Other than that, there's never been a better time to drink and love beer. Seriously...

 

I think Heady and Finest Kind do not belong in the same sentence. Finest is a sub par IPA IMO. I suppose that's the beauty of it as we all have different opinions and tastes. I do love me some Barleywines though.

 

Neither Ayinger, Weihenstephaner, Youngs, Bateman's, and countless others were second-tier. If all you were drinking was 'meh', then that's on you- the good stuff was available. The only 'average' beers I remember during the 90s were from my local brewpubs .

 

OP hits a point (at least that's how I interpreted it) where IPAs get a very generous rating while some other styles get overlooked or under rated.

 

I'm another long time BA and I've been obsessed with IPAs since the beginning. I'm not sure if age has anything to do with style preferences, and the herd mentality has less of an effect on older beer drinkers. I know plenty of old guys who love hops. Hops just taste good to a lot of people, I think that's about all there is to it.

 

I think it has to do with how approachable they are for a lot of people, especially younger drinkers. They have citrusy/fruity aromas (typically), they're usually high in ABV (6.2% and above) without feeling "heavy" (if that makes sense), and the elevated bitterness is usually accompanied by citrus and/or tropical fruit flavors. Since we all ("all" being parents of Millenials) crammed approximately 50 billion juice boxes down our kids throats, maybe the IPA/DIPA beverages flooding the market are triggering warm childhood memories in these young uns.

 

For me, the reason I love IPA/DIPAs is the diversity in the style, specifically their hop profiles. Also, not only do the international styles vary, but the style varies all the way down into micro regions. New England is a great example. You can now get a world-class IPA in every New England state and they all have their own unique characteristics that make them very different beers.

 

I love IPAs. I love DIPAs. I love a good pale ale.

I love Trappist ales. I love Belgians.

Quite frankly, the only beer style I find consistently underwhelming Brown ales.