IPA Obsessions

I drink all styles of beer. At any given point I'll have around 10-12 styles in the fridge...even still, I find IPAs are more exciting than other styles

 

No need to be so glum. Based on experiences in many meetings in many countries where I've been part of the minority I would say that if we were to substitute any other nationality you choose for the word "american" your statement it would still hold true. I have been in a room full of mostly Greeks, or Canadians, or British, or Germans, or Austrians, or Belgians, or Finns, or Aussies, and when most are in agreement on some topic they tend to think their views also represent the way the world would view things. Its a human thing.

 

Yeah, it's an American website. But we are influencing the beer world, now, more than ever before. Our takes are beginning to export, & sparking a return to small brew ops abroad. Although I believe Belgium & Germany mostly still operate on local favorite styles in smaller quantity, they have their big lagers, too.

Every country has a huge lager. Americans here on BA fancy thumbing their nose at them, perhaps more frequently than most. I certainly think American craft has a hold on England, now, in particular.

 

In my experience as a chef and an avid beer drinker/brewer, I've always had an appreciation for both ipa's, dipa's, and all kinds of black ipa's. It's a true flavor of hop varieties. This is coming from a guy who spends hundreds of dollars on kbs every year. Hop forward beers are similar to strong coffee tasting stouts or bourbon tasting barlywines; it's just a new and different style. I say embrace it man. They're a lot of fun and easy to brew! Hope you can find an appreciation for them.

 

Yeah you must be getting old. IPA's are where it's at and they aren't going anywhere soon or ever. It's all about fresh hop juice.

 

Why is that? Do you think there is something inherent in the style that makes it more exciting, or do you think that brewers are putting their energy into making exciting IPAs rather than making anything else exciting?

 

Because they taste good.

 

The constant evolution of the style, their ability to electrify your buds, and they can be both refreshing and yet something to sit slow with. The only other style that I find as engaging are saisons

 

There's a lot of dull average with IPAs , it would be easy to see why some guys question the style. But.... When you hit a SPECIAL IPA that is fresh it's a different world. Brews like fresh Head Hunter or fresh Furious can be had one way or another, both are stellar. There's quite a few stellar Dipas out there too that are religious, HT, Trillium, Neshaminy Creek, Abrasive in season which is coming up. How anyone could compare Smutty to a Dipa Like HT eludes me , it just shows it's not your cup of tea as to style, and I'd just let it go. And I'm getting to geezer status as well, and there's brews I like almost as well as HT, but HT is a consistent beer that has staying power unlike most. It's great fresh, great at 2 weeks, great at 6 weeks. Fresh Abrasive is almost here, maybe 2 months out, fresh it's a stunning example of a big Dipa.

 

I have been drinking good beer since the early to mid 80s. For me living in Florida it was not easy to find my style of Beer mostly IPA and DIPA the hopper the better. Sierra Nevada was my go to when I could find it. I had made some trips to the Northeast as late as 2012 and had difficulty in finding good IPA in that region. Perhaps I wood have been drinking better beers on those trips if I had been seeking Stouts or Barley wines.
I also like the fact that most IPAs are packaged in 12 or 16oz bottles. Finding most stouts here are 22oz or larger, harder to consume. I'm not a big fan of heavy complex beer when it is hot and very humid just not refreshing like a IPA.
To each his own, just curious as to what you where drinking in the NE in the 80s, and 90s

 

While I'm not going to beg for "geezer cred" just yet, I've been around craft beer since about 191? '92 maybe? So my take is one that has seen a little bit of the craft journey. In my opinion, there's just something about the flavor and experience in an IPA or DIPA that I've become quite addicted to. While I love a nice, flawless Vienna Lager, Pilsener, Hefe or Marzen, the extreme nature of a really good IPA makes drinking one more of an activity in and of itself. But that's also why I rarely drink IPAs when I'm out and about. I prefer the great tongue lashing experience to take place at home.

 

I Love IPA's a bit more than most other beers. I think Heady Topper is the best DIPA i've had by far (and that from someone who spent yesterday drinking Hofbrau Helles in a beer garden).

 

Americans don't go for subtle. That's never been their strong suit.
So, breweries (who copycat) are putting their energy into IPA's because they are quick to turn around, and cheap to produce. Also, they are the perceived gatekeepers for American "craft" beer the first beer quite a good many recent "converts" go, because it's easy to talk about a beer that wallops you over the head with flavor, and coats your tongue than one that is subtle, and doesn't. Hence the love for DIPA's by quite a few recent converts as well. Also, hamburgers, tacos and pizza are seemingly made with them in mind, or versa vice.
It's like hot sauce. Why meddle with the 7 - 8k scoville stuff when you can jump in to the 50 - 200k on up stuff and the case of raging spice butt.

 

I enjoy more IPAs than any other style when its warm out because I find them refreshing.

 

Like the OP and others I've been drinking craft beer since the late 80's. I confess finding Sam Adams Boston Lager too bitter initially, while enjoying Pete's Wicked. I like stouts, porters and browns, barleywines and APAs but IPAs and DIPAs are my favorite style. I find it somewhat insulting that there suggestions that somehow fads or marketing play a role in that, they don't. It's simply the best made beer I can find. Most interesting and enjoyable.

One of the keys to that is that IPAs, at least those I prefer, have changed. Many of the hops used impart minimal actual perceived bitterness compared to IPAs of old, while providing greater aromatics, citrus, floral or dank aromas and flavors. Whether this is a function of new hop varieties or skill or both I don't know. At the same time, at least in New England, the malt base of many IPAs is also changed, adding a lighter character, and making them easier to drink.

Had Hill Farmstead Abner last Friday. Compare that to an old school DIPA and the differences are vast. It goes down as easy as any Pilsner (easier for me since the Saaz hops are spicy for my taste) with almost zero bitterness and no perception of alcohol. Meanwhile it offers gorgeous aromas and flavors. I find Heady Topper similar in those respects. Other people may be looking for other things.

 

I agree with these observations on IPA. I have yet to discover the excitement in saisons, but I have very little access to them. I will say that I very much enjoy the saisons being brewed by Fulton in Minnesota, and have not enjoyed the others I have tried. I will soon get to try HF Anna, and I'm really hoping I like it. It would be a damn shame if I got my hands on a bottle of Hill Farmstead and didn't care for it.