IPA sub-categories...

The other day a guy told me I was "splitting hairs" when I told him that DFH Indian Brown was not an Imperial Red. I don't think we need to break it down any further.

 

That would make sense to me. I had a Deschutes Hop in the Dark that seemed more stout-like to me, so Cascadian Dark Ale seemd to fit, whereas Bear Republic's Black Racer tastes more like what I would expect a black IPA to taste like (mmmm, grapefruity!).

 

Damn right its a technique. And no easy one at that. The complex procedure of adding lactose to a stout is one many brewers have tried but only a few have failed at.

 

Could be true, but that distinction might be just as pedantic as these IPA subcategories. Either way I'd like to do more research on the style(s).

 

We have a wonderful tool at our disposal, it is called language. This tool allows us to express your feelings, convey a thought and even provide explanations when needed. Now I don't know how many people have thought about this before but this would be a remarkably useful tool to describe the differences between beers of the same style. Why should we give people a new tool, a new style, when they have already failed to use the tools they have at their disposal to maximize what is already in front of them.

I am all for tags if the site wants to go down that road but additional styles need not be considered.

 

Neither Cascadian Darks or India Blacks or Black IPAs are remotely new styles, like almost every other "new" style, it has been done long before. Black IPAs, an oxymoron since at least 1888.

http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2010/03/black-ipa.html

 

We desperately need to stop calling everything that's kind of hoppy some form of IPA. It's just getting stupid.

 

Agree wholeheartedly
http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/why-does-everybody-think-everything-is-an-ipa.76727/

 

You are right on all points. Calling a beer (anything) IPA is just marketing. A lot of drinkers will try any beer call an IPA. By the way Cascadian Dark Ale is an awesome name imo.

 

Again, another great excuse to link this article.
http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2010/03/black-ipa.html
The name Black Pale Ale has existed since at least 1888. You can call it marketing, you would not be wrong, but it is foolish to ignore that IPA is very ubiquitous and is a term of familiarity. Like it or not, IPA can be an excellent descriptor.

 

Deschutes came up with it for Hop in the Dark. I like it because the whole Black/Pale contradiction burns my ass.

 

Do we need more styles, so brewers can break um?

 

I think I'm going to open a brewery and call everything "Pale Ale": APAs, bitters, special/best bitters, ESB's, Belgian Pale Ales, Belgian IPAs, Belgian-American hybrids, American IPAs, English IPAs, Belgian-English hybrids, DIPAs...shoot you could have a zillion SKU's and all of 'em (accurately, I'm pretty sure) designated as "Pale Ales".

it'd all just be "So-and-so Pale Ale" with maybe a more complete stylistic description, or maybe just an allusion to a stylistic description, in small print on the back...shoot the enthusiasts will be able to pick out Belgian yeast flavors and Moisaic Hops, and know it's a Belgian-American hybrid, why bombard the rest of the world with useless (to them) data?

Maybe go back to just numbers (and the required government warning on the bottle somewhere, and a stamped bottled-on date.) Maredsous 6. Bass No. 2...Upright is actually doing this so not exactly an envelope-pusher of an idea.

Maybe contests/judgings should be simplified too. I seem to recall one 8 or 10 years ago from an LHBS (before said LHBS became famous for their not-yet-constructed-but-in-the-works Dry Dock Brewery) co-sponsored by a local club, that had two classifications, "Pale Beer" and "Dark Beer"--so my Russian Imperial Stout might be judged against your Doppelbock, say, and somebody else's Schwartzbier and still another's Abbey Dubbel, on a scale of something like "sucks"/"doesn't suck"/"actually rather good"/"great beer"/"holy shit, that's nice!" (Which, really, is kind of how B.O.S. determination goes, innit)

But that didn't catch on...humans and especially enthusiasts (of anything!) seem to have a passion for differential categorization.