Just because it's an IPA, doesn't make it "Craft"...or good

you forgot a bow tie

 

But with the wide spectrum of flavors that IPA encompasses, I'm sure you could find one to your liking.

When I was a lot younger I avoided stouts because I don't like the flavor of coffee and assume all stouts tasted like that. Then I found chocolate stouts...

 

Very cool experiment, can you link to where you do go into more detail? I'm also curious how this experiment would fare with regular Bud instead of BL.


As for you @JDW4195, you're right that lots of breweries are making sub-par IPAs, but isn't it your job as a consumer to purchase the products you like? Be that better IPAs, or non-hoppy offerings? There's no shortage of beers out there that would (from what I gather) better fit your taste, you just have to know what you like and do a little research to find it.

For example, Toppling Goliath (now or soon to be contract brewing in FL) makes Smoove Opferator, hands down the best brown ale I've ever had.

 

Have you had a chance to try the base beer??? Good or bad, I'd love to.

 

Seriously though, track down Smoove Opferator. I'm going to be raving about this beer for at least another week before I shut up about it. I'm a huge hophead and love sours and stouts as much as the next whale-chasing BA; however I find brown ales to be a very under-appreciated style, and really enjoy well-made ones.

 

Just because you don't like IPAs doesn't mean they aren't good!

Many beer drinkers love IPAs for the range of citrusy flavor they can offer, and yes, the bitter hop taste is even enjoyed by some! *gasps*

You don't have to rage on a style of beer and go after "Johnny coexist sticker on the back of his Prius" (really showing your tact and cunning with that one for sure) because you aren't a fan of it.

Shut up and drink the beer you like, leave others to drink what they want.

 

The Brewing Association won't even define what a "craft" beer is, though they are able to come up with a somewhat flexible definition of what a "craft brewer" is. The only important question in my mine is "do you like it?" If you like but, buy it. If you don't, try something else.

 

Haven't posted it yet, trying to find the original thread where the idea came up but if all else fails, I'll just spring up another thread. Maybe I'll post in in homebrewing section. Seems a bit more appropriate I guess?

 

http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/identifying-hops.284990/#post-3585204

This?

edit: And make sure to tag Jack when you post it, I'm sure he'd enjoy the read.

 

Funny you bring up Sam Adams, because in years past Jim Koch has stated that he personally prefers more balanced beers and has given public statements that were thinly-veiled insults of brewers who are famous for just hoppy beers. However, IPAs are more popular now than they ever were and Jim Koch can't the realities of the market, thus they have a new line of IPAs.

Hoppy beers will always in craft beer to some degree, but the current trend will wane eventually. I remember when craft beer was dominated by Belgium-style beers, then imperial stouts, now IPAs are in vogue... These things come in cycles. Wait it out and support other beers that you like. "Be the change you want to see in the world."

 

Agreed. I don't think it's a "let's just hop it up!" mentality, so much as it's a general symptom of mediocre beers being brewed. And the most popular beers are IPAs / hoppy beers, so that's where it's most noticeable.

 

Then SO WHAT! Yes, there may be an over abundance of available IPAs, but there are still loads of options in other styles. So you want those that enjoy IPAs to stop liking what they like? Gawd, the biggest complaint I have about our culture today is that we have way too many opinions.

 

How you can be so sure of this? The IPA style has been around for over a hundred years and in brewed in countries throughout the world. Is that because it is hip?

 

Precisely. Some one mentioned "stop hopping up my lagers" above, I bet you wouldn't say that to Jack's Abby. The challenge isn't so much finding styles you like as much as it is quality choices; every market (especially large ones) has its share of mediocrity to go along with some top tier options.

PA is no exception (as it was suggested above), we have plenty of overall mediocre breweries around here, but we also have some very good ones, and distribution from many more. Fortunately, we have a resource like BA where we can research ratings and get on the forums to discuss what's good and what isn't, and accordingly can purchase what is good and leave behind what isn't.

 

OK, so why can't that be enough?

Analogy: I don't watch the Kardashians or those "Housewives" shows and, in fact, I believe they are a symptom, if not a cause, of the downfall of Western civilization. But what use would it be for me to go on some reality TV website (surely something like that must exist) and start a thread about it?

 

I have not, and from what I recall, the base beer in its unalduderated form is a rare occurrence. I have read info that relates Night Stalker and Big John are dry hopped and cacao aged, respectively, versions of the base beer. The narrative is that the base stout on its own is nothing to write home about - very far from 'world class'.