Not aging IPAs

I've got Celebration from '09 and '10 and I prefer it fresh. Not to say it's bad aged, but I wouldn't age it.

 

i've made this point several times, but for some reason people rarely appreciate it.

1) more hops are put into modern IPAs because HOPS -> FLAVOR

2) more hops were put in some historical beers because HOPS -> PREVENT SPOILAGE

notice, (1) has FRESHNESS preserving the FLAVOR OF HOPS

while (2) has HOPS preserving the BEER ITSELF from infection and spoilage

now, from (2) we can infer that an old IPA can still be drank. but why would we assume that it would still taste as good, or improve in flavor? we *put in the hops for flavor, and they don't preserve themselves*.

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the logical mistake that hops preserve flavor is a confusion i've never understood.

p.s. aging an IPA is like boiling some pasta, saucing it, then putting it in a colander and rinsing it until the sauce comes off.

 

It's a matter of opinion. Same as Scotch drinkers. Ice, no ice, chilled, stones, neat, water, how much? If you like fresh hops, drink your IPAs fresh or grow some hops and chew on them. If you like more of a malty profile (as was mentioned - aged IPAs take on a Barleywine-like profile), throw an IPA in the cellar. I prefer an IPA with some malt backbone, so they do tend to age well.

One of my favorite examples is the Dogfish 75. The maple added at bottling is hidden by the hops when fresh but with a year in the cellar, that beer comes across more like a candied-maple Barleywine.

 

Seems like you answered your own question.

That's a myth, a very often repeated one.

 

Regardless of who consumed them (troops vs. affluent consumers) in the 1800s there is evidence that IPAs were brewed stronger and hopped more heavily to preserve and flavor them longer, no?

 

Here's some info that might interest you:

http://zythophile.wordpress.com/fal...vented-ipa-to-survive-the-long-trip-to-india/

 

This "myth" has been debated ad nauseum. It might be true. It might not be true. But there are plenty of credible sources and evidence that support the idea the IPA was invented to survive the trip to India.

 

what continues to strike me as amazing is that everyone gets the myth wrong, whether it's true or not.

once again, the myth is not that they were highly hopped to preserve hop oils. it's that they were highly hopped to prevent spoilage.

and of course, it doesn't matter whether it's true or not. modern IPAs are highly hopped for bitterness and aroma/flavor, period. bitterness stays longer (but does fade eventually; like years), aroma and flavor (oils) fade quickly (weeks, months).