What makes for a bad IPA?

no complexity and overbitterness creates an almost metallic taste in the beer

 

Not even a home brewer, but without malt to balance any nuance of any over hopped brew is purely bitter. Nasty stuff, and I don't mean sweet IPA's/DIPA's, there's a difference. HT is the ultimate in a multi hop balanced brew and it's #1. An over bitter IPA is badly done an unpleasant, an old IPA sucks, too sweet an IPA sucks too, IMO Maharaja IMO fits this.

 

I don't like anything that's excessively bitter with a lingering after taste.

 

Maybe a better way of putting it is a sour citrus taste with nothing else to back it up. Just bitter and sour.

But I feel like grapefruit definitely has a more distinct flavor than other citrusy fruits.

 

The wife and I tasted several IPAs last night. One had a taste of stale rancid grain - and the bar we at at is known for very clean lines. Another was muddy, not crisp, and I thought it was due to high carbonate levels in the water. A couple were pretty good.

The winner was the Fuller's Bengal Lancer at 5.1% ABV. Wonderful IPA.