What Was Your Gateway IPA?

Let another old fart weigh in. What was my gateway to IPA's were ESB's. I remember going to the Redhook brewery in the late 80's and having their ESB. First non-macro I'd ever had. Loved it. Followed that with numerous trips to the UK where I had primarily Tetley's or Boddington's (or whatever was local) Bitters. Hand pulled and only slightly chilled - awesome. The first true IPA may have been in England in the early 90's, but the first US IPA I had was Liberty Ale. Haven't looked back.

 

The first IPA I ever had was Victory Hop Devil, it was right after I turned 21. Needless to say my palate was not ready for it. The next IPA I tried was Dogfish 60/90 Minute back to back. Loved them. So those are what broke me into the IPA world.

 

Can you find Modus in Illinois?! I wish it made it to Florida.

 

Sierra Nevada Torpedo for me. Before i wouldn't drink beer because i didn't like any of the BMC beers i tried and figured beer wasn't for me. Then after not having a beer for couple of years i seen torpedo on the self and never heard of sierra nevada so i gave it a shot and loved it. Now there's at least a 6 pack of ipas in my fridge at all times.

 

I have no idea at all. I'm not a hop head, but I appreciate a good IPA. Just this past year I have found Fresh Squeezed and Little Sumpin' Extra to be a few that make me want more, but as far as my past IPA crushes, no clue.

 

The Fresh Squeezed has been a pretty big go-to beer in our household this last year. It is a pretty solid, accessible, IPA. It is not to big, not too hoppy, it is very well balanced.

 

Circa 1970
P. Ballantine & Sons, Newark, NJ.​

 

Uinta Hop Notch and Parkway Get Bent both got me really into IPAs.

 

Deschutes "Fresh Squeezed"

 

Ballast Point Dorado.

 

Two Hearted and Fresh Squeezed

 

The first ones in the IPA-ish style were either SN Celebration or Anchor Liberty Ale. The first one to explicitly call itself an IPA on the label? Gotta be Grant's, 1990 give or take a year.

 

I was against IPA's at first. No way, too hoppy/bitter for me. Ruination ruined me. Then, someone recommended Sculpin. Now my taste buds have come to appreciate the citrus smoothness that so many IPA's and DIPA's offer.

 

Gotta give it to the Torpedo. (Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA)

 

About 35 years ago, when I was younger, I worked with an older gentleman (title searcher, retired attorney) who constantly told me that the Molson Golden I was drinking at the time was "dishwater" and I should try his only beer, Ballantine's India Pale Ale. I did and thought it tasted like someone had squeezed a lemon into the beer. It was about 25 years later when I finally was old enough to get IPA's. First one I liked was Hop Devil. Now IPA's are all I drink.

 

Before finding Elevated some 3 odd years ago, I despised IPAs. I sampled them once in awhile. But I had a saying "IPA- Stay Away". Nothing really seemed to taste right.

Elevated was my gateway to hop heaven. I found a beast (months before their GABF gold medal. So I wasn't caught in the "hype"). It hit on all the levels of beer drinking that I like, and I finally found a hoppy companion.... I see all these threads about "go to ipas", "beers to the grave", " top three mainstays in your fridge", "best readily available beer in your area", "cheap easy to find regularly released beers". And for me, Elevated fits into that mold for every single thread.. I hadn't responded to those ones. So I'll make that declaration here.

What's odd for me is, when you start with the best, you finally have a gauge for what others should be like. Elevated definitely opened me up to try other beers, and see how the others do or don't compare to it. Elevated has kind of been a gateway to try all other IPAs, mostly mediocre examples. So its been a blessing and a curse.

 

Surly Furious

 

Yep! Ska distributes at least around the Chicagoland area

 

Furious was mine as well.

 

90 Minute