Why do people like IPAs?

IPA's are the style I drink the least of.
Not necessarily because I hate them, I'm just sick and tired of seeing them.
They multiply like tribbles. They're quick & cheap to brew with quick turnover.
I love a well made IPA, especially a Belgian or British one. West Coast style would be my third choice, as well as imperial West Coast.
I think the IBU wars are what really deterred me to the style. To me a well brewed beer must have harmony and most of all, balance.
I don't want to taste just hops and no malt anywhere.
Sierra Nevada makes good ones.
There are many others.
But, too often Brewers go overboard and throw the whole recipe out of whack. At least that's just my interpretation.
I really prefer malt forward styles as opposed to hops in your face, but on occasion I do enjoy an aggressive Imperial Red IPA.
I guess a similar question is why do people drink Light Beer?
You enjoy peeing all night?

 

I think that the rise in appreciation of pilsner among craft beer folks is not totally unrelated to the fact that it is the classic lager style that most emphasizes hop flavor

 

IPA is not really a style, it's just a label. It's just a coincidence if one tastes good to you or me. I drink Harpoon IPA regularly. It's just an American Pale Ale APA with IPA attached. I tasted it blind side-by-side with Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (probably the prototype APA) and found Harpoon to be very similar to the Sierra Nevada. The malt body and hop bitternesses of the two were comparable, with the Harpoon having a preferable hop flavor and aroma component

The American IPA of note was Ballantine IPA, with the Pabst version of a few years ago being an indication of the style. Ballantine IPA wasn't similar at all to 20th century IPAs brewed in Britain, nor is it very much like the modern versions. I'd say WC IPA is similar to Ballantine in the high hopping rates, but is deficient in the malt body (WC IPAs probably use paler malts, with higher attenuation)

 

Yep those pittery hobsickles sounds like a Lewis Carroll name for crabs.

 

I can think of some exceptions

 

Yes, and colors (and bacteria) exist even if unseen by human eyes.

 

You are an initiate, so I suggest you read up on Beer Styles. Go to the home page and click on the Beers pull-down menu found near the top.

Also check the individual beers by name for reviews, ratings and characteristics.

Cheers!

 

I think your best bet is going to be to pick a local brewery that is touted for their ipas and go there and explain your preferences to the bar tender. If you go at a slower time you can probably get a Bae tender to chat with you about the hops and the more specific subgenres of the ipas you like (if any, it is OK to conclude that you don't like ipas). That will give you a real basis to work from.

 

I always laugh when our good community members give an honest response to threads like these.

When the answer is waiting at the liquor store or any mixed six grocery for under $20

 

Very expensive….for others

 

A great feature of BA is the beer reviews. I would recommend that you explore beer reviews of IPAs to see what beers are consistent with what you like.

I will suggest one beer to try: Bells Two Hearted IPA. For my palate this beer features citrus (grapefruit). But just because this beer tastes like grapefruit to me does not necessarily mean it will be the same to you.

Best of luck for your explorations here.

Cheers!

 

Silly question.
Short answer, because they are delicious!

Offensive answer, your palate isn't refined enough to enjoy them.

Real answer, taste is subjective, drink what you enjoy.

 

Boy, this is a tough one. Obvious answer: they're delicious.
My favorite styles are Imperial IPAS and strong Belgians (Quads, Christmas beers, etc.). Kind of the Betty and Veronica of beers. But when I'm swimming laps and dwell on a beer I'm gonna have later that evening...it invariably converges on an IPA.
This thread sort of devolves to the ancient "how many angels can dance on the head of a pin ?".
It's mostly conjecture, and totally subjective.
Quasi- scientific metrics are all well and good but, like the guy said, "I don't know art but I know what I like".

 

Surely, no one actually likes the thing I dislike.

 

Two Hearted originated as "Pale Ale" and had its name changed to IPA. It's not clear to me that a change of recipe occurred. So what is/was it REALLY?

 

Someone is welcome to prove me wrong, but I believe Two Hearted Ale became Two Hearted IPA purely as an attempt to boost sales.

 

I don't know what it WAS, but it certainly seems like it's marketing NOW.

 

Yes, some brewers use the label IPA to boost their product. I have seen and tasted beers called: India Pale Ale Lager, Black IPA, etc. that don't taste like IPA.

 

Here's a label from ~1999. No "Pale Ale" (though Bell's did market Bell's Pale Ale at one time in the 1990s and 2000s).

The current version of Two-Hearted Ale dates from the late 1990s as a winter seasonal (when the brewery was still called Kalamazoo Brewing Co.) and became a regular release in the early 2000s. References to it as an "IPA" by print reviewers and retailers go back to 2003. At 7% ABV and 60 IBU's, that seems in line with the current definition of "India Pale Ale".

Again- 7% ABV/60 IBU's - seems calling it an IPA on the label now is more accurate than the vague "Ale" usage. "Truth in advertising" rather than simply marketing? At this point in the US brewing industry just labeling a product "Ale" does not tell the consumer much at all and not much different that Sierra Nevada relabeled what once was simply "Celebration Ale" an IPA.

Perhaps they are labeled "Black ___" and "___ ___Lager" to distinguish them from standard IPAs? If they tasted "like IPA" - what would be the point of using dark malts or lager yeast.

Really? Or just a typo? "India Pale Ale Lager" or just "India Pale Lager". In the US, I'm not sure calling something "_____ Ale Lager" would get approved by the regulators.