Malty IPA?

d_striker · Dec 21, 2011

I don't understand how people describe IPA's as malty. All I taste in any IPA is bitterness and hops. Nothing else.

I was in a bar in San Diego that served only beer. They had like 60 beers on tap from all over. I asked for a really malty beer, thinking of something along the lines of an English ale. The bartender said the maltiest beer he had was an IPA.

Flomaster · Dec 21, 2011

That bartender didn't know jack **** then. Or they had a poor variety of beer on tap

-=Jason=-
Sent from my HTC using Home Brew Talk

And yes you can have malt and hops

Jwood · Dec 21, 2011

lol what? Where was this in San Diego?

d_striker · Dec 21, 2011

Jwood said:
lol what? Where was this in San Diego?

Idk. I have friends that live near Balboa Park. I guess the spot is near a gay neighborhood? I forget the name. I just facebooked him for the name.

thegerm · Dec 21, 2011

lagunitas hoppy beers are pretty malty.

you want malty, order a dopplebock.

d_striker · Dec 21, 2011

thegerm said:
lagunitas hoppy beers are pretty malty.

you want malty, order a dopplebock.

Funny you mention that. I just brewed a doppelbock last Sunday.

Maybe my pallette is just not as good as some people's. Once a beer has more than 60 ibu's, I just don't taste malt.

JRems · Dec 21, 2011

I have had super malty ipas. English ipas are usually much more malty and much less hoppy than American versions.

Bierliebhaber · Dec 21, 2011

thegerm said:
lagunitas hoppy beers are pretty malty.

you want malty, order a dopplebock.

The first thing that came to mind was Lagunitas, too. IPA, Maximus, Hop Stupid, Lucky 13, Brown Shugga (young) all are in the IPA to IIPA range and rather malty for the style...that's why I love them all!

plumbob · Dec 21, 2011

I certainly wouldn't pick an IPA to highlight malt character, not to say and IPA cannot be malty, it can. But, thats hardly a first choice. Doppelbock as others have mentioned, RIS, red ale. Frainkly just about anything save maybe a tripel is better than an IPA at displaying malty character.

BierMuncher · Dec 21, 2011

Proper grist, proper mash temp and schedule, and you can get a strong malt profile on an IPA. My Outer Limits challenges most brewers to get their FG down where they are accustomed their beers finishing.

d_striker · Dec 22, 2011

Jwood said:
lol what? Where was this in San Diego?

I think it was Toronado.

ashplub · Dec 22, 2011

Did you ask what the name of the IPA was?!? I would love to try it.

60 beers on tap and this guy names a beer belonging to a style that showcases hops as being really malty. He's fired. There are examples that could be described as "malty" (English styles, Lagunitas and SN Celebration come to mind) but 60 taps????

daksin · Dec 22, 2011

IPAs can definitely be malty. If you were at a beer bar in San Diego, chances are your bartender knew what he was talking about. Sounds like you were in/near Hillcrest/Northpark area, which puts you in the line of fire for the Blind Lady and Small Bar, two excellent establishments, as well as a slew of other great beer bars.

Some of my favorite malt bombs are double IPAs, a big style here in SD. There's a small movement to get the name of the style changed to San Diego Pale Ale, as it was invented and popularized here. The more you know!

DeRoux's Broux · Dec 22, 2011

If you want a malty IPA, stay away from the American Ale/Cali Ale yeast strains. Go with an English yeast strain that leaves some of the malty characters behind. And us a thicker mash. I'm whip'n up an IPA this weekend and going to try it with WLP004 Irish Ale.

unionrdr · Dec 22, 2011

I like the malt flavor in mine,albeit a bit light. I'm thinking of adding another pound of DME to give it a little kick. It looks & tastes a lot like DFH's malt profile on their IPA's. Just needs a little boost. I wanted to see for myself just how much malt presence would be just right.

Crucial-BBQ · Jun 3, 2014

I know this is an old thread, but...

...IPAs in the U.S., in more recent times anyways, became popular with the West Coast hop bomb "revolution". So much so that too many arm-chair "beer experts" (who probably got into "craft beer" only a few years ago) incorrectly believe that this is the de-facto IPA style. "East Coast" style IPAs, on the other hand, are more balanced, not as hop-forward even if they utilize tons of hops, and with a more pronounced malt character than WCIPAs. Think Dogfish Head 60 Minute, Harpoon IPA, Heavy Seas Loose Cannon, Sam Adams Rebel IPA (even though this is supposed to be a "West Coast" style IPA), and so on.

I prefer maltiness over palate wreckers and my own IPAs are malt-forward.

As an aside, I could give a rat's behind about the BJCP and their "purity laws".

stpug · Jun 3, 2014

Crucial-BBQ said:
I know this is an old thread, but...

...IPAs in the U.S., in more recent times anyways, became popular with the West Coast hop bomb "revolution". So much so that too many arm-chair "beer experts" (who probably got into "craft beer" only a few years ago) incorrectly believe that this is the de-facto IPA style. "East Coast" style IPAs, on the other hand, are more balanced, not as hop-forward even if they utilize tons of hops, and with a more pronounced malt character than WCIPAs. Think Dogfish Head 60 Minute, Harpoon IPA, Heavy Seas Loose Cannon, Sam Adams Rebel IPA (even though this is supposed to be a "West Coast" style IPA), and so on.

I prefer maltiness over palate wreckers and my own IPAs are malt-forward.

As an aside, I could give a rat's behind about the BJCP and their "purity laws".

Yeah, but you're from BOSTON.... so you would say that

Just teasing

I like most IPA styles for variety's sake.

Homercidal · Jun 6, 2014

IPA doesn't define the malt character in a beer. It is defined by the amount of hop bitterness and even more, hop flavor and aroma.

Many IPAs are balanced or even hop forward. But they have the hop bitterness and flavors and aromas to make them IPAs.

If you are expecting a dry IPA, then you are wanting a "West Coast" IPA. And that bartender really didn't know crap about beer if an IPA was the malty beer he had on hand. He HAD to have some pretty malty beers available.

stu4stew · Jun 6, 2014

The new anchor IPA is a great example of a malty English style IPA in my opinion

Malty IPA?

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