Cant escape bad IPAs!

For the last 10 days or so, I'm having a horrible problem with IPAs. I've had Lagunitas Hop Stupid, Deep Knee's Simtra IPA, and the new wet-hopped IPA from Victory.

They all have this strong weird taste that I'm REALLY not a fan of. Its also not a taste I'm familiar with. I've been brewing for years, and drinking for even longer. I'm no stranger to IPAs either, that being my most common style to brew or drink these days. Also, the flaver isn't in any of my homebrew.

The problem is, I can't seem to describe the taste. My wife tried the Victory wet-hopped IPA, made a face, and said something about gamy or rotting meat! I wouldn't describe it as oniony or grassy, which old hops apparently can taste like. I think something more compost-like, but I'm having a problem putting my finger on it.

Anyways, what the heck could this be? Any why all the sudden to these IPAs all have the same taste? Was there a giant hop crop that went bad or something? Or, have I suffered a blast of gamma radiation and instead of developing super powers I've just lost my taste for IPAs? How can I fight crime with that?

Looking for help, or at least some new descriptors of what a bad IPA can taste like. Thanks much.

Well, a "wet hop" IPA almost always tastes "grassy" because the hops are green when they use them. I hate wet hop IPA's........ tastes like Hay to me. Can't speak to the Deep Knee's - have not had it.

I am not a fan of Hop Stoopid. In fact, I really am not much of a fan of Lagunita's at all. I just bought a 6 pack of their czech pils and I think it is terrible.

Go buy a few cans of Bells Two Hearted - that ought to fix the problem Scream IPA from New Glarus?? Have not had it, but heard very good things about it.

One taste that I find somewhat objectionable across many IPAs is a harshness from dry-hopping. Words like "grassy" and "vegetal" are sometimes used, but to me this harshness takes on a sensation almost like benzene (the smell of gasoline).

Where are you getting these bad IPAs from? A bottle? A local bar? If it's a bar or restaurant, I wonder if they need to clean their tap lines. If bottles, maybe the beer distributor left the beers out in the sun all day. Just brainstorming....

Braufessor said:

Well, a "wet hop" IPA almost always tastes "grassy" because the hops are green when they use them. I hate wet hop IPA's........ tastes like Hay to me. Can't speak to the Deep Knee's - have not had it.

I am not a fan of Hop Stoopid. In fact, I really am not much of a fan of Lagunita's at all. I just bought a 6 pack of their czech pils and I think it is terrible.

Go buy a few cans of Bells Two Hearted - that ought to fix the problem Scream IPA from New Glarus?? Have not had it, but heard very good things about it.

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I agree with you about wet-hopping. Well, generally. I tried the Sierra Nevada Wet Hopped IPA (Centennial and Cascade); it was quite smooth and didn't have that weird wet grass, broken leaf taste/aroma that I've experienced with other wet-hopped IPAs. Their use of wet hops seemed restrained and smart. I'm curious if you'd agree.

Seven said:

Where are you getting these bad IPAs from? A bottle? A local bar? If it's a bar or restaurant, I wonder if they need to clean their tap lines. If bottles, maybe the beer distributor left the beers out in the sun all day. Just brainstorming....

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+1 - this could absolutely be a possible part of the problem.

progmac said:

I agree with you about wet-hopping. Well, generally. I tried the Sierra Nevada Wet Hopped IPA (Centennial and Cascade); it was really smooth and didn't have that weird grassy, broken leaf sensation that I've experienced with other wet-hopped IPAs. Their use of wet hops seemed restrained and smart. I'm curious if you'd agree.

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Have not had the sierra nevada one..... had pretty much given up even trying them because so many of them were bad-mediocre. I will grab a Sierra Nevada though, and give it a try though if I see it.

Dang, you guys are fast.

Scream by New Glarus is great, I had it a few weeks ago (before my unlucky stretch). I went to grad school in Madison for 5 years, and I miss all the great beer around that area. Ballistic from Ale Asylum in Madison is one of my favs too.

The odd thing is, I've had Hop Stupid and liked it just fine. Not my favorite all time beer, but at $5 a bomber, its a pretty cheap beer around these parts. This last time, the taste had definitely changed, and not for the better. I'd really like to figure out what the change was? It doesn't taste vegetal (sp?) to me, but my guess is something to do with old hops or spoilage. It wasn't sour, and didn't have any other signs I associate with a bacterial or wild yeast infection.

Who knows. I'm going go give the rest of the Victory beer to my MIL. See if she notices anything off.

Seven said:

Where are you getting these bad IPAs from? A bottle? A local bar? If it's a bar or restaurant, I wonder if they need to clean their tap lines. If bottles, maybe the beer distributor left the beers out in the sun all day. Just brainstorming....

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These are bottles from liquor stores. Fairly nice stores though, where I've usually had good luck

Seven said:

Where are you getting these bad IPAs from? A bottle? A local bar? If it's a bar or restaurant, I wonder if they need to clean their tap lines. If bottles, maybe the beer distributor left the beers out in the sun all day. Just brainstorming....

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These are bottles from liquor stores. Fairly nice stores though, where I've usually had good luck

progmac said:

I agree with you about wet-hopping. Well, generally. I tried the Sierra Nevada Wet Hopped IPA (Centennial and Cascade); it was quite smooth and didn't have that weird wet grass, broken leaf taste/aroma that I've experienced with other wet-hopped IPAs. Their use of wet hops seemed restrained and smart. I'm curious if you'd agree.

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I like that one too.

Last year, I had Hoodoo from North Peak. Absolutely amazing, but pretty hard to find. It sells out instantly. This year, I was able to find a single bottle on two occasions at a store that likes to break up sixpacks for people to mix their own. First bottle was amazing, just like I remembered. Second bottle was 2 weeks later. I had assumed it was from two separate batches the brewery did, but perhaps it was just a second shipment from the same batch. This one was still good, but you could tell that off flavor was starting to come out a little.

how the heck to I delete posts? I wanted to combine my responses into a single, but I can't get the old ones deleted.

Sorry for the over-posting

Sometimes your palate is just off. I've had that happen where I beer I know I like will taste weird/off one day and great the next day. Depends on what you eat, what your mood is, what your surroundings/settings are, etc. The palate is more sensitive than most people give credit, I think.
And, wet hopped beers just plain suck. Period. I do not like grassy flavors in beer. It's a trendy thing that beer geeks get into.

Easy there! I've liked grassy/vegetal/earthy flavors since before I knew what good beer was. I enjoy a wet hop beer so long as a restrained hand was used. Some wet hopped beers taste like bong water:thumbdown: Too much and it overtakes the florals and spices of the hops.

you can get a mildew or musty taste from your dry hop bag, it can ruin a beer also any harshness from dry hopping will fade over time

I really like Boulevard's Nutcracker Ale, but find many wet hopped beers to be inconsistent.

I find lots of IPAs to have strange flavors, from onion, to mint, to grass.

I think too many brews are bitter / hoppy, but not in a delicious way.

progmac said:

I agree with you about wet-hopping. Well, generally. I tried the Sierra Nevada Wet Hopped IPA (Centennial and Cascade); it was quite smooth and didn't have that weird wet grass, broken leaf taste/aroma that I've experienced with other wet-hopped IPAs. Their use of wet hops seemed restrained and smart. I'm curious if you'd agree.

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Are they selling a beer under the name "Wet Hopped IPA" now, or are you talking about Harvest? I've only had the Southern Hemisphere Harvest for the last six or seven years because of when I'm in the States, but it's an excellent IPA, though I can't speak to its comparison to other wet-hopped IPAs because I don't have a wide experience.

I gotta second the theory that maybe the distributor left them out in the sun or something; if you're picking up similar off-flavors in multiple commercial brews but not in your own, it seems likely that it's not a change in your tastebuds but an x-factor that all of the commercial beers share, which could be light skunking or maybe some temperature changes.

BadWolfBrewing said:

Anyways, what the heck could this be? Any why all the sudden to these IPAs all have the same taste? Was there a giant hop crop that went bad or something? Or, have I suffered a blast of gamma radiation and instead of developing super powers I've just lost my taste for IPAs? How can I fight crime with that?

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It's the sun spots dude, definitely the sun spots. Those things flare up and all hell breaks loose.

A while back I had to stop drinking IPAs for a while, after having green flashes Citra session IPA.... It was the first time I experienced a Catty Flavor and Aroma before, i forced myself to drink the entire pint.

After that every IPA I had for 2 weeks tasted extremely off and almost repulsive.... not just catty but flat out not good.

So I took a break from IPAs for a month or so... Then came back to them. I lost the flavor that I had burned into my tongue. I did learn a lesson though, that Citra on my Palate doesnt taste like Citrus but instead pure cat piss extract. I can detect if anyone use just the slightest bit of Citra in their homebrew, sucks because it seems to be a extemely popular hop with my homebrew club.

Doesnt sound like your story is actually the same as mine but maybe its close enough maybe you just need a break from ipas... then come back to them.

Rotting meat is exactly what I would use to describe Knee Deep Simtra. It's the only beer I've ever had where I got that flavor. I am also not a fan of Hop Stoopid, but I just find that one to be harsh with no redeeming hop flavor or aroma.

Cadrian said:

A while back I had to stop drinking IPAs for a while, after having green flashes Citra session IPA.... It was the first time I experienced a Catty Flavor and Aroma before, i forced myself to drink the entire pint.

After that every IPA I had for 2 weeks tasted extremely off and almost repulsive.... not just catty but flat out not good.

So I took a break from IPAs for a month or so... Then came back to them. I lost the flavor that I had burned into my tongue. I did learn a lesson though, that Citra on my Palate doesnt taste like Citrus but instead pure cat piss extract. I can detect if anyone use just the slightest bit of Citra in their homebrew, sucks because it seems to be a extemely popular hop with my homebrew club.

Doesnt sound like your story is actually the same as mine but maybe its close enough maybe you just need a break from ipas... then come back to them.

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Thats odd. Citra is an awesome hop. My ZD clone which is all citra smells like passion fruit juice and the flavor is very good. My wife that doesnt drink was temped to try some just cause the aroma as so good.

This is interesting to me because I've also had a flavor I've noticed in many beers (typically Pale Ales and IPA's, cause that's what I drink), but it's a flavor I have a very hard time describing. I'm wondering if its the same thing. For me I thought for the longest time it was an over-use of crystal malts. I could best describe it as a kind of malty flavor. Fat Tire is the biggest culprit of this taste. I can't stand the stuff. But I've tasted it in so many IPA's that once I have the first sip I have a hard time enjoying it if I pick up any of that taste. For a long time I would avoid any IPA's or Pale Ales if they were any darker than gold. But recently I've been wondering if it's actually a specific HOP which is contributing this taste and aroma?

My 2 cents briefly:

I don't know where it comes from, but when I get in a funk from a bad beer, I recalibrate. Usually with New Belgium's Rampant IPA. One of the best commercial beers out there IMO.

Tonight I tried The Curl from shorts brewing. It's a seasonal imperial pilsner. 2 bottles both had the off taste that I wrote about in the OP. My home brew ipa tasted fine, so I'm not sure it is my palate.

Either I'm finally going crazy, or I'm starting to lose my taste for beer, or there was a bad crop of something.

There is a cicerone in a beer store where I used to live, so I emailed her to see if she noticed anything in the new beers lately. What I really want to hear is that there was a bad crop of Cluster or some other cheap bittering hop or something like that.

I like the suggestion about staying from certain styles for a while. I'll go back to the stouts and porters for a while, supplement with the occasional bourbon. Maybe a couple cigars to really cleanse the palate.

Check out Fantasy Factory from Karben4.

FatDragon said:

Are they selling a beer under the name "Wet Hopped IPA" now, or are you talking about Harvest? I've only had the Southern Hemisphere Harvest for the last six or seven years because of when I'm in the States, but it's an excellent IPA, though I can't speak to its comparison to other wet-hopped IPAs because I don't have a wide experience.

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I'm just talking about the Harvest series. The northern hemisphere one in particular. A heck of a value at $5 for a bomber at almost any grocery store (around here anyways).

I also liked the harvest series from SN. The one in the blue bottle was really great, but hard to find. Of course, that was before so many commercial beers I come across are messed up. Or I'm messed up. Or the universe if f'ing with me.

Just to be clear, these aren't all wet-hopped / harvest ales. Hop stoopid, simtra, and the curl don't use fresh hops afaik. They still have that strong taste / smell. The curl must have been fairly fresh too, given that it is a limited release that normally sells out super fast.

I really wish I could figure this out. Luckily my wife tastes it too, or I'd be seriously worried I woke up one day and disliked beer. I'm staying away from any commercial beer with even a trace of hops for a while. Going to SWMBO's family thanksgiving, where the Yuengling flows strong. That should help.

If the cicerone says anything interesting, I'll post it here. I'm assuming that since I bought some of it from her store she'll not say anything too incriminating.

You're in Wisconsin -- I think New Glarus can be the brewery to guide your recovery.

It is not a "bad crop" of hops that is tainting all of the beers only you are buying. If it is something in the beers you are buying - it is almost definitely some sort of mishandling of the beer at the place you are buying from. Or a combination of buying beers that just aren't that good and poor handling. Or, perhaps, you are perceiving something that others aren't - you mention cigars.... not sure if that is a regular thing, but smoking cigarettes or cigars does not cleanse the palette.

If it were a universally bad crop of hops - all beers would be bad - for all of us. Homebrews would be bad - we get worse hops than the breweries do.

I need to update my info, I haven't lived in WI in years. I was in MI for a while, and now I'm in Indiana. I drive back to MI twice a month for work and hit up larger beer stores there. Whenever I'm back in Wisconsin, we stock up on beer and cheese too. I sure miss that state.

Indiana has the strangest liquor laws. A grocery store can't sell cold beer, and a liquor store can't sell cold soda. That's besides the no alcohol selling on Sundays. Yeesh. I've found some breweries that will fill a growler on Sunday's if I'm in a pinch though, and the MI border isn't far.

Nope, cigars are a rarity for me, its been months since I've had one. I tend to enjoy about the first 3rd of a cigar only, so I don't often spend money on them.

All of the beers have been from 2 stores in MI about 15 miles apart, probably serviced by the same distributor. I didn't think of the fact that they probably shared a distributor until just now... they could be the problem. So maybe there is hope for me yet!!! I'm going to go out today to the big beer store in the area and pick up an IPA I know I like.

If you're a smoker, it's possible that the change and/or damage to your sense of smell is having a deleterious effect on your sense of taste. Aroma is a big part of perceived flavor.

Braufessor said:

Have not had the sierra nevada one..... had pretty much given up even trying them because so many of them were bad-mediocre. I will grab a Sierra Nevada though, and give it a try though if I see it.

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SN one was ok, but nothing compares to the Great Divide Fresh Hop PA in my opinion...

kirbcheck said:

My 2 cents briefly:

I don't know where it comes from, but when I get in a funk from a bad beer, I recalibrate. Usually with New Belgium's Rampant IPA. One of the best commercial beers out there IMO.

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Indeed, Rampant is so delicious

pumahunter said:

SN one was ok, but nothing compares to the Great Divide Fresh Hop PA in my opinion...



Indeed, Rampant is so delicious

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Yep, I love Great Divide Fresh Hop, less grassy than most and more fresh hoppy goodness.

But, to get to the OP ?, I would agree that there is probably a mishandling of the beer by the distributor or by both? LQ stores.

I have had times where IPA's have had off flavors in them and I think it might just be a type of hop being used sometimes that does it.

P.S. Hopstoopid is a great beer and so is Laguinitas a great company. Lil' Sumpin is delicious.

Leadpencil said:

Check out Fantasy Factory from Karben4.

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Absolutely love all of their beer! Really a shame that I'm in grad school no where near Madison anymore...

Everyone has different tastes. I love everything I've ever had by Lagunitas. They're definitely in my top 10 favorite beer companies--and especially for IPAs.

New Belgium's IPAs (such as Rampant) are also pretty awesome.

I actually just had Rampant for the first time tonight..... just kind of always passed it over because it was "New Belgium" and just thought there must be something better than that...... It is really a damn good beer. One of the better IPA's I have had in awhile. Won't be passing on it again.