It's a lot like this;
Clearly, it's a matter of taste.. but mosyslack I think hit on what I was talking about. Lots of the ones I've had are just... I suppose JUST hops. I don't get a good balance. Really turns me off to the way a IPA I think could be enjoyed.
IPA Drinkers, any recommendations of some brews I should sample?
Kungpaodog- I could send you some of my test IPA batch when the time comes, but you're gonna have to try to sell me on the IPA first. It's pretty low on the list as of now...
Don't know if anyone mentioned them yet as suggestions but both the Stone IPA and the Stone Ruination IPA are very good ... in fact, i've not had a single Stone beer i didn't like, even their porters and stouts ... which are styles i don't typically enjoy.
Also, if you have the opportunity ... Great Lakes Lake Erie Monster is huge hops and very good, and on the other end Great Lakes Rackhouse Ale is very malty but also very good. Unfortunately they're only available at the brewery.
We all have different tolerances, and preferences, and I go through periods where I lurve me some IPA's but I always have found hopslam too over the top for my tastes. I love Two Hearted though.
AND my latest favorite is another Michigan one, Founder's Centennial IPA.
I do NOT love crazy over-the-top IIPAs that exist solely to kick you in the face, and say nasty things about your mother.
.....now, if you want a beer that will scare the panties right off of any BMC drinker............Cantillion Gueze. Buahahahaha. DELICIOUS sour beer. I love you, sour beer. You are my friend. I will drink you.
A local pub here made an APA with all chinook hops and it was unlike any other pale I have tried...hoppy with hints of peach and very floral aroma.
If you look at stats IPA's are always the most entered style in competitions.
This is telling- and evidence toward my hypothesis that there is a real trend toward 'bigger and badder' IPAs as the newest locker room dickwaving contest. Chriso's distinction between IIPA and IPA is an important one. IIPAs are not for the meek! I do love my hops, but I don't always want enamel-stripping, kick you in the face bitterness. I want lots of hop flavor and aroma that I can experience the depth of.
Also keep in mind the distinction between IPA and IIPA is ABV, not IBU. Stone Ruination, Sierra Nevada Celebration, and Bell's Two Hearted are prob my fav IPAs, but I wouldn't classify them as imperial. For an IPA, which has a higher ABV than amber/pale/etc to begin with, the "imperial" classification is probably up around 9-10%. Those beers are all 7-8%.
I do. You sissy.
(...)
Gueze is absolutely incredible, and anyone who says otherwise should be banned from beer forever.
Hmm.... i wonder what a PEACH IPA would taste like...
Also keep in mind the distinction between IPA and IIPA is ABV, not IBU. Stone Ruination, Sierra Nevada Celebration, and Bell's Two Hearted are prob my fav IPAs, but I wouldn't classify them as imperial. For an IPA, which has a higher ABV than amber/pale/etc to begin with, the "imperial" classification is probably up around 9-10%. Those beers are all 7-8%.
BJCP Style Guidelines
14B American IPA
Vital Statistics:
OG: 1.056 – 1.075
IBUs: 40 – 70
FG: 1.010 – 1.018
ABV: 5.5 – 7.5%
14C Imperial IPA
Vital Statistics:
OG: 1.070 – 1.090
IBUs: 60 – 120
FG: 1.010 – 1.020
ABV: 7.5 – 10%
Brewers Association (beertown.org) Style Guidelines
American-Style India Pale Ale
Original Gravity (ºPlato): 1.060-1.075 (14.7-18.2 ºPlato)
Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato): 1.012-1.018 (3-4.5 ºPlato)
Alcohol by Weight (Volume): 5-6% (6.3-7.5%)
Bitterness (IBU): 50-70
Imperial Or Double India Pale Ale
Original Gravity (ºPlato): 1.075-1.100 (19.5-23.5 ºPlato)
Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato): 1.018-1.028 (4.5-7 ºPlato)
Alcohol by Weight (Volume): 6.0-8.4% (7.5-10.5%)
Bitterness (IBU): 65-100
Got to start out small and work your way up.
Think of an IPA like your first day in prison. When Bubba comes up to initiate you you really don't want him to have that big of a package. After a few weels with Bubba (Broken Halo) you kind of get used to it and then when King Dong (Dogfish 120) comes up and wants to make you his b!tch you accept it a lot easier and might actually look forward to it because you started out small.
What's the best part about brewing IPAs? More beer for me
Anyone else with me?
I mean, I love what hops bring to the table... but most IPAs are just... a little too much on the hops for me.
IPAs make me feel hops aren't my thing... could I be foolish?
Perhaps.
Update- I had Sierra Nevada Pale Ale earlier today off tap. Last time I had this years ago I didnt like it at all.
Delicious beer.