what's with commercial IPAs?

BrewSwag 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
joshesmusica

joshesmusica

Supporting Member
HBT Supporter
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Messages
5,395
Reaction score
3,025
Location
Tulsa
If I weren't a homebrewer and hadn't brewed a few of my own IPAs, I would be convinced that I don't like them, based off of what's available commercially. I know I'm not much into hop bitterness, therefore I haven't gone higher than 70 ibus on a 1.052 beer. But it just seems to me that the commercial IPAs aren't balancing all the bitterness with some residual sweetness. I even tried one last night that was supposedly a mass production of an IPA that won the norwegian homebrewing competition. i didn't like it at all.
according to beersmith my IPAs still fit to style, but is it just that they're barely fitting and therefore could barely be called IPAs, or is it that i just don't like them?
 
Everyone has different tastes. Some well known beers taste terrible to me and I wonder how some breweries have stayed in business.
So brew what you like, many great brews these days don't fit any particular style, but are somewhere in between.
 
Yep, seems like the craft beer buying public is all about the hops ('bout the hops, no sweetness [sorry...])
All they want is a super simple base grist and pounds and pounds of hops stuffed in there (or a 10%+ stout tossed in a bourbon barrel)
I do agree that the more hops, the more there needs to be some malt behind it to balance it out. Again, read the commercial side, or BeerAdvocate, RateBeer and so on, balance seems to be a dirty word when it comes to IPAs these days, at least here in the US, which seems to be driving the craft market these days.
I think part of it comes from the backlash against the macro brews, where there isn't much flavor to be had, and what is there is from malt (and adjuncts) with next to no hop character there.
Personally, when I'm making IPAs, while it does showcase the hops, I do prefer putting some crystal malt in there for interest. Maybe a pound of 30 - 40 loveibond to 11 - 12 pounds base malt.
 
Probably just a personal preference thing. I tend to think that there is a ton of great IPAs out there.
 
1) Are there poor examples of commercial IPAs? Yes, just like any other style of beer. Certain breweries are putting out IPAs because of the trend instead of putting them out because they actually appreciate/understand the style and can execute it well.

2) Should this style be balanced? Absolutely not. It is inherently bitter for a reason. If this is not something that appeals to you, then stop drinking IPAs. However, if you give them a chance, they could grow on you. There is beauty in their imbalance.
 
Oh hai, haven't had one of these threads in a while.

Personal taste, yadda yadda yadda, IPAs are good... I like 'em, you don't. Wanna fight about it?

:D
 
Oh hai, haven't had one of these threads in a while.

Personal taste, yadda yadda yadda, a lot of commercial IPAs are good... I like 'em, you don't. Wanna fight about it?

:D
 
I find it ironic that the area I live in (The PNW) was largely responsible for the "craft beer revolution" of the past 10 or 15 years, particularly with IPAs, but also spearheaded the IBU arms race that has overshadowed all the great balanced IPAs out there. Not to say I don't like the occasional hop bomb
 
As someone else mentioned, isnt the point of IPAs to basically be an extremely unbalanced Pale Ale?
 
Technically yes, because of the high amount of hops, but that doesn't mea it can't have a substantial malt profile too. Look at dogfish head.
 
What's the deal with IPAs? They're not from India, they aren't pale? What's the DEAL?!

maxresdefault.jpg
 
chickypad said:
Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, I guess I'll go.... drink my super unbalanced bitter IPA's and be happy!
:mug:
Click to expand...

Is that what Sigourney Weaver would do? Seriously, is that something that represents you? Why would you have that as your avatar?

Go enjoy that bitter IPA. I'll take mine with more hop flava flave rather than bitterness.
But there are some really tasty IPAs out there. The latest from Sierra Nevada, Hop Hunter, was a mighty fine IPA. I've always liked Stone IPA and Odell IPA.

These beers are what they are. Like others have said, different tastes for a lot of people. I can't drink them all day. I don't know how some people can without their palates going to ****.
 
beersk said:
Go enjoy that bitter IPA. I'll take mine with more hop flava flave rather than bitterness.
Click to expand...

c7NJRa2h.jpg


beersk said:
Like others have said, different tastes for a lot of people. I can't drink them all day. I don't know how some people can without their palates going to ****.
Click to expand...

This doesn't happen and it's a poor excuse to use in defense of your own palate while bashing others. Some would argue those who can fully appreciate many different tastes actually have more refined palates.
 
Sovietnam said:
Technically yes, because of the high amount of hops, but that doesn't mea it can't have a substantial malt profile too. Look at dogfish head.
Click to expand...

East Coast style IPA vs West Coast style IPA. I personally find DFH's IPAs to be overly sweet, but in all fairness I've never found one out here fresher than a month or two old.
 
rmyurick said:
Had some "Goose IPA" recently, and it's still good--easy to drink. I also never turn down a Stone IPA or Sculpin.
Click to expand...

Is that Goose Juice from Hoppin' Frog Brewery? I'm not a huge fan of IPA's, but that is one very balanced example. Very well done, and I'm not just saying that because Goose is in my brew club!
 
Sometimes I drink sour IPAs...I haven't seen that thread yet, but I'm ready to offer my preferences in a post where I bash other preferences if someone starts it.
 
bobbrews said:
c7NJRa2h.jpg




This doesn't happen and it's a poor excuse to use in defense of your own palate while bashing others. Some would argue those who can fully appreciate many different tastes actually have more refined palates.
Click to expand...

I didn't bash anyone, mang. I just don't know how people do it. That wasn't bashing.

And there are plenty of IPAs out there with both extreme hop bitterness and hop flavor.
I don't brew those styles anymore simply because I don't like drinking it everyday. I brew what I want to drink on a daily or every other day basis. IPA is more like once a week, maybe, for me.
 
ktblunden said:
East Coast style IPA vs West Coast style IPA. I personally find DFH's IPAs to be overly sweet, but in all fairness I've never found one out here fresher than a month or two old.
Click to expand...

ok, maybe i just didn't understand the difference in styles. maybe all i've been drinking are west coast.

i wasn't trying to bash anybody's preferences by starting this thread. just been trying really hard to find a commercial ipa that i've liked. i think punk is what's come closest, but with that one i think their hop choice is just one i don't like.

anybody got any suggestions of a commercial ipa that's pretty balanced but with basically no pine/earthy flavor from the hops and more citrus/fruit/berry flavor and aroma shining through?
 
i guess i should mention too, that the guy who taught me how to brew makes some pretty good ipas. it's just that they're not overly bitter.
and the other reason for the thread was to see if i made an IPA that according to beersmith fit into the guidelines, but wasn't extremely bitter, how would something like that fair in a competition?
 
I don't know what you can get in your area, but have you tried Bell's Two-Hearted? That seems to be one of the go-to IPAs for people who don't like IPAs.
 
joshesmusica said:
anybody got any suggestions of a commercial ipa that's pretty balanced but with basically no pine/earthy flavor from the hops and more citrus/fruit/berry flavor and aroma shining through?
Click to expand...

Most are fruity and citrusy... The market is flooded with these types. Very few are piney, earthy, resiny, dank, etc. (I prefer piney and Dank myself, like Heady and Pliny because they are so few and far in between). Berry is not a flavor you usually get unless you are drinking a fruit beer like Founders Rubaeus.

You will probably enjoy the APA style better or other beers like to Zombie Dust, Two Hearted, and Lagunitas A Lil Sumpin Sumpin. These are not as bitter as most IPAs and full of hop character.
 
But what's the style guidelines for an apa go up to for ibus? 50 or so? Style guidelines for aipa go up to 70, according to beersmith. I think I could easily handle 80.
 
I would be less concerned about style guidelines and IBU markers since every brewery makes very distinct IPAs. Some fall within style guidelines, some don't.

If you want to sort of predict what is good/bad, look at the BeerAdvocate ratings for APA, IPA, IIPA, and other hoppy styles that you're interested in. Otherwise, process of elmination... buy and drink as much as you can until you have a solid grasp of what you like and dislike. Keep in mind, what you enjoy now will not be what you enjoy four years from now. Palates evolve.
 
It bears pointing out that IPA is not a style that ages or travels well, the fresher the better. For those suggesting he try specific American IPAs, I'm not sure I would trust an IPA that has been shipped to Norway to taste anything like it did fresh or necessarily be representative of the style. Like I pointed out, the opposite sides of the U.S. each have their own unique take on the style, and I'm not educated on what is being produced in Europe and how it compares to what we have here.
 
drainbamage said:
I don't know what you can get in your area, but have you tried Bell's Two-Hearted? That seems to be one of the go-to IPAs for people who don't like IPAs.
Click to expand...

Ha, you make it sound like Two Hearted isn't actually an IPA. IPAs for people who don't like IPAs? That's a ridiculous statement. Two Hearted is as much an IPA as any other IPA out there.

The bitterness in IPA is an acquired taste, just as coffee or spicy foods. You have to torture yourself to get to that next level (if you want to get to that level). One can't just eat a habanero if they've never had anything spicy before. You have to work up to it.
 
Somebody upthread mentioned it, but it bears repeating: The major style flaw (though, lol at the idea that style is a thing for commercial guys) that I encounter with west-coast IPAs is that there is a focus on IBU from harsh-bittering hops without corresponding emphasis on flavor and aroma. Then there are the IPAs that I much prefer that focus on smooth bittering mainly to keep foaming in the kettle down, and then back up a dump truck full of hops to the kettle at flameout/whirlpool.
 
beersk said:
Ha, you make it sound like Two Hearted isn't actually an IPA. IPAs for people who don't like IPAs? That's a ridiculous statement. Two Hearted is as much an IPA as any other IPA out there.

The bitterness in IPA is an acquired taste, just as coffee or spicy foods. You have to torture yourself to get to that next level (if you want to get to that level). One can't just eat a habanero if they've never had anything spicy before. You have to work up to it.
Click to expand...

What part of him calling Two Hearted an IPA makes his statement "ridiculous?"

Two Hearted was the first IPA that I could stomach, and now it's easily among my favorite beers, so I can see some real merit in that statement. I'm now into trying a bunch of others (many of which I don't care for, by the way) so I can learn more about my likes and dislikes and apply what I've learned to my own brewing.
 
beersk said:
Ha, you make it sound like Two Hearted isn't actually an IPA. IPAs for people who don't like IPAs? That's a ridiculous statement. Two Hearted is as much an IPA as any other IPA out there.

The bitterness in IPA is an acquired taste, just as coffee or spicy foods. You have to torture yourself to get to that next level (if you want to get to that level). One can't just eat a habanero if they've never had anything spicy before. You have to work up to it.
Click to expand...

Cherry picking one-off examples which you have found to be not too bitter does not make you an IPA fan; it makes you a Two Hearted fan.

It seems like some of you are making a case for enjoying IPAs "without actually enjoying most IPAs" because they are too bitter for you. Newsflash: Bitterness is one of the most important traits in most American IPAs. If you don't like that then: 1) Drink other styles, 2) Learn to appreciate them by trying more, or 3) Go kick rocks.

Lastly, pleasant and much needed bitterness in an IPA ≠ harsh, acrid, poorly made IPAs... They are not the same thing.
 
beersk said:
Ha, you make it sound like Two Hearted isn't actually an IPA. IPAs for people who don't like IPAs? That's a ridiculous statement. Two Hearted is as much an IPA as any other IPA out there.

The bitterness in IPA is an acquired taste, just as coffee or spicy foods. You have to torture yourself to get to that next level (if you want to get to that level). One can't just eat a habanero if they've never had anything spicy before. You have to work up to it.
Click to expand...

Preface...If you consider anecdotal evidence inadmissible, don't bother reading forward...

Of course Two-Hearted is an IPA, but I know quite a few people who took a liking to it long before liking hoppy beers as a whole. My wife was one of them. She didn't touch anything remotely hoppy for a long time. Two-Hearted was the first one she could stomach...not only that, but she loved it. Even then, it took about 2 years before she got a taste for IPAs as a style.

I consider it an "entry-level" IPA. It definitely fits the style, but is balanced as well, and not so abrasively in-your-face bitter as some West Coast IPAs can be.
 
drainbamage said:
Preface...If you consider anecdotal evidence inadmissible, don't bother reading forward...

Of course Two-Hearted is an IPA, but I know quite a few people who took a liking to it long before liking hoppy beers as a whole. My wife was one of them. She didn't touch anything remotely hoppy for a long time. Two-Hearted was the first one she could stomach...not only that, but she loved it. Even then, it took about 2 years before she got a taste for IPAs as a style.

I consider it an "entry-level" IPA. It definitely fits the style, but is balanced as well, and not so abrasively in-your-face bitter as some West Coast IPAs can be.
Click to expand...

I'd like to note that I'm not your wife.
 
Brew_G said:
I'd like to note that I'm not your wife.
Click to expand...

Really, you're not? You'll probably want to delete those pics I PM'ed you then. ;)

Sorry...I'm don't happen to have any peer-reviewed studies handy on the crossover appeal of Two-Hearted.

OP asked for examples of balanced IPAs, I offered one that I considered to fit that mold. Drink it, don't drink it...doesn't really affect me either way.
 

Similar threads

rodwha
Single Hop Pale Ales
Replies
11
Views
876
refect
refect
N
Scaling American IPA to Double IPA regarding Bitterness: Focus on Absolute IBUs vs BU:GU ratio?
Replies
8
Views
1K
G_robertus
G
SteveM
Not a New Member Exactly
Replies
6
Views
545
madscientist451
madscientist451
B
Dry stout intense bitterness
Replies
11
Views
910
beren
beren
P
What happened to IPA?
2
Replies
49
Views
4K
Clint Yeastwood
Clint Yeastwood
wps-hbt2

Latest posts

Back
Top