Anyone else overwelmed by the amount of hops in IPAs and NEIPAs?

[MicroMickey]

These beers seem to have become a vehicle for hop delivery. Too often, the beer is so bitter that you really can’t tell if the base beer has any real flavor. You, as the drinker, are assaulted by hop aroma, flavor, and bitterness and can easily become overwhelmed by it all.

Some brewers claim 100 or more IBUs in their beer. The human palate can’t discern more than about 90 IBUs so what’s the point? If you really like to have a puckered face, eat green persimmons. Some writers have offered a general rule of thumb that the IBUs should equal the original specific gravity of the beer. This is not a bad generalization but keep in mind that it was originally offered for beers of normal and historical strengths. Some beers are now sporting an OG which could float a silver dollar.

If 40 SRM is black, is there a point in making a beer of 95 SRM other than for bragging rights? Perhaps I’m just old fashioned but I prefer a beer which is drinkable. Many of the commercial examples are not; at least in quantity at one sitting. My preference is an IPA which doesn’t go over about 16oP to 17oP (1.065 to 1.070) and has more hop flavor and aroma than bitterness . . . my preference is not often fulfilled.

 

[YeastFeast]

Whenever I buy an IPA or NEIPA, especially NEIPA, all I can taste and smell is the absurd amounts of hops. the bitterness is just too much.

If your Hazy/NEIPA is bitter, it wasn't done right. You should detect almost no bitterness. That's the whole point of a Hazy/NEIPA and what I love about them. 85 out of 100 beers I drink are Hazy/NEIPA's, the other 15 are beers aged in bourbon barrels (usually stouts)! Mmmmm...! OK, maybe I drink other styles too...I love Barleywine, an occasional sour, stouts and porters are good, belgian's.......

 

[hotbeer]

In some respects a lot of what some of you are saying is that some throw a lot of hops at a beer that's not quite up to snuff just so that they can claim it is something by shocking you.

I see that happening in a lot of stuff. In food they tend to throw a lot of seasonings or sauces on a poorly cooked entre and think it's something.

But I do like the hops. If it was just water, alcohol and hops I'd probably be okay with it after finishing most of the first bottle.

 

[bkboiler]

I love hoppy beers. I also like malty beers. Balanced beers, big, small...all are loved around here (at least by me...SWMBO is more particular).
I live in San Diego.
95% of what's available falls into the first category.
Is the beer low quality? No.
Do I wish brewers would take some risk and brew something "different"? Yes.

throw a lot of hops at a beer that's not quite up to snuff just so that they can claim it is something by shocking you..

This is a really astute observation. I love big beers, and even though I appreciate "character", I'd much rather have a homebrew pilsner that scores a 45 than a commercial IPA that's got a diacetyl and acetaldehyde problem and burns the back of my throat. All solveable problems if the brewer actually cares!
Stone's Greg Koch says, "any beer is a good beer if you can taste the brewer's intent". I think this is especially true for big beers. Where there may be more competing different flavors.

 

[Broothru]

I agree, I think most american ales and many american iterations of european styles are way over hopped. Dry hopping and/or bombing with late hop additions styles that are supposed to be malt driven to the point the malty notes are completely drowned in hoppyness.
Also many Americans seem to have an unhealthy fear of esters, some like Founders and Great Divide get it right when making more classic styles though.

A couple of months ago saw a new beer (an IPA) from a local brewery that also sells in some local outlets. Many of their beers are very good stylistic examples of non-US beers (their Koelsch is as good as any I ever had in Koln). I like their beers and I like the fact that they are local, independent and craft micro.

So when I saw this new IPA offering at the beer store, I had to pick up a sixer. Upon tasting it struck me that this beer was maltier and the hops much more subtle.

My reaction was, "This isn't an IPA. It's like one of those British ones like I've had many times in pubs in England. That's when I saw it on the label, "English IPA". Duh!

Once I got past the notion that I was mistakingly expecting a hop bomb, I realized that it was actually a very pleasant, correct to style beer. So yes, even though I like an occasional hoppy APA or American IPA, my fear is that the current trend has turned the volume 'up to 11'. I find myself trending back to Continental beers with more balance between noble hops and grains.

 

[day_trippr]

I don't drink a lot of bought beer, but when I do, it's almost always "known good" stuff. The exceptions are finding something new and interesting enough to risk the cost of a 4/6 pack. And while they don't always make it to my "gotta clone this" list, I haven't run into a beer that for its style I would consider "excessively hopped".

That said, I'm also old AF with likely somewhat attenuated sensory abilities, plus my "lupulin shift" happened a decade or more ago...

Cheers! (So there's all that )

 

[OG-wan Kenobi]

"lupulin shift"

So is that what were calling it
I always thought of it as my taste maturing like with bourbon it used to make me shake my head like ugh now I shake my head oh yea

 

[Nate R]

If your Hazy/NEIPA is bitter, it wasn't done right. You should detect almost no bitterness. That's the whole point of a Hazy/NEIPA and what I love about them.

-this, above. +1

A true NE should be almost no bitterness at all... if done right.
I think that roughly 95% or more of the "NE" or "HAZY" i try are just not properly made.
I only know of two CA breweries that do it right (Moonraker, Henhouse. And ok, Russian River does an Ok one too). I am sure there might be others in other states. There are some pretty close trys... but imo once you have a true style it makes sense. The insane amount of hops is because that's how much this style requires- not because it ia trendy, but because it is the balance.
Not trying to sound like a beer snob, and to each his/her own of course. But again imo this style is often imitated and rarely acheived.
I am also getting tired of hazy/ne/juicy... i think the next wave will be lagers. I hope at least. This style is so under represented in the craft scene. It also seperates the advanced breweries i think.
Anyways... my 0.02.

I will say this... beer is like trucks, cars, or significant others: there are so many styles and choices which is what it makes it great. No one style is perfect for all. So drink/drive/date what you like.

 

[day_trippr]

That's what happens when you live three thousand miles away from where the style originated, and is brewed...masterfully

 

[OleBrewing]

I agree. There are some local breweries that I've had to learn by trial and error to expect high hops/IBUs even if the style doesn't traditionally have that. Kind of like eating food cooked by a guy who absolutely loves hot sauce, or someone who can't get enough bacon and has to cram it in to everything he makes.

Personally I think IPAs can be good, but I want them to be a category in a wide array of choices. If you don't want to drink BMC, your choices tend to be IPAs, stouts, and wheats, at least here in the midwest. Not so easy to find pilsners, kolschs, porters, belgians, or barleywines unless you want to drive to a specialty store.

Actually I am surprised the hop thing has lasted this long. My day drinker is PBR and when I look for a craft beer sixer it is nothing but IPA this and IPA that. Of course then the fruit infused stuff. I then find myself buying summit apa and moose drool. Also from Midwest.

 

[Nate R]

That's what happens when you live three thousand miles away from where the style originated, and is brewed...masterfully

Touche!!!
But... i have limitless West Coast IPA's to choose from!! Ha ha ha.

 

[Knightshade]

I think there is a pointed marketing thing which can catch people unawares. Is a Hazy a NEIPA or simply an unfiltered IPA?

Case in point...and this is all my own opinion...but I just quaffed a bottle of Stone’s Enjoy By April...something or other date.

It is the 1st” Hazy” they’ve ever done in this lineup. Somebody who was expecting an NEIPA would be sorely disappointed. It is a visually hazy, typical Stone WC bitter IPA that is crushable. I think they did a good job, as I was gulping a 9%’r, but it wasn’t a juicy fruit bomb and most definitely bitter.

Lesson learned..at least for me on the WC. Hazy NOT EQUAL TO NEIPA

And most routinely means I’m not pouring the last bits into a glass cuzz that’s where the really nasty bitter unfiltered crap lies which means I’m being cheated!!

 

[OleBrewing]

Whenever I buy an IPA or NEIPA, especially NEIPA, all I can taste and smell is the absurd amounts of hops. the bitterness is just too much. Maybe I can smell something fruity, but the taste is just a bitter attack on my tongue. i know these beers are supposed to be heavily hopped, but to me they are hopped far beyond what I can appreciate.

The good thing about being a home brewer is that I can brew beer I think I'll enjoy.

Does anyone else find NEIPAs and some IPAs unpleasant? Maybe I've been drinking some bad examples, because I can't understand how someone can find these beers drinkable. If you like them, good for you, I'm not saying you are wrong and I am right.

I also am not a fan of the hopped 2row beer. I like balance hopped up barley water does not appease to me. Give the original bells two hearted ale.

 

[Jfmed]

I like the IPAs and hoppy beers there are in the market these days. But I choose not to brew then because where I live, hops are expensive! Just the hops for an IPA can be more than 50% of the total price of ingredients.

 

[Bluekat]

I just cannot aquire a taste for IPA's. I've tried many but it just isn't happening. I've been a home brewer for 12+ years and love beer, all types-but IPA's. I haven't given up though and will keep trying.

 

[WesBrew]

At least in FL brew pubs, the slightly bitter hazys and the nepa juice bombs have pushed abv to 7% and some close to 8%. I’ve gotten a little tired of the over juiced, no bitter balance, and high abv beer. Unfortunately the 4-5% drinkable styles with subtle flavors and aroma seem to be fading from many breweries. Making them at home though. Check out the “make ipa clear again” thread for old school ipa inspiration.

 

[Gozie Boy]

Reminds me of the double down from KFC. Too much is just like not enough.But people are buying it, so I can only watch the show from afar.

View attachment 724191

Looks great, but I had to go and get a stent after looking at that...

 

[Gozie Boy]

I just cannot aquire a taste for IPA's. I've tried many but it just isn't happening. I've been a home brewer for 12+ years and love beer, all types-but IPA's. I haven't given up though and will keep trying.

I love well made IPAs. As a style example, the DFH 90' is superb, and is near the upper end of the "hoppy" level as I care to to drink, but I do love it. I do appreciate the difference in bitterness/hoppiness and how a NEIPA is completely different than a DIPA, but need to explore the high dry hop/low bitter NEIPAs further. We just do not have a wide selection of those in these parts. Time for a road trip...

 

[rushpapers]

I agree with the poster. I used to like IPAs 15 years ago, but brewers have gone completely overboard. I hate when I go to a brewery tasting room and 9 out of 10 beers are hopped to the hilt; and all share a similar flavor profile. A brewery should have a wide selection.

Personally, I wish nitro bitters and nitro stouts would replace IPAs in popularity.

 

[Dancy]

Actually I am surprised the hop thing has lasted this long.

I started home brewing around ‘95 and did it for a few years and came back 3 years ago. IPAs were certainly gaining in popularity in home brewing when I started and that accelerated, as we all know. The interest in hoppier beers has sky rocketed with new strains and of course many new beers. Though I’m not an IPA fan, I recognize the interest in hop varieties and methods of hopping are good for the home brewing industry as well as making the hobby more interesting. Also, one can’t understate the increased interest in hops on the home brewing level have created a significant revenue stream that was not there when I started the hobby.

 

[porterguy]

I've read it takes human taste buds up to 20 "tastes" of something different before they go"hey, this isn't so bad". Mother Nature's way to try and keep us from eating many poisonous things, which frequently have nasty (sometimes bitter) tastes. I still don't care for most IPAs, although I keep trying them every once in a while. Maybe 20 in a week would give my taste buds a better chance to adjust. I agree that NEIPAs are a different style and taste, more hop flavor than hop bitterness. and I have enjoyed a number of them. However, as someone pointed out, the cost of hops make it (to me) a better choice to purchase from a store, and use my brewing time and money to make other styles.

 

[Bill Tong]

To answer the OP's question, No!

 

[bwible]

I do enjoy a good West Coast IPA such as Lagunitas IPA, I buy Hop Stoopid occasionally, Voodoo Ranger IPA, Victory Hop Devil, Victory Dirt Wolf. But this is not my go to beer that I drink all the time. Never been a fan of the murk.

I just brewed one of these clear IPA’s, 1.070 and about 66 IBUs. Bottled it about a week ago, crystal clear and tasted great at bottling. I am itching to open one and taste it cold and carbonated.

 

[bwible]

I agree with the poster. I used to like IPAs 15 years ago, but brewers have gone completely overboard. I hate when I go to a brewery tasting room and 9 out of 10 beers are hopped to the hilt; and all share a similar flavor profile. A brewery should have a wide selection.

Personally, I wish nitro bitters and nitro stouts would replace IPAs in popularity.

I hate when I go to a brewery and 9 out of 10 beers are something hazy, cloudy, dank, or sour. That’s every brewery anymore.

 

[Dgallo]

Getting an ipa or NEIPA and saying all you can taste is hops, is pretty much like eating a Hershey’s Bar and saying all you taste is chocolate...

 

[Dgallo]

I hate when I go to a brewery and 9 out of 10 beers are something hazy, cloudy, dank, or sour. That’s every brewery anymore.

With current trends, that’s how they keep the lights on unfortunately

 

[hotbeer]

Sometimes people pay for trendy. Whether it's really good in my opinion or even in their opinion doesn't really matter. It's whatever currently is what your customers want. If that is simply satisfying a fad, then that's what matters if those are your customers.

Luckily the next brew can be something else when customer desires change.

For those of us that brew for ourselves, we only have our own tastes to be concerned with. I'm sure I'll make great beer for my tastes. I doubt I'll ever get a ribbon.

 

[Dgallo]

I agree, I think most american ales and many american iterations of european styles are way over hopped.

You do realize the United States biggest contribution to brewing is its hops. So yes, most US Styles showcasing that and American hops are what US Brewers use as their twist on traditional European styles. Every area has their own ingredient or take on beer that they are known for....In Belgian it’s their yeast, Germany it’s purity process and Munich malt. I totally understand if it’s not people’s thing and that’s fine but it’s the equivalent of saying there is too much phenol/yeast profile in a Belgian beer

 

[Nagorg]

As its already been said, NEIPA's typically aren't bitter at all. Thats why more people like them over real IPA. I personally despise most NEIPA; more for their turbidity but also for the lack of bitterness.

I personally love lots of hop character across the spectrum; aroma, flavor and bitterness. This "Lupulin Shift" theory seems to make sense as it takes more to wow me now than it use too. And to date, not a single NEIPA has wow'ed me. Quite the opposite actually!

What is overwhelming to me is the shear number of NEIPA's on tap lists and on the shelves. Its harder to find examples of IPA that I actually like these days. Not impossible but certainly harder.

I'm guessing some of you on this thread probably expected comments from me along this line.

 

[bracconiere]

i don't really see a point in using hops more then it's enough to act as a preservative.....at least i think that's why i add them?