Did you like IPA's before home brewing?

[Pivzavod]

I was not a big fan of bitter beers when I started my drinking career as a teenager. I remember in the late 90's trying Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and not liking it. I was not a fan of IPA's either. When I started home brewing in a pot (not Beer Machine) in 2008 I still did not like bitter beers. Over time I went to tastings, bought new commercial examples, was on the lookout for specific brands on draft, etc. I learned a lot of new beer styles I never knew existed and expanded my knowledge on IPA. Few years ago you would not catch me with SNPA and now I'm fiending for Sculpin IPA on draft.

I am drinking my first IPA now with a big smile on my face. I went to a friends house on Saturday for an IPA tasting and brought a growler of my stuff. 5+ people liked my IPA as top 2 over all the commercial stuff other people brought. I brought Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye and between the two my IPA tasted better. :cross:

 

[Sweetchuck]

I've liked commercial IPA's for a while now, but only when I'm in the mood for bitter beer.

I've been turned off by over-hopped beer lately and part of the reason why I got back into home brewing was to brew an honest pale ale that won't acid wash the back of my throat.

 

[Beezy]

I dunno I went through a long uneducated phase. Would give anything a chance. Recently this winter I basically stayed away from them and then this spring thats all I wanted. I like them somewhat balanced tho. The average IPA bores me. I like an imperial or a black. As for regular IPAs that I have had recently the 60 minute on draft was the one that stuck with me. I heard they were bottling 120 today. Will be out at the beer store asap tbh.

Also really digging smaller beers that have big hop aroma and flavor like american wheat and APA.

I short I go through phases.

 

[cruckin78]

No I was not a hop fan until I started brewing. Smelling them, with every addition, and the way they filled the room with aroma (doing extract batches) I loved the smell, and I could pick out those smells and tastes in my beers. I fell in love. To me though an IPA cannot just be a hop bomb, it must be balanced. I want the malt and hops going toe to toe for my taste buds....That IMHO is a magnificent IPA.

 

[Airborneguy]

I don't really like most commercial IPA's because they tend to be way over-hopped nowadays. "Imperial" means nothing because most IPA's are imperial now. I definitely don't enjoy homebrewed IPA's because damn near every single one is over-hopped with whatever the homebrewer happened to have lying around. But, a REAL IPA is a very enjoyable beer to me, especially if it is actually in balance and fresh. Fresh is the most important aspect to me. If it is not, the beer becomes a bitter hop soup with no particularly detectable, crisp and popping hop flavors.

 

[TheDom]

When I first started homebrewong, all I wanted to brew was malty stuff. I was never big on hoppy beers until I started buying hops by the pound. Something about having 6+ pounds in the freezer just led me to trying hoppy beers.

 

[Zamial]

No I was not a hop fan until I started brewing. Smelling them, with every addition, and the way they filled the room with aroma (doing extract batches) I loved the smell, and I could pick out those smells and tastes in my beers. I fell in love. To me though an IPA cannot just be a hop bomb, it must be balanced. I want the malt and hops going toe to toe for my taste buds....That IMHO is a magnificent IPA.

I am going to echo this but a bit differently. I love IPAs but IMO they do not need to be super bitter. I won't lie, I really do not understand the entire IBU thing when applied to late hop additions. EXAMPLE: Simcoe and Amarillo to name a few. If it was insane bitterness I was after I would brew all Warrior IPAs.

I like my IPAs to have massive flavor and aroma not the bitterness so much...I love the citrus/fruit or pine like hop flavors and aromas...IMHO The bitterness should be a side effect of using tons of hops not the goal.

 

[CompassBrewing]

When I first started enjoying good craft beers I was more about big malty porters and stouts but over the last year or so i've turned into a huge hop head. Ballast points sculpin, alesmith ipa, stone ipa and port mongo and wipeout ipa- yes please

 

[CompassBrewing]

I like my IPAs to have massive flavor and aroma not the bitterness so much...I love the citrus/fruit or pine like hop flavors and aromas...IMHO The bitterness should be a side effect of using tons of hops not the goal.

I completely agree with this

 

[Beezy]

I don't really like most commercial IPA's because they tend to be way over-hopped nowadays. "Imperial" means nothing because most IPA's are imperial now. I definitely don't enjoy homebrewed IPA's because damn near every single one is over-hopped with whatever the homebrewer happened to have lying around. But, a REAL IPA is a very enjoyable beer to me, especially if it is actually in balance and fresh. Fresh is the most important aspect to me. If it is not, the beer becomes a bitter hop soup with no particularly detectable, crisp and popping hop flavors.

I don't agree with that most IPAs I have had lately havent been more than 7%. For me the bigger the better because I like the ones that have the grain bill to support all that bitterness. And late and dry hopping is the key.

 

[Vance71975]

I was not a big fan of bitter beers when I started my drinking career as a teenager. I remember in the late 90's trying Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and not liking it. I was not a fan of IPA's either. When I started home brewing in a pot (not Beer Machine) in 2008 I still did not like bitter beers. Over time I went to tastings, bought new commercial examples, was on the lookout for specific brands on draft, etc. I learned a lot of new beer styles I never knew existed and expanded my knowledge on IPA. Few years ago you would not catch me with SNPA and now I'm fiending for Sculpin IPA on draft.

I am drinking my first IPA now with a big smile on my face. I went to a friends house on Saturday for an IPA tasting and brought a growler of my stuff. 5+ people liked my IPA as top 2 over all the commercial stuff other people brought. I brought Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye and between the two my IPA tasted better. :cross:

Inversion IPA is one of the beers that made me want to brew, knowing that with enough practice i could make a beer that good!

 

[the_trout]

It was my love of IPAs and APAs that has driven me to homebrewing. Too many commercial IPAs are all about the hop bomb and not enough about a truely complexed and flavorfull brew IMO.

 

[SamuraiSquirrel]

The first IPA that I ever had was Victory Hop Devil. It was a wow moment for me and turned me on to IPA's. I've tried Hop Devil many times since then and it has never tasted the same. I don't know if I just got a really fresh six pack by chance or what.

Almost 3 years later I have tried 100's of different IPA's and IIPA's. Awhile back I concluded that I will no longer buy an IPA from a store unless it has the bottling date printed on the bottle and that date is no more than a month or two from bottling (there aren't many that actually put this on the bottle).

90% of the store bought single IPA's taste old and washed up. 90% of imperial IPA's taste like syrup (WAY too much sweetness).

I love hoppy beers but once you brew an awesome IPA with loads of hop flavor (not loads of bitterness or sweetness) then it just flat out ruins commercial IPA's for you. I've only tasted a few commercial IPA's IIPA's that compare and they are usually at the breweries themselves not from a store or brewpub serving another breweries beer.

 

[JoeyChopps]

I probably wouldn't have touched an ipa prior to brewing but after tasting many and brewing a few it is my favorite style I am a huge hop head now

 

[Clann]

The first IPA that I tried in my research phase was so bitter and hoppy that I poured it down the drain. Now I would probabily want to drink 3-4 if they are tasting good.

Wish I knew what it was so I could try it again.
In anwser to your question, no I didn't but I do now.

 

[Beezy]

The first IPA that I ever had was Victory Hop Devil. It was a wow moment for me and turned me on to IPA's. I've tried Hop Devil many times since then and it has never tasted the same. I don't know if I just got a really fresh six pack by chance or what.

Almost 3 years later I have tried 100's of different IPA's and IIPA's. Awhile back I concluded that I will no longer buy an IPA from a store unless it has the bottling date printed on the bottle and that date is no more than a month or two from bottling (there aren't many that actually put this on the bottle).

90% of the store bought single IPA's taste old and washed up. 90% of imperial IPA's taste like syrup (WAY too much sweetness).

I love hoppy beers but once you brew an awesome IPA with loads of hop flavor (not loads of bitterness or sweetness) then it just flat out ruins commercial IPA's for you. I've only tasted a few commercial IPA's IIPA's that compare and they are usually at the breweries themselves not from a store or brewpub serving another breweries beer.

Not sure my first but if it wasn't Hop Devil I am sure it was one of the first. I used to get their variety pack all the time. Last one I had was disappointing. I am thinking it might have been an old bottle maybe. It was a cocktail bar their beers might sit around. Waiting for it to come up on tap somewhere to confirm or deny. Its quite possible it just doesn't stand up to todays offerings. It has been around for a while.

 

[duckmanco]

My answer: IPA's got me to start homebrewing, favorite style ever, period, oddly followed by RIS.

....but I've been chasing the perfect IPA ever since I started, all of 10-12 batches ago. I'm taking my time and loving it.

 

[Mustangfreak]

I guess I m one of those people who like the over the top hoppy ipa's. Thought I do like balanced as well.

Bt to answer the op's question, no. Before i started brewing I was drinking bud light and blue moon. Lol. I'm embarrassed to say that.

 

[kbuzz]

IPAs got me into craft beer, got me into homebrewing, are the reason I have hops growing in my backyard and are the reason I have an angry wife every friday night.

 

[Fantastical]

Not really...

 

[codyjp]

My answer: IPA's got me to start homebrewing, favorite style ever, period, oddly followed by RIS.

....but I've been chasing the perfect IPA ever since I started, all of 10-12 batches ago. I'm taking my time and loving it.

x2. I'm less inclined for the hop bombs but it is hard to beat a well balanced IPA that finishes sweet and malty.

 

[Keith_Mahoney]

I started homebrewing when I lived in Belgium because I couldn't get a decent IPA over there.

 

[Stoutman82]

Not really but now I love em