Help me like IPAs...

[thekage]

You can call me a wuss or what ever, I don't care. I just can't get over the real hoppiness of IPAs. Anything past like a 55-60 IBU rating and I just can't do it. I pucker up like the old bitter beer face..
The problem is I really want to like IPAs. I get one all the time to see if I will like it and I never do. The only exception is Bells 2 Hearted Ale, but it's right in that 50 range, which is low for an IPA, it tastes more like an Amber Ale to me.

Beers I love are usually Bitters, especially Fuller's ESB, I love Amber ales, and darker stouts and porters.

Can you give me a recipe for something like a beginners IPA - something just like one step past Bells 2 Hearted. Kind of like dipping your leg in the pool before you jump in..

 

[evrose]

I feel your pain my friend.

I've tried to like IPAs. I really, really have. So far it's been a futile effort.

 

[Mongrel]

If you can pick up a bottle of Inversion from Deschutes, give it a shot. It has more than your desired IBU's, but it has a good malt backbone to back it up.

 

[brewmaster12]

How bout something like Avery New World Porter. It's dry hopped so the aroma and initial flavor have more of an IPA feel to it. Could be TE bridge you need into IPAs. Then try Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA. It's a little more malt heavy than most IPAs

 

[mewithstewpid]

Is say try the dogfish 60 minute or clone it using the recipe on this site. It's a great entry level ipa. Easy drinker and nice an hoppy. Also maybe try lagunitas ipa which is nice and fruity.

I'm with you I really don't like bitterness but I've come to really enjoy the hop flavor and aroma of many of the west coast style ipas

 

[SmoothSmoke]

torpedo sierra nevada

 

[verbhertz]

I second Lagunitas IPA, it's pretty sweet. I really enjoy it though. Torpedo is great as well but a little hoppier than you'd like perhaps.

 

[uncommonsense]

Do one that has a small bittering charge. Then late hop the snot out of it. Dry hop it to. You will get lots of hop flavor but not alot of bitternes

 

[estricklin]

Yeah I started a similar post about this not long ago. Trust me I'm right there with ya. I just get blown away when I take a sip of one. I try them all the time but I'm always disappointed. I love porters, stouts and amber ales though. I feel like an outcast because I don't like IPAs but what do you do?

 

[heckler73]

why force liking something???

ps - I love IPA's. Still trying to figure out to make them good and hoppy.

 

[onthekeg]

You don't have to like IPA's. Save some for those that like them! I like a Tallgrass Oasis quite often, but I don't drink it every day. I am making some though, maybe I will.

 

[Zamial]

why force liking something???

This.

I like specific kinds of IPAs which really limits my selection.

For yellow/amber IPAs I like fruity/citrus/fruit flavors and aromas. Some examples I like are Bell's -2h, DFH 90 min (much better than the 60 IMO), Stone - Ruination, Lagunita's - Little Summpin', Russian River - Pliny the Elder, Sam Adam's - White Water IPA

For Dark/Black/CDA/ADA (you get the idea) I like Grassy/pine flavors and these may have a mild catiness and/or citrus to them. New Glarus - Black Top, Victory - Storm King, Lakefront - IBA, Alaskan - Black IPA

What I strongly dislike is oily, greasy slickness that comes from hops. MANY commercial examples have this issue IMO. To a lesser degree I dislike strong catiness. But the real deal breaker for me is the age. Old IPA of any variety tastes like a bitter, nasty beer to me. 2-4 weeks after the bottle date and almost all the aroma is gone 4-6 and all the flavor is faded into bitter. I seldom buy IPAs that do not have a date system on them, I have been burned to many times.

Also, I do not know many people that liked IPAs of any variety right from the start. You have a lupilin shift when it happens and it may never. My wife would swear she hated IPAs a year ago, now she likes MOST of the ones I do.

 

[kaconga]

I say shock your system. Get the most hoppy and bitter IPA you can find and then a "normal" one and taste the bitter bomb first. The second should taste mild by comparison. I personally like citrusy hops in my IPA and a strong but not overpowering bitterness. I would have less IBUs and be okay so long as people put less crystal 40 or 60 in there. Bittersweet is not how I like my IPA.

 

[julioardz]

If you ask me, an American IPA is more about the hop flavor and aroma. The malt character is secondary to that. Clearly, you have a sweeter, maltier palate, based on the beers you say you like, so I wouldn't expect you to like an IPA too much. There's nothing wrong with that

However, if you want to open up your taste buds a little more, maybe you can first focus on properly tasting beer, if you're not already doing that. Pour the beer so that you get a nice lasting head and let it warm up a bit so that you don't loose the aroma and flavors to the cold and carbonation. This lets the malt flavors come out more, so you may appreciate that in an IPA. Take short, quick sniffs and think about what you're smelling. Have a small drink and let it sit in your mouth and on your tongue for a bit. Focus on the flavors and sensations in your mouth. Swallow and focus on the after tastes and aromas that come when you're exhaling after it goes down.

You say you like Bell's Two Hearted. If you're set on liking and making IPA's, look for similar recipes. Their website says it's hopped exclusively with Centennial. Try an IPA recipe with Centennial. 55-60 IBU is well within the range of an IPA, regardless of what people may think, so just go with what you like.

You asked for a recipe. It doesn't use Centennial, but this is my low IBU IPA:

5.25 Gallons, 60 minute Boil, OG 1.058, IBU 51
10.5 lbs Pale Malt
.75 lbs Cara-Pils
.75 lbs Crystal 20L
1 oz Magnum 60 mins
1 oz Cascade 15 mins
1 oz Falconer's Flight 1 min
1 pkg US-05, rehydrated and Fermented at 68 degrees

(I will dry hop with an extra 1 oz of Falconer's Flight for more aroma sometimes, once primary fermentation is complete)

 

[julioardz]

But the real deal breaker for me is the age. Old IPA of any variety tastes like a bitter, nasty beer to me. 2-4 weeks after the bottle date and almost all the aroma is gone 4-6 and all the flavor is faded into bitter. I seldom buy IPAs that do not have a date system on them, I have been burned to many times.

This, to me, is also the key to any good IPA. I find it hard for any bottled IPA to beat the fresh, local IPA's I get on draft. I slightly over prime my IPA's and start drinking them a week to two after bottling.

 

[slowashell]

get a case of stones ruination..... after that you should be good on just about anything IPA.

 

[hercher]

If you don't like IPA's, then you don't like them. That's cool. A pet peeve of mine is that we are "supposed" to like certain things. For example, I don't care for most Belgian ales. This thought is as anathema to homebrewers as not liking IPA's. But I just don't find that funky, sour taste pleasing. Think of it like listening to opera or heavy metal. Some people like it, some people want to run screaming from the room. That said, here is a recipe that may work for you:

Base malt: 83% (About 10 lbs 5 oz)
Crystal 60: 6% (About 13 ounces)
Munich: 6% (About 13 ounces)
Carastan: 3% (about 6.5 oz)
Wheat: 3% (About 6.5 oz)

Note: the crystal and carastan will give your beer body and some unfermentables to balance out the hops. Also, I typically mashed this beer at about 154 -- that also gives the beer some body and unfermentables.

Northern Brewer, AA 8.6%, 1 oz 75 minutes
Fuggles, AA 4.1% 1 oz 30 minutes
Fuggles, AA 4.1%, 1 oz 15 minutes
Goldings, AA 4.6%, 1 or 2 oz dry hop.

OG: 1.060
IBU 55

I used to brew this at a brewpub in NJ, and it was quite popular. We called it Maxcy's Steamtrap IPA.

 

[DannyD]

And here I thought I was the only homebrewer that did not like bitter beer?!

think its time for a pole?

 

[D_Nyholm]

I didn't like IPA when I started brewing a year ago and now I have 2 IPA and a pale ale kegged. Go figure!
Maybe try a black IPA? To me, they seem a little less hoppy and a bit sweeter. I love them.

 

[Slipgate]

IPAs are the epitome of "if a little is good, a lot must be better!". But I love IPAs so for me that rang true.

 

[Braufessor]

I agree with several posters who mentioned the fact that, two hearted for example, is a "real" IPA. In my opinion, IPA's have sort of become a pissing contest over the past 5 years in particular. I really like pale ales like summit, Sierra Nevada, etc. I also love two hearted and similar brews. However, when the beer turns into a contest to see how many hops you can put in it, or how bitter can you make it....... It is "ok", I can drink one, but I don't like it.
I am also a big porter, stout, brown, amber fan as well. In my opinion, it is a lot of the newer IPA's that are getting closer to being "out of style." Northern Brewer has a two hearted clone (Dead Ringer Ale) that I have used as my "go to" IPA. I tweak it a little, and have mixed the hops up in different ways too - using some cascade and citra in place of some of the centennial at times. I can't brew replacement batches fast enough to replace empty kegs. Try some IPA's when you get chances, but I would not worry one minute about not liking them as much as other people. Everyone has different tastes.

 

[rico567]

I do not like anchovies. I don't like them on pizza, I don't like them in a sauce. I do not like them here or there, I do not like them anywhere. What's my incentive to somehow force myself to like something? Taste (e.g., those who can't tolerate the taste of cilantro, which I love) is very often genetic. It's likely there's nothing you can do about your revulsion to high hopping. Have a nice Irish Red or a Hefeweizen.

 

[permo]

I have found that commerical examples that aren't fresh, are terrible to drink and could really turn somebody off. I find that a fresh keg of two hearted ale, is a great "gateway" IPA, that helps open peoples eyes to how delicious a properly balanced, fresh, aromatic IPA can be. I think the IBU numbers are a waste, I find that 20 IBU of "hop A" can seem more bitter than 20 IBU of "hop B". First wort hopping, whirlpool hopping, mash hopping..etc...etc..these all provide bitterness that is difficult to measure. Making a 60 IBU batch of beer is easy.......making a 60 IBU batch of beer that is firmly bittered, balanced by malt/abv and accentuating hop flavors and aromas without overcoming you with bitterness, is a masterfull act.

 

[Brewrifle]

Give Deschutes - 'Hop in the dark' a try. It's got a great hoppy aroma and taste, with a nice malty backbone to keep it from being over the top. The color might I add, is glorious.

http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/brew/hop-dark

At 70 IBU's it can look intimidating, but it's really a gentle giant.

 

[brewvac]

Beers I love are usually Bitters, especially Fuller's ESB, I love Amber ales, and darker stouts and porters.

Can you give me a recipe for something like a beginners IPA - something just like one step past Bells 2 Hearted. Kind of like dipping your leg in the pool before you jump in..

Seems like you may be more interested in an English style IPA rather than an American version. IF you really want to give it a try then Fuller makes one and I think the Yards IPA is pretty good.

I agree with many other posters that there's no reason to force yourself to like a particular style. I appreciate a good bock on occasion, but I'm really crazy the style. IF someone recommends one to me, I'll try one to remind myself that I don't like it, then go back to whatever pale ale or IPA that I was drinking. There are too many good beers available and no good reasons to conform to some else's taste.

 

[motobrewer]

Taste (e.g., those who can't tolerate the taste of cilantro, which I love) is very often genetic.

i would honestly like to see some information around that. i am of the opinion that taste is very much dependent on what you grew up on, and you can certainly change your tastes by forcing foods on yourself. but that's just my opinion, i really have no idea.

 

[rico567]

i would honestly like to see some information around that. i am of the opinion that taste is very much dependent on what you grew up on, and you can certainly change your tastes by forcing foods on yourself. but that's just my opinion, i really have no idea.

We are talking about two different things here. One is getting beyond custom (and food / beverage prejudices can be very strong), and the other is programmed into our genes, like lactose intolerance.

Here's something that's not too scholarly and dreary to peruse:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supertaster

Here's something specific to cilantro intolerance:

http://blackfootjournal.com/cilantro-—-love-it-or-hate-it/

I taught for many years with a woman who (as the article relates) coudn't stand cilantro, claiming it tasted like soap.

 

[Braufessor]

There are Definitely certain chemicals that people can/can't taste - and it IS genetic for some of them. We do an activity in Biology classes I teach in regard to one aspect of this. Not saying this is definitely dealing with hops - but this would be an example. Here is some info on one aspect of genetics and the ability to taste bitter things in different ways - http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/traits/ptc/

I am also one of those in the "HATE cilantro" - can't stand it. Tastes like I am chewing on aluminum foil - gives me a real bitter/metallic taste. Curry is the same way for me.

 

[julioardz]

Here's something specific to cilantro intolerance:

http://blackfootjournal.com/cilantro-—-love-it-or-hate-it/

I taught for many years with a woman who (as the article relates) coudn't stand cilantro, claiming it tasted like soap.

Interesting. Makes me think of asparagus pee, that stinky pee you get after eating asparagus. Some people smell it, some don't. It was believed that some people just didn't produce it, but then it was discovered that we all make asparagus pee, but not everyone can smell it. I definitely smell it. I'm no super taster, but I may have hyperosmia, because I am generally sensitive to smell.

http://dsc.discovery.com/guides/skinny-on/asparagus.html

On a more related note, there are some hoppy/bitter beers that taste like soap to me. It's a very faint flavor, but it's present. I can usually get around it by focusing on the other flavors and never have a problem finishing a beer that has that taste. Sometimes I think it's the glass that hasn't been rinsed properly.

 

[Dr1nkBeer]

Sam adams 48 IPA i have a bud who knows i like IPA's so he stocked up for a party he had.. It wasnt bad but definitely an IPA. It left me wanting a nice 90 minute however.
Sam adams has a way of making things tasty! Its a good place to start i think...