holy crap!

[Sedge]

I have to give another vote to Harpoon IPA. The hop bitterness is pretty low key for an IPA, and I've used it to bring a few hop-haters into the fold. I also think Flying Dog's Snake Dog IPA is pretty well balanced for the hop-virgin palette, and I'm a sucker for a 90 Minute IPA (or an Alehouse 75 if you're ever one the east coast and happen across a DFH Alehouse). All very drinkable, especially with food (pizza is the great hop equalizer).

Personally I didn't like hoppy beers initially either. Then I found out I was just drinking bad hoppy beers. After falling in love with the APA and EPA styles I started to crave the hops, and went back to find that I can indeed enjoy an IPA.

I also think it's easier for the homebrewer to get into hoppy beers, because we handle the ingredients. Its much easier to pick out and focus on the aspects of the hops you personally enjoy when you work with them. For the hop-novice all those IBUs can be overwhelming.

 

[FreakinA]

Full Sail makes a really mild IPA, try that one.

 

[carnevoodoo]

I also bought a porter out of San Diego....now that is more my flavor!!! It is made by Ballast Point in San Diego....very good.

Like I said, I will give the IPA's another shot

Ballast Point's Black Marlin is a great beer. If you can get that, see if you can get a bottle of Scuplin. You're close enough to SD that you should be able to find it. It is very much an IPA, but also sort of stands on its own in taste. I would recommend it as an IPA that is big, but not too aggressive. Much more grapefruit aromas in that one.

Green Flash West Coast is good, but I think more bitter than you'll like.

Alesmith IPA is good, and if you want to try something hoppy but smaller, get a bottle of Alesmith X. Lots of hops present, but without being a killer on the bitterness.

And I'd agree with anything from Pizza Port, but not Port Brewing. They're very different animals. There's a ton of good beer coming from SD right now, though, and you can't go wrong with most of it. I don't drink Stone's IPA at all. It is really one dimensional and I'm not a fan of the way it is bittered.

 

[Grummle]

I went to Colorado a few years ago before I knew that much about beer. I did a tasting with a guy from Avery Brewing and he gave us a ridiculous number of different beers (and amount). Towards the end is when we got to the IPAs. After we drank it most people in the group liked it. He said he had screwed with us a little and walked up the IBUs slowly. He did it over about the course of 10 beers. After that happened I kinda knew what was going on with my palate and didn't let them scare me anymore.

DFH 90 is awsome. 60 is good and 120 is ..... different.

 

[NoisufnoC]

DFH, Stone Ruination, Longhammer.... I love IPAs

 

[Effington]

I think it's probably best to start drinking regular, American pale ales (APA's). Get to know the hops little by little, instead of all at once with an IPA. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is readily available everywhere now and was probably the beer that got me started into enjoying higher IBU beers. Anchor Liberty Ale, Three Floyds Alpha King, Bell's and Troegs are some of my personal favorites.

60 Minute IPA from Dogfish Head was the beer that took me on the road to hop-headedness and led me to enjoy tear-your-face-off-hop-bombs like Avery Majaraja, Stone Ruination and Troegs' Nugget Nectar.

 

[Brewin06111]

I think it's probably best to start drinking regular, American pale ales (APA's). Get to know the hops little by little, instead of all at once with an IPA. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is readily available everywhere now and was probably the beer that got me started into enjoying higher IBU beers. Anchor Liberty Ale, Three Floyds Alpha King, Bell's and Troegs are some of my personal favorites.

60 Minute IPA from Dogfish Head was the beer that took me on the road to hop-headedness and led me to enjoy tear-your-face-off-hop-bombs like Avery Majaraja, Stone Ruination and Troegs' Nugget Nectar.

This is exactly how I started moving into the IPA style beers which I now love...I fell in love with Hooker Brewery's APA and the rest is history.. Stone's Levitation Ale is a Red that has a lot of characteristics of an APA or even a mild IPA... As far as "newbie IPA" go I would recommend Harpoon as other people have mentioned... Don't worry, you'll be drinking IPA before you know it.. Last year at this time I was a BMC guy.. crazy how fast I advanced...Now I don't touch the stuff