Hoppy beers a trend?

[jbguzzi]

I went to my local grocer this morning to hopefully pick up an Enjoy By from Stone, i have not tried one yet and kept missing them after being sold out. Anyhow, I was talking to the wine/beer tender and he went off saying how he could not wait till people stopped calling him asking when Pliney and other once in a while big IPA's have come in, i smugly said "get used to it" and then he went off saying that hoppy beers are a trend and the pendulum will swing back when people want their palette back! I smiled and walked away. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. There may be some truth to that, but I thought it was funny. I personally enjoy many styles of beer, hopped crazy or very mild. Just thought I would share.

 

[Pratzie]

Nice. I've noticed that as well about a year ago and a half ago when i started getting deep into malt beers. All my friends were giving me palette splitters with IBU's upwards of 70+. Ive come into my own as a malt maniac though but I still wouldn't mind trying some Pliny if I could get my hands on it in this part of the country.

 

[Hogarthe]

it's definitely a trend. a few years ago, almost nobody knew what an ipa was. now they are everywhere. it's good for people who like hoppy beers, but if stores are stocking so many of them there is no room on the shelf for other beers, it's bad for people who like other styles besides the really hoppy ones. I think eventually there will be another big trend, and there will be less ipas and iipas being made, but I doubt they will disappear entirely. too many people like ipa for that, even if they do discover they like other styles, they will still buy ipa sometimes.

 

[moski]

It does seem like thats all anyone asks about. Especially the "beer guys". I tend to look on the IPA craze like I do the "real beer" BMC guys.
I'll be happy when the chatter levels off. Of course ambers and pales are as hoppy as I tend to go.

 

[alane1]

As long as there are new hop varieties coming out I think Ipas will be popular.

 

[mb82]

I see it as a trend. Sure every brewery will produce an IPA and a lot will produce it as their signature beer. But I have noticed a lot of my friends who were IPA only people are ordering other beers. The problem is that so many IPAs out there are just plain old BAD. Only bittering knock you in the face with hops and not really all that drinkable. We like to sit at a table or in someones garage and enjoy what we are drinking, not drink it because it has the highest IBUs or because it has some new hops. Around here Belgian beers are really starting to take off. Whether Abbey Styles or Farmhouse beers.

 

[weinerdog]

I agree. The IPA trend is starting to see some leveling off here. Most of my beer buddies are "over it" and moving to other pastures now. I was never a big fan of hoppy beers, preferring more malty and a sweeter finish.

 

[Cyclman]

Hopefully, with the overall growth of Craft, as the market grows in variety, hoppy beers won't decline in production, but maybe in Craft share.

I love a IIPA or American Barleywine, but there's so many wonderful beers I don't limit myself for sure.

 

[mgraczyk71]

I'm not a fan really of IPAs or really hoppy beers. I've gotten weird looks at bars and liquor stores because of this. This is kind of the reason I don't have the desire to go to another beer "fest"

 

[Pratzie]

it's good for people who like hoppy beers, but if stores are stocking so many of them there is no room on the shelf for other beers, it's bad for people who like other styles besides the really hoppy ones.

This is excatly what I run into. I'd say about 60% of the shelf space in my beer shop is IPA or IIPA, with only about 5-10% for all other styles. Kinda pisses me off cuz Stouts and Scotch Ale's (my favs) onlet get a small three shelf section that holds about 2 or 3 different sixers on each.

Malt Maniacs demand more shelf space!

 

[Devin]

Two types of people:

1. Those who like hoppy beers.
2. Those who are wrong.

j/k. I hope that the "trend" never goes away. Hops are amazing - the more the better.

 

[jbguzzi]

I love all the responses, it is interesting getting a take from folks who brew. It has changed how i view beers in general. I think good IPAs will withstand the hop craziness, with Pliny leading the pack and relatively pedestrian examples that are superb like Alesmith's IPA will stick around without the hype. I think its fun, and i love hoppy beers, but I can see other styles getting second shelf to bombastic terrible examples of overly hopped brews when they should not. Consumerism at its finest!

 

[Whut]

Pliney, Sculpin, etc. I love beer hoppy or otherwise.

 

[Ply318ci]

I love IPAs and hoppy beer but it is like the Chopper motorcycle craze of the early 2000s (American Chopper and Biker Build off are a few examples). People are all into it and things go from normal to extreme and then suddenly they lose interest. It will happen with IPAs as well they will never go away just taper off and the next big thing will come out. Just like the Cafe Racer trend in motorcycles now nobody cared about it a few years ago now people are paying insane money for the most extreme Cafe Racer the can get. Sorry to use motorcycle analogies but it is all I could think of right now.

 

[Jayhem]

This is why I like Pale Ales (English or American). Hop presence, flavor and aroma without overwhelming the malt balance like an IPA.

 

[EyePeeA]

Not a new trend at all. Hoppy IPAs have been around for years. If you dislike them now, force yourseld to try and brew them over and over again and they're more like an addiction.

 

[Xpertskir]

I appreciate most styles of beer, but I want intensely flavorful IPA's in my glass 90% of the time. I really dont care what anyone else wants and frankly a decrease in hop demand(and price) would be welcomed by this brewer.

I think its less of a trend that the easiest entry point for a lot of craft beer neophytes and there will always be more of the less experienced beer drinkers than the high-falutin alcoholics that most of us are.

Now the question as to why hop forward beers seem to be the most popular entry point to craft beer is the more interesting question and I don't think its supply driven BTW.

Also...WTF..it's a 5 letter word....PLINY, say it with me P-L-I-N-Y...why is it so hard for people to spell.

 

[jsberry]

Yes, it is just a trend. Welcome to 2009.

 

[roymullins]

I've tried Pliny... not impressed- take a decent craft beer- pour it into a pint glass and dump some of your fresh grass clippings in it and you have Pliny...

When I go to a brew pub or brewery I always ask them... "what is your best?" They always suggest the IPA... the @#$%ing IPA! Since when did good beer mean high alcohol and an overdose of hops? Hopefully things will come back around and there will be more session-type beers with an emphasis on malt and flavor and balance rather than vegetable matter and ABV %...

 

[EyePeeA]

I've tried Pliny... not impressed- take a decent craft beer- pour it into a pint glass and dump some of your fresh grass clippings in it and you have Pliny...

When I go to a brew pub or brewery I always ask them... "what is your best?" They always suggest the IPA... the @#$%ing IPA! Since when did good beer mean high alcohol and an overdose of hops? Hopefully things will come back around and there will be more session-type beers with an emphasis on malt and flavor and balance rather than vegetable matter and ABV %...

Disagree 1000%. I'm sorry you had a single bad experience with Pliny. But a fresh to death bottle, or a draft run from clean lines, is like sipping on Angel's tears. It sounds like you 1) dislike IPAs or 2) dislike hops... perhaps both? IPAs are not supposed to be balanced. Their unique offering of unbalance, held against a huge array of balanced beer styles, is what makes them special.

Pliny is one of the few extremely well made IIPAs on par with the likes of Heady Topper. Both have a lot of that dank marijuana goodness that so many other IIPAs fail to harness.

 

[Jon73]

I find as a homebrewer I've spent the majority of my time brewing ales and ipa's, which I enjoy, but they are now kind of a routine and the brewing of them has become rather boring. I just brewed my first milk stout yesterday and I'm excited to see how it turns out. Not that it was a more difficult recipe, just different. I think that will be the way of things, just like the pendulum analogy. You can only drink hop bombs for so long before you just get tired of it and want something different.

And if I can preach just a minute longer, it is kind of the American way to do things. Something new comes along and we jam it down our throats as much, and as often, as we can until we are sick of it. Then 10/20 years later, we revive it and start all over. And in the interim those that remain hop-heads will become the purists and mock the newcomers saying that they've stayed true all along and get pissy over others drinking "their" beer. Just my observation on the American culture. Not knocking it, just keeping it "real".

 

[Araknaphob1c]

Disagree 1000%. I'm sorry you had a single bad experience with Pliny. But a fresh to death bottle, or a draft run from clean lines, is like sipping on Angel's tears. It sounds like you 1) dislike IPAs or 2) dislike hops... perhaps both? IPAs are not supposed to be balanced. Their unique offering of unbalance, held against a huge array of balanced beer styles, is what makes them special.

Pliny is one of the few extremely well made IIPAs on par with the likes of Heady Topper. Both have a lot of that dank marijuana goodness that so many other IIPAs fail to harness.

+1

I like most styles of beer but I have to say that the IPA and IIPA are my favorite styles. I'm looking forward to when Russian River starts distributing to Texas.

 

[LBussy]

I can't believe someone said a few years ago you could not find hoppy beers ... UNTRUE. I do believe that extra hoppy beers are a fad a beer drinker goes through however. Too much hops is too much hops, just like too much of anything else is unbalanced. Put one of those POS beers on my table and I'll judge it a dismal failure as quickly as an infected beer.

I neither love or hate hops - they are a part of beer, just a part. All things in balance.

 

[ghosthef]

Call it a trend...say it's here to say. I say it doesn't matter cause I will drink that and other beer varietals all day long...although I must say,...I would never wait in line hours for beer! There are jut too damn many beautiful beers out there!

So,...pour a damn glass, hold it up and drink my friends!

 

[Erroneous]

My biggest problem is that most IPAs I've had have the same exact character. C hops, maybe a little crystal, that's about it. I truly love an ipa that it's different like Sumthin' Sumthin' or SN Celebration. I hate how when I go to my grocery store my selection is this: ipa, apa, light lager, dry stout. Gimme some malt bombs, barleywines, dubbels, tripels, bocks, something! I like variety, if I wanted the same thing no matter what brand I went with, I'd consider going with light lager. At least those are made consistently.

I love a good ipa but how am I supposed to turn people on to good beer by punching them with a pine cone citrus bomb? The next trend I'm seeing is Belgian style beers and the more delicate approach is welcome here.

The thing I do like about ipas is that most craft beer styles are doing more than a nod to the hops for bittering. Hops are a great ingredient and there is so much unexplored territory there. I can't wait for craft brewers to use new hops you produce more than your standard ipa.

 

[EyePeeA]

I do believe that extra hoppy beers are a fad a beer drinker goes through however. Too much hops is too much hops, just like too much of anything else is unbalanced. Put one of those POS beers on my table and I'll judge it a dismal failure as quickly as an infected beer.

I neither love or hate hops - they are a part of beer, just a part. All things in balance.

Disagreed again. I think most people learn that hoppy dry bitter beers are an acquired taste. Like Coffee or Scotch, you don't normally love IIPAs immediately. But when they grow on you, they stay with you, and you yearn for more.

I also don't agree with the whole balance descriptor for this style. IIPas are supposed to be bitter and all about the hops. That's the whole point. I make an IIPA that uses 16 oz. total hops and everyone who appreciates IIPAs seems to go crazy for it. It's the most unbalanced thing ever, but it's sexy.

 

[LBussy]

Disagreed again. I think most people learn that hoppy dry bitter beers are an acquired taste. Like Coffee or Scotch, you don't normally love IIPAs immediately. But when they grow on you, they stay with you, and you yearn for more.

I also don't agree with the whole balance descriptor for this style. IIPas are supposed to be bitter and all about the hops. That's the whole point. I make an IIPA that uses 16 oz. total hops and everyone who appreciates IIPAs seems to go crazy for it. It's the most unbalanced thing ever, but it's sexy.

I appreciate you sharing your opinion. It's better when adults can exchange beliefs without running out of facts and resorting to name calling.

I am not wrong that these beers are incorrect for the style. Whether or not you agree that the style is described correctly, I think you need to agree that these beers do not meet them as they are currently documented.

Also, it is improbable that the historic IPA had such a hoppy nose when enjoyed at its destination. I'm also going to go way out on a limb and say that Cascades were not in those beers. Their hops were not stored in hermetically sealed, light proof packages, nor did they pelletize. There's nearly no way that they could ever have consistently enjoyed what passes for an IPA today.

When I started brewing many moons ago we had the same trend. The only difference now is that when we had to use Compuserve and communicate with each other, it cost a lot of money so we did not pontificate or brag about our excesses. Now due to sheer volume enough hop-heads can gather and reach critical mass and convince themselves that as a style this makes sense. I believe some people prefer it, that's fine. It is not however true to any style except perhaps a new one not yet documented.

You mention acquired taste. I wonder (not trying to pick a fight) if it's just not desensitizing yourself?

 

[EyePeeA]

You mention acquired taste. I wonder (not trying to pick a fight) if it's just not desensitizing yourself?

I think that you should know better than that... being a beer judge and all, and tasting a variety of styles and takes on styles. It's kind of like being a Scotch judge. The newb might only taste disgusting harsh oak, just as an IIPA newb may only sense a rough blanket bitterness full of lawn clippings. However, the trained palate can sense much more than that. If anything, I think my palate has grown due to IPA appreciation. I can detect subtle nuances that I was never able to in the past.

I feel that IPA haters just fall back on the "desensitizing" excuse to support their own opinion about the style. If you try to appreciate a nice balanced English brown ale right after you had a highly bitter American IIPA, well then there is a problem. But hoppy bitter beers do not cause permanent palate densensitation.

 

[LBussy]

You misunderstand me -I have a taste for a real IPA. I think that overpowering a beer with a single ingredient, any ingredient, is a flaw. It is no different than an over-oaked Chardonay, or Scotch malt which is over-done with peat smoke. Too much sugar coffee is too much sugar, it does not enhance it.

To me it is no different than drowning food in salt. Some salt enhances and balances. To much is just salty.

 

[Erroneous]

Interestingly enough, unlike spiciness which we do grow tolerant of the more we consume, bitterness stays just as bitter no matter how much we consume, other than normal palette cleansing type tolerance.

I thought of a couple more examples of ipa derivations that I'd like to see more of since the market is saturated with the same type of one note IPAs: Cascadian Dark Ales and Fuggle ipa by Shipyard.