IPA burnout

[jlinz]

After brewing mostly IPA's for the last few years and drinking every IPA under the sun at the bars I think I hit an IPA wall. Maybe its the season but a nice malty beer just taste better lately. IPA's are starting to taste real bitter to me. Even the same beer I was liking a year ago.
I went to the LHBS last week and loaded up on grain. At the register the owner asked if I needed hops. I said I have a freezer full of hops and I'm getting IPA burnout, She laughed and said they're seeing a shift to maltier beers and light beers like cream ales so I guess its not just me

I'll still make one here or there with all the hops I have to use up but with the endless overload of IPA's popping up everywhere I think I got burntout...will see if it lasts

I would just call it maturity. Fads die, and I've come to find that the standard styles have been around for so long for a reason. Trying to start a nanobrewery, and I wish everyone thought like you, but I know we will have to put at least a few experimental IPAs on tap.

 

[Nebraskan]

I hate IPA beer and if that is all there was, I'd drink wine. I was told, by our Assist Winemaker (degree in food science and long time home brewer) that in the beginning, making beer in England and then sailing around to India where they drank beer on the way and sold it, was problematic to begin with. The beer spoiled. So they added more hops to the beer to act as a preservative (wine uses SO2) so the English beer could make the trip to India. It was very hop forward, bitter, and was really not the preferred flavor / style, but beer that was was overly hopped was better than bad beer.

Now when I go to stores that carry lots of local and regional beers about all I see is this IPA and that IPA and many times it has the oddest crap in it! Mandarines, Guava, tangerines, fruits.... Took a "beer" and turned it into some wine cooler/fruit cocktail.

I'm German. Beer is beer. Malt barley, water, hops and yeast. No other stuff in it, and go light enough on the hops to just impart a slight bitter, and a finish with hops to give it some aroma. It's what I do with making Munich Dunkel.

 

[Imperator85]

IPA's may be a fad, but they sell. The local grocery store's beer section is about 90% IPA/pale lager styles (from the big breweries). There have been some IPA's I've liked, but they tend to not be incredibly bitter/boozy or exotically fruity/hop flavored.

I've met people who claim they are only into IPA's, but I had a feeling they never really tried any other styles seriously because it was the popular thing to drink.

 

[Miraculix]

I hate IPA beer and if that is all there was, I'd drink wine. I was told, by our Assist Winemaker (degree in food science and long time home brewer) that in the beginning, making beer in England and then sailing around to India where they drank beer on the way and sold it, was problematic to begin with. The beer spoiled. So they added more hops to the beer to act as a preservative (wine uses SO2) so the English beer could make the trip to India. It was very hop forward, bitter, and was really not the preferred flavor / style, but beer that was was overly hopped was better than bad beer.

Now when I go to stores that carry lots of local and regional beers about all I see is this IPA and that IPA and many times it has the oddest crap in it! Mandarines, Guava, tangerines, fruits.... Took a "beer" and turned it into some wine cooler/fruit cocktail.

I'm German. Beer is beer. Malt barley, water, hops and yeast. No other stuff in it, and go light enough on the hops to just impart a slight bitter, and a finish with hops to give it some aroma. It's what I do with making Munich Dunkel.

I really like some ipas, but they are all on the lower ibu side. That's the beauty about home brewing, I can design those beers the way I like them. But, to be honest, my favourites I brewed so far fall all in the range you just described.

 

[CavA3R4]

I still have an OLD IPA recipe that makes a very nice (MILD by todays standards) IPA.
As for the commercial IPA's in my opinion they WAY overhop them. I like Dogfish head 60 and 90 minute and have never been able to find the 120 minute version.
With that said. If you are BURNED out on IPA's, I'd suggest you try something really nice, like a Christmas Ale, Deshutes makes a real fine Jubelale, Corsendonk Christmas Ale which is very hard to find. Once you try it, then make a clone. They are awesome beers.
I just Love Belgian ales, Corsendonk brown ale, or an abbey ale, of course all the the trappist ales. I'm getting thirsty just thinking about it. Guests will be arriving in about the next 1/2 hour and I'm going to have my cloned Orval Trappist ale. mmmmmmmmmm
yummy!

 

[SoCal-Doug]

It has 75 IBU, and has incredible malt character

Reminds me of a local pub that had a tap tile that said "Malt forward 150 IBU's". At that point, malt is moot and you aren't going to detect anything about malt. In reality, it probably shuts down your sense of taste for a week anyway. A shot of gasoline would taste the same and be a lot cheaper.

 

[Bobcatbrewing42]

After brewing mostly IPA's for the last few years and drinking every IPA under the sun at the bars I think I hit an IPA wall. Maybe its the season but a nice malty beer just taste better lately. IPA's are starting to taste real bitter to me. Even the same beer I was liking a year ago.
I went to the LHBS last week and loaded up on grain. At the register the owner asked if I needed hops. I said I have a freezer full of hops and I'm getting IPA burnout, She laughed and said they're seeing a shift to maltier beers and light beers like cream ales so I guess its not just me

I'll still make one here or there with all the hops I have to use up but with the endless overload of IPA's popping up everywhere I think I got burntout...will see if it lasts

I understand. I try to keep at least 3 kegged brews handy for guests or my personal whims. Right now I have an Oatmeal stout, a Munich Helles Lager and a Rye IPA. I was on a British beer kick for a year or so but got tired of all that malt and caramel. The hop harvest this year seems great. I just got some Citra, Centennial, Legacy and Spalter (Hallertau hybrid) They are all really good.

 

[waldoar15]

I quit brewing IPAs years ago.

 

[dmtaylor]

IPA is no longer just a fad. It has become a permanent part of the American culture in the 21st century... as least as permanent as permanent ever is. Think of bitter in England, stout in Ireland, helles in Germany, etc.

 

[eric19312]

IPA is no longer just a fad. It has become a permanent part of the American culture in the 21st century... as least as permanent as permanent ever is. Think of bitter in England, stout in Ireland, helles in Germany, etc.

American IPA is probably not a fad in America or elsewhere. When I travel outside the US I see historic beers brewed as they have been for decades and if you work hard to find anything else you then find beers heavily influenced by American IPA. When it comes to something experimental and innovative (outside the US) it’s almost always hop forward with emphasis on New World (or Americanize European) hops. I don’t see an experimental lager in Germany or a crazy new double in Belgium. I do see them brewing eXperimental IPAs with their own regional spin, but still IPAs.

 

[SoCal-Doug]

IPA is no longer just a fad. It has become a permanent part of the American culture in the 21st century...

Possibly. But someday, breweries will need to make real beer also, instead of 90% of their taps being over-hopped to the point where any lack of brewing skills are hidden and undetectable The "Pet Rock" and the "Sham Wow" sold millions and are still available for purchase. They just aren't dominating the market any longer.

 

[Rhaop]

Possibly. But someday, breweries will need to make True Beer also, instead of 90% of their taps being over-hopped to the point where any lack of brewing skills are hidden and undetectable The "Pet Rock" and the "Sham Wow" sold millions and are still available for purchase. They just aren't dominating the market any longer.

Fixed that for you

 

[Sbe2]

I have quit adding a bunch of hops to the boil. I love IPAs, but enjoy a crisp Pilsner, and my “house” brew is a Cream Ale, which I change the hop used in the DH (Probably not to the style guidelines, but man I love hops).

I mainly brew IPAs/NEIPAsin the sense of the IBUs and amount of hops I use, but I only add a 7 gram bittering charge at 60 min and nothing else during the boil. I may add a couple oz at FO, but I will add my remaining hops below 160 for a steep and then dry hop. The result is probably a hop tea to most, but it isn’t a bitter bomb like what you get from the store. Which I don’t really care for.

I grow my own hops so maybe that’s why I appreciate the hop character in a beer. When I brew my beers that I want to drink, I want them to be hop forward. It seems like those of us who like IPAs are one step above the BMC guys cheering Jr going around turn 4 to those who enjoy malt forward beers. Dilly Dilly.

 

[schematix]

I am currently working on a project with a bunch of British guys and all of them drink beer, and the only style they order when they are here is real American IPAs.

They are arrogant about their formerly glorious country, but they all agree we make a better IPA (and a tastier cow) on this side of the pond.

 

[Apimyces]

Yea, I really like hops, but I aim for the lower limit of the bitterness for the style(s). 90+ IBU is barely drinkable.

 

[SoCal-Doug]

For pubs and commercial operations, its not about brewing or quality at all. It's all about who can claim the most IBU's and come up with the coolest name. It's the same marketing profile as energy drinks and weed. If someone can cram 150 IBU's or more, of whatever the cheapest per pound hops they can find (it doesn't even matter what kind), into anything, and call it "Alien Phlem" or "Monkey Smeg", they will empty kegs nightly. Any thought of tasting malt, yeast or something resembling "juicy" (the word juicy is the latest attempt at justification of the fad) is purely psychosomatic or a suggestive placebo effect.

What was it P.T. Barnum said? "There's a sucker born every minute".

 

[bruce_the_loon]

I wonder what the modern hop bombs would be like if aged like a 19th century IPA was, six months in uncontrolled temperatures, shaken constantly and then served at India room temps.

 

[SoCal-Doug]

I wonder what the modern hop bombs would be like if aged like a 19th century IPA was, six months in uncontrolled temperatures, shaken constantly and then served at India room temps.

Shush. You might start a new fad. I could just see all the bearded gender neutral hipsters with man-buns running around raving about the new Hot-n-Skunky-IPA's

 

[WitShadow]

I like ipas in which you actually can still taste that the main ingredient is malt.

Agree. IPAs are supposed to be balanced between hop bitterness and malty sweetness. I think a lot of the “hop fatigue” expressed in this thread is the result of many brewers having forgotten that important fact.

I have zero hop fatigue but I brew a different style with each batch and IPAs make up every fourth batch or so, so I have plenty of other styles to choose from each time I open the fridge. I’d be sick of any style I drank all the time.

IMHO the balanced IPA is still king and that’s not a fad, it’s the best selling beer at just about every brewery and bar.

 

[Wairaka]

The IPA trend has been a boon for hops IMO, we've started to see the science of hops and their utilization become far more understood, we see new varieties and the hop farmers becoming more involved in the final taste of beer than ever before. In a way its been a time coming, malt was "mastered" to point earlier, whereas hops have been a little behind (think Alpha acid % vs the complexity of the language used now). We can use all this experimentation and new knowledge to produce new beers and improve age old beer recipes which is a great thing. There are examples of this about they are just harder to find. Agreed it is hard to take, when the excitement of finding new beer bar with 25 taps is dampened upon finding the vast majority of the beers are massively hop forward IPAs and there isn't even a solid example of some of the more popular styles. While all styles bar a few could benefit from this new age of hop experimentation and could help bring some balance back to the taps, some are particularly suited IMO; Brown ales (so called cascadians), amber ales, Pilsner (mainly the german styles), English ales, bocks, Red ales. I would be interested in peoples thoughts on the "new" age of hops and where it could take some other favorite styles

 

[schematix]

I wonder what the modern hop bombs would be like if aged like a 19th century IPA was, six months in uncontrolled temperatures, shaken constantly and then served at India room temps.

You need not wonder further than my local Total Wine store. Their inventory is quite dated. If you look you’ll even find bottles dated back to around the time the store opened 3 years ago.

 

[Apimyces]

The IPA trend has been a boon for hops IMO, we've started to see the science of hops and their utilization become far more understood, we see new varieties and the hop farmers becoming more involved in the final taste of beer than ever before. In a way its been a time coming, malt was "mastered" to point earlier, whereas hops have been a little behind (think Alpha acid % vs the complexity of the language used now). We can use all this experimentation and new knowledge to produce new beers and improve age old beer recipes which is a great thing. There are examples of this about they are just harder to find. Agreed it is hard to take, when the excitement of finding new beer bar with 25 taps is dampened upon finding the vast majority of the beers are massively hop forward IPAs and there isn't even a solid example of some of the more popular styles. While all styles bar a few could benefit from this new age of hop experimentation and could help bring some balance back to the taps, some are particularly suited IMO; Brown ales (so called cascadians), amber ales, Pilsner (mainly the german styles), English ales, bocks, Red ales. I would be interested in peoples thoughts on the "new" age of hops and where it could take some other favorite styles

Agreed, though I also find hops themselves have their own unfortunate fads (everyone abusing Cascade, then Citra, Mosaic...).

There's so much to play with, to understand, to exploit, and yet everyone's just brewing the same clonal grapefruit juice.

 

[SoCal-Doug]

There's so much to play with, to understand, to exploit, and yet everyone's just brewing the same clonal grapefruit juice

Its super easy to brew up one of those "juicy" IPA fad beers. Its just a gallon of gasoline, a cup of flour, squeeze a couple unripe green oranges in it, and mix well. Set the damn thing on the shelf then go buy a can of coors lite because your taste buds have been burned away leaving no clue what good beer is supposed to taste like

 

[eric19312]

Wow I’m always surprised when the ipa hating thread turns up again. Get over it already.

 

[day_trippr]

I dunno, I think they're all whack jobs, but HBT is undeniably the right forum for ipa haters to rage against the gale...

Cheers!

 

[Apimyces]

We don't hate IPAs, we had the hype for over-the-top unbalanced "juicy" IPAs.

I love IPAs.

But out of the hundreds of hops to make them with, why do all of the breweries, big and small, insist on using the same few all the time, and using them in quantities that prevent their full appreciation?

 

[eric19312]

We don't hate IPAs, we had the hype for over-the-top unbalanced "juicy" IPAs.

I love IPAs.

But out of the hundreds of hops to make them with, why do all of the breweries, big and small, insist on using the same few all the time, and using them in quantities that prevent their full appreciation?

Balance has nothing to do with IPA.

To be fair I’m not all in with the juicy NEIPA style, prefer a decent bitterness to complement the sweetness, but I’m not in any way calling for balance...

 

[yourlastchance89]

IPA is no longer just a fad. It has become a permanent part of the American culture in the 21st century... as least as permanent as permanent ever is. Think of bitter in England, stout in Ireland, helles in Germany, etc.

This. I think the varying sub-styles of IPAs we're seeing are "fads" in that other styles will eventually come to replace them as the popular style for a time, but IPAs in general aren't going anywhere, and they've very much become the centerpiece of American beer culture. I used to like them alot when I first got into craft beer, but I too have been burnt out on them. I wouldn't say I hate them, I even brew one once in a while, but I don't actively seek them out as a staple to brew or drink.

 

[yourlastchance89]

The IPA trend has been a boon for hops IMO, we've started to see the science of hops and their utilization become far more understood, we see new varieties and the hop farmers becoming more involved in the final taste of beer than ever before. In a way its been a time coming, malt was "mastered" to point earlier, whereas hops have been a little behind (think Alpha acid % vs the complexity of the language used now). We can use all this experimentation and new knowledge to produce new beers and improve age old beer recipes which is a great thing. There are examples of this about they are just harder to find. Agreed it is hard to take, when the excitement of finding new beer bar with 25 taps is dampened upon finding the vast majority of the beers are massively hop forward IPAs and there isn't even a solid example of some of the more popular styles. While all styles bar a few could benefit from this new age of hop experimentation and could help bring some balance back to the taps, some are particularly suited IMO; Brown ales (so called cascadians), amber ales, Pilsner (mainly the german styles), English ales, bocks, Red ales. I would be interested in peoples thoughts on the "new" age of hops and where it could take some other favorite styles

I can't argue with this. I used to be quite ignorant of the advancements in hop varieties and hop brewing techniques until I actually brewed a few IPAs myself, but this "fad" has been a boon for advancing hop science in brewing.

 

[CavA3R4]

try this and you won't be disappointed.

6 # Gold Extract

3.3 # Amber Extract

1 Tsp Irish Moss

2 oz Cascade hops (boil)

1 oz Williamette (finish)

1 oz Goldings (finish)

½ Pound Crystal Malt 60degress L

½ pound Toasted Malt



Wyeast Bristish yeast #1098

About 5.2 to 5.7 %

I called this my "lawn mower beer". Session is the latest word I guess. it tastes very nice and is NOT overhopped. it is a 1 hour boil.

 

[Apimyces]

IPAs go from 5,1%-10,6% abv, 35-100+ IBUs, 0,70-1,00 BU:GU, as per the styles guide (American IPA, English IPA, Imperial IPA).

That's a whole lot to play around with. 90-100 IBU hop bombs are not obligatory to the style. There's no appreciating the hops when they are just packed with the cheapest alpha acid givers to destroy your taste buds with the first sip.

The mildest IIPA (65 IBU, 0,87 BU:GU) is probably about the limit of what I'd enjoy drinking on a more or less regular basis myself, though I'd rather 35-50 IBU. Ideally, with no Cascade, Citra, or Mosaic. Or anything else with "grapefruit" in the aromas.

 

[CavA3R4]

try a dog fish head 60 or 90 minute.
then if you like it, make a clone of it.

 

[Tommydee]

Wow I’m always surprised when the ipa hating thread turns up again. Get over it already.

I remember one of my earliest posts was that I didn't really like my first sample of a commercial NEIPA, and I inadvertently trolled an HBT battle!

Back to the OP, I get this all the time with hoppy beers, since my first Sierra Nevada almost 20 years ago. I love IPA's, but get tired of hops after a while, burnout, but then come back. I feel us homebrewers are the canaries in the coal mine...for those in the beer business, something to pay attention to...but as a homebrewer, this is the beauty of the hobby! it's time for you to take a journey down a rabbit hole of German lagers, Belgian ales, or other subset. Then, maybe late summer, brew a citrusy pale ale with those hops in the freezer.

 

[SEndorf]

I hate IPA beer.......
I'm German.....

I paraphrased your post to the pertinent points.... Nuff said.
I'm with ya brother. Although I do like a well balanced IPA, I'm partial to Vienna Lagers, Roggenbier, Bocks, doppels, and Hefewizens (affectionately called Heiffers on the Nebraska cattle ranch I grew up on).....Broken English was the second language on my farm.
Das IPA-Teichwasser schmeckt wie Hundescheiße !!

 

[SoCal-Doug]

Was there anything other than German's and Pollock's in Nebraska back then?

Hundescheiße is that newfangled juicy stuff. Everything else is just łoś siki. But they all start with grün und schleimig teichwasser.

Niech żyje dobre piwo!

 

[SEndorf]

LOL.... No łoś siki as there were no moose there. But plenty of Opossum Eingeweide....
No Pollocks either, not that it would matter.... All displaced Germans off the boat...tired of the Kaiser....

Lang lebe ein gutes Bier

 

[MaryB]

I usually have an IPA on tap, but it is a "barely" IPA by towday's commercial standards of over the top 90++++IBU so bitter my cheeks touch inside my mouth crap passed off as an IPA. Around 40IBU, clean malt backbone, 5.5-6.5ABV... and refreshing to drink and a good pair with fatty pork dishes(yes I pair beers with foods!). Still working on my recipe so I won't post it but nothing complicated, 2 row, some victory, maybe a little crystal depending on what flavor profile I want... usually a single hop variety too. A well made simple beer beats a hop bomb gas taste IPA any day!

 

[Manfish]

I’m not all in with the juicy NEIPA style

The first few that I tried, I really enjoyed. I've even brewed one with just Galaxy and it was awesome. However, the more and more I try from different breweries the more and more I realize that it doesn't appear that these places care what it tastes like, as long as the cloudy look is there and they can get it out being called a NEIPA. I had one last night that tasted like a citrus kool-aid. It took me almost 30 minutes to finish that pint and I know I certainly wont be going back to them again... at least for a NEIPA.

 

[Nebraskan]

(affectionately called Heiffers on the Nebraska cattle ranch I grew up on).....Broken English was the second language on my farm.
Das IPA-Teichwasser schmeckt wie Hundescheiße !!

Regarding Das IPa-Teichwasser.... ROFLMAO Several Germans I met year ago in Scottsbluff, NE referred to "American" beer as Pferd pissen. Lots of Germans from Russia in Western Nebraska, Polish... yes(Podkonyak), and Italians.... Ardisono and Olivini (an others) come to mind, and then there's the Mikoloyck in my High School (pronounced Mick-O-Lotchick) of Czechoslovakia origins.

Might I say that water structure makes a lot of difference in the bitterness of hops, at least in the bitter end. One of the lessons I learned is not to make beer with water from a water softner. I got a batch that was not quite finish purging the salt from the whole system and ended up with an excess of sodium, that made a relatively low IBU beer really bitter in the after taste.

Would love to see more porters, stouts, German beers in the store lineup. Had to find a liquor store (South Haven, MI) that carries Hofbräu München Dunkel, a bit pricey at 10.00/6 pack, but a very nice Dunkel.

 

[SoCal-Doug]

referred to "American" beer as Pferd pissen

How degrading to the horses

It's amazes and saddens me that the older I get, the more I confirm that most American breweries are either in bandwagon mode or simply could never get it right (there are a few extremely rare exceptions). I was almost offended when I saw a tap placard that said "Bitterburger German style lager 90 IBU" It went on to talk about the wonderful flavor and aromas of Cascade hops. The saddest part is that the idiots that drank it, probably believed that's how German beers actually taste

Fair disclosure... They aren't all terrible. I did find a pub in Riverside, California that makes a really good classic Saison.