Secret confession of a home brewer

[Ksosh]

So I have a confession that I need to get off my chest. Hopefully I won't be judged too harshly for this:
... (pause for dramatic effect)

...I hate india pale ales. They are bitter and horrible and nasty and, while I can drink them if I have to, they are probably in my 'bottom 3', right above rolling rock. I understand their usefulness in history (have to get beer to the British troops oppressing the Indian population), but now that we have things like refridgerated beverage trucks, I wouldn't shed a tear if this type of beer disappeared tomorrow. If I ever feel the need to an india pale ale, I'll just chew on some hop pellets and punch myself in the gut.

Am I the only one?

 

[phillc]

My favorite style bar none.

 

[BioBeing]

So how do you like Imperial IPAs?

 

[Ksosh]

So how do you like Imperial IPAs?

I'll let you know once I try the dogfish 90 minute in my fridge

 

[humann_brewing]

I absolutely hate ruination at the moment but I absolutely love Pliny the elder. 2 beers in the same category, one I hate, one I love.

Have you tried more than one IPA?

 

[Ksosh]

Have you tried more than one IPA?

Yes, I've tried probably 10 different onces, and each one tastes like a hobo's underpants.

 

[IrregularPulse]

I used to LOVE them! The last year was all APAs and IPAs. Now I am leaning more toward the Malty side of brewing along with Belgian and Trappist Ales. I think beer tastes change over time. I'm sure this time next year I'll be swinging more toward IPA's again.

 

[Revvy]

You like what you like, and brew what you want to drink, nothing wrong with not liking one style over another...I don't like wheat beers. So I don't brew them.

Some people like pilsners/lagers/etc, and there's nothing wrong with that at all. Some may even try to come up with the perfect bud clone..and if they can master it, then they really show their skill as a brewer, making one of the most demanding styles to brew.

 

[beerkrump]

Yes, I've tried probably 10 different onces, and each one tastes like a hobo's underpants.

Which begs the question, how many hobo panties have you tasted?

 

[Ksosh]

Which begs the question, how many hobo panties have you tasted?

Too many to list. Though I must admit I prefer Northeast Hobo Underpants to most other types (Southern is too greasy, Midwest too corny, and West Coast too smoked). The northern MA is probably my hobo underpants of choice.

 

[Picobrew]

Only 10 ?? After you have had 100, you will be addicted. It has been said before: hops are like chili peppers, when you are new to them, they might be a little harsh, but after a while you just want more and more.

I am pretty leery of IPAs in general because a lot of them are unbalanced and over the top. However, a well done IPA is beautiful. Try Green Flash IPA or Ninkasi Total Domination if you can get your hands on them.

 

[IrregularPulse]

Too many to list. Though I must admit I prefer Northeast Hobo Underpants to most other types (Southern is too greasy, Midwest too corny, and West Coast too smoked). The northern MA is probably my hobo underpants of choice.

So you like your hobo panties to taste like crabs??

I think you need to see an oral surgeon, your tongue needs replaced. Doesn't like hops, but likes crab infested hobo panties.....hmmm

 

[Homercidal]

Hey, nobody's perfect!

However, if you were to sit down and have a couple each night for a couple of nights, I'm willing to bet you will get used to it and like it. I used to think that anything stronger than Coors Light was too bitter!

That said, nobody said you have to drink IPAs. There are tons of other beers out there, and I'm sure there are styles that are more your taste. Maybe even (gasp) Lambics!

(Why don't we have a vomiting smiley??)

 

[Bobby_M]

There was a time I though Sam Adams BL and Redhook ESB was way over the top bitter. You'll acquire a taste for it if you stick to it.

 

[arturo7]

I likes the hops.

What I don't likes is the sweets, i.e. most Belgians.

 

[Hambone]

I used to hate IPAs as well. Couldn't stand them, but for some reason I kept trying them. Some I still hate, but some I absolutely love. I just brewed my own IPA and have already drank most of them. I will finish the last three tonight actually which means I need to brew up another batch. Damn, I need more carboys!

 

[cubbies]

I am pretty leery of IPAs in general because a lot of them are unbalanced and over the top. However, a well done IPA is beautiful.

Very, very true IMO. Plus the majority of IPAs on the market are overloaded with "C" hops. I prefer a balanced, "traditional" IPA loaded up with hops like EKG and Fuggles. Still quite hoppy, especially in the nose, but not the puckering type of bitter.

That being said, brew (and drink) what you like. No one is going to judge you. I probably only brew one or two IPAs a year. I tend to lean more towards the malty side of brewing.

 

[menschmaschine]

You're definitely not the only one. I like balanced beers for the most part. That being said, I usually have an Ordinary Bitter and a German Lager (e.g., Helles) on tap. I like something hoppy once in a while, but in general, when the IBUs get up into the 40s (depending on gravity), I think twice.

However, I'm a huge advocate of people hitting themselves, so you should try an IPA every once in a while.

 

[chefchris]

Give it time. I use to be in the same boat. Absolutely hated IPAs. Then I brewed a Stone IPA clone for my dad. That's where it started. Now I love them. I don't search out for the hoppiest damn beer you can find. I love a well balanced and drinkable IPA.

You will like them one day. Check back in here when you do.

 

[Yooper]

I used to love malty beers, but I've become a huge hophead and IPAs are my favorite style. I like hoppy APAs, as well. I rarely drink a maibock anymore, but that was my favorite style before I found out about hops.

 

[humann_brewing]

I use to not like hoppy beers, I didn't even like SNPA because I thought it was too hoppy. Well that has changed and I am graduating up to a few IIPAs but it not like I drink them all the time.

I have a friend that use to give me his empty bottles, primarily 22s and that is all he drank hop, hop and more hops, nothing was less than a IPA.

 

[annasdadhockey]

No one is going to judge you.

Speak for yourself Cubbies...I'm gonna judge the **** out of him.
Sorry, I love IPA's.
Not everyone loves all styles, but liking IPA's should be mandatory!!!
(Just kidding, brew and drink what you like, that's what makes our addiction so fun. )

 

[david_42]

After you have had 100, you will be addicted.

No

I stopped sampling IPAs at beer fests (*) about four years ago. Used to like them, but they got really, really boring. When I hit a new brewpub, I avoid anything that blats about hops. That can be difficult. There is one unnamed brewpub in Oregon where FIVE of the eight beers are hop blats. Fortunately, the stout (not a RIS) is an award winner.

* The exception is Fresh Hops Fests, because 90% of the beers will be IPAs.

 

[HenryHill]

I don't care for quite a few commonly high respected IPA's, but found that by making my own, I can get the hops flavor and aroma I like, that I can't find anywhere else.

You don't find too many Columbus hopped IPA's, and it is tied for my favorite with Centennial, which you can find.

 

[user 30639]

I wouldn't go so far as to say I hate IPA's, but I certainly don't go out of my way to drink them. One once in a while is good. But that's about it.

 

[PseudoChef]

When I first started brewing, I was trying to find a way to make everything at least 7% and usually >8%.

Now, I'm looking for a way to make great, 4.5% beer.

 

[Joos]

I don't care for quite a few commonly high respected IPA's, but found that by making my own, I can get the hops flavor and aroma I like, that I can't find anywhere else.

You don't find too many Columbus hopped IPA's, and it is tied for my favorite with Centennial, which you can find.

I just brewed a continually hopped ipa yesterday.!z warrior @60 then a even blend of colombus,cenntenial,and chinook every 5 mins.

 

[malkore]

I'm not a hop head. I won't even try IPA's and such because SNPA is as fun to me as sucking on a lemon.
How can you enjoy a beer when you just have hops assaulting your taste buds?

 

[Stef1966]

I have yet to try a beer i couldn't drink at all, but some stuff i tasted i wouldnt drink all evening long in a party.

I enjoy most styles but i do have to agree with you, for me too much hops is like a sauce with too much pepper, pepper is a nice addition in a meal but too much of it and you wont be able to taste anything else happening in the recipe.

I can understand people being enthusiastic about stuff, but i like a reasonable balance in a beer.

 

[KopyKat]

One thing I really don't get. Why would anyone try to develop a taste for something they don't like. To me it's like "eat more doggie do, you will develop a taste for it".

I like IPAs but not any beers that have clove flavors. Don't want to develop a taste for them either. Blaaah.

I don't like curry, horehound candy, tofu, black beans, humus, chick peas and doggie do. Don't ever intend to develop a taste for them.

I love liver and onions, licorice, mountain oysters, hogs head cheese and other things commonly despised. Wouldn't bother me if no one else in the world didn't like them.

That said, I sure would like to develop a taste for being wealthy.:rockin:

 

[Ksosh]

I don't like curry, horehound candy, tofu, black beans, humus, chick peas and doggie do. Don't ever intend to develop a taste for them.

What's funny is that I used to be able to eat humus, and actually liked it, but one day I had too much of it and got sick, and now I can't even think about it otherwise I want to throw up. Even typing this made me a little nauseous.

 

[Picobrew]

One thing I really don't get. Why would anyone try to develop a taste for something they don't like.

Because there is beauty in everything. Some things take patience and discipline to appreciate... it is like music or art. If you have presupposed notions about what you will never like, you will never be able to fully experience your senses and the splendors of the world. Being surprised and evolving your tastes is quite joyful.

 

[KopyKat]

If you have presupposed notions about what you will never like, you will never be able to fully experience your senses and the splendors of the world.

I must confess. Although I have tried all but one of the things I listed as don't likes and they would not classify as "predisposed notions", doggie do is not one of them. You are absolutely correct on that one. Sadly, I will never be able to fully experience with my senses the splendors of doggie do.

Prior to reading this thread I considered myself a person willing to experience anything and not a critic of those that didn't. Now the flaw in my character has been exposed and I fear I must spend some time in quiet contemplation for a period of re-assessment.

 

[Lil' Sparky]

Most new brewers, or people new to craft beer don't like hoppy beer, but for whatever reason, after some time sampling new styles and developing a palate for the different flavors in beer, MANY people begin to enjoy hoppy or even very hoppy brews. Count me in that group.

I think it's even more common for brewers because we develop an appreciation for the particular flavors and characteristics of different yeast/grain/hops. Most people don't see/smell/taste fresh hops, or as they're in the boil, or fresh wort samples. To them, hops => bitter beer face. To many of us, hops give a wonderful aroma and flavor, and even when they add a lot of bitterness, we can still enjoy the complex flavors they impart to the beer as a whole.

 

[beerkrump]

2¢ My name is krump and I'm a hop head.

I love hoppy IPA's. Ruination, Pliny, Torpedo, all good things. I have always envisioned IPA's and hops to be akin to salsa and chiles. Some people can handle the heat and the love it, some prefer a mild and some react to the slightest warmth. It would be nice if more breweries would label the IBU's or BU:GU on their IPA's. I've had some IPA's that I found less hoppy than many APA's I've had and I would not have bought the beer if I ahd known the IBU's were so low.

Also, I don't get the blurred line many microbreweries have in defining the difference between an IPA and an APA. I have had IPA's that I would have sworn had less than 40 IBU's. Either that or the brewer over compensated with residual sugars.

IPA's should not be the platform for a brewer to display their ability to balance the intricacies of the thousands of flavors in beer. This is a beer that should be extreme in flavor. It should present the drinker with a clear understanding of what hops can do to your tongue.

 

[BioBeing]

So I have a confession that I need to get off my chest. Hopefully I won't be judged too harshly for this:
... (pause for dramatic effect)

...I hate india pale ales. They are bitter and horrible and nasty and, while I can drink them if I have to, they are probably in my 'bottom 3', right above rolling rock. I understand their usefulness in history (have to get beer to the British troops oppressing the Indian population), but now that we have things like refridgerated beverage trucks, I wouldn't shed a tear if this type of beer disappeared tomorrow. If I ever feel the need to an india pale ale, I'll just chew on some hop pellets and punch myself in the gut.

Am I the only one?

I'm just wondering... when you say you don't like IPAs, are you referring to the English IPA as you allude to here, or to their American cousins? They really are two very different drinks. Semantics do matter!

 

[Ksosh]

I'm just wondering... when you say you don't like IPAs, are you referring to the English IPA as you allude to here, or to their American cousins? They really are two very different drinks. Semantics do matter!

English ipas. Apas I can stand much better, but they are still low on my list